(12) United States Patent
`Petty et al.
`
`I 1111111111111111 11111 lllll lllll 111111111111111 lllll 111111111111111 11111111
`US006337858Bl
`US 6,337,858 Bl
`Jan.8,2002
`
`(10) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`(54) METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
`ORIGINATING VOICE CALLS FROM A
`DATA NETWORK
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors: Douglas Petty; Michael William
`Petras, both of Nepean; Raul San
`Martin, Ottawa; Alan Stuart Frank,
`Nepean; Vivek Kapil, Ottawa;
`Dhansukh Mistry, Kanata, all of (CA)
`
`FR
`WO
`WO
`
`5,991,291 A * 11/1999 Asai et al. .................. 370/352
`6,069,890 A * 5/2000 White et al. ................ 370/352
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`2677517 Al
`97/14238
`97/19548
`
`10/1991
`* 4/1997
`* 5/1997
`
`.......... H04M/11/00
`........... H04L/12/46
`.......... H04M/15/00
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`(73) Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited, Montreal
`(CA)
`
`( *) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by O days.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 08/948,975
`
`(22) Filed:
`
`Oct. 10, 1997
`
`Int. Cl.7 ................................................ H04L 12/56
`(51)
`(52) U.S. Cl. ........................................ 370/356; 370/410
`(58) Field of Search ................................. 370/352, 353,
`370/354, 355, 356, 400, 401, 466, 402,
`403, 404, 405, 410; 379/201, 209, 211,
`212, 214, 215, 88.17, 93.01, 93.09; 709/704,
`206, 227, 249
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`3/1980 Weber ...................... 179/18 B
`4,191,860 A
`5,602,846 A * 2/1997 Holmquist et al.
`......... 370/384
`5,675,507 A * 10/1997 Bobo, II ..................... 709/206
`5,742,596 A * 4/1998 Baratz et al.
`............... 370/356
`5,781,614 A * 7/1998 Brunson .................. 379/88.14
`5,805,587 A * 9/1998 Norris et al.
`............... 370/352
`5,862,203 A * 1/1999 Wulkan et al.
`............. 379/114
`5,870,549 A * 2/1999 Bobo, II ..................... 709/206
`5,884,032 A * 3/1999 Bateman et al. ............ 709/204
`5,970,126 A * 10/1999 Bowater et al.
`............ 379/114
`5,974,043 A * 10/1999 Solomon .................... 370/352
`
`"Internet Call Center", Lucent Technologies web page,
`1996.
`"Internet Call Center", Lucent Technologies, 1996.
`News Release "Lucent Technologies debuts WebCall m
`Japan", Lucent Technologies, May 8, 1997.
`News Release "Lucent Technologies brings award-winning
`advanced call center capabilities to small businesses",
`Lucent Technologies, Jun. 10, 1997.
`"Lucent Technologies ' Internet Telephony Server", Lucent
`Technologies, 1997.
`* cited by examiner
`
`Primary Examiner-Kwang B. Yao
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Max R. Wood; Swabey
`Ogilvy Renault
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A method and apparatus for providing voice communica(cid:173)
`tions between two parties using computer controlled tele(cid:173)
`phony hardware which is separate from the PSTN is
`described. The voice communications may be voice over
`Internet or PSTN voice connections, or any combination of
`the two. The apparatus includes a WEB server, a computer
`telephony server, a Voice over IP gateway and an operations,
`administration and maintenance server. The apparatus is
`suitably installed and operated by a service provider such as
`an Internet Service Provider. The advantage is unexcelled
`control over call setup, transfer and conference functions. A
`further advantage is the rapid, unfettered development of
`new services without compatibility issues with the PSTN.
`
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`Ex.1012
`APPLE INC. / Page 1 of 20
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`

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`U.S. Patent
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`Jan.8,2002
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`Ex.1012
`APPLE INC. / Page 3 of 20
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`Ex.1012
`APPLE INC. / Page 4 of 20
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`Ex.1012
`APPLE INC. / Page 5 of 20
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`Ex.1012
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`Ex.1012
`APPLE INC. / Page 11 of 20
`
`

`

`US 6,337,858 Bl
`
`1
`METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
`ORIGINATING VOICE CALLS FROM A
`DATA NETWORK
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`This invention relates to voice communications and, in
`particular, to providing voice communications between two
`parties using computer controlled telephony hardware which
`is outside the Public Switched Telephone Network.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`The importance of effective communication tools for use
`by business in advertising, product support, promotion and
`sales has long been recognized. Much inventive ingenuity
`has been invested in the development of tools for facilitating
`and improving business communications. A prime example
`is modern toll free calling services, commonly referred to as
`800 calling services, which were enabled by an invention
`described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,860 to Weber. 800 calling 20
`services have since been vastly improved and made increas(cid:173)
`ingly available as a business tool. In particular, sophisticated
`call centers have been developed to permit persons generally
`described as agents to field calls from the public for the
`purposes of disseminating information, supporting products 25
`and selling products.
`In recent years, the Internet has also become an important
`and increasingly accepted tool for disseminating business
`information and promoting products as well as providing
`support to business customers. Use of the Internet and, in 30
`particular, the Worldwide Web has become pervasive in the
`industrialized world. Consequently, the importance of the
`Worldwide Web as a business communications tool has been
`recognized. While its importance is recognized, the elec(cid:173)
`tronic information provided by many companies on the 35
`Worldwide Web is static and designed to appeal to the widest
`audience. It is therefore neither adequate nor designed to
`respond to the specific needs of individuals. In order to
`obtain the breadth of information most individuals require,
`it is generally necessary to call the business and verbally 40
`request specific information. This process is inefficient
`because the caller must explain to the business contact what
`information was viewed, as well as what further particulars
`are required. This inefficiency has been recognized as a
`drawback for some time. Consequently, facilities have been 45
`developed to permit individuals browsing the Worldwide
`Web to place voice calls from Web pages. Such facilities are
`commonly called "voice buttons". One such facility is
`described, for example, in applicant's co-pending U.S.
`patent application Ser. No. 08/652,659 filed on May 28, 50
`1996 and entitled METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR
`ORIGINATING VOICE CALLS. That application describes
`methods and apparatus for originating voice calls between
`voice terminals using a data terminal and a data service node
`without requiring interaction with human attendants or inter- 55
`active voice response systems to complete the call. In
`accordance with the method, an apparatus connected with a
`data network is used to send commands to a PSTN switching
`node to initiate a call between the voice terminals to permit
`the person browsing the Web to readily communicate with 60
`the business which owns the Web page, assuming that the
`user has a voice terminal available for accepting the call.
`Other apparatus have also been developed, for example,
`Lucent Technologies® have developed methods and appa(cid:173)
`ratus for integrating Worldwide Web pages and 800 call 65
`centers to permit browsers of a Worldwide Web page to
`launch a Voice over IP or a voice terminal connection to an
`
`2
`800 call center while providing an agent at the call center
`receiving the call with a data terminal screen "pop" of the
`same page the browser is observing. The agent is therefore
`visually attuned to the browser's position and enabled to
`5 quickly and efficiently answer questions or close transac(cid:173)
`tions.
`While such facilities greatly enhance a business' ability to
`respond to public need, they do not provide a viable solution
`for all businesses or provide a full range of potential services
`10 that can be developed through the inventive use of computer
`telephony integration. It is widely recognized that in the
`information age, small business is the driving force of the
`economy. While telecommunications service providers have
`recognized the need of small business to have access to such
`15 communications services as 800 call service and have low-
`ered entry barriers to such services, 800 service is not
`necessarily well adapted to meet the needs of small business.
`This is particularly true where a small business derives most
`or all of its clientele from a local area. In that case, 800
`service is of substantially no value. Even if a small business'
`clientele extends well beyond a local calling area, because of
`the inherent limitations in current 800 service offerings,
`many small businesses find it uneconomical or impractical
`to subscribe to an 800 service for a variety of reasons,
`including the general inflexibility of 800 call terminations
`which substantially require at least one full time person
`dedicated to servicing 800 inquiries.
`Consequently, there is a recognized need for a more
`flexible yet cost effective method of providing voice services
`to medium and small sized businesses and, in particular, to
`providing voice services to medium and small sized busi(cid:173)
`nesses having a presence on the Worldwide Web.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`It is an object of the invention to provide a method and
`apparatus to permit voice communications, between a con(cid:173)
`sumer browsing the Internet and a business having an
`interactive information page on the Internet, independent of
`whether the user is within a toll free calling area of the
`business.
`It is a further object to the invention to provide an
`apparatus and method to permit voice communications
`between the consumer and the business which is particularly
`adapted to serve small and medium sized businesses.
`It is yet a further object to the invention to provide a
`method and apparatus for voice communications between
`the consumer and the business which employs a rule base to
`adapt the service to the resources of the business in order to
`permit maximum flexibility and ensure optimum service.
`It is a further object to the invention to provide an
`apparatus and method adapted to offer call center function(cid:173)
`ality without call center infrastructure.
`It is yet another object of the invention to provide an
`apparatus and method adapted to permit the rapid develop(cid:173)
`ment of new call handling features for business subscribers
`having a presence on the Internet.
`These and other objects are realized in a method of
`providing voice communications between two parties using
`computer controlled telephony hardware which is separate
`from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), at
`least one of the parties having access to a data network,
`comprising:
`originating a first voice connection from the computer
`controlled telephony hardware in response to a call
`request received from the data network;
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`originating a second voice connection from the computer
`controlled telephony hardware in response to the call
`request received from the data network; and
`bridging together the first and second voice connections at
`the computer controlled telephony hardware to permit
`voice communications between the two parties.
`In accordance with a further aspect of the invention there
`is provided a method of providing voice communication
`between a service subscriber and a user of a data network
`accessing an interactive information page available on the
`network using a data terminal, the information page includ(cid:173)
`ing a voice communication request button relating to the
`service subscriber, comprising the steps of:
`a) accepting a voice communication request from the
`user;
`b) analyzing the voice communication request or a pref(cid:173)
`erence file stored on the user's data terminal to deter(cid:173)
`mine a voice connection medium preferred by the user;
`c) consulting a rule base using a code that identifies the
`subscriber to locate at least one rule which determines
`how a voice connection is to be established with the
`subscriber;
`d) operating computer telephony hardware to place a first
`call to the user by the preferred voice connection
`medium;
`e) operating the computer telephony hardware to place a
`second call to the subscriber in accordance with the at
`least one rule located in the rule base;
`f) operating the computer telephony hardware to bridge
`the first and second calls;
`g) monitoring the data network for an indication that a
`modification of a configuration of the voice communi(cid:173)
`cation is desired by either the user or the subscriber and
`changing the configuration of the voice communication
`if an indication for change is received; and
`h) monitoring the first and second calls and disconnecting
`the other of the first and second calls when either of the
`first or second calls is disconnected.
`In yet a further aspect to the invention, there is provided
`a system for providing voice communication between a
`service subscriber and a user of a data network accessing an
`interactive information page available on the network using
`a data terminal, comprising in combination:
`at least one computing machine programmed with the
`functionality of:
`a) a voice button server for accepting voice communi(cid:173)
`cation requests either directly or indirectly from a
`user accessing an interactive information page on a
`data network;
`b) an operations, management and maintenance server
`to permit the establishment and maintenance of rule
`bases and related controls; and
`c) a computer telephony server for controlling com(cid:173)
`puter telephony hardware;
`a voice over data network gateway for converting voice
`data packets to voice telephony format; and
`computer telephony hardware which may be controlled by
`the computer telephony server to initiate voice connec- 60
`tions on a switched telephone network or a voice
`gateway to a data network, to bridge calls and to
`respond to a set of predefined voice connection control
`commands which may originate from either the service
`subscriber or the user.
`The invention therefore provides a method and apparatus
`for permitting a user browsing a data network such as the
`
`4
`Worldwide Web (WWW) or the Internet to establish voice
`communications with a service subscriber associated with an
`interactive information page of the data network. The inter(cid:173)
`active information page includes a "voice button" which
`5 may be activated by the user to initiate voice communica(cid:173)
`tions to obtain more detailed information about the items
`being advertised. The user may select a preferred medium
`for the voice communication. If the user connects to the data
`network with his phone line, the user is likely to prefer a
`"Voice over IP" connection with the service subscriber. If
`the user has a data line as well as a phone line, the user will
`likely prefer a voice terminal connection over the phone line
`due to the superior sound quality. When a first time user
`activates the voice button, a data message is sent directly or
`indirectly from the user's terminal to a voice button server
`which determines from the message the identity of the
`service subscriber and the user's preferred voice connection
`medium. For repeat users, the preferred call medium may be
`looked up using a preference file stored on the user's data
`terminal. Such preference files are commonly called "cook-
`20 ies". The voice button server also examines a rule base to
`determine how the service provider wishes his leg of the call
`to be established. All call initiation and bridging is effected
`from computer telephony hardware comprising a switch
`fabric and a switch controller which permits ultimate flex-
`25 ibility with respect to the establishment, bridging, transfer
`and other call operations. The computer telephony hardware
`is the originating point for each leg of a voice connection.
`When a user requests voice communications, at least two
`calls are placed. A first call over the preferred medium
`(phone or Voice over IP) to the user and a second call to an
`agent for the service subscriber. Once both calls are estab(cid:173)
`lished they are bridged by the computer telephony hardware
`to provide the voice communication
`Independent control of each leg of the call provides
`flexibility unrealized in prior art systems designed to enable
`35 voice communications between a browser of a data network
`and a service subscriber having a Web site on the data
`network. In addition, since only standard Public Switched
`Telephone Network (PSTN) functionality or standard Voice
`over IP functionality is used in call completion, no
`40 knowledge, control or adaptation of those protocols or
`procedures is required to construct, install or operate the
`system in accordance with the invention. Furthermore, there
`are no compatibility issues with the PSTN respecting
`deployment of the method or apparatus in accordance with
`45 the invention.
`The method and apparatus in accordance with the inven(cid:173)
`tion are particularly adapted to provide efficient and flexible
`service from small to mid-sized businesses and to provide
`call center functionality without call center infrastructure. A
`50 rule base is used to permit the service to be configured to the
`specific needs of each service subscriber. Flexible features
`such as "simultaneous notification groups" (SNGs), "agent
`locator" and "automated page return" are just three
`examples of the flexibility enabled. In SNGs, two or more
`55 calls are launched simultaneously to different telephone
`numbers or IP addresses and the call which is answered first
`is bridged to the user requesting voice communications.
`With "agent locator", a plurality of calls may be launched
`simultaneously to different numbers or IP addresses for the
`same individual or different locations where the individual
`may be expected to be at any given time. A call is selected
`when an answering party enters a code identifying that party
`to be the agent sought. With "automated page return" a
`subscriber is paged using an identification number for a call
`65 being held. When the paged subscriber calls in and enters the
`identification number he is automatically bridged to the held
`calling party.
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`The apparatus in accordance with the invention preferably
`includes a voice button server, a voice over IP gateway, an
`operations, administration and maintenance server, and a
`computer telephony server which operates computer tele(cid:173)
`phony hardware. Each server may be a separately pro-
`grammed computing machine or the functionality of several
`servers may be configured in a single machine. The appa(cid:173)
`ratus in accordance with the invention is particularly adapted
`for use by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to permit the
`ISPs to offer their business subscribers a flexible service for 10
`business advertising, promotion, support and sales. The rule
`base permits each business to adapt the service to its own
`needs. It also permits the business to control call permissions
`and determine call completion patterns.
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`5
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`6
`WWW and a second forward from the service provider to a
`service subscriber designated in a rule base to receive the
`call. The two calls are then bridged within the CTI hardware.
`This arrangement is advantageous because it eliminates
`compatibility issues with PSTN switching equipment,
`enables rapid service development, and permits unequalled
`flexibility in call setup and redirection, which enables call
`control to be exercised by either the user or the service
`subscriber's agent.
`FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a communications
`network, generally indicated by the reference 10 equipped
`with apparatus in accordance with the invention. The appa(cid:173)
`ratus in accordance with the invention is principally
`designed for use by a service provider such as an Internet
`15 Service Provider (ISP) 12. Each ISP 12 has an intranet that
`is connected to the Public Switched Telephone Network
`(PSTN) 14 in a manner well known in the art. Each ISP 12
`intranet is also connected to the Internet 16 in a manner well
`known in the art. Internet users such as clients 18 and 20
`20 typically access their ISPs using dial-up connections through
`the PSTN 14. Alternatively, clients 18, 20 may connect to
`their ISPs using cable modems (not illustrated) or the like.
`In some installations a user may have only one dial-up
`connection. For example, client 18 has a single dial-up
`25 connection 22 which serves the dual function of data transfer
`for Internet sessions and voice transfer for telephone con(cid:173)
`versations. Using telephone 24 client 20, on the other hand,
`has a dataline 26 for accessing the Internet and a telephone
`line 28 for voice communications using telephone 30.
`A service subscriber generally indicated by reference 32
`contracts an ISP 12 to maintain one or more pages on a
`Worldwide Web server which may be accessed on the
`WWW by clients 18, 20. The service subscriber 32 is
`typically a business having one or more business phones 34
`35 and one or more computer workstations 36 connected
`directly or indirectly to the PSTN. The service subscriber 32
`may have an Intranet (not illustrated). In addition, the
`telephones 34 and accompanying workstations 36 may be
`grouped in a single location or dispersed in different
`40 premises, different cities or even different countries. Using
`the apparatus and methods in accordance with the invention,
`there is no requirement to co-locate equipment or personnel
`as will be explained below in some detail.
`The apparatus in accordance with the invention is typi-
`45 cally owned and operated by the ISP 12 although it may also
`be owned and operated by any other institution including a
`business having adequate demand for the service it provides.
`The apparatus in accordance with the invention includes at
`least a web server 38, a computer telephony server (CTI
`50 Server) 40, a VoIP gateway 42 and CTI hardware 44. CTI
`hardware is well known in the art and available from, for
`example, Dialogic Corporation of Parsippony, N.J., U.S.A.
`Alternatively, the CTI hardware 44 may be incorporated in
`the CTI server 40 also in a manner well known in the art.
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the hardware and software
`components required to practise a preferred embodiment of
`the invention. The components located at the ISP include the
`web server 38, CTI hardware 44, the VoIP gateway 42 and
`the CTI server 40. In accordance with a preferred embodi-
`60 ment of the invention, there is also provided an advertise(cid:173)
`ment server 46 for downloading advertisements to voice
`buttons as will be explained below in more detail. A chat
`server 48 permits text chats between clients 18, 20 and
`service subscribers 32 in a manner well known in the art. A
`65 Billing server 50 tracks PSTN usage and long distance
`charges and prepares call detail records for the ISP which
`uses the call detail records to prepare bills for its service
`
`30
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`The invention will now be further explained by way of
`example only and with reference to the following drawings,
`wherein:
`FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an overview of a
`communications network configured with apparatus in
`accordance with the invention;
`FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the software and
`hardware components required to practise the invention;
`FIGS. 3a and 3b are schematic diagrams representing
`voice buttons in accordance with a preferred embodiment of
`the invention;
`FIG. 4 is a voice request preference form in accordance
`with a preferred embodiment of the invention;
`FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram representing a business
`agent screen display in accordance with a preferred embodi(cid:173)
`ment of the invention;
`FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a typical basic call flow
`of a call process in accordance with the invention;
`FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating one optional
`call process using apparatus and methods in accordance with
`the invention;
`FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the call flow of
`another optional call process using the methods and appa(cid:173)
`ratus in accordance with the invention;
`FIGS. 9a and 9b are schematic diagrams of portions of
`call flows showing the flexibility of call handling using the
`methods and apparatus in accordance with the invention;
`and
`FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a portion of a call
`flow for a further call feature enabled by the methods and
`apparatus of the invention.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
`
`The invention relates to novel methods and apparatus for
`providing a service to subscribers with a presence on the 55
`Worldwide Web or the Internet. The service provides the
`tools to permit a user browsing the Worldwide Web to
`initiate voice communications with a subscriber by clicking
`on a voice button which appears on a page being viewed.
`Voice communication control is handled using computer
`telephony integration (CTI) hardware enabled to launch
`calls over the Internet, using a Voice over IP (VoIP) gateway
`or to initiate a Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) call
`through the PSTN using dialed (DMTF) or packet (PRI)
`trunk technology well known in the art. For each voice
`communication session, at least two calls are made, a first
`call back from the service provider to the user browsing the
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`subscribers. An operations, administration and maintenance
`server 52 (OAM server) permits the ISP and service sub(cid:173)
`scribers to maintain rule bases which control and customize
`services provided using the apparatus in accordance with the
`invention, as will also be explained below in more detail. An
`industry standard database server 54 stores call detail
`records and OAM records to facilitate maintenance and
`reporting. Typically, billing server 50, OAM server 52 and
`DB server 54 are implemented on a single machine although
`other implementations are possible. Likewise, the CTI hard(cid:173)
`ware 44 and the CTI server 40 are typically integrated into
`a single machine. The CTI server may also include the chat
`server 48 which is an "thin server". The Web server 38 will
`typically also accommodate the advertisement server 46.
`Likewise, the VoIP gateway 42 may be integrated into the
`CTI server 40.
`The servers 38 and 46-54 have