초록 ▼

A method is provided for clients to access server-based telephony features in the Internet or other non-telephony client-server network, in a platform-independent and network-independent fashion and without modification of the clients. A user of a client (101) uses the client's World Wide Web (WWW)

A method is provided for clients to access server-based telephony features in the Internet or other non-telephony client-server network, in a platform-independent and network-independent fashion and without modification of the clients. A user of a client (101) uses the client's World Wide Web (WWW) browser (113) to download from a WWW server (104) a page (115) that defines a blank feature form that has virtual actuators and associated parameters fields for the telephony features. The user marks up the downloaded page via the WWW browser to indicate feature selection and any feature parameters, and uploads the marked up page to the WWW server. A form-interpreting script (116) executed by the WWW server interprets the marked up page, and the WWW server sends a feature request that corresponds to the user's feature selection and user-specified parameters to a telephony feature server (105). The telephony feature server responds to the request by providing the requested feature to the user's client. If needed, the WWW server also requests the client to establish a TCP/IP connection with the telephony feature server.

대표청구항 ▼

[ The invention claimed is:] [1.] A method of accessing telephony features in a non-telephony client-server network wherein clients and servers communicate with each other via a predefined communications protocol that lacks telephony feature-access commands, comprising the steps of:the client reques

[ The invention claimed is:] [1.] A method of accessing telephony features in a non-telephony client-server network wherein clients and servers communicate with each other via a predefined communications protocol that lacks telephony feature-access commands, comprising the steps of:the client requesting an individual telephony feature by communicating corresponding data with the server via the predefined protocol;the server responding to the communicated data by requesting a provider of the telephony features to provide the individual telephony feature to the client;the server further responding to the communicated data by requesting the client to connect to the provider;in response to the request to connect to the provider, the client effecting a data and control communications connection with the provider;in response to the request from the server to provide the individual telephony feature, the provider providing the individual telephony feature to the client, includingthe provider instructing the client to redirect a data portion of the data and control communications connection from the provider to a communications entity and to maintain a control portion of the data and control communications connection connected to the provider so that the provider can exert control over the client while the client communicates with the entity, andin response to the instruction, the client establishing a communications connection to the communications entity.