Patent ID: 6430178
Filing Date: 2002-08-06
Classification: H04M,H04Q

Abstract:
An Internet telephone apparatus comprising:a telephone for initiating a call; an ISDN terminal adapter of a calling party connected to said telephone, said ISDN terminal adapter being operative, when a telephone number of a called party is specified, to detect whether or not a telephone call is made to the called party through the Internet, and operative, when a telephone call is made through the Internet, to set a predetermined number in a sub-address of a call setting message and send the call setting message to the called party, or to notify that a telephone call is placed to said called party through the Internet by an information notice between users; and an ISDN terminal adapter of the called party, being operative when a predetermined number is sent thereto in a sub-address of a call setting message or when it is notified by an information notice between users, to ring a bell in a telephone of the called party connected thereto, and operative, when the user off-hooks said telephone, to make a connection to an access point of a provider, and notify said ISDN terminal adapter of the calling party of an IP address acquired at the access point by placing the IP address in the sub-address of a call setting message or by an information notice between users, wherein said ISDN terminal adapter of the calling party is also operative to make a connection to an access point after receiving the call setting message or information notice from the ISDN terminal adapter of the called party, and to notify an IP address of the calling party to the IP address of the called party on the Internet, to make a telephone call through the Internet, wherein, when connection to the Internet access point of the called party is unsuccessful, a reply is returned to a call setting message from the calling party to make a normal telephone call, and wherein, when connection to the Internet access point of the calling party is unsuccessful, acceptance rejection is returned to the call setting message sent from the called party, and said ISDN terminal adapter of the called party responds to the call setting message initially sent thereto from the calling party to make a normal telephone call.