Methods for enabling e-commerce voice communication

Abstract

A method for operating a server includes receiving a page request for a web page from a client computer via the Internet, the web page including an icon, retrieving the web page from a storage of the server, sending the web page to the client computer via the Internet, receiving a request from the client computer to initiate a telephone call via the Internet in response to a selection of the icon on the web page, initiating a real-time communications channel between the client computer and the server via the Internet in response to the request, determining a telephone number in response to the request, using a voice modem, coupled to the server and to a telephone line, to dial the telephone number, receiving packets of voice data from the client computer from the Internet, reassembling the packets of voice data into a stream of digital voice data, converting the stream of digital voice data to a stream of analog voice data, outputting the stream of analog voice data to the voice modem, and outputting the stream of the analog voice data from the voice modem to the telephone line.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to voice communications. More particularly, the present invention relates to voice communications over the Internet.[0002]The growth of the Internet, World Wide Web and their users has induced the development of numerous applications. Internet with the voice-over-IP technology has become a major network player in telecommunication. PC to PC Internet telephony, an Internet application, has certainly attracted a lot of attention recently. Internet telephony represents a generic technology and / or application which utilizes the Internet protocol to facilitate a low cost phone call using the Internet network. The most technical and business developments in Internet telephony are focused on serving the mass telephone user market. The technical inventions and solutions are centered around replacing existing telecommunication network with new gateways, switches and routers, hence more hardware oriented. The challenges facing the...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]The present invention relates to Internet voice communications. More particularly, the present invention relates to computer servers supporting direct web page to telephone communication over the Internet. Communications between the Internet and a PSTN utilize existing switching and signaling systems, thus the need for gateway devices or special telephone devices is greatly reduced.

[0007]A method and a computer server system (E-commerce voice communication system, EVCS) are disclosed which provide the capability of establishing an Internet communication session to receive and send voice over IP protocol and making a direct connection to a PSTN POTS phone via a voice modem. The computer server uses hardware sound card and a full-duplex voice modem and a gateway software program to accomplish a direct communication link from the web page to a POTS phone through Internet and PSTN networks. An interface program is provided to a multimedia or voice and sound enabled PC for any PC and Internet user to initiate and complete a voice communication session with any telephone user through the EVCS. The method includes establishing connection to the server, setting up a VoIP session, dialing a POTS phone and facilitating full-duplex voice communication.

Problems solved by technology

The above prior art are generally limited to PC to PC communication through Internet.

Unfortunately, such hardware system and network infrastructure with special circuit boards are usually very expensive and difficult to build up to cover all geographical regions where end users reside.

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