Patent ID: 7075924

Claim:
In a communications network where a processing machine establishes communication between a first caller and a second caller, wherein said first caller is coupled to said processing machine over a first communication medium, and said processing machine is coupled to said second caller over a second communication medium, a method comprising: invoking at least one connection routine at said processing machine to cause control signals to be sent to at least one of said first and second callers to enable media type selections, at least one of said media type selections including a selection of at least two different media types; and transmitting via said processing machine a plurality of digital media packets corresponding to each of said at least two different media types; wherein, for at least one of said at least two different media types, at least a portion of said plurality of corresponding digital media packets are transmitted to at least one of said first and second callers, in accordance with said media type selections, over said first communication medium via one or more packet switched communication channels; and wherein for at least one of said at least two different media types, said processing machine causes media signals to be communicated between said first and second callers; and wherein said first communication medium comprises a packet switched network, and said second communication medium comprises a non-packet switched network.