The present invention describes a system and method for communicating voice and data over a packet-switched network that is adapted to coexist and communicate with a legacy PSTN. The system permits packet switching of voice calls and data calls through a data network from and to any of a LEC, a customer facility or a direct IP connection on the data network. The system includes soft switch sites, gateway sites, a data network, a provisioning component, a network event component and a network management component. The system interfaces with customer facilities (e.g., a PBX), carrier facilities (e.g., a LEC) and legacy signaling networks (e.g., SS7) to handle calls between any combination of on-network and off-network callers. The soft switch sites provide the core call processing for the voice network architecture. The soft switch sites manage the gateway sites in a preferred embodiment, using a protocol such as the Internet Protocol Device Control (IPDC) protocol to request the set-up and tear-down of calls. The gateway sites originate and terminate calls between calling parties and called parties through the data network. The gateway sites include network access devices to provide access to network resources. The data network connects one or more of the soft switch sites to one or more of the gateway sites. The provisioning and network event component collects call events recorded at the soft switch sites. The network management component includes a network operations center (NOC) for centralized network management.

Voice over data telecommunications network architecture

A Message Storage and Deliver System (MSDS) is connected to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and receives incoming calls with these calls being facsimile, voice, or data transmissions. The MSDS detects the type of call and stores the message signal in a database. The MSDS is also connected to the Internet and has a hyper-text transfer protocol deamon (HTTPD) for receiving requests from users. The HTTPD forwards requests for certain files or messages to a network server which transmits at least part of the message to the HTTPD and then to the user. In addition to requests for certain documents, the HTTPD may also receive a request in the form of a search query. The search query is forwarded from the HTTPD to an application program for conducting the search of the database. The results of the search are forwarded through the HTTPD to the user. The user may then select one or more files or messages from the search results and may save the search for later reference.

Systems and methods for storing, delivering, and managing messages

The present invention includes a memory subsystem comprising at least two semiconductor devices (15, 16 , 17), including at least one memory device (15, 16 or 17), connected to a bus (18), where the bus includes a plurality of bus lines for carrying substantially all address, data and control information needed by said memory devices (15, 16 or 17), where the control information includes device-select information and the bus (18) has substantially fewer bus lines than the number of bits in a single address, and the bus (18) carries device-select information without the need for separated device-select lines connected directly to individual devices. The present invention also includes a protocol for master and slave devices to communicate on the bus (18) and for registers in each device to differentiate each device and allow bus requests to be directed to a single or to all devices (15, 16, 17). The present invention includes modifications to prior-art devices to allow them to implement the new features of this invention. In a preferred implementation, 8 bus data lines and an Address Valid bus line carry address, data and control information for memory addresses up to 40 bits wide.

Integrated circuit I/O using a high performance bus interface

Control apparatus and method including a first control device, located at the vehicle or premises, for monitoring or detecting an event, which generates and/or transmits a first notification signal containing event information to a second control device located remote from the vehicle or premises. The second control device generates and/or transmits a second notification signal to a remote communication device for providing notification of the event occurrence. Control apparatus and method including a first control device, located at a vehicle or premises, which generates and/or transmits a first signal for activating, deactivating, enabling, or disabling, a vehicle or a premises system, equipment system, subsystem, device, component, appliance, a vehicle, or a premises, in response to a signal generated and/or transmitted from a remote second control device. The second control device is responsive to a third signal generated and/or transmitted by a remote third control device.

Control, monitoring and/or security apparatus and method

The present invention provides flexible call processing. For example, a call processor system can receive an inbound call intended for a called party and place an outbound call to the called party. The call processing system can provide the called party with a call transfer option.

Methods and apparatus for providing expanded telecommunications service

A flexible dynamic memory controller that is operable with dynamic RAMS having a wide range of operating characteristics. These characteristics include different operating speeds for various memory functions, and the usage of memories. In a state machine, a special register is utilized to control where in the sequence of operation, and for how long various delays must be inserted. The delays are dynamically determined by the memory controller in accordance with the type of memory being accessed at a given time and the source of the request.

Flexible dynamic memory controller

A first Internet telephone system 620 attempts to call with a second Internet telephone system 630 via the Internet 600. However, the second Internet telephone system 630 is not logged onto the Internet at the time of the call. In response to the failed attempt to call, the first Internet telephone system prompts the user to send voice mail to the user of the second Internet telephone system. This results in a phone call over the Internet between a voice mail system 610 and the first Internet telephone system, allowing a greeting to be heard, and a message to be stored. This message may be subsequently retrieved, either using an Internet telephone system over the Internet, or using a standard phone over the conventional telephone network.

Voice mail on the internet

Voice data requires large storage resources even when compressed and takes a long time to retrieve. Further the required information cannot normally be directly located and it is difficult to analyze the voice data for statistical information. There is described a method for performing a voice recognition function on a voice telephone conversation to convert the conversation into text data using a voice processing system. The method comprises receiving voice data representing the telephone conversation comprising a first series of speech data from an agent interspersed with a second series of speech data from a client and storing the first and second series of speech data as a single body of voice data for later retrieval. Then a voice recognition function is performed on the voice data to convert it into text data representing the telephone conversation and the text data is stored for later retrieval. Such a solution allows entire days/weeks or even months of conversation to be stored and accessed. Since the memory space required is considerably smaller for text storage it is possible to keep many days of conversation in directly accessible memory that may be searched by a computer. Furthermore it is possible to search for keywords typed from the keyboard and it is not necessary to manually scan the entire conversation for the desired topic.

Voice recognition of telephone conversations

A call handling solution for IVR applications with embedded components. A method of handling an incoming call in a network connected interactive voice response system (IVR), comprising the steps of: receiving a signal indicating an incoming telephone call with a call identification (CLID); retrieving, from a database, a database record associated with the call identification; retrieving, from a network location identified in the retrieved record, at least one VoiceXML application identified in the retrieved record; storing the retrieved at least one VoiceXML into cache memory; and answering the incoming telephone call.

Telephone call handling solution in an interactive voice response system

Using the Internet World Wide Web (WWW) network 320, a WWW Client 310 can communicate with a WWW Server 330 to request the reconfiguration of or to generate software which controls a voice processing application. A voice response system client communicates with a voice response system server to alter the configuration of the voice response system or control the execution of software on said voice response system which enables a voice application program to be generated. The output of the voice response system ordinarily destined for display on a visual display unit of a local terminal is directed to the voice response system server. The voice response system server forwards the data to a voice response system client. The voice response system client generates data in a first format useable by said WWW client terminal from data in a second format received from said voice response system and generates data in said second format useable by said voice response system from data in said first format received from WWW client terminal, that is, the voice response system client dynamically generates HTML data from the data generated by the voice response system for transmission to and subsequent display at the WWW client terminal and visa versa.

Ronald John Bowater

Papers

Flexible dynamic memory controller

Voice mail on the internet

Voice recognition of telephone conversations

Telephone call handling solution in an interactive voice response system

Client-server system