Proxy media service for digital telephony
View Patent ↗A Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) service system includes a SIP-enabled soft switch at a telephony service provider, executing code from a coupled machine-readable medium, routing SIP transactions to remote destinations, a media server coupled to the SIP-enabled soft switch storing media including ring tones and music-on-hold for use in progressing transactions, and an interface to a wide-area-network (WAN) for transmitting transactions and media. The SIP-enabled soft switch determines for each transaction from stored data whether media services are to be provided or not provided for that destination, and in the event media services are not to be provided, alters packet data to indicate media services to be provided by a server local to the destination.
1. A system for providing media services for Internet telephony comprising:
a first media appliance; and
a first switch coupled to the first media appliance, the first switch storing instructions that, when executed, cause the first switch to:
receive a first request for establishing a telephony communication between a first communication appliance and a second communication appliance, wherein the second communication appliance is coupled to the first media appliance over a wide area network;
in response to making a first determination in response to the first request, invoke the first media appliance to play media for both the first and second communication appliances, wherein the media delivered to the second communication appliance is over the wide area network; and
in response to making a second determination in response to the first request, invoke the first media appliance to play first media for the first communication appliance and transmit a second request over the wide area network for invoking a second media appliance separated from the first media appliance via the wide area network to play second media for the second communication appliance, wherein the second communication appliance is coupled to the second media appliance over a local area network, the second media is stored in the second media appliance, and the second media is delivered to the second communication appliance over the local area network.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second requests are SIP signaling messages.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first switch is configured to examine a telephony number associated with the second communication appliance in making either the first determination or the second determination for invoking respectively the first media appliance or the second media appliance.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first determination is based on detecting that the second media appliance is unavailable.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second request is configured to be transmitted to a second switch coupled to the second media appliance.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the second switch is coupled to the second media appliance over the local area network, and to the first switch over the wide area network.
7. The system of claim 5 , wherein the first switch is configured to transmit to the second switch state information, wherein in response to the state information, the second switch is configured to signal the second media appliance to play the second media for the second communication appliance.
8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first or second media is selected from a group consisting of a ring tone, music, and busy signaling tone.
9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the instructions further cause the first switch to turn off external media services for the second communication appliance in response to making the second determination.
10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second determination includes identifying that the request is for an enterprise identified by the first switch as being a registered enterprise.
11. A method for providing media services for Internet telephony comprising:
receiving by a processor a first request for establishing a telephony communication between a first communication appliance and a second communication appliance;
in response to making, by the processor, a first determination in response to the first request, invoking the first media appliance to play media for both the first and second communication appliances, wherein the second communication appliance is coupled to the first media appliance over a wide area network and the media is delivered to the second communication appliance over the wide area network; and
in response to making, by the processor, a second determination in response to the first request, invoking the first media appliance to play first media for the first communication appliance and transmitting a second request over the wide area network for invoking a second media appliance separated from the first media appliance via the wide area network to play second media for the second communication appliance, wherein the second communication appliance is coupled to the second media appliance over a local area network, the second media is stored in the second media appliance, and the second media is delivered to the second communication appliance over the local area network.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first and second requests are SIP signaling messages.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the processor is configured to examine a telephony number associated with the second communication appliance in making either the first determination or the second determination for invoking respectively the first media appliance or the second media appliance.
14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first determination is based on detecting that the second media appliance is unavailable.
15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the second request is configured to be transmitted to a second switch coupled to the second media appliance.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the processor is included in a first switch, wherein the second switch is coupled to the first switch over the wide area network, and to the second media appliance over the local area network.
17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the processor is included in a first switch, wherein the first switch is configured to transmit to the second switch state information, wherein in response to the state information, the second switch is configured to signal the second media appliance to play the second media for the second communication appliance.
18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first or second media is selected from a group consisting of a ring tone, music, and busy signaling tone.