WO1998019445A1

WO1998019445A1 - Device and method for communication between a data network and a telecommunications network

Info

Publication number: WO1998019445A1
Application number: PCT/SE1997/001719
Authority: WO
Inventors: Anders Olof Danne; Per Bergqvist; Göran BÅGE
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget Lm Ericsson (Publ)
Priority date: 1996-10-28
Filing date: 1997-10-14
Publication date: 1998-05-07
Also published as: JP2001503224A; CN1143513C; AU728548C; EP0938802A1; AU4888697A; SE510663C2; TW388014B; SE9603930L; SE9603930D0; CN1242124A; AU728548B2

Abstract

The present invention relates to a service node between Internet networks and a telecommunications network, said node being used to order telephony services by means of HTML pages from a computer having a WWW browser. The invention also relates to a method for calling a B subscriber, in which the call is ordered from the computer but the connection is set up between the telephones of the A and B subscribers' telephones. The service node communicates with computers connected to computer networks using the HTTP protocol. The node stores data related to a subscriber; said data can be used when the user requests a telephony service. The node is centrally located, which enables the use of its services even if the user moves to another location and terminal.

Description

DEVICE AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN A DATA NETWORK AND A TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORK

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a communication node between

data networks and public telecommunications networks.

STATE OF THE ART

Such a communication node between data and telecommunications

networks is disclosed in, for example, WO 94/24803. This

document describes such a node in a multimedia communication

system. The object of the node is to enable communication

between users using different types of terminals, such as

common telephones, personal computers and workstations.

The published international patent application WO 87/078001

describes a node constituting an electronic mailbox. The object

is for the mailbox to be able to receive and store electronic

mail sent from different types of sources, such as telephones,

computers and fax machines . Messages may have been translated

before they reach the mailbox. The electronic letters may

subsequently be retrieved from different types of terminals. Some different types of network architecture for establishing a

link between data networks and telecommunications networks are

described comprehensively in a report of a final thesis at

Lulea Institute of Technology: "Functional Distribution between

Co-operating Networks", Bodin and Andreasson. The report

briefly describes the design of a node between data networks

and telecommunications networks, used to demonstrate the

ordering of telephony services from a computer. A user is

enabled to order telephony services presented on the computer

screen via pages in HTML format. The node consists of a

computer with an off-the-shelf software platform.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention attacks the problem of simplifying the

use of telecommunications services for a user by offering a

solution with which such telecommunications services in public

and private telecommunications networks may be made accessible

through a computer. In particular this applies to the ordering

from a computer of the set-up of a telecommunications

connection between an A subscriber and a B subscriber.

The telecommunications services of today are becoming more and

more advanced. The new services are perceived as difficult to use since conventional telephones are only provided with a

primitive keypad allowing the user to enter commands or provide

data. The telephone also has very limited possibilities for

providing visual information.

With the new services, the need also arises to be able to adapt

some of the services according to the user's desires. Thus the

need for several alternative solutions for exchanging

information with the user is further increased.

Another problem is avoiding having to equip the user's computer

with special software to enable the ordering of

telecommunications services from it. It should be sufficient

for the computer to be provided with prior art software for

communication, and said software should also be useful for

other purposes than for ordering telephony services.

A further problem is that the user should have access to

personal stored information concerning telecommunications

services even if he/she moves geographically and changes

computer and telephone equipment . A purpose of the present invention is thus to enable a user to

order telecommunications services, especially connection of

calls, by means of a computer, in a way that is simple for the

user and to provide subscriber related data that can be used

for this purpose, and to give access to these

telecommunications services and this user related data even if

the user moves geographically and to another telephone and/or

computer.

A service node is provided, constituting a link between the

data network and the telecommunications network. The service

node has an interface to a telephone exchange through which

public and private telecommunications networks can be accessed.

The service node also has a WWW interface through which a

communication connection to a computer can be established

through a data network using the HTTP protocol. The computer is

equipped with a WWW browser and receives data in HTML format

from the service node . The data is presented on a screen

connected to the computer, in the form of pages comprising,

among other things, active fields. A user requests a service

using said active fields by means of the computer. The service

node receives the request for a telephony service or

programming of subscriber related data from the computer in order for the data to be registered by the service node. The

service node performs the requested service and sends the

result to the computer in a new HTML page, which is presented

to the user on the screen.

The service node is comprised of a web server, a personal

assistant and a service node selector. The personal assistant

constitutes a control and supervision part of the service node

and communicates both with the service node selector and the

web server.

The personal assistant handles various subscriber services .

The personal assistant controls the service node selector,

which is connected to telecommunications and mobile

telecommunications networks.

The personal assistant can, by means of the service node

selector, make outgoing calls, receive calls and interconnect

incoming and outgoing calls.

The personal assistant stores information associated with a

user. The user can retrieve and store personal information by means of a computer telecommunications terminal of his/her

choice or.

A user can log in to the service node from a computer with a

WWW browser. The web server handles the communication with the

computer by transmitting WWW pages in the mark-up language

HTML, said pages being presented on the user's computer. The

user may enter commands using active fields in the presented

HTML page . The commands are transmitted to the web server using

the HTTP protocol. The commands are forwarded by the web server

to the personal assistant .

The personal assistant makes sure the command is executed. The

result is then transmitted to the web server, which generates a

new HTML page presenting the result of the command to the user.

The invention makes it possible to simplify the user control of

telephony services by means of a computer.

The invention may be utilized by several users as the protocol

used for communication with the service node is found in most

network connected computers . Programs such as WWW browsers are

widely deployed in network connected computers. The invention enables the storage of data associated with a

user in a central node. This data is accessible to the user and

may be changed even if the user moves to a different location

and uses different terminals. The stored data may be used when

a telephone connection with a B subscriber is being set up.

The invention will in the following be described in more detail

by way of preferred embodiments and with reference to the

enclosed drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 shows a protocol stack known per se, used in the

Internet

Fig. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of units comprised in

the communication system of which the invention is part.

Figures 3, 4, 5 are sequence diagram of the signalling between

the parts of the system.

Figure 6 is a flow chart of the method for connection. DESCRIPTION OF THE ANNEX

The annex contains the complete syntax of the application

protocol which constitutes part of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The Internet is an important precondition for the applicability

of the present invention and will therefore be described

briefly here. The Internet in this context means any data

network using a protocol stack having an Internet Protocol (IP)

layer. Upon the IP another protocol, the Transmission Control

Protocol (TCP) is used. These two protocol layers are shown in

Figure 1. The IP protocol may be used in different types of

physical data networks, hence Figure 1 does not show the

protocols below the IP layer. Also, different protocols for

different types of applications may be added on top of the TCP

layer. Figure 1 shows the HTTP protocol on top of the TCP,

since this protocol is used in the application of the present

invention.

On the HTTP protocol data can be transferred in the mark-up

language Hyper Text Meta Language (HTML) . In a computer PC, for

example, a personal computer or a mainframe computer with user

terminals, with WWW browser software, for example Netscape Navigator or Mosaic, received data is presented according to

its HTML format on the screen in the form of pages comprising

pictures, graphics and text. The presented HTML pages also

comprise so called active fields by means of which the users

can request different types of services. The active fields are

made up of buttons, fields for entering text, and hypertext

links. The user may, for example using a mouse connected to the

computer, move a cursor over the page to place it on a button

or a hyper text link and then press a mouse button. This will

in the following be referred to as clicking a button or a hyper

text link, respectively. In this way a command is transferred

to another computer, a so called web server connected to the

data network, on the HTTP protocol. The command may cause a new

HTML page to be transmitted to the user's computer PC where it

is presented, or a search for information to be started in a

database. The result of said search will be presented to the

user on a new HTML page .

Figure 2 is an overview of the communication system in which

the method according to the invention is applied. The apparatus

according to the invention is comprised of a service node SN. The service node SN has a WWW interface for communication in

data networks using the HTTP protocol. The service node SN has

another interface towards a telephone exchange, which is shown

in Figure 2 as a private branch exchange PBX, but may also be

another type of exchange. Through the exchange PBX connections

may be established in public or private telecommunications

networks. It is also possible to connect the service node SN

directly to a telecommunications network without an exchange

therebetween. In the description below only the case in which

the communication with a telecommunications network is set up

through an exchange is shown. In Figure 2 two public

telecommunications networks are shown: a conventional Public

Services Telephone Network (PSTN) and a cellular mobile

telecommunications network PLMN. It is also possible to connect

to other types of telecommunications networks than the ones

shown in Figure 2, such as Integrated Services Digital Network

(ISDN) or private telecommunications networks. To each of the

telecommunications networks a number of telephones, mobile

telephones, telefaxes and other types of telecommunications

terminal are connected. Figure 2 only shows one telephone AT

and one mobile telephone MSA belonging to an A subscriber, and

a telephone BT and a mobile telephone MSB belonging to a B

subscriber . The A subscriber also has access to a computer PC. The computer

PC may be a personal computer with units for user communication

such as a screen, a mouse and a keyboard, or a mainframe

computer having a user terminal. The computer is provided with

a WWW browser and connected to a data network in which the

TCP/IP and HTTP protocols are used, in a conventional way.

Figure 2 shows this data network as a cloud referenced as DN.

The service node SN is comprised of three parts: a web server

WS, a personal assistant PA and a service node selector SNS .

The web server handles the communication with the computer PC

by generating HTML pages, which are then transferred to the

computer through the data network DN. The user requests a

service using the above described active fields in these pages.

When the A subscriber has entered text or clicked a button or a

hypertext link, a command specifying the requested service is

sent from the computer PC to the web server WS, using the HTTP

protocol. The web server transfers the command on to the

personal assistant PA. The web server WS and the personal

assistant communicate by means of an application protocol. The

application protocol uses TCP/IP for transport and thus constitutes a protocol layer on top of TCP/IP. The protocol ^■

implies that commands and other information being exchanged

between different computers use an established syntax in order

to be interpreted in the same way in the different computers.

This means that computers having different operating systems

and software written in different programming languages, can

communicate with each other. In this way the web server WS and

the personal assistant PA, both constituting parts of the

present service node, may be computers from different vendors.

The complete syntax of the application protocol is described in

the annex .

The personal assistant PA is the control unit of the service

node. The personal assistant handles the command transmitted

from the computer PC and makes sure it is executed. If the

command from the computer PC, received by the personal

assistant PA implies that a service is to be performed in one

of the telecommunications networks PSTN, PLMN, the personal

assistant PA orders the service node selector SNS to set up a

connection with the appropriate network. The personal assistant

then performs the steps required to perform the requested

service. The command from the computer PC received by the

personal assistant PA may also imply that the personal assistant PA is to provide or store information, for example

programming of user data. When the personal assistant PA has

performed, or failed in performing, a requested service, the

personal assistant PA transmits the result to the web server,

which enters the result into an HTML page and forwards it to

the computer PC, which presents it to the A subscriber.

The service node selector SNS is able to set up connections to

the telecommunications networks PSTN, PLMN, upon orders from

the personal assistant PA. The service node selector is also

able to connect to existing connections, upon orders from the

personal assistant. As described below, this function will be

utilized in the present method.

The commands exchanged between the computer PC, the telephone

AT of the A subscriber, the web server WS of the service node,

the personal assistant PA of the service node, the service node

selector SNS of the service node, the private branch exchange

PBX, the public network PSTN and the telephone BT of the B

subscriber, when a service is requested by the A subscriber,

are shown in Figures 3 , 4 and 5. Figure 3 shows the login procedure to the service node SN. The

user has first retrieved a presentation page from the service

node SN, using his computer PC. In this page, the user enters

his identity and password in fields intended for this

information. This data is then transmitted to the web server WS

with a login request . The request is approved after the web

server has checked and verified the identity and password by a

query to the personal assistant PA. The web server WS then

transmits a new page to the computer PC comprising an index of

available services and data, a so called index page.

In the obtained index page, the user clicks on a hypertext link

to request user programming in the personal assistant PA.

Programming of user data involves the A subscriber changing or

adding information related to the user, which is stored in the

personal assistant PA. Programming of user data is necessary

for the personal assistant to know what telecommunications

terminal the A subscriber intends to use. If the A subscriber

wishes to change the telecommunications terminal, this is done

by reprogramming the user data in the personal assistant. The A

subscriber can also register the names and identities of other

telecommunications subscribers, with photos if desired, to

facilitate the ordering of telephone services. This data can thus constitute a personal telephone directory for the A

subscriber. It is also possible to register telecommunications

commands in the personal assistant to facilitate their use.

Names, identities and other information registered can be used

as hypertext links or active fields, when presented to the user

on an HTML page, to facilitate making calls or using the data

in another way.

Figure 4 shows signal sequences in user programming when the A

subscriber changes his own telephone AT. The request is

transferred through the data network DN to the web server WS

which in turns forwards the request to the personal assistant

PA. The personal assistant, in which the user data is stored,

transmits a set of parameters to the web server WS . The web

server enters the parameters into an HTML page and transmits

the page to the computer PC. In the present example the A

subscriber wishes to change his telephone. If the identity of

the new telephone is already stored in the personal assistant

PA and registered on the parameter page, the A subscriber can

enter a new telephone by, for example, clicking on the

hypertext link of the new telephone. If the telephone to which

the A subscriber wishes to change is not registered, the

identity of the new telephone, the A number, is entered in a field intended for this information on the parameter page. The

request for a new A number is received by the web server WS,

which forwards the request to the personal assistant PA. The

personal assistant registers the new A number and then

transmits a new set of data to the web server. The web server

WS enters this data in a new parameter page in HTML format

which is transmitted to the computer PC. The telephone to which

the service node SN will connect the A subscriber's calls is

then presented to the A subscriber on the screen of the

computer PC.

The A subscriber can retrieve the index page stored in the

computer PC after login. The user requests the set-up of a

telephone connection between his own telephone AT and a B

subscriber's telephone, for example by typing in the B number

in a field on the index page intended for this information. It

is, however, easier for the user if the B number is already

stored in the above described personal telephone directory. The

telephone directory may either have come with the index page or

be retrieved to the computer PC in HTML format from the

personal assistant PA through the web server WS in the same way

as the data page. From the telephone directory the A subscriber

requests a call by, for example, on his computer, clicking on a hypertext link with the B subscriber's name. Figure 6 shows the

procedure when a call is made. In the first block 1 the A

subscriber requests the B subscriber to be called, from his

computer PC, in any of the above described ways. Figure 5 shows

the signalling sequence when a call is made. The request to

call the B subscriber is transferred from the computer PC to

the web server WS, which forwards the request to the personal

assistant PA, which is also shown in step 2 in Figure 6.

The personal assistant PA orders the service node selector SNS

to call the A subscriber's telephone AT. The service node

selector calls the telephone AT through the exchange PBX and

the public network PSTN, corresponding to step 3 in Figure 6.

When the A subscriber has answered, by lifting the hook of the

telephone AT, step 4, the connection is set up between the

personal assistant and the A subscriber through the public

telecommunications network PSTN, the exchange PBX and the

service node selector SNS. The personal assistant PA then

orders the service node selector to call the B subscriber's

telephone BT . The service node selector SNS sets up a

connection to the B subscriber's telephone in the same way as

with AT, as represented by step 5. When the B subscriber has answered, in step 6, the personal assistant PA orders the

service node selector SNS to connect the two connections . In

this way a connection between the two telephones AT and BT is

established, see step 7 in Figure 6.

The procedure would have been interrupted after a certain

period of time if one of the parties had not answered, see

steps 4 and 6. The personal assistant PA transfers the result

of the set-up, or the failed set-up, to the web server WS,

which transfers it, in HTML format, to the computer PC, where

it is presented to the A subscriber. This is shown in the final

step 8 in Figure 6.

The method for connection set-up described above can also take

place in modified ways. The set-up of connections for calling

the A subscriber and the B subscriber, respectively, can take

place in a different order than the one described above, and

independently of whether or not the other party has answered

the call. Interconnection of the two connections can be made

even if one of the parties has not answered the call.

For example, in a modified embodiment, the connection between

the service node and a B subscriber may be established independently of whether or not the call made to the A

subscriber's telephone was answered.

The method can also be modified to let the B subscriber be

called before the A subscriber.

In another modified embodiment the connection to the A

subscriber and the connection on which the B subscriber's

telephone is being called, are interconnected.

A further modification, for the case when the B subscriber

answers the call first, consists of the service node

interconnecting the connection to the B subscriber and the

connection on which the A subscriber's telephone is being

called. For the cases when the B subscriber is the first to

answer the call, the service node provides a spoken message

that a call is being made from another subscriber.

The service node SN also handles incoming connections to the A

subscriber if call forwarding has been set up from the called

identity to the service node SN. The A subscriber can, in the desired order and after logging in

to the service node SN, reprogram user related data or request

a telecommunications service, such as call set-up. Other

telecommunications services handled by the service node SN are,

for example, electronic mail, transmission or reception of

telefax, whereby the service node functions as a mailbox for e-

mail, fax and voice messages.

Claims

1. A method for setting up a telecommunications connection

between a calling A subscriber and a B subscriber through a

telecommunications network (PSTN, PLMN) by means of a computer

(PC) available to the A subscriber and provided with a WWW

browser, said computer having access to a service node (SN)

through a network in which the HTTP protocol is used, said

service node receiving and processing orders for telephony

services and for the registration of subscriber data and said A

subscriber having access to at least one telecommunications

terminal connected to the telecommunications network (PSTN,

PLMN) ,

characterized by the steps of

a) transmitting, on request, a set of data in the HTML format

from said service node (SN) to the A subscriber' s computer

(PC) , said data comprising an offer to call the B subscriber by

means of the B subscriber's identity;

b) presenting the set of data as an HTML page; c) requesting a call to said B subscriber by seeking access to

said identity;

d) transmitting said call request by means of the A

subscriber's computer to said service node and by means of said

HTTP protocol, said service node receiving said call request

and forwarding it within the node by means of an application

protocol (AP) ;

e) setting up a first connection, in reply to said call

request, between the service node (SN) and the

telecommunications network (PSTN, PLMN) , said service node

requesting a call to said telecommunications terminal (AT) used

by the calling A subscriber;

f) setting up a second connection between said service node

(SN) and the telecommunications network (PSTN, PLMN) , said

service node requesting a call to the B subscriber's

telecommunications terminal;

g) interconnecting the connections established according to e)

and f) when at least one of the called A and B subscribers has answered the call, for connection between said A and B

subscribers .

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that a

second connection according to f) is not set up until the A

subscriber has answered said call.

3. A method according to claim 2, characterized by setting up

both connections only after the B subscriber has answered the

call.

4. A modified method according to claim 1, characterized in

that the setting up of said first connection takes place

according to e) but that the call is requested to the B

subscriber's terminal and that the setting up of said second

connection takes place according to f) but that the call is

requested to the A subscriber's terminal.

5. A method according to claim 1 or 4 , characterized by

interconnecting the two connections only after the A subscriber

has answered the call.

6. A method according to claim 1 or , characterized in that

before the call is requested by the A subscriber according to

step c) , the A subscriber has registered data in the service

node, by performing the following steps:

a) transmitting a request for the programming of user data by

means of the A subscriber's computer (PC) to the service node

(SN) through the HTTP protocol;

b) forwarding said request for programming within the service

node (SN) through the application protocol, and subsequently

processing said request;

c) transmitting a set of user related data within the service

node (SN) through the application protocol, and subsequently

forwarding said set of data according to the HTTP protocol

through a data network (DN) to the A subscriber's computer

(PC) ;

d) presenting the set of user related data in the form of an

HTML page on a screen connected to said computer (PC) , said A

subscriber entering the command using active fields in the HTML page presented on screen, to add the new data entered by the A

subscriber to the previously stored user data;

e) transmitting the command described in d) , and transmitting

the data listed in d) , to the service node, by means of the

computer (PC) and by means of the HTTP protocol, forwarding

said command and said data within the service node through the

application protocol (AP) and subsequently registering said

data.

7. A method according to claim 6, characterized in that the

command entered by the A subscriber under d) provides an

instruction as to what telecommunications terminal the A

subscriber intends to use.

8. A method according to claim 7, characterized in that the

identity of said telecommunications terminal has been

previously registered in the service node (SN) upon a command

from the A subscriber.

9. A method according to claim 6, characterized by transmitting

the identity of said terminal with said command for

registration in the service node (SN) .

10. A method according to claim 6, characterized in that the

command entered by the A subscriber under d) comprises data

about the identity of the B subscriber.

11. A method according to claim 1, 4 or 6 , characterized in

that the A subscriber logs in to the service network SN using a

password (by typing it in a field intended for this information

on an HTML page) before the request to call the B subscriber,

or the user programming, can be processed.

12. A method according to claim 1 or 4 , characterized in that

the service node (SN) , after receiving and processing a request

for connection, transfers the result of the set-up procedure to

the computer (PC) in an HTML format.

13. A service node (SN) constituting a link between a computer

network, in which the HTTP protocol is used, and at least one

telecommunications network, said service node being used to

request a telecommunications service from an A subscriber's

computer (PC) through the data network,

characterized in that the service node (SN) comprises: a) a web server (WS) for the communication with said computer

through the computer network using the HTTP protocol;

b) a service node selector (SNS) connected to at least one

telecommunications network (PSTN, PLMN) to set up two separate

connections in the telecommunications network, one of which

connects a telecommunications terminal belonging to the A

subscriber and the other connecting a telecommunications

terminal belonging to a B subscriber, in order to subsequently

interconnect the two connections;

c) a personal assistant (PA) having a communication connection

to the web server (WS) and a communication connection to the

service node selector (SNS) , said personal assistant

constituting the unit handling the request for a communication

service and ensuring it is performed by controlling the service

node selector (SNS) .

14. A service node according to claim 13, characterized in that

the personal assistant comprises a memory space for storing

user related data.

15. A service node according to claim 14, characterized in that

memory space of the personal assistant is used for storing the

identity of the A subscriber's terminal, to enable the

establishment of a telecommunications connection with the A

subscriber's terminal.

16. A service node according to claim 13, characterized in that

the memory space of the personal assistant is used for storing

the identity of the B subscriber's terminal, to enable the

establishment of a telecommunications connection with the B

subscriber's terminal.