Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus may verify an identity of a destination Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call agent for a destination telephone number based on demonstrated knowledge of at least one public switched telephone network (PSTN) call initiated to the destination telephone number. The apparatus may also receive the identity of the destination VoIP call agent based on the demonstrated knowledge of the at least one PSTN call initiated to the destination telephone number.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus may receive a call over a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) from a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) adapter. The VoIP adapter may be one or more devices that may create and accept VoIP connections over a network, such as the Internet, and that may transmit a call over the PSTN. The apparatus may store a call detail of the received call in a registry service, where the call detail is associated with a node identifier of the apparatus in the registry service. The apparatus may further determine a dial sequence at which the apparatus may be reached over the PSTN based on corresponding call details also stored in the registry service.

Abstract: A system may provide trust relationship information for a telephone number, where the trust relationship information may indicate whether one or more nodes consider a target node as including or as being associated with a VoIP call agent for the telephone number based on demonstrated knowledge of a PSTN call. The system may determine a target trust relationship to the target node based on the trust relationship information, where the target trust relationship indicates a level of trust a validating node has in the target node being associated with or including the VoIP call agent for the telephone number, and where validating node and the one or more nodes may be in different respective administrative domains of a network.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system is provided to prevent VoIP spam. The system may store call data that is associated with a call to a phone number made over a Public Switched Telephone Network. Subsequently, the system may accept an Internet Protocol telephony connection in response to verification of a demonstrated knowledge of the call. The demonstrated knowledge of the call may be verified based on the call data.

Abstract: A method for creating, modifying, and terminating connections between Internet end systems, particularly, although not exclusively, for Internet telephony communication. The method relies on several request messages sent between a client and a server and the response messages sent back in response. Each request and response message may contain one or more header fields which modify or more uniquely link the messages with a given connection. On this basis, advanced telephony services, such as call forwarding, call transferring, and multiparty conferencing are provided.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system is provided to prevent VoIP spam. The system may store call data that is associated with a call to a phone number made over a Public Switched Telephone Network. Subsequently, the system may accept an Internet Protocol telephony connection in response to verification of a demonstrated knowledge of the call. The demonstrated knowledge of the call may be verified based on the call data.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus may receive a call over a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) from a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) adapter. The VoIP adapter may be one or more devices that may create and accept VoIP connections over a network, such as the Internet, and that may transmit a call over the PSTN. The apparatus may store a call detail of the received call in a registry service, where the call detail is associated with a node identifier of the apparatus in the registry service. The apparatus may further determine a dial sequence at which the apparatus may be reached over the PSTN based on corresponding call details also stored in the registry service.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system is provided to prevent VoIP spam. The system may store call data that is associated with a call to a phone number made over a Public Switched Telephone Network. Subsequently, the system may accept an Internet Protocol telephony connection in response to verification of a demonstrated knowledge of the call. The demonstrated knowledge of the call may be verified based on the call data.

Abstract: A system may provide trust relationship information for a telephone number, where the trust relationship information may indicate whether one or more nodes consider a target node as including or as being associated with a VoIP call agent for the telephone number based on demonstrated knowledge of a PSTN call. The system may determine a target trust relationship to the target node based on the trust relationship information, where the target trust relationship indicates a level of trust a validating node has in the target node being associated with or including the VoIP call agent for the telephone number, and where validating node and the one or more nodes may be in different respective administrative domains of a network.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus may verify an identity of a destination Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call agent for a destination telephone number based on demonstrated knowledge of at least one public switched telephone network (PSTN) call initiated to the destination telephone number. The apparatus may also receive the identity of the destination VoIP call agent based on the demonstrated knowledge of the at least one PSTN call initiated to the destination telephone number.

Abstract: A system for verifying VoIP call routing information. The system may include an apparatus integrated with a private branch exchange (PBX). The apparatus may store at least one call attribute of a public switched telephone network (PSTN) call initiated to a destination telephone number. The apparatus may verify a destination Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call agent for the destination telephone number based on demonstrated knowledge of the PSTN call. The apparatus may route a new call either over a VoIP network to the destination VoIP call agent or over a circuit switched network based on whether the destination VoIP call agent is verified for the destination telephone number.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system is provided to restrict VoIP communication. The system may validate a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call initiation message based on demonstrated knowledge of a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) call.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus may receive at least one call attribute of a public switched telephone network (PSTN) call initiated to a destination telephone number. The apparatus may verify a destination Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) call agent for the destination telephone number based on demonstrated knowledge of the PSTN call. The apparatus may transmit an indication the destination VoIP call agent is verified for the destination telephone number.

Abstract: A communications system multiplexes voice communications signals onto one or more transport level connections established through a packetized network, such as the Internet. The invention supports the use of variable-length packets and accommodates variable jitter. The system conforms to real time protocol (RTP) and employs internet telephone gateways (ITGs) to bind users to channel identifiers, to indicate payload type and length, to provide channel identification and time stamps, and to indicate cessation and resumption of voice traffic from a particular user through use of, for example, marker bits.

Abstract: A method for creating, modifying, and terminating connections between Internet end systems, particularly, although not exclusively, for Internet telephony communication. The method relies on several request messages sent between a client and a server and the response messages sent back in response. Each request and response message may contain one or more header fields which modify or more uniquely link the messages with a given connection. On this basis, advanced telephony services, such as call forwarding, call transferring, and multiparty conferencing are provided.

Abstract: A communications system multiplexes voice communications signals onto one or more transport level connections established through a packetized network, such as the Internet. The invention supports the use of variable-length packets and accommodates variable jitter. The system conforms to real time protocol (RTP) and employs internet telephone gateways (ITGs) to bind users to channel identifiers, to indicate payload type and length, to provide channel identification and time stamps, and to indicate cessation and resumption of voice traffic from a particular user through use of, for example, marker bits.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting skin areas in video sequences is disclosed. The apparatus is configured to include a shape locator and a tone detector. The shape locator analyzes the input video sequences to identify the edges of all the objects in a video frame and determine whether such edges approximate the outline of a predetermined shape that is likely to contain a skin area. Once objects likely to contain skin areas are located by the shape locator, the tone detector examines the picture elements (pixels) of each located object to determine if such pixels have signal energies that are characteristic of skin areas. The tone detector then samples pixels that have signal energies which are characteristic of skin areas to determine a range of skin tones and compares the range of sampled skin tones with the tones in the entire frame to find all matching skin tones.

Abstract: A communications system multiplexes voice communications signals onto one or more transport level connections established through a packetized network, such as the Internet. The invention supports the use of variable-length packets and accommodates variable jitter. The system conforms to real time protocol (RTP) and employs internet telephone gateways (ITGs) to bind users to channel identifiers, to indicate payload type and length, to provide channel identification and time stamps, and to indicate cessation and resumption of voice traffic from a particular user through use of, for example, marker bits.

Abstract: A bin based method for determining a group size estimate for applications utilizing connectionless networks. The method places an indicator of group participants who match the key under a mask into bins, where each bin corresponding to the number of bits in the mask used to determine the match. When the number of bits in the mask is increased from m to m+1, all of the participant indicators in bin m are moved into bin m+1. When the number of bits in the mask decreases from m+1 to m, however, no participant indicators are moved. When a refresh packet is received from a particular participant whose indicator is in bin k, but the current mask is m bits, for k>m., the indicator for that particular participant is moved from bin k to bin m.

Abstract: A method for applying forward error correction in a transmission network includes the steps of choosing one of a plurality of possible error correction codes, using an appropriate field to encode a complete forward-error-correcting (FEC) code algorithm in each FEC packet to be transmitted. The packet stream, consisting of media packets and FEC packets can be sent to both FEC-capable and FEC-incapable receivers. Decoding methods are independent of the forward-error-correcting code transmitted. The sender can adapt the forward-error-correction code algorithm and the degree of error correction provided on a one-time basis or even more dynamically. Decoding and recovery at the receiver require no prior notification from the sender. Applying the FEC code algorithm to decode includes interrogating the bits in an offset bit mask in each FEC packet to yield links with media packets, and applying other fields of the FEC header to obtain instructions to recover lost data in one of the media packets.