Combining multimedia services with traditional telephony
AssigneeNortel Networks Limited
InventorDany D. Sylvain
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention provides a combined user agent (CUA) to represent a telephone supported by a circuit-switched telephony switch and a packet-based media device as an integrated group to other network entities. The CUA is configured to facilitate the necessary call signaling to establish and control a voice call via the telephony switch, as well as the session control signaling necessary to establish and control a media session with the media device. Accordingly, the telephone and media device appear to the network devices as a single device having voice and media capabilities, wherein the voice capabilities are controlled in part by the telephony switch.
Claims27
A system comprising:
- a) an interface adapted to facilitate media communications;
- and
- b) a control system associated with the interface and providing a combined user agent, which is adapted to:
- i) represent a telephone and a computing device as a single multimedia device capable of supporting voice and media sessions;
- ii) communicate with a circuit-switched telephony switch to establish a connection with the telephone through the circuit-switched telephony switch to facilitate a voice session with another voice-capable device;
- and
- iii) communicate with the computing device to establish a media session between the computing device and another media-capable device,
- wherein the combined user agent appears to network devices as a multimedia client supporting voice and media sessions and interacts with the circuit-switched telephony switch as well as the computing device to facilitate the voice and media sessions.
A method facilitating voice and media sessions comprising:
- a) representing a telephone and a computing device as a combined user agent capable of supporting voice and media sessions;
- b) communicating with a circuit-switched telephony switch to establish a connection with the telephone through the circuit-switched telephony switch to facilitate a voice session with another voice-capable device;
- and
- c) communicating with a computing device to establish a media session between the computing device and another media-capable device,
- wherein the combined user agent appears to network devices as a multimedia client supporting voice and media sessions and interacts with the circuit-switched telephony switch as well as the computing device to facilitate the voice and media sessions.
A computer readable medium having software for implementing a combined user agent and comprising computer instructions to:
- a) represent a telephone and a computing device as a single multimedia device capable of supporting voice and media sessions;
- b) communicate with a circuit-switched telephony switch to establish a connection with the telephone through the circuit-switched telephony switch to facilitate a voice session with another voice-capable device;
- and
- c) communicate with a computing device to establish a media session between the computing device and another media-capable device,
- wherein the combined user agent appears to network devices as a multimedia client supporting voice and media sessions and interacts with the circuit-switched telephony switch as well as the computing device to facilitate the voice and media sessions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.