Abstract:
A VoIP ready computer system includes a housing having an integrated audio communications device holder adapted to receive an audio communications device. The housing includes a portion adapted to contain processing circuitry operable to execute programs and a storage device coupled to the processing circuitry. The storage device stores a VoIP program and other general purpose programs for execution by the processing circuitry. An audio communications device is removably positioned in the audio communications device holder and is coupled to the processing circuitry. The audio communications device is operable to communicate audio signals during execution of the VoIP program.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a method of communicating voice or audio signals over the Internet and in this way enables a person to place phone calls over the Internet utilizing his or her computer system.  FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating the components of a conventional VoIP system  100  that is formed by installing and configuring an external VoIP package  102  on a personal computer system  104 . The external VO IP package  102  includes VoIP program or software  106  that is installed on the computer system  104  as indicated by the doffed line  108 . A peripheral headset  110  in the package  102  is coupled to the computer system  104  through a suitable connection, such as through microphone input and speaker output connections on a conventional audio card (not shown) in the computer system. The computer system  104  is coupled to the Internet as indicated by a communications link  112  in  FIG. 1 . 
     In operation, a user purchases the VO IP package  102 , installs the software  106  on the computer system  104 , and connects the peripheral headset  110  to the computer system through the appropriate connection. Alternatively and probably more commonly, a user downloads the software  106  via the communication link  112  from a Web site of a VO IP service provider and separately purchases the peripheral headset  110 . Once the software  106  has been installed, the user must configure the software to operate properly with the computer system  104  and establish an account with the VO IP service provider associated with the software  106 . 
     While many users are comfortable downloading and installing software on their computer system  104 , VoIP software  106  requires more extensive configuration than is typical with other types of programs, which are very simple to download, install, and run. As a result, many potential users are dissuaded from using VoIP software  106  due to the relatively difficult process of downloading and configuring such software to operate properly on the user&#39;s computer system  104 . Users having technical backgrounds, such as engineers and scientists, may not be inhibited from utilizing such software  106  on their computer systems  104 , but many other potential users are so inhibited by conventional VoIP software. 
     There is a need for a system and method of simplifying the process of implementing VoIP on a typical computer system. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the present invention, a VoIP ready computer system includes a housing having an integrated audio communications device holder adapted to receive an audio communications device. The housing includes a portion adapted to contain processing circuitry operable to execute programs and a storage device coupled to the processing circuitry. The storage device stores a VoIP program and other general purpose programs for execution by the processing circuitry. An audio communications device is removably positioned in the audio communications device holder and is coupled to the processing circuitry. The audio communications device is operable to communicate audio signals during execution of the VoIP program. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating the components of a conventional VoIP system formed by installing and configuring an external VoIP package on a personal computer system. 
         FIG. 2  is block diagram of a VoIP ready computer system according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a more detailed three-dimensional view of the computer housing of  FIG. 2  including an integrated handset holder and handset according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       FIG. 2  is block diagram of a VoIP ready computer system  200  according to one embodiment of the present invention. The VoIP computer system  200  includes a chassis or housing  202  having an audio communications device holder  204  that is an integrated part of the housing. The device holder  204  is formed so that an audio communications device  206  may be positioned in and removed from the holder. The audio communications device  206  is coupled to processing circuitry  208  contained in the housing  202  and the processing circuitry, in turn, is coupled to a mass storage device  210  on which a VoIP program  212  is preinstalled and configured to properly operate on the computer system  200 . In operation, a user need merely purchase the computer system  200 , couple the system through a communications link  214  to the Internet, and establish an account with a VoIP service provider (not shown) associated with the VoIP program  212 , as will be described in more detail below. All configuration of the VoIP program  212  is done prior to purchase of the computer system  200  to ensure the program operates properly. The VoIP program may therefore be referred to as being preinstalled and the computer system  200  as being “VoIP ready” in the present description. This preinstallation eliminates the difficulties and should thereby eliminate the reluctance of many users to using VoIP programs  212 . Moreover, the audio communications device  206  is an integrated part of the system  200 , coming preconnected to the processing circuitry  208  and being contained in the integrated holder  204  when not in use. This allows for easy and convenient storage of the audio communications device  206  when not in use and also allows for easy access to the device for answering or placing phone calls using the computer system  200 . 
     In the following description, certain details are set forth in conjunction with the described embodiments of the present invention to provide a sufficient understanding of the invention. One skilled in the art will appreciate, however, that the invention may be practiced without these particular details. Furthermore, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the example embodiments described below do not limit the scope of the present invention, and will also understand that various modifications, equivalents, and combinations of the disclosed embodiments and components of such embodiments are within the scope of the present invention. Embodiments including fewer than all the components of any of the respective described embodiments may also be within the scope of the present invention although not expressly described in detail below. Finally, the operation of well known components and/or processes has not been shown or described in detail below to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention. 
     The processing circuitry  208  includes circuitry for performing various computing functions, such as executing general purpose programs  216  like word processors, Web browsers, and spreadsheets to perform specific calculations or tasks. The processing circuitry  208  typically includes a microprocessor (not shown), associated chip set (not shown), and system memory (not shown) coupled to the microprocessor through the chip set. The system memory typically includes dynamic random access memory for storing portions of the programs  212  and  218  that are currently being executed by the processing circuitry  208 . 
     The audio communications device  206  is coupled to the processing circuitry  208  through a suitable connection, such as an analog bus including signal lines for communicating analog audio signals to and from the device. The device  206  includes a receiving transducer or speaker (not shown) for converting received audio signals into sound and a transmitting transducer (not shown) for converting the voice of user speaking into the device into a corresponding analog audio signal. Alternatively, the device  206  may include additional circuitry such as an analog-to-digital converter for converting the analog audio signal from transmitting transducer into a digital signal and a digital-to-analog converter for converting a received digital signal into an analog audio signal that is applied to the speaker. In this situation, the device  206  is coupled to the processing circuitry  208  through a suitable digital bus like a universal serial bus (USB). In one embodiment, the device  206  is precoupled to the processing circuitry  208  to simplify initial set up steps required from the user to use the VoIP program  212 . In this situation, the device  206  may be coupled to the processing circuitry  208  at a point internal to the housing  202  since there is really no reason to disconnect the device from the processing circuitry. Physically, the device  206  would typically be a handset similar a handset of a conventional telephone, but could also have alternative physical embodiments such as being a headset including speakers for a user&#39;s ears and a microphone extending in front of the user&#39;s mouth. Whatever specific physical form the device  206  takes, the holder  204  varies accordingly such that the holder provides a convenient place integrated into the housing  202  for storing the device when not in use. 
     The computer system  200  further includes one or more input devices  218 , such as a keyboard or a mouse, coupled to the processing circuitry  208  to allow an operator to interface with the computer system. Typically, the computer system  200  also includes one or more output devices coupled to the processing circuitry  208 , such output devices typically including a printer (not shown) and a video display  220 . A desktop  222  displayed on the video display  220  is shown in  FIG. 2  and will be discussed in more detail below in describing the initial steps performed by a user in establishing an account with a VoIP service provider. The mass storage devices  210  store data or retrieve data from external storage media (not shown) under control of the processing circuitry  208 . Examples of typical mass storage devices  210  include hard and floppy disks, tape cassettes, compact disk read-only (CD-ROMs) and compact disk read-write (CD-RW) memories, and digital video disks (DVDs). 
     The overall construction of the system  200  and operation of the system by a user to place and receive VoIP calls will now be described in more detail. With the system  200 , a manufacturer or some party other than the end user initially installs the VoIP program  212  on the system, including storing the program on the mass storage devices  210  and configuring the program for proper operation on the computer system. In one embodiment, part of this configuration includes placing a VoIP icon  224  on the desktop  222  or some other easily accessible screen that will be presented of the user upon power-up of the computer system  200 . The VoIP icon  224  provides a link to an account activation form (not shown) for the VoIP service provider associated with the VoIP program  212 . Along with installing the VoIP program  212 , the audio communications device  206  is also coupled to the processing circuitry  208  at this point and the computer system  200  packaged for sale to an end user. The manufacturer may also test the proper operation of the device  206  and VoIP program  212  prior to packaging the computer system  200 . 
     A purchaser then buys the computer system  200  and makes the usual required interconnections such as connecting the video display  220  and input devices  218  to the processing circuitry  208 . At this point, the purchaser turns on the computer system  200  and inputs initial setup information like naming the computer system  200 . The video display  220  then displays the desktop  222  including the VoIP icon  224  along with other icons, two of which in the form of icons  226   a  and  226   b  are shown in  FIG. 2 . To set up an account with the VoIP service provider associated with the VoIP program  212 , the purchaser at this point double clicks on the VoIP icon  224 . Recall, the VoIP icon  224  provides a link to an account activation form (not shown) for the VoIP service provider associated with the VoIP program  212 . The purchaser at this point inputs required information to establish an account with the VoIP service provider, such as providing name, address, and billing information. The account activation form would typically include one or more Web pages that allow the purchaser to enter this personal information and thereby establish an account with a VoIP service provider associated with the VoIP program  212 . 
     Once the purchaser has completed the steps, the computer system  200  is ready to use for placing and receiving VoIP telephone calls. The specific operation of the system  200  in placing and receiving such calls depends upon the specific VoIP program  212  installed in the system, and thus, for the sake of brevity, the details of this operation will not be described in more detail. Generally, to initiate or place a call the purchaser interfaces with the VoIP program  212  and then picks up the audio communications device  206  from the device holder  204  and talks into and listens with the device. To receive a call, the VoIP program  212  notifies the purchaser of the incoming call in the purchaser then makes an appropriate response through one of the input devices  218  and picks up the audio communications device  206  from the device holder  204  and again talks into and listens with this device. Note that in one embodiment, to answer a call the communications device  206  or the holder  204  include circuitry allowing the purchaser to merely pick up the device when notified of the incoming call to thereby answer the call as with a conventional telephone. Moreover, in this embodiment the system  200  could be configured so that upon the audio communications device  206  being activated (e.g., picked up or picked up and an ON button pressed) by a user for the first time, the computer system displays the account activation form on the video display  220 . 
       FIG. 3  is a more detailed three-dimensional view of the computer chassis or housing  202  of  FIG. 2  according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment of  FIG. 3 , the audio communications device holder  204  is a rectangular recessed portion formed in a top panel  300  of the housing  202 . The specific location of the rectangular recessed portion  204  in the top panel  300  may, of course, vary, with the recessed portion being formed long a right edge  302  of the top panel  300  in the embodiment of  FIG. 3 . In other embodiments, the recessed portion  204  is located in a different location of the top panel  300 , such as along a left edge  304  or along a front edge  306  of the top panel. Wherever the recessed portion  204  is formed in the top panel  300 , the recessed portion is an integral part of the housing  202 . 
     The recessed portion  204  could be a stamped out portion of the top panel  300  or could be a separate rectangular shaped box piece that fits into a cutout in the top panel. Also note that the recessed portion  204  need not be formed in the top panel  300 , but could instead be formed elsewhere in the housing  202  such as in a front panel  308 . Furthermore, the device holder  204  need not be a recessed portion, but could alternatively be a component extending from one of the panels of the housing  202 . In one embodiment, a connector (not shown) for connecting the communications device  206  to the processing circuitry  208  is exposed along one of the sides of the recessed portion  204 , allowing a user to plug the device  206  into the connector as part of the initial process of interconnecting all components of the system  200  ( FIG. 2 ). Alternatively, this connector need not be exposed within the holder  204  but instead may be inside the housing  202  and accessible only by disassembling the housing to expose the processing circuitry  208  ( FIG. 2 ). 
     With the VoIP ready computer system  200 , a user need merely purchase the computer system and establish an account with a VoIP service provider associated with the VoIP program  212 , assuming the system is connected to the Internet. All installation and configuration of the VoIP program  212  is done prior to purchase of the computer system  200  to ensure the program operates properly. This makes the system  200  more user-friendly for non-technical users and should eliminate the reluctance of many such users to using VoIP programs  212 . Also note the integrated nature of the holder  204  and device  206 , being part of housing and coming connected to the processing circuitry  208 , respectively, allow for easy and convenient storage of the audio communications device  206  when not in use and also allows for easy access to the device for answering or placing calls. 
     One skilled in the art will understood that even though various embodiments and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, the above disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, and yet remain within the broad principles of the invention. For example, some of the components described above may be implemented using either digital or analog circuitry, or a combination of both, and also, where appropriate, may be realized through software executing on suitable processing circuitry. Moreover, the functions performed by components in the system  200  of  FIG. 2  can be combined to be performed by fewer elements, separated and performed by more elements, or combined into different functional blocks depending upon the design of the system, as will appreciated by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention is to be limited only by the appended claims.