Web-page interface to telephony features

A method of accessing telephony features over the Internet by using the World Wide Web (WW, comprising the steps of:

• a WWW browser of a client requesting a WWW page that defines a telephony feature form from a WWW server via the Internet;
• in response to the request, the WWW server providing the requested WWW page to the client via the Internet;
• in response to receipt of the requested WWW page, the WWW browser indicating selection of an individual telephony feature by marking up the telephony feature form of the received WWW page;
• the client sending the marked up WWW page to an interpreter via the Internet;
• in response to receipt by the interpreter of the marked up WWW page, the interpreter interpreting the marked up telephony feature form to determine the selected individual telephony feature;
• in response to the determination, requesting a provider of the telephony features to provide the selected individual telephony feature;
• further in response to the determination, requesting the client, via a TCP/IP protocol over the Internet, to connect to the provider;
• in response to the request to connect to the provider, the client effecting a data and control communications connection with the provider via the TCP/IP protocol over the Internet;
• in response to the request to provide the selected individual telephony feature, the provider providing the selected individual telephony feature, including
• the provider instructing the client to redirect a data portion of the data and control communications connection from the provider to a communications entity and to maintain a control portion of the data and control communications connection connected to the provider, so that the provider can exert control over the client while the client communicates with the entity, and
• in response to the instruction, the client establishing a data communications connection to the communications entity.

An apparatus that enables telephony features to be accessed by clients over the Internet by using the World Wide Web (WWW), from a provider of the telephony features that responds to requests for features by providing the requested features, the apparatus comprising:

• a WWW server that includes
• a first arrangement responsive to a request for a WWW page that defines a telephony feature form, received from a client via the Internet using the WWW, for providing the requested WWW page to the client via the Internet using the WWW,
• an interpreter responsive to receipt, from the client via the Internet using the WWW, of the WWW page now defining the telephony feature form marked up by the client to indicate selection of an individual telephony feature, for interpreting the marked up telephony feature form to determine the selected individual telephony feature, and
• a second arrangement responsive to the determination, for requesting the provider of the telephony features to provide the selected individual telephony feature and for requesting the client, via a TCP/IP protocol over the Internet, to effect a TCP/IP data and control communications connection with the provider over the Internet;
• and
• the provider, responsive to the request to provide the individual telephony feature, for causing the client to redirect a data portion of the data and control communications connection from the provider to a communications entity and to maintain a control portion of the data and control communications connection connected to the provider, so that the provider can exert control over the client while the client communicates with the entity.