Patent Application
20080298352
The present invention relates to make a fixed line of telephone network virtually portable, particularly to a method of expansion of a plain old telephone service, to be able to provide new communication service via Internet for a subscriber by integrating phone adapter with software phone terminal.
Communication systems for transmitting telephone calls have become an integral, indispensable part of everyday life. The first roots of telephony were planted in 1876 with the invention of the first practical telephone by Alexander Graham Bell. As the number of calling stations or customer lines (telephones) in the system began to grow, the wiring system interconnecting the telephones became extremely complicated and unwieldy. Each customer line terminated in a local switching system commonly referred to as a central office. The central office then performed the task of connecting each of the telephone lines it served to a corresponding telephone line in order to complete a call. If the two parties to a call were serviced by the same central office, then the connection could be completed by the same central office without having to resort to other portions of the telecommunications network. If the call required connection to a telephone line serviced by a distant central office, then a connection between the central offices was carried out using a trunk, i.e., a connection between two central offices.
The invention of telephone promotes the speed and efficiency of communication; universal utility of the telephone shrinks communication gap between nationals or regions via telephone. However, operation of the telephone system includes telephone signals go through to a control room or a central office via a fixed line for switching signals, and followed by transmitting the signals via the fixed line, and each of the fixed line with its own predetermined number for identifying. Therefore, a user who dials or answers a phone call must reply on the fixed line to communicating with others.
As above mention, a mobile phone can resolve the issue for a user employing the fixed line for communicating with others. A mobile phone system allows for a user dialing or hearing a ringing call freely motions, anywhere without through the fixed line. However, user has to suffer high communication fee of the mobile phone. The longer talking time user takes, the higher fee user has to pay. Especially in transnational roaming mobile communication, user possesses benefit of convenient communication but should pay highly communication cost.
We all know that the voice technology via Internet is well developed nowadays; it has fulfilled as good voice quality as fixed line can offer and in-network call is almost free, and thereby making VoIP (Voice over IP) to be popularly used. Although VoIP provides a high benefit to user, but different VoIP systems can not connect and communicate with each other due to lack of standard specification among the VoIP systems, and thereby limiting the VoIP communication usage.
As above-mentioned, current telephone system has three drawbacks including 1. high communication fee; 2. too many phone numbers to use, for example home telephone, mobile phone, office telephone, Internet phone etc.; 3. the lack of standards for interoperability over different platforms. Therefore, the present invention provides a method and system which allow for a user available freely motion dialing, low communication fee and utilizing one phone number scheme for resolving the above-mentioned issue.
The present invention is a dual way process, to be able to provide communication service via Internet to fixed line.
The present invention provides a method of expansion of a plain old telephone service, to be able to provide communication service via Internet, comprising three approaches as follows:
Firstly, a ringing signal is sent from PSTN via fixed line; and then receiving the ringing signal by an adapter; secondly, the adapter re-sending the ringing signal for the call request to two devices: to the telephone connected to the adapter, and to a center management system via Internet and then sending the call request to a software phone from the center management system; third, receiving a response with answer signal by the adapter from either the telephone or the software phone; fourth, the adapter transferring the call to the response terminal; and finally, communicating between a remote terminal of PSTN and the response terminal via Internet.
The step of re-sending a ringing signal to both of a telephone connected to the adapter and to a remote software phone via Internet is achieved synchronously. Wherein receiving the answer signal by the adapter from either the telephone or the software phone, and then the other will stop the ringing signal.
The software phone may be embedded in a portable device, and wherein the portable device comprises a personal computer, notebook (NB), personal digital assistant (PDA) or mobile phone.
Second approach of the present invention is provided a method of expansion of a plain old telephone service, to be able to provide communication service via Internet, comprising: firstly, a call request is sent from software phone by clicking either one of contacts from contact list or a function button, and then sending the call request to a center management system via Internet; secondly, transmitting the call request by the center management system to an adapter; judging the call request by the adapter whether sending the ringing signal to a telephone connected to the adapter, or feedback the dialing signal of fixed line from PSTN to software phone; third, then sending a callee phone number from software phone to the adapter; fourth, transmitting the callee phone number to PSTN; and finally, communicating between the software phone and the telephone or the callee phone.
The step of whether sending the ringing signal to a telephone, or feedback the dialing signal from PSTN to software phone is judged by the adapter. While judging the call request by clicking a function button of software phone, feedback the dialing signal from PSTN to software phone. While judging the call request by clicking one of contacts from contact list of software phone, sending the ringing signal to the telephone connected to adapter.
The step of sending a call request from a software phone comprises the user utilizes the software phone to select a callee from a common contact lists or a function button. The step of dialing a callee phone number is executed after the user hearing the dialing signal from PSTN via Internet, transmitting by the adapter.
Third approach of the present invention is provided a method of expansion of a plain old telephone service, to be able to provide communication service via Internet, comprising: firstly, selecting a predetermined adapter of built-in white lists and sending a call request from a software phone; and then sending the call request to a center management system via Internet; secondly, transmitting the call request by the center management system to the predetermined adapter; third, checking usufruct of the call request with built-in white lists by the predetermined adapter and feedback the dialing signal from PSTN; forth, dialing a callee phone number by software phone; next, transmitting said callee phone number to said PSTN by the adapter; and finally, communicating between the software phone and the callee phone.
The step of sending a call request from a software phone comprises the user utilizes the software phone to select the predetermined adapter from a list. The adapter has white list built-in and authenticating the call request automatically. The step of dialing a callee phone number is executed after the user of software phone hearing the dialing signal from PSTN.
For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how it may be implemented, reference will now be made to the following drawings:
The present invention is described with the preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings. It should be appreciated that all the embodiments are merely used for illustration. Hence, the present invention can also be applied to various embodiments other than the preferred embodiments.
In
Referring to
The center management system 101 connects to the Internet. The software phone 104 also connects to the Internet. In general, the center management system 101 comprises: 1. Back-end Database Management which includes management of user profile, billing information, access information, etc., 2. Online Network Management, for example surveillance of network packet flow and online status, etc. The software phone 104 may be embedded in a remote terminal. In one case, the remote terminal may comprise personal computer, notebook (NB), personal digital assistant (PDA) or mobile phone. Referring to
The Internet phone module 413 may be coupled to the processing unit of the portable device 400 to allow the PSTN telephone transmitting and receiving the audio signal to/from the Internet network. In one embodiment, the Internet phone module 413 comprises FreePP or other software phones with built-in function of present invention.
In another embodiment, referring to
The mobile phone of
Referring to
Therefore, the present invention may utilize the software phone and the adapter for communication between the mobile phone, telephone and the software phone. Next, the user being called can answer the phone call anywhere by software phone, even user is not beside the telephone of fixed line. Further, the communication cost can be reduced by the present invention while user being called goes abroad. The system may achieve dual modes including telephone and software phone via PSTN and Internet, respectively. It will not change the operation custom of the user.
In other words, the user may employ the adapter to connect phone line and telephone. In general, the adapter may allow for user using home telephone calling or dialing to software phone terminal to reduce communication fee. When someone dials a mobile phone to home telephone, the adapter may allow for the home telephone ringing, and then user being called can hook or hang up the telephone to response. Moreover, the adapter may allow a (home) telephone and a software phone terminal ringing synchronously. While one of the telephone and the software phone terminal is selected to answer, the other terminal will stop ringing. In the present invention, phone call may be received by the telephone and the software phone terminal; the telephone of the invention may refer to an extension of a fixed line telephone, expanding the service of plain old telephone system.
Referring to
Similarly, a value-added unit including“My Phone”function button may be built-in the software phone terminal, while using the function button by the software phone, automatic linking to an adapter from the software phone to fixed line.
Referring to
As is understood by a person skilled in the art, the foregoing preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated of the present invention rather than limiting of the present invention. It is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the scope of which should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structure. While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
