Internet switch box, system and method for internet telephony

Abstract

An Internet switch box connects between a telephone set and a public switched telephone network (PSTN) line, the latter of which is used both for PSTN telephone conversations and for connection to an Internet service provider (ISP). The switch box contains hardware and embedded software for establishing a connection to an ISP and for Internet telephony. When two users, each having an Internet switch box connected to the telephone set, wish to have an Internet telephony conversation, one calls the other over the PSTN. When they agree to an Internet telephony conversation, they signal their Internet switch boxes, by pressing either buttons on the switch boxes or certain keys on the telephone keypads, to switch to Internet telephony. The switch boxes disconnect the PSTN call and connect to their ISPs. Once the switch boxes are on the Internet, they contact each other through a server which supplies Internet protocol (IP) addresses of switch boxes, and the users continue their conversation by Internet telephony. The users can also prearrange to call each other solely by Internet telephony, in which case they do not need to talk to each other over the PSTN.

We claim: 
     
       1. A method of establishing a telephony call, comprising:
 associating a telephone number provided by a first terminal with a first Internet protocol (IP) address; 
 establishing an Internet communication link in a communication path between the first terminal and a second terminal using the associated first IP address; 
 communicating information across the established Internet communication link; 
 associating a telephone number provided by the second terminal with a second IP address, wherein: 
 the Internet communication link is established using the first and second IP addresses, 
 communicating the telephone numbers provided by the first and second terminals to an IP server, wherein: 
 the IP server associates the respective telephone numbers with the first and second IP addresses and enables the establishment of the Internet communication link based on the first and second IP addresses; 
 communicating the second IP address, provided by a first device interconnecting the first terminal with a first network connection of the Internet communication link, to the IP server; and 
 communicating the first IP address, provided by a second device interconnecting the second terminal with a second network connection of the Internet communication link, to the IP server, wherein: 
 the IP server associates the telephone number provided by the first terminal with the first IP address provided by the second device and associates the telephone number provided by the second terminal with the second IP address provided by the first device. 
 
     
     
       2. A method of establishing a telephony call, comprising:
 correlating a first destination telephone number provided by a first terminal with a first origination telephone number provided by a second terminal to associate a first Internet protocol (IP) address with the first destination telephone number; 
 correlating a second destination telephone number provided by the second terminal with a second origination telephone number provided by the first terminal to associate a second IP address with the second destination telephone number; 
 establishing an Internet communication link in a communication path between the first and second terminals using the associated first and second IP addresses; 
 communicating information across the established Internet communication link; 
 communicating the second IP address, provided by a first device interconnecting the first terminal with a first network connection of the Internet communication link, to an IP server; and 
 communicating the first IP address, provided by a second device interconnecting the second terminal with a second network connection of the Internet communication link, to the IP server, wherein: 
 the IP server associates the first destination telephone number provided by the first terminal with the first IP address provided by the second device and associates the second destination telephone number provided by the second terminal with the second IP address provided by the first device. 
 
     
     
       3. A system for establishing a telephony call; comprising:
 an internet switch box (ISB) terminal and a second terminal; 
 an Internet protocol (IP) server that associates a telephone number provided by the ISB terminal with a first IP address; and 
 first and second devices, in a communication path between the ISB terminal and the second terminal, that establish an Internet communication link using the associated first IP address and communicate information across the established Internet communication link, wherein: 
 the IP server associates a telephone number provided by the second terminal with a second IP address; 
 the first and second devices establish the Internet communication link using the first and second IP addresses; 
 the ISB terminal and the second terminal communicate the respective telephone numbers to the IP server; 
 the IP server associates the respective telephone numbers with the first and second IP addresses and enables the establishment of the Internet communication link based on the first and second IP addresses; 
 the first device communicates the second IP address to the IP servers; 
 the second device communicates the first IP address to the IP server; and 
 the IP server associates the telephone number provided by the ISB terminal with the first IP address provided by the second device and associates the telephone number provided by the second terminal with the second IP address provided by the first device. 
 
     
     
       4. A system of establishing a telephony call, comprising:
 first and second Internet service box terminals; 
 an Internet protocol (IP) server that:
 correlates a first destination telephone number provided by the first ISB terminal with a first origination telephone number provided by the second Internet service box terminal to associate a first Internet protocol (IP) address with the first destination telephone number; and 
 correlates a second destination telephone number provided by the second ISB terminal with a second origination telephone number provided by the first Internet service box terminal to associate a second IP address with the second destination telephone number; and 
 
 first and second devices, in a communication path between the first and second Internet service box terminals, that establish an Internet communication link using the associated first and second IP addresses and communicate information across the established internet communication link, wherein: 
 the first device communicates the second IP address, of a first network connection of the Internet communication link, to the IP server; and 
 the second device communicates the first IP address, of a second network connection of the Internet communication link, to the IP server, wherein 
 the IP server associates the first destination telephone number provided by the first terminal with the first IP address provided by the second device and associates the second destination telephone number provided by the second terminal with the second IP address provided by the first device. 
 
     
     
       5. A method for connecting a first communication apparatus to a second communication apparatus, comprising:
 establishing a first connection between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus over a primary network;   connecting the first communication apparatus to a secondary network;   receiving a first address of the first communication apparatus on the secondary network;   providing the first address to the second communication apparatus; and   establishing a second connection between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus over the secondary network based on the first address.   
     
     
       6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus communicate over the primary network and the secondary network after the second connection is established. 
     
     
       7. The method of claim 5, further comprising disconnecting the first communication apparatus from the primary network after the second connection is established. 
     
     
       8. The method of claim 5, wherein the first communication apparatus has a second address on the primary network. 
     
     
       9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the primary network and the secondary network is the Internet, and at least one of the first address and the second address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address. 
     
     
       10. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the first address and the second address is dynamically assigned. 
     
     
       11. A first communication apparatus, comprising:
 a first interface for connecting to a primary network;   a second interface for connecting to a secondary network; and   a processor that:
 establishes a first connection with a second communication apparatus over the primary network via the first interface; 
 connects to the secondary network via the second interface; 
 receives a first address of the first communication apparatus on the secondary network; 
 provides the first address to the second communication apparatus; and 
 establishes a second connection with the second communication apparatus over the secondary network using the first address. 
   
     
     
       12. The first communication apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor further disconnects the first communication apparatus from the primary network after the second connection is established. 
     
     
       13. The first communication apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first communication apparatus has a second address on the primary network. 
     
     
       14. The first communication apparatus of claim 13, wherein at least one of the primary network and the secondary network is the Internet, and at least one of the first address and the second address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address. 
     
     
       15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed by a first communication apparatus, causes the first communication apparatus to perform a method for connecting to a second communication apparatus, the method comprising:
 establishing a first connection with the second communication apparatus over a primary network;   connecting to a secondary network;   receiving a first address of the first communication apparatus on the secondary network;   providing the first address to the second communication apparatus; and   establishing a second connection with the second communication apparatus over the secondary network using the first address.   
     
     
       16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the method further comprising disconnecting the first communication apparatus from the primary network after the second connection is established. 
     
     
       17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the first communication apparatus has a second address on the primary network. 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein at least one of the primary network and the secondary network is the Internet, and at least one of the first address and the second address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address. 
     
     
       19. A method for connecting a first communication apparatus to a second communication apparatus, the method performed by the first communication apparatus, comprising:
 establishing a first connection with the second communication apparatus over a primary network;   connecting to a secondary network;   receiving a first address of the first communication apparatus on the secondary network;   providing the first address to the second communication apparatus; and   establishing a second connection with the second communication apparatus over the secondary network using the first address.   
     
     
       20. The method of claim 19, further comprising disconnecting the first communication apparatus from the primary network after the second connection is established. 
     
     
       21. The method of claim 19, wherein the first communication apparatus has a second address on the primary network. 
     
     
       22. The method of claim 21, wherein at least one of the primary network and the secondary network is the Internet, and at least one of the first address and the second address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address. 
     
     
       23. A first communication apparatus, comprising:
 a first interface for connecting to a primary network;   a second interface for connecting to a secondary network; and   a processor that:
 accepts a first connection from a second communication apparatus over the primary network via the first interface; 
 receives an address of the second communication apparatus; 
 connects the first communication terminal to the secondary network via the second interface; and 
 establishes a second connection with the second communication apparatus over the secondary network using the address. 
   
     
     
       24. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed by a first communication apparatus, causes the first communication apparatus to perform a method for connecting to a second communication apparatus, the method comprising:
 accepting a first connection from the second communication apparatus over a primary network;   receiving an address of the second communication apparatus;   connecting to the secondary network; and   establishing a second connection with the second communication apparatus over the secondary network using the address.   
     
     
       25. A communication system, comprising:
 a primary network;   a secondary network;   a first communication apparatus connectable to the primary network and the secondary network; and   a second communication apparatus connectable to the primary network and the secondary network;   wherein the first communication apparatus:
 establishes a first connection with the second communication apparatus over the primary network, 
 connects to the secondary network, 
 receives an address of the first communication apparatus on the secondary network, and 
 provides the address to the second communication apparatus; 
   the second communication apparatus:
 accepts the first connection from the first communication apparatus, 
 receives the address of the first communication apparatus, and 
 connects to the secondary network; and 
   the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus establish a second connection over the secondary network using the address.