Establishing an internet telephone call using e-mail

A system for point-to-point communications over the Internet comprising:

• a first processing unit including:
• a first program for performing a point-to-point Internet protocol;
• and
• a first processor for executing the first program and for automatically transmitting an E-mail message, including
• a first Internet Protocol (IP) address corresponding to the first processing unit;
• and
• a mail server for processing the E-mail message through the Internet to deliver the E-mail message to a second processing unit for establishing a point-to-point communication link between the first and second processing units through the Internet;
• wherein the second processing unit transmits a message including a second Internet protocol address corresponding to the second processing unit using the first Internet protocol address assigned to the first processing unit.

A computer program product for use with a computer system, the computer system executing a first process operatively connectable to a second process and a server over a computer network, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer useable medium having program code embodied in the medium, the program code further comprising:
• program code for transmitting an E-mail message comprising an Internet protocol address of the first process to the server over the computer network;
• program code for receiving an Internet protocol address of the second process, transmitted from the second process using the Internet protocol address of the first process, over the computer network;
• and
• program code, responsive to the Internet protocol address of the second process, for establishing a point-to-point communication between the first process and the second process.

In a first computer process operatively coupled over a computer network to a second process and an E-mail server, a method of establishing a point-to-point communication between the first and second processes comprising the steps of:

• A. transmitting an E-mail message automatically incorporating a first Internet protocol address of the first process to the second process over the computer network;
• B. receiving a second Internet protocol address from the second process over the computer network, the second process sending the second Internet protocol address to the first process using the first Internet protocol address;
• and
• C. in response to reception of the second network protocol address, establishing a point-to-point communication connection between the first process and the second process.