Remote Control Telephone Dialing System and Method

Abstract

An apparatus for allowing a calling party to initiate a telephone call from an Internet-enabled device. The apparatus includes a server for receiving an originating telephone number and a destination telephone number in response to a command from the Internet-enabled device, for generating a call request, and for transmitting the request to a telecommunications network to request the network to establish a connection between the originating telephone number and the destination telephone number.

1 - 20 . (canceled)  
   
   
       21 . An apparatus for allowing the initiation of a telephone call from an Internet-enabled device, the apparatus comprising: 
 means for receiving an originating telephone number and a destination telephone number in response to a command from the Internet-enabled device;    means for generating a call request comprising a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) request;    means for transmitting the call request from a data network to a telecommunications network via a secure Internet Protocol network to request the telecommunications network to establish a connection between the originating telephone number and the destination telephone number, the call request comprising an Internet Protocol address and an e-mail address of the Internet-enabled device; and    means for receiving call disposition information from the telecommunications network.    
   
   
       22 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , further comprising a database in communication with the means for generating a call request, the database having stored therein the call request.  
   
   
       23 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the means for transmitting the call request transmits the call request to a service control point of the telecommunications network and wherein the call request includes instructions that cause the service control point to establish the connection through operation of at least one switch of the telecommunications network that is in communication with the service control point.  
   
   
       24 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , further comprising a means for transmitting the call disposition information to the Internet-enabled device.  
   
   
       25 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , further comprising a communications network for connecting the Internet-enabled device to the means for receiving an originating telephone number and a destination telephone number.  
   
   
       26 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the Internet-enabled device is selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, an Internet appliance, a personal digital assistant, a WAP-enabled device, and an interactive pager.  
   
   
       27 . A method of enabling the initiation of a telephone call, the method comprising: 
 receiving a request to initiate the telephone call from a first device of a non-secure data network at a server of a secure data network, wherein the secure network is an Internet Protocol network;    receiving an originating telephone number;    receiving a destination telephone; and    transmitting a call request comprising a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) request, the call request containing the originating telephone number and the destination telephone number over the secure Internet Protocol network to a telecommunications network to request the telecommunications network to originate the telephone call from a second device associated with the originating telephone number to a third device associated with the destination telephone number, the call request comprising an Internet Protocol address and an e-mail address of the first device.    
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein receiving the originating telephone number includes receiving an originating telephone number associated with the second device.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein transmitting the call request comprises transmitting instructions to a service control point of the telecommunications network, the method further comprising the service control point generating commands to at least one switch to connect the telephone call between the originating telephone number and the destination telephone number.  
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising the service control point performing a look-up in an associated database to determine whether the requested call should be completed.  
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising receiving an indication that the destination phone number did not answer.  
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein transmitting the call request containing the originating telephone number and the destination telephone number to the telecommunications network includes transmitting the call request to an advanced intelligent network (AIN).  
   
   
       33 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising receiving one of an IP address and an email address of the first device.  
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 27 , further comprising accepting a personal identification number (PIN) from the first device.  
   
   
       35 . A computer readable medium containing instructions that when executed by a computer perform acts for allowing the initiation of a telephone call from an Internet-enabled device, the acts comprising: 
 receiving a request from the Internet-enabled device of a non-secure network at a server of a secure Internet Protocol network to initiate the telephone call;    receiving an originating telephone number;    receiving a destination telephone number; and    transmitting a call request comprising a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) request, the call request containing the originating telephone number and the destination telephone number to a telecommunications network via the secure Internet Protocol network to request the network to establish a connection between the originating telephone number and the destination telephone number, the call request further comprising an Internet Protocol address and an e-mail address of the Internet-enabled device.    
   
   
       36 . The computer readable medium of  claim 35 , the acts further comprising retrieving at least the destination telephone number from a database.  
   
   
       37 . The computer readable medium of  claim 35 , the acts further comprising preventing unauthorized requests for calls from Internet-enabled devices.  
   
   
       38 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the call request causes both of the telephones associated with the originating telephone number and the destination telephone number to ring to establish communications.  
   
   
       39 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the Internet-enabled device is associated with a calling party.  
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the first device is associated with a calling party.