Patent ID: 7660294

Claim:
A method for establishing a voice call between a plurality of text chat participants comprising: receiving a message from a first text chat participant requesting the establishment of the voice call; sending a response message to said first text chat participant providing voice call session information and at least one authorization code; receiving a message comprising said voice call session information and an authorization code from a second text chat participant requesting participation in said voice call; and initiating establishment of said voice call between said first text chat participant and said second text chat participant; wherein said initiating establishment of said voice call further comprises requesting a call setup means to set up voice call links to at least said first and second text chat participants, at least one of said voice call links being a Voice over IP (VoIP) link; wherein communication between said plurality of text chat participants further comprises an Internet chat session to which at least said first and second text chat participants are connected through IP links originating at telephone subscriber lines, each of said IP links being identified by a current IP address; wherein at least said first text chat participant additionally provides account and authorization information in a login message process with a VoIP gateway, said VoIP gateway maintaining information about an online status and the current IP address of said at least said first text chat participant; wherein said call setup means requests that said VoIP gateway establish at least one of said voice call links; wherein said VoIP gateway establishes an IP link to a respective voice call participant; wherein an IP link established to said first text chat participant uses said current IP address of said first text chat participant maintained at said VoIP gateway; wherein at least one of said voice call links is a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) link; wherein said PSTN link is unavailable, the method further comprising: determining if the subscriber line portion of said unavailable PSTN link is in current use in the Internet chat session through a respective ISP access server, forwarding said call to a network node having access to said Internet chat session, and sending a message from said network node to said Internet chat session indicating the arrival of an incoming voice call.