US 7,924,820 B2 · Method and system for facilitating communications

Abstract

An Internet-based system provides substantially instantaneous communication between two devices for exchanging voice and multimedia signals. The system includes ISP gateways with unique IDs that service a plurality of devices with unique telephone numbers. The system further includes a directory which correlates the devices with ISP gateways. More specifically, the directory includes a RELATIVE records/words/cells in a RANDOM ACCESS TABLE (RRAT) with each entry being identified by a record number, which in this case corresponds to the telephone numbers (as they are or in reverse). The entry relates directly or indirectly the telephone number with the respective ISP gateway. Communication is established by having the ISP gateway of the calling device looking up the ISP gateway of the called device in the directory using the telephone number of the called device. The ISP gateway then generates a handle for the called ISP and uses the handle to establish a communication channel between two devices quickly and efficiently.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A system for providing communication between a plurality of devices connected to a distributed computer network, each device being associated with a unique multi-digit telephone number in a series of consecutive multi-digit telephone numbers, said system comprising:

a plurality of gateways, each gateway (1) providing connection to the network for at least one of said devices and (2) being assigned a unique network address;
and
a directory having a total number of locations equal to the number of possible multi-digit telephone numbers in said series, each location being uniquely identified by a corresponding directory address, each said directory address being assigned uniquely to one of said multi-digit telephone numbers by including into the respective directory address a numerical value dependent on the respective multi digit telephone number;
wherein each location within the directory includes a network address for the gateway associated with the respective multi-digit telephone number and wherein said directory receives a query (1) from a gateway providing connection to a first device associated with a first multi-digit telephone number (2) for the network address of a second gateway providing connection to a second device associated with a second multi-digit telephone number, said query including said first multi-digit telephone number and said directory returns the network address of the gateway providing connection to said second device.

1 more element

A method to facilitate communication between two devices over a network using a directory, wherein each device is associated with a corresponding multi-digit telephone number in a series of consecutive multi-digit telephone numbers and is connected to the network through a gateway having a unique ID, said method comprising:

obtaining a request from a first device regarding a second device, said request including the multi-digit telephone number associated with said second device;
identifying in said directory for information to respond to said request, said directory having a total number of locations equal to the number of possible multi-digit telephone numbers in said series, each location being uniquely identified by a corresponding directory address, each said directory address being assigned uniquely to one of said multi-digit telephone numbers by including into the respective directory address a numerical value dependent on the respective multi digit telephone number;
wherein said directory receives a query (1) from a gateway providing connection to a first device associated with a first multi-digit telephone number (2) for the network address of a second gateway providing connection to a second device associated with a second multi-digit telephone number, said query including said first multi-digit telephone number and said directory returns the network address of the gateway providing connection to said second device.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and system for facilitating communications

Life of this patent

Method and system for facilitating communications

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims22