Method and apparatus for co-socket telephony
Methods and apparatus for allowing a caller on a telephone network to establish an internet co-socket. In a first embodiment, a protocol stack establishes an Internet connection over a public switched telephone network (PSTN) link and then operates and maintains the Internet connection on a second link. Internet socket establishment is initiated with a caller-ID packet so the distant end may pick up with an Internet form instead of a interactive voice response system (IVR). This allows the caller to interact with a graphical form instead of a voice prompt, and provides new methods of operation for web call-back systems for call centers. The invention also enables mixed PSTN/internet multimedia telephone calls. In an exemplary embodiment, when a point-to-point telephone PSTN connection is established, a screen of information automatically appears at both ends via the Internet. This allows users who have computers connected to an internet to easily mix PSTN calling with internet services.
1 - 61 . (canceled)
62 . For use in a communication system that includes a plurality of wireless communications access devices that each employ a respective wireless air interface and that each provide access to an Internet Protocol (IP) packet-switched data network, a method comprising:
receiving at a particular one of the wireless communications access devices from an originating wireless client device, via the respective wireless air interface, a first IP packet comprising a destination address of a destination subscriber, and forwarding the destination address to a remote database server at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network;
the particular one of the wireless communications access devices receiving back from the remote database server a second IP packet comprising an IP address where a remote device associated with the destination subscriber can be presently reached via the IP packet-switched data network, and forwarding the IP address to the originating wireless client device, via the respective wireless air interface; and
supporting at least a portion of a bidirectional and interactive text messaging communication session between the originating wireless client device and the remote device, for effecting transmission of textual characters entered by a user of the originating wireless client device to the remote device, via the respective wireless air interface, the particular one of the wireless communications access devices, and at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network, using the IP address.
63 . The method of claim 62 , further comprising:
setting up a circuit-switched telephone call from the originating wireless client device to the remote device.
64 . The method of claim 62 , further comprising:
effecting transmission of a digital picture captured by a digital camera, from the originating wireless client device to the remote device, while the text messaging communication session is active.
65 . The method of claim 62 , further comprising:
effecting transmission of a digital video clip produced by a digital video camera, from the originating wireless client device to the remote device, while the text messaging communication session is active.
66 . The method of claim 62 , further comprising:
effecting transmission of an application layer data stream from a first application program in the originating wireless client device, to a second application program in the remote device, while the text messaging communication session is active.
67 . The method of claim 62 , further comprising:
causing a dialog box to be popped onto a display surface of the remote device while the text messaging communication session is active.
68 . The method of claim 62 , wherein the respective wireless air interface comprises a wireless local area network air interface.
69 . The method of claim 62 , wherein the respective wireless air interface provides multiplexed services to carry both circuit-switched telephony data and computer application program data for transmission at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network.
70 . The method of claim 62 , further comprising:
effecting, in a real-time, interactive, two-way application sharing session, transmission of application layer data from a first application program in the originating wireless client device, to a second application program in the remote device, via the respective wireless air interface, the particular one of the wireless communications access devices, and at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network.
71 . The method of claim 62 , further comprising:
effecting, in a real-time, interactive, two-way web browsing session, a set of client-server interactions between the originating wireless client device and a remote IP server via the respective wireless air interface, the particular one of the wireless communications access devices, and at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network.
72 . The method of claim 62 , further comprising establishing a VoIP communication connection between the originating wireless client device and the remote device, using the IP address returned by the remote database server.
73 . The method of claim 72 , wherein the VoIP communication connection is established using an H.323 protocol.
74 . The method of claim 62 , wherein the particular one of the wireless communications access devices communicates with the originating wireless client device via the respective wireless air interface using a wireless local area network air interface protocol.
75 . The method of claim 62 , wherein the particular one of the wireless communications access devices communicates with the originating wireless client device via the respective wireless air interface using a wireless air interface protocol that supports both circuit-switched telephony connections and IP packet-switched data connections.
76 . For use in a communication system that includes a plurality of wireless communications access devices that each employ a respective wireless air interface and that each provide access to an Internet Protocol (IP) packet-switched data network, a method comprising;
receiving at a particular one of the wireless communications access devices from an originating wireless client device, via the respective wireless air interface, a first IP packet comprising a destination address of a destination subscriber, and forwarding the destination address to a remote database server at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network;
the particular one of the wireless communications access devices receiving back from the remote database server a second IP packet comprising an IP address where a remote device associated with the destination subscriber can be presently reached via the IP packet-switched data network and forwarding the IP address to the originating wireless client device, via the respective wireless air interface; and
supporting at least a portion of a bidirectional and interactive multimedia messaging communication session between the originating wireless client device and the remote device, for effecting transmission of textual characters entered by a user of the originating wireless client device and at least one additional media type, to the remote device, via the respective wireless air interface, the particular one of the wireless communications access devices, and at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network, using the IP address.
77 . The method of claim 76 , further comprising:
setting up a circuit-switched telephone call from the originating wireless client device to the remote device.
78 . The method of claim 76 , further comprising:
effecting transmission of a digital picture captured by a digital camera, from the originating wireless client device to the remote device, as the at least one additional media type, while the bidirectional and interactive multimedia messaging communication session is active.
79 . The method of claim 76 , further comprising:
effecting transmission of a digital video clip produced by a digital video camera, from the originating wireless client device to the remote device, as the at least one additional media type, while the bidirectional and interactive multimedia messaging communication session is active.
80 . The method of claim 76 , further comprising:
effecting transmission of an application layer data stream from a first application program in the originating wireless client device, to a second application program in the remote device, as the at least one additional media type, while the bidirectional and interactive multimedia messaging communication session is active.
81 . The method of claim 76 , further comprising:
causing a dialog box to be popped onto a display surface of the remote device as the at least one additional media type, while the bidirectional and interactive multimedia messaging communication session is active.
82 . The method of claim 76 , wherein the respective wireless air interface comprises a wireless local area network air interface.
83 . The method of claim 76 , wherein the respective wireless air interface provides multiplexed services to carry both circuit-switched telephony data and computer application program data for transmission at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network.
84 . The method of claim 76 , further comprising:
effecting, in a real-time, interactive, two-way application sharing session, transmission of application layer data from a first application program in the originating wireless client device, to a second application program in the remote device, via the respective wireless air interface, the particular one of the wireless communications access devices, and at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network.
85 . The method of claim 76 , further comprising:
effecting, in a real-time, interactive, two-way web browsing session, a set of client-server interactions between the originating wireless client device and a remote IP server via the respective wireless air interface, the particular one of the wireless communications access devices, and at least partially via the IP packet-switched data network.
86 . The method of claim 76 , further comprising establishing a VoIP communication connection between the originating wireless client device and the remote device, using the IP address returned by the remote database server.
87 . The method of claim 86 , wherein the VoIP communication connection is established using an H.323 protocol.
88 . The method of claim 76 , wherein the particular one of the wireless communications access devices communicates with the originating wireless client device via the respective wireless air interface using a wireless local area network air interface protocol.
89 . The method of claim 76 , wherein the particular one of the wireless communications access devices communicates with the originating wireless client device via the respective wireless air interface using a wireless air interface protocol that supports both circuit-switched telephony connections and IP packet-switched data connections.
90 . A method, comprising:
a first wireless user device transmitting to a network facility first user information identifying a first user of the first wireless user device, and second user information identifying a second user of a second user device to whom the first user desires to transmit data, at least partially via an IP packet-switched network;
the network facility maintaining a dynamic database that includes a current Internet Protocol (IP) address of all users of the IP packet-switched network who are currently available;
the network facility determining a current IP address of the first wireless user device and updating the dynamic database with the current IP address of the first wireless user device;
the network facility querying the dynamic database to determine a current IP address of the second user device;
the network facility establishing an IP connection between the first wireless user device and the second user device, at least partially via the IP packet-switched network; and
the first wireless user device transmitting data to the second user device via the IP connection.