Abstract: A system and method for Internet telephony between a caller station and a callee station are described. The caller station is connected to a first edge network via a first telephony interface, and the callee station is connected to a second edge network via a second telephony interface. An intermediate network is connected to the first edge network via a first router and is connected to the second edge network via a second router. The callee station is associated with a callee station number. The first router initiates the call in response to a setup message that includes the callee station number. A first gatekeeper, controlling the first router, and a second gatekeeper, controlling the second router, together mediate the process of setting up the call. A back end server, in communication with the first and second gatekeepers, stores the addresses and station numbers needed to set up the call.

Abstract: Gateway routers for real-time networks have the ability to collect delay, loss, and jitter statistics on a per-connection basis. It is possible to use this information not only to monitor the quality of individual voice calls and other real-time connections, but also to evaluate the overall performance of the underlying network. This paper describes a method for monitoring and managing the performance of a real-time data network that supports voice, video and other real-time services. In the described embodiments, the RTCP mechanisms of RTP for sender and receiver reporting be used to relay performance information to one or more network monitoring sites for analysis and interpretation. In addition, gateway routers are organized and managed within a hierarchy that allows the monitoring function to localize it view of network conditions within the hierarchy; and the monitoring of network performance can occur on various time scales.

Abstract: A system and method for accessing a data network telephony account using a wireless personal information device (PID). The user may connect over the wireless cellular infrastructure to a telephony control server via a data network for access to the user's telephony account, which indicates the user's telephone number in a telephone number entry. Once the connection is made, the user issues a command to set the telephone number entry in the user's data network telephony account to a specific telephone number. The user may then invoke a contacts application in the wireless PID and select a person to call from the contacts list. The user selects the entry to send a command to initiate a telephone connection between the party selected and the user at the telephone designated by the user at the telephony control server.

Abstract: A telephony system and method having a switch for analog voice and data signals that is connected to a first network, and a router for routing Internet Protocol packets that is connected to a second network using Internet Protocol addressing. The telephony system and method also includes a telephony gateway that is connected to both the switch and the router for converting analog voice signals into Internet Protocol packets and for converting Internet Protocol packets into analog voice signals, the telephony gateway being connected, and a remote access server that is connected to both the switch and the router for converting analog data signals into Internet Protocol packets and for converting Internet Protocol packets into analog data signals. The switch may have a switch matrix capable of being connected to the Public Switched Telephone Network, a line rack with a plurality of line cards connected to the switch matrix, and a trunk rack with a plurality of trunk cards connected to the switch matrix.

Abstract: A system and method for providing advertising and advertising services using a telephone system. A data network telephony system includes a commercial message server that communicates with a telephony connection server to communicate commercial messages to display devices on data network telephones. A caller uses the data network telephone to make a telephone call to a callee. The commercial message server receives information about the connection and retrieves commercial messages, or advertisements to communicate to either the caller, the callee or both.

Abstract: A system and method of accessing radio programming from radio stations that communicate radio programming on a data network. The radio programming is accessed as radio or audio signals formatted in radio-over-data packets to a data network telephone. The data network telephone is a telephone that uses voice-over-data communications channels over a data network to make telephone connections with other data network telephones. The data network telephone includes a display, a keypad, a handset and an optional speaker output. The data network telephone advantageously permits simultaneous access to radio programming and communication on a telephone connection. The data network telephone also includes an interface to a portable information device. A radio control application may be used on the portable information device that communicates control information to a radio application on the data network telephone.

Abstract: A system and method for performing messaging between telephones in a data network telephone system. The message communications may be managed by a messaging application connected to the data network. The messaging application detects when a telephone is connected to another telephone and sends a messaging input screen to the first telephone. The messaging application may determine the availability of other users for messaging and may control messages communicated between the first telephone and the other users. The messages may be text or voice messages.

Abstract: A system and method for enabling encryption and/or authentication services on a telephony network. A portable information device, such as a personal digital assistant is used to exchange encryption and/or authentication data with a second portable information device. The portable information devices may be linked to the telephony network to enable encryption and/or authentication services using the encryption and/or authentication data exchanged by the portable information devices.

Abstract: Proximity-based registration of a user to a data network appliance on a data network telephony system. A portable information device, such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) or passive proximity-based security badge, is associated with the user. When the portable information device is brought within a proximity range of a data network appliance, one or more messages are wirelessly transmitted between the portable information device and the data network appliance. The data network appliance then transmits a registration request to a registration server to register the user to the data network appliance. As a result, calls for the user will be routed to the data network appliance to which the user is registered.

Abstract: A system and method for providing service provider configured telephone service to a user of a data network telephone. The user connects a data network telephone to the data network. The data network telephone may establish a connection to a telephone configuration server. The data network telephone may communicate a part number, such as a serial number, to the telephone configurations server. The telephone configuration server retrieves a service provider configuration, such as a service provider proxy address to send to the data network telephone. The data network telephone may use the service provider proxy address to register and provision the data network telephone for service.

Abstract: System and method for distributed network address translation in a network telephony system. A first network phone with a first protocol, requests at least one locally unique port from a first network device. The first network phone and the first network device are located on a first network. The first network phone receives, with the first protocol, the at least one locally unique port from the first network device. At least one default or ephemeral port on the first network phone is replaced with the at least one locally unique port. A combination network address is created for the first network phone with the at least one locally unique port and a common external network address, thereby identifying the first network phone for communications with a second network device located on a second network. The second network device may, for example, be a second network phone. In a preferred embodiment, the first protocol is a Port Allocation Protocol, such as the Realm Specific Internet Protocol.

Abstract: A system and method for providing telephone service to a user of a telecommunications device using a data network service provider. The data network service provider has a local service host that is accessible by a local access identifier. A caller uses a telecommunications device to dial the local access identifier to connect to the local service host. In response to a prompt, the caller dials a telephone extension that identifies the callee's telecommunications device. The local service host receives the telephone extension and verifies that the callee is a subscriber. The local service host then retrieves the gateway nearest the callee telecommunications device and opens a voice-over-data channel between the callee and caller gateways. The telephone conversation then proceeds between the callee and caller telecommunications devices over a public switched telephone network connection to the caller gateway, the voice-over-data channel and the PSTN connection to the callee telecommunications device.

Abstract: A system and method for associating notes to a call with a portable information device, such as a personal digital assistant. In one embodiment, notes taken during a call are associated with information about the call, such as parties to the call, the date and time, and the subject matter of the call. Notes taken may include user input or PID data communicated across a telephony network, for example. In one embodiment, a portable information device links to a data network telephone to initiate a phone call. Information about the phone call is stored with notes taken to allow for later retrieval.

Abstract: A mechanism for recovering data associated with lost packets, suitable for use in a VoIP network. The telecommunications network is preferably a packet switched network having IP telephony gateways serving as interfaces between a telephone device and the IP network. The IP telephony gateway receives a conversation signal from the telephone device, and implements an improved forward error correction method. The method includes generating payload information defined by at least two packet sequences from the same audio information, and transmitting those two packet sequences on the IP network for receipt by a remote network device. The packet sequences are transmitted using RTP with two independent data streams or, alternatively, using a single data stream. The first and second data streams are data packet streams each defining a sequence of data packets. The first data stream is preferably formed using a G.711 vocoder, and the second data stream is preferably formed using a G.723.1 vocoder.

Abstract: A mechanism for forward error correction (FEC) coding, suitable for use where multiple payload streams are simultaneously transmitted from end-to-end. Instead of deriving parity information based on payload information carried within a given stream, the invention involves FEC encoding across multiple parallel streams and thereby deriving parallel parity information. The parallel parity information may then be transmitted to the receiving end in parallel with the underlying payload information. Beneficially, the invention can substantially reduce the time it takes for the transmitting end to derive parity information or for the receiving end to receive the information necessary to recover from data loss. The invention is especially suitable for use in IP telephony and particularly for implementation in an IP telephony gateway.

Abstract: A system and method for providing user-configured telephone service to a user of a data network telephone. The user connects a data network telephone to the data network. The data network telephone registers with a telephone connection server to have basic calling service. The user accesses a service provider server to enter feature selections. The service provider server may use a web page to query the user for feature selections The service provider server uses the user's selections to update the user's account and to activate the selected features.

Abstract: A system and method for communicating screen display images on a computer to another computer using a telephony network. A screen share button on a data network telephone initiates a screen shot request to a first computer associated with the data network telephone. The first computer uses a screen shot application to retrieve the image on the computer display and send it to the data network telephone. The data network telephone receives the screen shot image and sends the image to another data network telephone which is a party to a telephone conversation with the first data network telephone. The first data network telephone preferably uses the SIP invite with a session description protocol that permits the transfer of image data on SIP messages. The second data network telephone implements the image data session description protocol and communicates the screen shot image to the second computer.

Abstract: A system and method for Internet telephony between a caller station and a callee station are described. The caller station is connected to a first edge network via a first telephony interface, and the callee station is connected to a second edge network via a second telephony interface. An intermediate network is connected to the first edge network via a first router and is connected to the second edge network via a second router. The callee station is associated with a callee station number. The first router initiates the call in response to a setup message that includes the callee station number. A first gatekeeper, controlling the first router, and a second gatekeeper, controlling the second router, together mediate the process of setting up the call. A back end server, in communication with the first and second gatekeepers, stores the addresses and station numbers needed to set up the call.

Abstract: A dial plan for a data network telephony system is provided. A variable-length-code scheme is used to assign communication numeral strings to user identifiers and/or device identifiers, such as SIP URIs (Universal Resource Identifier). The dial plan enables a user to enter a user identifier (or device identifier) into a conventional keypad of a data network telephone, such as an Internet telephony phone. Additionally, embodiments of the disclosed dial plan include techniques for dialing from one data network telephone to another data network telephone utilizing the same service provider, dialing from one data network telephone utilizing a first service provider to a second data network telephone utilizing a second service provider, and dialing from a data network telephone to a PSTN phone and vice versa.

Abstract: Method and apparatus of establishing an L2TP tunnel. A routing device of a first IP network is coupled to a public network and a routing device of the second private IP network is coupled to the public network. An L2TP tunnel is initiated and an IP address from an address space of the first private IP network is provided. An L2TP tunnel is maintained between the routing device of the first IP network and the routing device of the second private IP network. Data traffic is tunneled between the first and the second IP network over the public network via the L2TP tunnel. A control mechanism is utilized for providing L2TP tunnel traffic error correction.