Patent ID: 6990094

Claim:
An apparatus for web initiated telephony between telephonic devices, the apparatus comprising: a user computer, having a data connection to a web server, for requesting the web server to initiate a telephonic connection between first and second telephonic devices coupled to a telephone network, said user computer requesting the web server to initiate the telephonic connection by specifying the first and second telephonic devices and a type of communication between the first and second telephonic devices; and a plurality of point of presence (POP) telephony servers, coupled to the telephone network, and coupled to said web server via a data network, said plurality of POP telephony servers for connecting to said first and second telephonic devices via both the telephone network and the data network upon a data command received from said web server via the data network wherein said plurality of POP telephony servers comprises conversion logic for receiving voice data and converting said received voice data to streaming audio for transmission over the data network and for receiving streaming audio over said data network and converting said received streaming audio to said voice data for transmission over the data network wherein by converting said voice data to said streaming audio, and by converting said streaming audio to said voice data, a two way connection between said plurality of telephonic devices is established over a data network; wherein said data command is issued by said web server via the data network and via said one or more of the plurality of POP telephony servers to said first and second of telephonic devices in response to said web server being requested via the data connection between the user computer and the web server by a user controlling said user computer whereby the data command results in the initiation of the telephonic connection between the first and second telephonic devices via both the telephone network and the data network.