Telecommunications system and method of initiating file transfers from voice endpoints
View Patent ↗A communications system and method of transferring data over the communications system. The system includes audio communications devices (telephones and/or, soft phones) connected to Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) endpoints with multiple line capabilities and a unique Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) associated with audio communications that has the form [email protected]. A file transfer agent system running a File Transfer Application Agent (FTAA) application is also connected at each of SIP endpoints, and has a unique URI that has the form [email protected]. Parties conducting a phone conversation at SIP endpoints can initiate file transfers between the file transfer agent system from respective audio communications devices without otherwise accessing the file transfer agent system.
1. A communications system comprising:
a first SIP endpoint having multiple line capabilities;
a second SIP endpoint having multiple line capabilities and a unique Uniform Resource Identifier (URI);
a first file transfer agent system associated with the first SIP endpoint; and
a second file transfer agent system associated with the second SIP endpoint; and
wherein a user of the first SIP endpoint is in voice communication with a user of the second SIP endpoint; and
wherein the first SIP endpoint initiates a call to the first file transfer agent system, the call comprising the unique URI; and
wherein the first file transfer agent system answers the call and presents an audio menu to the user of the first SIP endpoint;
wherein the voice communication is held; and
wherein the user of the first SIP endpoint responds to the audio menu by selecting at least one file to transfer to the second SIP endpoint; and
wherein the first file transfer agent system transfers the selected at least one file to the second file transfer agent system by a transfer process comprising:
the first file transfer agent system constructing an SIP address for the second file transfer agent system using the unique URI of the second SIP endpoint,
the first file transfer agent system calling the second file transfer agent system using the constructed SIP address,
the second file transfer agent system receiving the call and sending a setup message to the second SIP endpoint, the setup message comprising a file transfer request,
the second SIP endpoint providing an indication in response to the setup message accepting the file transfer request,
the second file transfer agent system forwarding the acceptance to the first file transfer agent system, and
the first file transfer agent system notifying the user of the first SIP endpoint that the second SIP endpoint accepted the file transfer request, and
wherein the first file transfer agent system transfers the at least one selected file to the second file transfer agent system after receiving the forwarded acceptance from the second file transfer agent; and
wherein the unique URI is independent of an IP address of the second SIP endpoint.
2. The communications system of claim 1 wherein the first SIP endpoint has a file transfer button and the call from the first SIP endpoint is initiated by pressing the file transfer button.
3. The communications system of claim 1 wherein the first file transfer agent system is located at a separate geographical location from the first SIP endpoint and the second file transfer agent system is located at a separate geographical location from the second SIP endpoint.
4. The communications system of claim 1 wherein the first file transfer agent system receives the call from the first SIP endpoint and upon starting to transfer files, the first file transfer agent system releases the call.
5. The communications system of claim 1 wherein the first SIP endpoint has a plurality of keys for selecting files to transfer, and wherein the user of the first SIP endpoint responds to the audio menu by pressing at least one of the keys.
6. The communications system of claim 1 wherein the first transfer agent system verifies that the call is from an SIP endpoint, and if the call is from an SIP endpoint then the first transfer agent system answers the call.
7. The communications system of claim 5 wherein one of the plurality of keys comprises a select key and the first file transfer agent system presents an audible list of transferable files after the select key is depressed.
8. The communications system of claim 1 wherein the voice communication between the user of the first SIP endpoint and the user of the second SIP endpoint is an ongoing call between the first SIP and the second SIP endpoints in which voice data is transmitted via the ongoing call and wherein the ongoing call is placed on hold when the call to the first file transfer agent system is initiated by the first SIP endpoint.
9. The communication system of claim 3 wherein the first file transfer agent system comprises a computer running a File Transfer Application Agent (FTAA) and the second file transfer agent system comprises a computer running a FTAA wherein each of the FTAAs manage transfer of the selected at least one file.
10. The communication system of claim 1 wherein the first file transfer agent system releases SIP call related resources following transfer of the selected at least one file to the second file transfer agent system.
11. A method of transferring files comprising:
connecting a first SIP endpoint and a second SIP endpoint in a voice communication;
holding the voice communication;
initiating a call from the first SIP endpoint to a first file transfer agent system associated with the first SIP endpoint, the call comprising a unique Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for the second SIP endpoint;
answering the call by the first file transfer agent system upon verifying that the call is from an SIP endpoint;
presenting an audio menu to a user of the first SIP endpoint;
the user of the first SIP endpoint responding to the audio menu by selecting one or more files to transfer to the second SIP endpoint; and
the first file transfer agent system transferring the selected files to a second file transfer agent system associated with the second SIP endpoint, the transferring of the one or more selected files comprising:
the first file transfer agent system constructing an SIP address for the second file transfer agent system using the unique URI for the second SIP endpoint,
the first file transfer agent system calling the second file transfer agent system using the constructed SIP address,
the second file transfer agent system receiving the call and sending a setup message to the second SIP endpoint, the setup message comprising a file transfer request,
the second SIP endpoint providing an indication in response to the setup message accepting the file transfer request,
the second file transfer agent system forwarding the acceptance to the first file transfer agent system, and
the first file transfer agent system notifying the user of the first SIP endpoint that the second SIP endpoint accepted the file transfer request, and
wherein the first file transfer agent system transferring of the selected one or more files to the second file transfer agent system occurs after receiving the forwarded acceptance from the second file transfer agent; and
wherein the unique URI for the second SIP endpoint is independent of an IP address of the second SIP endpoint.
12. The method of transferring files of claim 11 wherein initiating the call from the first SIP endpoint to the first file transfer agent system comprises pressing a file transfer button on the first SIP endpoint.
13. The method of transferring files of claim 11 wherein the first file transfer agent system is located at a separate geographical location from the first SIP endpoint and the second file transfer agent system is located at a separate geographical location from the second SIP endpoint.
14. The method of transferring files of claim 11 wherein the user of the first SIP endpoint responding to the audio menu comprises the user of the first SIP endpoint pressing at least one of a plurality of keys on the first SIP endpoint for selecting files to transfer.
15. The method of transferring files of claim 14 wherein one of the plurality of keys comprises a select key and the method further comprising depressing the select key and the first file transfer agent system presenting an audible list of transferable files to the user of the first SIP endpoint.
16. The method of transferring files of claim 13 wherein the first file transfer agent system comprises a computer running a File Transfer Application Agent (FTAA) and the second file transfer agent system comprises a computer running a FTAA, and wherein each of the FTAAs manage the transferring of the one or more selected files.
17. The method of transferring files of claim 15 wherein the plurality of keys further comprising a next key and a previous key for selecting files to be transferred.
18. A method of transferring files comprising:
connecting a first SIP endpoint and a second SIP endpoint in a voice communication;
the first SIP endpoint initiating an SIP call to a File Transfer Application Agent (FTAA) of a first file transfer agent system associated with the first SIP endpoint, the SIP call comprising a unique Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) for the second SIP endpoint;
verifying whether the SIP call is from an SIP endpoint by the FTAA;
upon verifying that the SIP call is from an SIP endpoint, the first file transfer agent system answering the SIP call by the first file transfer agent system and the first file transfer agent system presenting an audible menu to a user of the first SIP endpoint;
holding the voice communication; and
transferring one or more files that are selected by a user of the first SIP endpoint to a second file transfer agent system associated with the second SIP endpoint;
the transferring of the one or more files comprising:
the first file transfer agent system constructing an SIP address for the second file transfer agent system using the unique URI of the second SIP endpoint,
the first file transfer agent system calling the second file transfer agent system using the constructed SIP address,
the second file transfer agent system receiving the call and sending a setup message to the second SIP endpoint, the setup message comprising a file transfer request,
the second SIP endpoint providing an indication in response to the setup message accepting the file transfer request,
the second file transfer agent system forwarding the acceptance to the first file transfer agent system, and
the first file transfer agent system notifying the user of the first SIP endpoint that the second SIP endpoint accepted the file transfer request, and
wherein the first file transfer agent system transferring the selected files to the second file transfer agent system occurs after receiving the forwarded acceptance from the second file transfer agent.
19. The method of transferring files of claim 18 wherein upon starting to transfer the one or more files, the first file transfer agent system releases the call from the first SIP endpoint.
20. The method of transferring files of claim 19 further comprising the first file transfer agent system releasing SIP call related resources following the transferring of the selected files to the second file transfer agent system.
21. The method of transferring files of claim 18 wherein a user of the second SIP endpoint accepts the file transfer request by pressing a button on the second SIP endpoint.