Patent ID: 7443965

Claim:
An interoperable data and voice communication system that supports simultaneous, multi-party communication between incompatible communication systems, said interoperable data and voice communication system comprising: a first communication system that communicates with first users by a first addressing scheme and a first communication format for any of data and voice, each of said first users having a first unique Internet Protocol (IP) address; a second communication system that communicates with second users by a second addressing scheme and a second communication format for any of data and voice, each of said second users having a second unique Internet Protocol (IP) address; and an interoperable communication server, comprising: a message transfer unit that transfers any of data and voice messages between a first user at said first unique IP address and a second user at said second unique IP address; wherein said first addressing scheme is incompatible with said second addressing scheme; and wherein a global directory, using a common hierarchical addressing scheme for said first unique IP address and said second unique IP address, connects a first user at said first unique IP address to a second user at said second unique IP address; a translator connected to said message transfer unit, said translator translating any of data and voice messages sent from said first communication system into said second communication format compatible with said second communication system and from said second communication system into said first communication format compatible with said first communication system; a voice/data converter that converts voice messages into data messages and data messages into voice messages; and a voice-over-Internet-protocol (VoIP) unit connected to said message transfer unit, wherein said voice messages transmitted through said interoperable communication server are converted to a VoIP format.