Enabling Quality Voice Communications From Web Page Call Control

Abstract

A system and method of bypassing the regulated portion of the Public Switching Telephone Network (PSTN) to establish carrier-grade voice transmissions and/or IP data communications between an Internet Calling Person having a first telephone and a first PC coupled to a first Local Service Access Provider (LSAP) and an Internet Called Party having a second telephone and a second PC coupled to a second different Local Service Access Provider (LSAP).

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of completing a quality voice telephone call between an Internet Web Page user having at least one Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) device capable of either voice or data, or both voice and data communications, including PC, telephones, multimedia PC, multimedia TV and/or other multimedia devices, to a Local Switch Access (LSAP) and the advertiser of a product/service on the Web Page having CPE couple to the same or another LSAP; comprising the steps of:
 coupling a Managed Voice-over-Internet Protocol (MVoIP) telephone network between said Internet Web Page user LSAP and said advertiser CPE such that a PSTN quality voice telephone conversation can take place between said Web Page user and said advertiser;   using said CPE and said Internet to locate a product/service of interest to said Web Page user;   associating an advertiser telephone number with said product/service of interest; and   using said Internet to enable said MVoIP system to establish at least voice and preferably voice and IP data connections between said Web Page user and said advertiser CPE by means of said telephone number.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the steps of:
 providing a second LSAP as said advertiser CPE for establishing IP data connections with said Web Page user. 
 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising the step of providing an Internet Protocol based CPE as said advertiser CPE for receiving and transmitting both voice and Internet data from and to said Web Page user. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the step of coupling an MVoIP telephone system between an Internet Web Page user LSAP and the advertiser second LSAP further comprises the steps of:
 providing a first gateway in said MVoIP for coupling both voice and Internet data links to said Web Page user LSAP such that voice can be received at and transmitted by said Web Page user telephone, and Internet data can be entered into and transferred from said Web Page user CPE; 
 providing a second gateway in said MVoIP for coupling both voice and Internet data links to said advertiser second LSAP such that voice can be received at, and transmitted by, said advertiser CPE, and Internet data can be entered into, and transferred from, said advertiser CPE; and 
 coupling said first and second gateways together to allow both voice and Internet data to be transferred between said Web Page user and said advertiser. 
 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising the steps of:
 coupling at least one managed Web-based server to said first and second gateways for storing information data of Web Page user received from the Internet and necessary to complete a call to said advertiser such as user telephone number, user name, address, and language preference, and user identification of the product/service preferences comprising flight information, ticket purchase, pricing, fares, color, and style; and 
 using said Web Page user information data to locate the appropriate advertiser location and automatically connect the Web Page user with said advertiser location. 
 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5  wherein the step of using said Web Page user information data to locate the appropriate advertiser location further comprising the steps of:
 (1) provide menu navigation prompts in place of the present day voice options of: “press [1] if you need -”; “press [2] if you need -”; “press [3] if you need -”; and other options as available; 
 (2) locate an idle advertiser agent using the menu navigational prompts prior to connecting the call to the t Web Page user; 
 (3) notifying said Web Page user of options if no advertiser agents are available such as “hang up and wait for callback from advertiser”; and 
 (4) providing a voice and Internet data connection through said first and second gateways from advertisers LSAP to said Web Page user LSAP. 
 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2  further comprising the steps of:
 coupling an international LSAP to said MVoIP for connecting the international Web Page user CPE to an advertiser's CPE; and 
 providing voice and Internet data connections through said MVoIP from an advertiser's CPE to said Web Page user's international LSAP by means of said telephone umber. 
 
     
     
         8 . A method of establishing a Managed Voice-over-Internet Protocol network (MVoIP) having a Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone carrier-grade transmission quality equivalent to the carrier quality of the Public Switching Telephone Network (PSTN) for generating voice communications between an Internet Web Page advertiser having CPE coupled to LSAP and a Web Page user having CPE coupled to an LSAP comprising the steps of:
 providing a method to simulate present advertiser CPE menus, prompts, and procedures with menu navigation from Web Page;   coupling said MVoIP to (1) said CPE for said advertiser; (2) said LSAP for the Internet Web Page user; and (3) said Internet;   locating an Internet advertised product/service having an associated telephone number and/or correlating a Web Page to an IP address on the MVoIP by browsing said Internet with a Web Page user CPE;   entering a request to said Internet with said Web Page user CPE to cause said MVoIP to provide voice and/or voice and data communications with said advertiser CPE for said advertised product/service;   entering into said Internet, with said Web Page user's CPE, information concerning said Web Page user that is necessary to complete a call to said advertiser CPE such as user telephone number, user name, address, and language preference, and user identification of product/service preference features such as flight information, ticket purchase, pricing, fares, color, and style;   automatically connecting said associated Web Page advertiser to a server within the MVoIP network upon entry of said Web Page user information;   automatically navigating menu prompts and options provided by advertisers Web Page which eliminates present day implementation of “press [1] if you need -”; “press [2] if you need -”; “press [3] if you need -” and other options as required;   locating any idle advertiser location at said advertisers CPE through Web Page navigation procedures prior to connecting the call to said Web Page user;   notifying said Web Page user of options if no advertiser locations are available via menu on Web Page uses CPE such as “hang up and wait for callback” and “wait for callback from advertiser” and/or “your expected queue time is”; and   providing voice and Internet data connections through said MVoIP from an advertisers CPE to a Web Page user's LSAP upon prompts from advertiser.   
     
     
         9 . A method of bypassing the regulated toll portion of the Public Switching Telephone Network (PSTN) to establish voice communications between an Internet Web Page advertiser having a CPE coupled to an LSAP and an Internet Web Page user having a CPE coupled to an LSAP comprising the steps of:
 establishing a Managed Voice-over-Internet Protocol (MVoIP) that is capable of bidirectional transmission of both voice and Internet Protocol data communications in parallel with said regulated portion of said PSTN;   browsing said Internet with a Web Page user CPE to locate an Internet advertised product/service having an associated telephone number (or correlating the Web Page to an IP address on the MVoIP); and   using said information to cause said MVoIP to establish both voice and Internet Protocol data communications between the location of said advertiser of said located product/services and said Web Page user through said LSAP.   
     
     
         10 . A method of completing a telephone call between an Internet Calling Party having CPE coupled to a first LSAP and an Internet Called Person having second CPE coupled to a second LSAP comprising the steps of:
 bypassing the regulated portion of the existing Public Switching Telephone Network (PSTN) telephone systems with an MVoIP network having carrier-grade voice quality and that is coupled between said Calling Party LSAP and said Called Person LSAP such that a voice conversation can take place between said Calling Party and said Called Person;   locating the name of the Called Person on the Internet with Calling Party CPE;   selecting the name of the Called Person from an Internet site using a cursor control; and   automatically enabling said MVoIP system to establish a voice connection between said Calling Party and said Called Person that bypasses the regulated portion of the PSTN toll network when the name of said Called Person is selected.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10  further including the step of locating the name of the Called Person from an e-mail document received on the Calling Person CPE. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10  further including the step of storing the white pages of a telephone directory on an Internet Web server so that the telephone number of the Called Person can be located by the Web Page user CPE. 
     
     
         13 . A system for completing a telephone call between an Internet Web Page user having a telephone and a PC coupled to an LSAP and an advertiser of a product/service on a Web Page having a telephone coupled to an advertiser Call Center comprising:
 a Managed Voice-over-Internet Protocol (MVoIP) telephone system capable of being coupled between said Internet Web Page user LSAP and said advertiser Call Center such that a voice telephone conversation can tale place between said Web Page user and said advertiser;   an advertiser product/service of interest to said Web Page user being located on said Web Page and selected with said Web Page user PC;   a telephone number associated with said product/service of interest; and   Internet connection means to said MVoIP for enabling said MVoIP system to automatically establish voice connections between said Web Page user and said product/service advertiser Call center upon selection of said advertiser telephone number associated with said product/service by said Web Page user.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13  further comprising:
 a Web-based server forming a part of said MVoIP for storing advertiser prompts such as “press [1] if you need -”; “press [2] if you need -”; “press [3] if you need -”, as options selectable for use by said Web Page user; 
 Web Page user product/service selection information entered into said Web-based server through said Web Page user PC; 
 circuit means within said MVoIP for automatically coupling said Web-based server to the telephone line of said advertiser at said advertiser Call Center upon selection of one of said options in accordance with said selection information; and 
 MVoIP connection means for providing a voice telephone connection between said Web Page user and said product/service advertiser Call Center having Public Switching Telephone Network (PSTN) carrier-grade voice quality.