Abstract:
A method for enabling one or both parties of a telephone call to view contents of a source computer via a computer network during the telephone call. The method includes the following steps: (1) associating a telephone number of a telephone line with a network address of the source computer; (2) retrieving the network address when a call is received by or placed on the telephone line; and (3) establishing a data session between the source computer and one or more display devices associated with the telephone line during which contents of the source computer are displayed on the display devices.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates to telecommunications, and more particularly, to a system and method for enabling one or both parties of a telephone call to view contents of a source computer via a computer network during the telephone call. 
   2. Background of the Invention 
   Currently, when a calling party and a called party are engaged in a telephone conversation, the communication between them is limited to the exchange of their voices. Exchange of video images may take place if each of them has a video telephone set that is equipped with a camera and a display device. Most users have not found such video telephone sets useful, however. For example, many users find the video quality to be poor or unacceptable. As a result, video telephone sets have been underutilized. 
   In fact, the entire telephone system is underutilized when one party of a telephone call puts the other party on hold. It is common for a calling party (e.g., a customer of a business entity) to stay on hold for an extended period of time when a called party (e.g., a customer service representative of the business entity) is handling a large number of calls. As the calling party stays on hold, valuable time of the calling party and scarce telecommunication resources of the telephone network are being wasted. Some businesses provide music or special announcements to calling parties who are on hold. Such systems, however, are not visually presented and are not generally interactive. 
   The difficulties associated with effective utilization of computer-telephone technology is discussed in “An Introduction to Computer Telephony,” authorized by Carl R. Strathmeyer, and published in IEEE Communications Magazine, May 1996. This article is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
   Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method that will more fully utilize the telephone network and allow users to better utilize their time. Specifically, there is a need for a system and method that enables one or both parties of a telephone call to view contents of a source computer via a computer network during the telephone call. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention is a system and method that enables one or both parties to a telephone call to view contents of a source computer via a computer network during the telephone call. In one aspect of the present invention, the contents of the source computer that comprises, for example, web pages in the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format, may be displayed on one or more display devices of the parties over the Internet. 
   In one embodiment, a called party can view contents stored in a source computer maintained by a calling party who initiated the telephone call. In another embodiment, the calling party can view contents stored in another source computer maintained by the called party. In still another embodiment, both calling and called parties can concurrently view contents of a common source computer. 
   In an embodiment in which a called party is a subscriber of a service of the present invention, the called party can view contents of a source computer associated with, maintained by, or otherwise designated by the calling party. In this embodiment, the telephone number of the calling party can be obtained and used by the called party to look up a network address of the source computer. Using the network address, the source computer of the calling party can be contacted and its contents can be displayed on a display device at the called party&#39;s location. The display device may be an integral part of the called party&#39;s telephone set that is being used to receive the telephone call. The display device may also be a component of a target computer of the called party which is in communication with the telephone set. For a residential calling party, contents of the source computer may contain, for example, the family coat of arms, recent pictures of the children, or other information designated by the calling party. For a business calling party, the contents may include, for example, an organizational chart and a catalog of products or other information. 
   In another embodiment in which a calling party is a subscriber of a service of the present invention, the calling party can view contents of a source computer whenever he or she uses the telephone. The source computer may be, for example, a server computer of the calling party&#39;s favorite web site. For example, whenever the calling party makes a telephone call, the dialed digits are collected to retrieve a network address of the source computer. Once a data communication session is established, the contents of the source computer are displayed on a display device. This allows the calling party to view his or her favorite web page while waiting for or engaged in a voice communication session with a called party. Alternatively, the source computer may be associated with, maintained by, or otherwise designated by the called party. 
   In still another embodiment, each of the calling and the called parties can view the same contents of a common source computer on separate display devices while they engage in a voice conversation on their telephone sets. 
   A method for using the present invention comprises the following steps. First, one or more relationships between telephone numbers and network addresses of source computers are stored in a database accessible by a subscriber&#39;s equipment. The equipment may be a telephone set that is in communication with a computer system. Alternatively, the equipment may be a telephone set with video and modem capabilities. An application software is installed on the equipment. Second, when a call is received from a calling party, a telephone number of the calling party is obtained. Third, the network address associated with the telephone number of the calling party is retrieved from the database. Fourth, a data communication session is established between a display device of the called party and a source computer associated with the network address is established. Fifth, contents of the source computer are rendered on the display device of the called party during the data communication session. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing generally an architecture of computer and telephone networks used to implement the present invention. 
       FIG. 2A  is an exemplary flowchart illustrating typical steps that can be used in an embodiment of the present invention, in which a triggering event occurs before the voice session is established. 
       FIG. 2B  is an exemplary flowchart illustrating typical steps that can be used in another embodiment, in which a triggering event occurs after the voice session is established. 
       FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram showing a system architecture of the present invention, in which a called party is a subscriber of the present invention and in which contents of a source computer associated with a calling party&#39;s telephone number are displayed for the called party. 
       FIG. 4  is an exemplary flowchart illustrating steps that can be used to implement the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram showing another system architecture of the present invention, in which a calling party is a subscriber of the present invention and in which contents of a source computer associated with a called party or a third party are displayed for the calling party. 
       FIG. 6  is an exemplary flowchart illustrating steps that can be used to implement the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 . 
       FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which an ISDN line is utilized by a called party for voice and data communications. 
       FIG. 8  is an exemplary flowchart illustrating steps that can be used to implement the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing generally an architecture of the computer and telephone networks used to implement the present invention. Telephone network  100  can be a wireline network. For example, telephone network  100  may be operated by a local telephone exchange carrier. Specifically, telephone network  100  can be, for example, an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN). 
   Calling party  110  can use equipment  112  on telephone line  114  to communicate with called party  120 , who has equipment  122  that is in communication with telephone network  100  via telephone line  124 . Similarly, called party  120  can initiate a communication session using equipment  122  with calling party  110 . Equipment  112  and  122  can be regular telephone sets, video telephone sets, or computer systems adapted to facilitate voice communication on telephone lines. 
   Although telephone network  100  is depicted and described herein as a wireline telephone network, telephone network  100  can be a wireless telephone network or can comprise both wireline and wireless networks. For example, telephone network  100  can be a wireless intelligent network. Accordingly, one or both of telephone lines  114  and  124  can be wireless connections, and equipment  112  and  122  can be wireless devices with wireless communication capabilities. 
   Display device  113  is associated with equipment  112 . Display device  113  and equipment  112  may be an integrated unit. Display device  113  can be adapted to communicate with source computer  150  through telephone line  114 , telephone network  100 , communication link  104 , computer network  140 , and link  154 . For example, an application software can be installed to receive information from telephone network  100  to initiate a data communication with computer network  140 . Alternatively, display device  113  can be adapted to communicate more directly with source computer  150  through connection  115  and computer network  140 , bypassing telephone network  100 . In the latter case, display device  113  is associated with a modem and a software application (both not shown) that can facilitate data communications sessions between display device  113  and source computer  150 . 
   Similarly, display device  123  is associated with equipment  122 . Display device  123  and equipment  122  can be an integrated unit. Display device  123  can be adapted to communicate with source computer  150  through telephone line  124 , telephone network  100 , communication link  104 , computer network  140 , and link  154 . Alternatively, display device  123  can be a monitor of a client computer (not shown) having a modem and an application software that is adapted to communicate more directly with source computer  150  through computer network  140  on connection  125 , bypassing telephone network  100 . 
   Source computer  160  is in communication with computer network  140  via link  164 . It can be similarly accessible to display devices  113  and  123 . 
   Telephone network  100  and computer network  140  can communicate with each other using communication link  104 . For example, the communication between telephone network  100  and computer network  140  may use Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). Alternatively, any suitable communications protocol used to facilitate communications between a telephone network and a computer network may be used to facilitate communications between telephone network  100  and computer network  140 . 
   Although telephone lines  114  and  124  are depicted in  FIG. 1  as part of the same telephone network, telephone lines  114  and  124  can be portions of two different telephone networks. Telephone lines  114  and  124  can be any suitable links that can facilitate voice and data communications The preferred link for an embodiment of the present invention is an integrated services digital network (ISDN) line. The ISDN line comprises a B-channel and a D-channel for voice and data communications, respectively. 
   Source computers  150  and  160  communicate with computer network  140  via connections  154  and  164 , respectively. Connections or links  104 ,  154 ,  164 ,  115 , and  125  can be one of several access lines to computer network  140 , such as one or more of a dial-up connection, an ISDN line, a digital subscriber line (DSL), a T 1  line, a T 3  line, a cable modem line, or any other connection that can facilitate a communication session between computer network  140  and one of telephone network  100 , source computer  150 , source computer  160 , display device  113 , and display device  123 , respectively. One or both source computers  150  and  160  can be associated with calling party  110 , called party  120 , or third party  130 . Third party  130  may be, for example, any content provider who maintains at least one source computer with contents that are accessible via computer network  140 . 
   In some embodiments, computer network  140  is the Internet. Source computers  150  and  160 , and display devices  113  and  123  can be adapted to communicate using TCP/IP. Moreover, in addition to or in lieu of the plain old telephone service (POTS), equipment  112  and  122  can be adapted to communicate using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP), in which case, telephone network  100  would be working in conjunction with a computer network. 
   In an embodiment in which both source computers  150  and  160  are both associated with a common party, source computer  150  can provide contents during a first time period, e.g., Monday to Friday, and source computer  160  can provide contents during a second time period, e.g., Saturday to Sunday. Similarly, source computers  150  and  160  may be used to provide contents to parties of the telephone call depending on the physical locations of the parties. Moreover, source computers  150  and  160  can be adapted to respond differently to different callers, for example, based on the geographic locations of the callers. 
   Using the overall system architecture depicted in  FIG. 1  and described above, a number of embodiments can be implemented. In one embodiment, source computer  150  (and/or source computer  160 ) is associated with calling party  110  who supplies and updates contents of source computer  150 . When a triggering event associated with telephone line  124  is detected, for example, when calling party  110  dials a telephone number assigned to telephone line  124  (the called number), two communication sessions are established. The first communication session is a voice session. The voice session is established between equipment  112  and equipment  122  via telephone network  100 . The second communication session is a data session established between source computer  150  and display device  123 . During the data session, contents from source computer  150  are transmitted for display on display device  123  via computer network  140 . 
   In a second embodiment, source computer  150  (and/or source computer  160 ) can be associated with called party  120 , third party  130 , or calling party  110 . Third party  130  may be, for example, the content provider of calling party  110 &#39;s favorite online newspaper. In this embodiment, whenever calling party  110  uses equipment  112  to call any party (the triggering event), a data session between display device  113  and source computer  150  is established. 
   In a third embodiment, source computer  150  (and/or source computer  160 ) can be any source computer that is accessible via computer network  140 . In this embodiment, both calling party  110  and caller party  120  can download or view the same contents from source computer  150 . For example, after the voice session is established between calling party  110  and called party  120 , two data sessions can be established when a triggering event is detected. The triggering event may occur, for example, when one or both parties enter one or more numbers or characters using a keypad during the voice session. The first data session enables calling party  110  to view contents of source computer  150  on display device  113 . The second data session allows called party  120  to view, on display device  123 , the same contents that are rendered on display device  113 . 
   In each of the embodiments discussed above, the voice session may either be a POTS session or a VoIP session. The data session can be a TCP/IP session or other data session. 
     FIG. 2A  is an exemplary flowchart illustrating typical steps that can be used in an embodiment of the present invention, in which a triggering event occurs before the voice session is established. 
   In step  202 , a network address of source computer  150  is associated with a triggering event of telephone network  100 . The network address is a unique identifier of source computer  150  in computer network  140 . Using the network address, source computer  150  can be located by other computers via computer network  140 . In a specific implementation of the present invention in which TCP/IP is used, the network address can be an IP address, a website associated with the IP address, or a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the source computer. 
   The triggering event can be one of several events. A triggering event can occur when a telephone set or telephone line receives a call. Another triggering event may occur when a user dials a telephone number. In the context of an AIN, the triggering event can be detected by a trigger provisioned at a service switching point (SSP). The AIN architecture is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,701,301, and 5,838,774, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 
   In step  204 , the relationship between the triggering event and the network address is stored in a database accessible to telephone network  100 . The relationship may be, for example, stored in the database as a look up table. Preferably, however, the relationship is stored in the memory of one or more of equipment  112  and equipment  122 . 
   Detection of the triggering event in step  206  can occur in one of several ways. For example, a first detection can occur when calling party  110  dials the telephone number of called party  120 . A different triggering event may be detected after calling party  110  has completed dialing any telephone number of any called party. In a specific example in which called party  120  is equipped with a Caller ID device, the triggering event can be detected when the Caller ID device successfully obtains or collects the calling party&#39;s telephone number. 
   In step  208 , after the triggering event is detected, the information stored in step  204  is reviewed. 
   In step  210 , the network address of source computer  150  is obtained. 
   In step  212 , a voice session between calling party  110  and called party  120  is established. During the voice session, calling party  110  and called party  120  can communicate, by voice, through equipment  112  and  122  on telephone lines  114  and  124 , respectively. 
   In step  214 , a data session via computer network  140  is established between display device  113  and source computer  150 . Contents of source computer  150  can be displayed on display device  113  during the data session. In this step, an application software installed on equipment  122  establishes the data session. 
   In step  216 , the data session can preferably be maintained even after the voice session is terminated. Alternatively, the data session could be terminated when the voice session is terminated. 
     FIG. 2B  is an exemplary flowchart illustrating typical steps that can be used in another embodiment, in which a triggering event occurs after the voice session is established. For example, one or both parties to the telephone call can press one or more buttons on a keypad after a voice session has been established to provide the triggering event. 
   Steps  252  and  254  are similar to corresponding steps  202  and  204  of  FIG. 2A , respectively. In addition, one or more numbers and characters explained in step  258  below are associated with the network address are stored. As in step  204 , the information is preferably stored on the memory equipment  112  and equipment  122 . 
   In step  256 , a voice session is established between calling party  110  and called party  120  after calling party  110  dials the telephone number of called party  120 . 
   In step  258 , if one or both of calling party  110  and called party  120  wish to view content from source computer  150 , the parties can key in one or more numbers and characters using their keypads. The entry of the one or more numbers and characters, previously associated with the network address in step  252 , comprise the triggering event in this embodiment. The one or more numbers and characters may be, for example, a string comprising “* 1 2 3 4 #”. 
   Steps  260 ,  262 ,  264 , and  266  of  FIG. 2B  are similar to corresponding steps  208 ,  210 ,  214 , and  216  of  FIG. 2A , respectively. 
     FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram showing a system architecture of the present invention implemented in telephone network  300 , in which a called party is a subscriber of a service provided according to the present invention. Although telephone network  300  is depicted in  FIG. 3  and described herein as an AIN, one of ordinary skill in the art can implement the present invention in other telephone networks using the teaching of this disclosure. 
   AIN  300  is a service provider of the present invention. Called party  310  is a customer of AIN  300  and a service subscriber of the present invention. Called party  310  has customer premises equipment (CPE)  312 . CPE  312  may be, for example, a telephone set. Called party  310  may use CPE  312  to effect communication sessions (i.e., initiate and receive calls) through telephone line  314 . 
   The telephone number associated with telephone line  314  is hereinafter referred to as the subscriber number or the called number. Telephone line  314  is connected to service switching point (SSP)  316 . Telephone line  314  can be one of several types of lines, including POTS, DSL, ISDN, etc. For example, telephone line  314  maybe an ISDN line. 
   Calling party  350  is a customer of a telephone network. Calling party  350  has CPE  352  and source computer  358 . CPE  352  may be connected to AIN  300  via, for example, SSP  356  on telephone line  354 . Calling party  350  has some level of control over source computer  358 . For example, calling party  350  can supply contents to source computer  358 . Source computer  358  is connected to computer network  340  via link  357 . Source computer  358  and CPE  352  need not be co-located. In fact, source computer  358  and CPE  352  can be thousands of miles apart from each other. 
   For purposes of illustration, SSP  356  is shown as being outside AIN  300 . However, SSP  356  may be an SSP on AIN  300 , and may even be SSP  316 . Similarly, for illustration purposes, calling party  350  is shown to be a customer of a wireline network. Calling party  350  can be, however, a customer of a wireless network, in which case CPE  352  would be a wireless device and SSP  356  would be a mobile switching center (MSC). The wireless device may be a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) enabled wireless device. 
   WAP is an application environment and set of communication protocols for wireless devices designed to enable manufacturer-, vendor-, and technology-independent access to computer network  340  and advanced wireless telephony services provided by a wireless communication network. An example of computer network  140  is the Internet. WAP provides wireless Internet access to wireless devices from the Internet through digital cellular networks, giving network users a menu driven method for downloading information, such as flight schedules and bank account balances. 
   Trigger  318  is provisioned on SSP  316  to detect incoming calls intended for telephone line  314 . Trigger  318  may be, for example, a termination attempt trigger. Trigger  318  may also be a terminating busy/no answer trigger. Trigger  318  detects incoming calls intended for telephone line  314  of called party  310 . For example, when calling party  350  uses CPE  352  associated with telephone line  354  to dial the subscriber number, trigger  318  detects the call. Trigger  318  can also detect calls from other callers who dial the subscriber number. Preferably, trigger  318  is associated with a Caller ID service in which SSP  316  can obtain the calling party&#39;s telephone number, e.g., the telephone number of telephone line  354 . 
   CPE  312  may be a video telephone set having an integrated display device  326 , a modem, and an application software having capabilities to access computer network  340 . Alternatively, CPE  312  may be associated or in communication with target computer  322  (having the same application software and modem) of which display device  326  is a component. 
   The detection of an incoming call by trigger  318  causes SSP  316  to launch a query. The query launched by SSP  316  is sent to service control point (SCP)  370  over the AIN&#39;s signaling network  374 . In one embodiment, signaling network  374  uses common channel signaling system number  7  (SS 7 ) as shown in  FIG. 3 . The query comprises the subscriber number in a Called_Party_ID field of the query. In addition, the query can comprise the telephone number of telephone line  354  in a Calling_Party_ID field of the query. 
   SCP  370  uses the subscriber number to access a subscriber list associated with called party  310 . The subscriber list may be retrieved from database  372 . The subscriber list can comprise network addresses of source computer  328  associated with calling party  350 . 
   Using the subscriber number, SCP  370  can also retrieve call processing instructions from database  372 . The call processing instructions are instructions from SCP  370  to SSP  316  regarding how calls received by SSP  316  should be handled. One or more of the instructions can be provided by SCP  370  to SSP  316  in the form of a response to the query. In other embodiments, the subscriber list can be stored on a memory of equipment  312  or target computer  322 , or both. 
   Display device  326  is associated with called party  310 . Display device  326  can be an integral part of CPE  312 . For example, CPE  312  may be a video telephone set with capabilities to access computer network  340  directly via link  328 . Alternatively, display device  326  may be a monitor of target computer  322 , which is connected to computer network  340  via link  324 . In any event, display device  326  and CPE  312  are co-located such that called party  310  has access to both of them at the same time. Display device  326  can receive contents from source computer  358  through computer network  340  via link  357  and one of links  324  and  328 . 
   Links  324 ,  328 , and  357  can be one of several suitable communication links. For example, each of links  324 ,  328 , and  357  can be one or more of a dial-up connection, an ISDN line, a DSL, a T 1  line, a T 3  line, a cable modem line, or any other connection that can facilitate a communication session via computer network  340 . 
   Although not shown in  FIG. 3 , it is understood that AIN  300  can include other AIN elements. For example, services nodes, intelligent peripherals, and other AIN elements may be used in connection with SCP  370  and SSP  316  to implement the present invention. 
   In other embodiments, SCP  370  can be adapted to communicate with computer network  340 . In these embodiments, contents from source computer  358  can be displayed on display device  326  via link  344  and telephone line  314  instead of using one of links  324  and  328 . 
     FIG. 4  is an exemplary flowchart illustrating steps that can be used to implement the embodiment shown in  FIG. 3 . 
   In step  402 , subscriber information is created. The subscriber information may comprise, for example, one or more associations or relationships between network addresses of source computers and calling party&#39;s telephone numbers. Other identifiers, for example, uniform resource locators (URL), may be used as network addresses. For illustration purposes, assume that the network address of source computer  358  is “358.35.58.358” and the telephone number for telephone line  354  is “354-354-3554.” 
   In step  404 , the subscriber information is stored in a location retrievable by CPE  312  and target computer  322 . For example, the subscriber information created in step  404  may be stored in a memory of CPE  312  and target computer  322 . The subscriber information can also be stored in a database, for example, database  372 , that is accessible to SCP  370 . Preferably, the subscriber information can be stored in a subscriber list or a table, such as, for example, Table 1 below (using the exemplary addresses and telephone numbers). 
   
     
       
             
             
             
           
         
             
                 
               TABLE 1 
             
             
                 
                 
             
             
                 
               Calling Party Number 
               Network Address 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
           
             
                 
               354-354-3554 
               358.35.58.358 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
        
       
     
   
   Alternatively, the relationship may be one that is shown in Table 2 below: 
   
     
       
             
             
             
           
         
             
                 
               TABLE 2 
             
             
                 
                 
             
             
                 
               Calling Party Number 
               Network Address 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
           
             
                 
               354-354-3554 
               www.callingparty.com 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
        
       
     
   
   Other relationships are possible. For example, calls from specific groups (e.g., government agencies, commercial enterprises, academic institutions, consumers) may respectively be assigned different network addresses. 
   In step  406 , when calling party  350  finishes dialing the telephone number associated with telephone line  314 , the call is detected. Detection of the call may be accomplished, for example, by trigger  318  provisional on SSP  316 . Of course, CPE  312  and target computer  322  can alternatively be adapted to detect the incoming call without relying on trigger  318 . 
   In step  408 , a voice session is established between calling party  350  and called party  310 . The voice session may be established, for example, by SSP  316  based on an Authorize_Termination response received from SCP  370 . During the voice session, calling party  350  and called party  310  can communicate with each other using CPE  352  and CPE  312 , respectively. 
   In step  410 , calling party  350 &#39;s telephone number is obtained. The calling party&#39;s number may be collected using known technologies. For example, a Caller ID service may be used to collect the calling party&#39;s number. 
   In step  412 , the network address associated with the calling party&#39;s number is obtained. This can be accomplished by reviewing the subscriber information. For example, one of Tables 1 and 2 can be reviewed to obtained the network address. 
   In step  414 , a data session is established between display device  326  and source computer  358 . The data session may be established using any known method. For example, a software application of CPE  312  or target computer  322  can launch browser to display the contents of source computer  358 . During the data session, called party  310  can view, on display device  326 , contents provided by source computer  358  via computer network  340  and one of links  324  and  328 . 
     FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram showing another system architecture, in which a calling party is a subscriber of the present invention. Telephone network  500  may be an AIN or other wireline or wireless telephone networks. 
   Calling party  580  is a customer of telephone network  500  and a service subscriber of the present invention. Telephone line  584  connects CPE  582  of calling party  580  to telephone network  500 . Calling party  580  may use CPE  582  to effect communication sessions (i.e., initiate and receive calls) through telephone line  584  with called party  510  via telephone line  514  (on equipment  512 ). Telephone line  514  is connected to telephone network  500 . 
   In addition to CPE  582 , calling party  580  also has display device  583 . Display device  583  can be an integral part of CPE  582 , for example, CPE  582  may be a video telephone set with a video screen. Display device  583  may also be a monitor of a computer system connected to CPE  582 . For example, display device  583  may be the monitor of target computer  586 , which is in communication with CPE  582 . Display device  583  and CPE  582  are located in a common place where calling party  580  has access to both of them. Display device  583  can communicate with computer network  340  via link  585 , and if through target computer  586 , via link  587 . In either case, a modem (not shown) can be used to access computer network  340  via one of links  585  and  587 . 
   Third party  590  has source computer  592  that is connected to computer network  340  via link  595 . Third party  590 , for the purposes of illustrating this embodiment of the present invention, can be an operator of a favorite web site of calling party  580 . Source computer  592  can deliver contents to display device  583  via computer network  340 . 
   Links  585 ,  587 , and  595  can be one of several suitable communication links. For example, each of links  585 ,  587 , and  595  can be one or more of a dial-up connection, an ISDN line, a DSL, a T 1  line, a T 3  line, a cable modem line, or any other connection that can facilitate a communication session via computer network  340 . 
   Called party  510  has CPE  512  that is connected to telephone network  500  by telephone line  514 . Called party  510  also has display device  522  and target computer  532 , which are connected to computer network  340  by links  523  and  533 , respectively. Display device  522  can be a component of CPE  512  or target computer  532 . In addition, CPE  512  and target computer  532  may be connected or linked to each other for communication purposes. 
     FIG. 6  is an exemplary flowchart illustrating steps that can be used to implement the embodiment shown in  FIG. 5 . 
   Step  602  is similar to step  402  described above. For illustration purposes, assume that the subscriber information in step  602  comprises network addresses of source computers  592  and  532 , which, for illustration purposes, are “59.592.59.592” and “53.532.53.532”, respectively. The telephone numbers for telephone lines  514  and  595  are, for illustration purposes, “514-514-5114” and “595-595-5995”, respectively. 
   In step  604 , the subscriber information is stored in a database. The database is accessible to CPE  582  and target computer  586 . For example, the subscriber information may be stored in a memory of CPE  582  and target computer  586 . Preferably, the subscriber information can be stored in the form of a subscriber list or a table, such as, for example, Table 3 below. 
   
     
       
             
             
             
           
         
             
                 
               TABLE 3 
             
             
                 
                 
             
             
                 
               Dialed Number 
               Network Address 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
           
             
                 
               514-514-5114 
               53.532.53.532 
             
             
                 
               Other numbers 
               59.592.59.592 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
        
       
     
   
   The subscriber information can be organized and stored in a different manner. For example, calling party  580  can designate different network addresses of multiple source computers depending on difference circumstances. For example, calling party  580  can associate different network addresses with different dialed digits prefixed or suffixed to a string of telephone numbers. For example, Table 4 below can be used to associate multiple network addresses of different source computers with different dialed strings. It is noted that Table 4 contains exemplary dialed strings and network addresses. 
   
     
       
             
             
             
           
         
             
                 
               TABLE 4 
             
             
                 
                 
             
             
                 
               Dialed String 
               Network Address 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
           
             
                 
               *411-NPA-NXX-XXXX 
               www.localpaper.com 
             
             
                 
               NPA-NXX-XXXX-#543 
               www.weather.com 
             
             
                 
               #622-NPA-NXX-XXXX 
               www.trafficalert.org 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
        
       
     
   
   In Table 4 above, NPA-NXX-XXXX represents a string of telephone numbers. The NPA-NXX-XXXX string can be any number of digits as implemented in a specific network. In the United States, for example, the string can comprise seven or 10 digits. 
   Each of the network addresses shown in Table 4 is associated with a source computer. For example, www.localpaper.com can be associated with a newspaper&#39;s web site on the Internet. Similarly, instantaneous weather and traffic conditions can be obtained from www.weather.com and www.trafficalert.org, respectively. In a specific example, when the prefix “*411” is dialed preceding any telephone number, network address “www.localpaper.com” would be retrieved in step  612  below. 
   In step  606 , after calling party  580  completes dialing a string of numbers, the dialed string is collected. 
   In step  608 , CPE  582  or target computer  586  determines whether the dialed string comprises a valid telephone number. If so, the process goes to step  610  in which a voice session is established between calling party  580  and a called party associated with the telephone number dialed. For example, if the telephone number of telephone line  514  was part of the dialed string input by calling party  580 , a voice session is established in step  610  between calling party  580  and called party  510 . On the other hand, if the dialed string does not contain a valid telephone number, the process goes to step  612 , by passing step  610 , in which case no voice session is established. 
   In step  612 , CPE  582  or target computer  586  reviews the subscriber information. For example, it may retrieve one of Table 3 and Table 4 to obtain a network address that is associated with the dialed digits. 
   In step  614 , it is determined whether the dialed digits are associated with a designated network address. If so, the process goes to step  616 . Otherwise, the process continues in step  618 . 
   In step  616 , a data session is established between display device  583  and a source computer associated with the dialed digits. In one specific example, if the dialed string was “*411-510-510-5110”, a source computer associated with www.localpaper.com would be contacted and contents of that source computer would be displayed on display device  583  during a data session. In a voice session was established in step  610 , the data session and voice session take place concurrently. Alternatively, if the dialed string “510-510-5110#543” then a source computer associated with a weather service having the network address of www.weather.com would be contacted and weather information from that source computer would be displayed on display device  583  during the data session. 
   In step  618 , a data session is established between a default source computer and display device  583 . The default source computer may be, for example, source computer  592 . In practice, any source computer accessible via computer network  340  may be designated as the default source computer. 
     FIG. 7  is a schematic diagram showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which an ISDN line is utilized by a called party for voice and data communications. Telephone network  700  is a service provider of the present invention. Called party  710  is a customer of telephone network  700  and a service subscriber of the present invention. Called party  710  has CPE  712 . CPE  712  may be, for example, a telephone set. Called party  710  may use CPE  712  to effect communication sessions (i.e., initiate and receive calls) through line  714 . Line  714  is an ISDN line. Line  714  has B-channel  714 B and D-channel  714 D. 
   The telephone number associated with line  714  is hereinafter referred to as the subscriber number or the called number. Line  714  is connected to service telephone network  700 . 
   Calling party  750  has CPE  752  and source computer  758 . CPE  752  may be connected to telephone network  700  on telephone line  754 . Calling party  750  has some level of control over source computer  758 . For example, calling party  750  can supply contents to source computer  758 . Source computer  758  is connected to computer network  740  via link  757 . 
   CPE  712  may be a video telephone set having an integrated display device  726  and capabilities to access computer network  740 . Alternatively, CPE  712  may be associated or in communication with target computer  722  of which display device  726  is a component. Display device  726  can receive contents from source computer  758  through computer network  740  via link  757  and D-channel  714 D. D-channel  714 D can be adapted to access computer network  740  with or without telephone network  700 . 
     FIG. 8  is an exemplary flowchart illustrating steps that can be used to implement the embodiment shown in  FIG. 7 . In step  802 , subscriber information is created. The subscriber information may comprise, for example, one or more associations or relationships between network addresses of source computers and calling party&#39;s telephone numbers. Other identifiers, for example, uniform resource locators (URL), may be used as network addresses. For illustration purposes, assume that the network address of source computer  758  is “758.75.58.758” and the telephone number for telephone line  754  is “754-754-7554.” 
   In step  804 , the subscriber information is stored in a location retrievable by CPE  712  and target computer  722 . For example, the subscriber information created in step  804  may be stored in a memory of CPE  712  and target computer  722 . Preferably, the subscriber information can be stored in a subscriber list or a table, such as, for example, Table 5 below (using the exemplary addresses and telephone numbers). 
   
     
       
             
             
             
           
         
             
                 
               TABLE 5 
             
             
                 
                 
             
             
                 
               Calling Party Number 
               Network Address 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
           
             
                 
               754-754-7554 
               758.75.58.758 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
        
       
     
   
   Alternatively, the relationship may be one that is shown in Table 6 below: 
   
     
       
             
             
             
           
         
             
                 
               TABLE 6 
             
             
                 
                 
             
             
                 
               Calling Party Number 
               Network Address 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
           
             
                 
               754-754-7554 
               www.buddy.name 
             
             
                 
                 
             
           
        
       
     
   
   Other relationships are possible. 
   In step  806 , when calling party  750  finishes dialing the telephone number associated with telephone line  714 , the call is detected. CPE  712  and target computer  722  can be adapted to detect the incoming call. 
   In step  808 , calling party  750 &#39;s telephone number is obtained. The calling party&#39;s number may be collected using known technologies. For example, a Caller ID service may be used to collect the calling party&#39;s number. 
   In step  810 , the network address associated with the calling party&#39;s number is obtained. This can be accomplished by reviewing the subscriber information. For example, one of Tables 5 and 6 can be reviewed to obtained the network number. 
   In step  812 , an application software is launched by one of CPE  712  and target computer  722 . 
   In step  814 , a data session is established between display device  726  and source computer  758 . The data session may be established using any known method. For example, the software application of CPE  712  or target computer  722  can establish the data session using the network address obtained in step  810 . During the data session, called party  710  can view, on display device  726 , contents provided by source computer  758  via computer network  740  and D-channel  714 D. 
   In step  816 , a voice session is established between calling party  750  and called party  710 . During the voice session, calling party  750  and called party  710  can communicate with each other using CPE  752  and CPE  712 , respectively. 
   In describing representative embodiments of the present invention, the specification may have presented the method and/or process of the present invention as a particular sequence of steps. However, to the extent that the method or process does not rely on the particular order of steps set forth herein, the method or process should not be limited to the particular sequence of steps described. As one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate, other sequences of steps may be possible. Therefore, the particular order of the steps set forth in the specification should not be construed as limitations on the claims. In addition, the claims directed to the method and/or process of the present invention should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the present invention. 
   The foregoing disclosure of the preferred embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many variations and modifications of the embodiments described herein will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure. The scope of the invention is to be defined only by the claims appended hereto, and by their equivalents.