Patent ID: 7889722
Filing Date: 2011-02-15
Classification: H04L,H04M

Abstract:
1. Apparatus comprising: an Internet phone server capable of being in communication with an originating phone device, the originating phone device being capable of both dialing a given destination number of a given destination device and thereby initiating a given call between the originating phone device and the given destination device, an auditory dial tone being caused at the originating phone device when the originating phone device is in an off-hook state and operatively connected to the Internet phone server, the given call including transmission of transmitted media between the originating phone device and the given destination device; a first media converter configured to convert the transmitted media for the given call received from the originating phone device, to transmitted IP addressed media; a destination number determination mechanism configured to determine a given destination number of the given call placed by the originating phone device; an IP versus another phone network discriminator configured to determine, after the transmitted media is converted by the first media converter to the transmitted IP addressed media, whether a given destination phone device addressed by the given destination number resides on an IP addressed network, for which the transmitted IP addressed media is converted by the first media converter, or resides on another phone network; a second media converter configured to convert the transmitted IP addressed media of the given call to another network signal suitable for another phone network when the discriminator determines that the given destination number resides on the other phone network; and a communication mechanism configured to connect the given call over an Internet connection without converting the transmitted IP addressed media of the given call to the other network signal, when the discriminator determines that the given destination device addressed by the given destination number resides on the IP addressed network.