Method and system for establishing voice communications using a computer network and a telecommunications switch

A system for establishing voice communications with a call recipient's telephone device using a computer network and a telephone network, said system comprising:

• a data communications enabled telephone device including means for connecting to the computer network to establish a data communications link;
• a server including a database, said server being connected to the computer network;
• said data communications enabled telephone device being structured and disposed to send and receive data to and from said server via said data communications link;
• means for prompting input of caller specific data for receipt by said server, said caller specific data including a unique access code and a destination telephone number of the call recipient's telephone device;
• means for processing said caller specific data to identify the telephone number of said data communications enabled telephone device;
• and
• a telecommunications switch connected to said computer network and structured and disposed for receiving said caller specific data, said telecommunications switch being operable to dial the telephone number of the data communications enabled telephone device to establish a voice connection between said data communications switch and the data communications enabled telephone device over the telephone network, and said telecommunications switch being further operable to dial the telephone number of the call recipient's telephone device to establish a voice connection between the data communications enabled telephone device and the call recipient's telephone device over the telephone network.

A method for establishing voice communications between a caller's data communications enabled telephone device and a call recipient's telephone device over a telephone network, said method comprising the steps of:

• first, establishing a connection between said caller's data communications enabled telephone device and a computer network;
• second, initiating data communications between said caller's data communications enabled telephone device and a server connected to said computer network;
• third, prompting a caller to input caller specific data using said caller's data communications enabled telephone device;
• fourth, requesting the caller to input the telephone number of the call recipient's telephone device;
• fifth, receiving said caller specific data and the telephone number of the call recipient's telephone device by said server;
• sixth, processing said caller specific data and identifying the telephone number of said caller's data communications enabled telephone device;
• seventh, transferring said caller specific data, including the telephone number of the caller's data communications enabled telephone device, to a telephone switch connected to said server;
• eighth, initiating a voice communications connection between said caller's data communications enabled telephone device and said telephone switch over the telephone network by dialing the telephone number of said caller's data communications enabled telephone device;
• ninth, waiting for the caller lo answer the call to said caller's data communications enabled telephone device to establish voice communications between said telephone switch and said caller's data communications enabled telephone device over the telephone network;
• tenth, subsequently initiating a voice communications connection between the call recipient's telephone device and said telephone switch over the telephone network by dialing the telephone number of the call recipient's telephone device previously submitted by the caller;
• and
• eleventh, establishing a voice communications connection between said caller's data communications enabled telephone device and the call recipient's telephone device over the telephone network upon the call recipient answering the call to the call recipient's telephone device.