Abstract: A telephone network that utilizes the Internet (or a comparable network) to interconnect several VoIP-style phones and at least one operator's phone and that enables one or more of the VoIP-style phones to operate as courtesy phones which are connected through automatically to an operator's phone whenever a courtesy phone go off hook. Data values are maintained that indicate which of the one or more of the several VoIP-style phones are courtesy phones. These indicated courtesy phones are prevented from ringing audibly. INVITE requests are sent across the Internet (or comparable network) to each indicated courtesy phone—these are the type of INVITE requests that normally cause a phone to ring in response to incoming calls, even though in this case there are no incoming calls.

Abstract: In a packet-based communications network, where proxy servers guide the routing of requests and responses between destinations to aid in establishing the flow of voice or other media streams between the destinations, and where at least some destinations are assigned an IP or other network address and a telephone number or other symbolic address, a system for establishing the routing of the media streams that comprises at least one directory database associating at least some destination network addresses with symbolic addresses and, in at least some cases, also with media type and format or CODEC capability information combined with at least one proxy server connecting to the directory database. Programs within the proxy server cause the proxy server, in response to receiving a given request which contains a symbolic address, to route the given received request to a destination whose network address the directory database associates with the symbolic address contained in the given received request.

Abstract: An initial call is setup by a universal port user agent by sending an invitation to the proxy server. The proxy server performs a directory lookup from a back end server to obtain route information to a destination. The route information is passed to the universal port user agent in response and is stored in the universal port user agent. When subsequent calls to the same destination are requested, the subsequent calls can be setup using the stored route information. A universal port user agent performs these call setups. The route information memory is managed based on a number of routes stored and the age of the stored routes. In certain embodiments the calls are setup using the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

Abstract: Unicast delivery of media to multiple recipients is achieved. An originating client issues call setup request. A list of addresses of multiple recipient clients is obtained from the call setup request. A connection is then made with the plurality of recipient clients and the media is delivered from the originating client to the plurality of recipient clients. A universal user port agent receives the list of addresses from the originating client and makes the connection with the plurality of recipient clients. When an originating client receives a reply message that a recipient client is unavailable, it may be built with the capability to search for alternate addresses and send a new call setup request.