Patent · US Expired

System and method for providing communication on a wide area network

US6118864A · kind A · utility

104Cited by
36References
91Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 31, 1997
Grant dateSep 12, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateDec 31, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04M2203/6018
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

In a first aspect of the present invention, at least one communication platform is networked to a switched backbone, such as the network commonly referred to as the Internet, and is configured to communicate with and manage at least one network interface, such as a private branch exchange (PBX), and a voice communication module so as to provide telecommunication services that includes voice-over-IP communication between or among communication platform users and call-holding, transferring, forwarding, conferencing, and the like (PBX-like features). The communication platform networked through the switched backbone with other communication platforms. The communication platform is networked to the switched backbone through a first network interface and to telephone lines driven by PBX equipment through a PBX network interface and/or to a telephone compatible network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN) through a telephone network interface. Additional network interfaces may be included to support additional networks such as a local area network separately or in conjunction with other described networks. The communication platform manages the network interfaces, the voice…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.