Patent ID: 7512116

Claim:
A gateway for an internet telephone system, comprising: a LAN receiver for processing an incoming call from the Internet or a personal computer; a line receiver for processing an incoming call from a telephone; a LAN transmitter for processing an outgoing call to the Internet or a personal computer according to a request from the line receiver; a line transmitter for processing an outgoing call to a telephone according to a request from the LAN receiver; a retrieval unit for retrieving an address of a receiver gateway according to a request from the line receiver; and a logger for logging information about calls according to requests from the LAN transmitter and line transmitter, wherein if the LAN receiver receives an incoming call from a LAN and if the incoming call accompanies a receiver IP address: the LAN receiver requests the LAN transmitter to make a call based on the incoming call, and the LAN transmitter requests the logger to log information about the call; the LAN receiver has a first table for registering telephone numbers, private IP addresses assigned to personal computers for receiving a call with said telephone numbers, respectively, and reception enabled/disabled states of the personal computers; and if the LAN receiver receives an incoming call from a LAN and if the incoming call accompanies a receiver telephone number that is within the domain of the gateway, the LAN receiver retrieves a private IP address registered in association with the receiver telephone number in the first table, and if a personal computer having the retrieved private IP address is in a reception enabled state, requests the LAN transmitter to make a call based on the incoming call and retrieved private IP address.