Method of automatically establishing a communication path between two devices

Claim 1

A method of automatically establishing a communication path between at least two devices having unique identifications (ID) and each being coupled to a switching center of a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the PSTN further having a facility access center for coupling the switching centers to a storage facility controller which accesses a central storage facility, the central storage facility being divided into portions and containing elements therein, the method comprising the steps of: establishing a connection between a first switching center coupled to a first of the at least two devices and the facility access center; determining a first ID of said first device; selecting a first portion of the central storage facility, said first portion being associated with said first ID; ascertaining a second ID associated with a second of the at least two devices; retrieving an element of said first portion of the central storage facility, said element being associated with said second ID; and presently creating, using the retrieved element, a communication path between said first device and said second device.

Claim 2

A method of automatically establishing a communication path between at least two devices having unique identifications (ID) and each being coupled to a switching center of a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the PSTN further having a facility access center for coupling the switching centers to a storage facility controller which accesses a central storage facility, the central storage facility being divided into portions and containing elements therein, the method comprising the steps of: establishing a connection between a first switching center coupled to a first of the at least two devices and the facility access center; determining a first ID of said first device; selecting a first portion of the central storage facility, said first portion being associated with said first ID; ascertaining a second ID associated with a second of the at least two devices; retrieving an element of said first portion of the central storage facility, said element being associated with said second ID; and presently creating, using the retrieved element, a communication path between said first device and said second device.

Claim 9

A method of automatically establishing a communication path between at least two devices having unique identifications (ID) and each being coupled to a switching center of a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the PSTN further having a facility access center for coupling the switching centers to a storage facility controller which accesses a central storage facility, the central storage facility being divided into portions and containing elements therein, the method comprising the steps of: sending, from the first device, a code associated with the facility access center; determining, via automatic number identification (ANI), a first ID of a first of the at least two devices; selecting a first portion of the central storage facility, said first portion being associated with said first ID; ascertaining a second ID of a second of the at least two devices; retrieving an element of said first portion of the central storage facility, said element being associated with said second ID; sending a message, from the facility access center, to the PSTN; and presently providing a connection between a first switching center coupled to the first device and a second switching center coupled to the second device.

Claim 10

A method of automatically establishing a communication path between at least two devices having unique identifications (ID) and each being coupled to a switching center of a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the PSTN further having a facility access center for coupling the switching centers to a storage facility controller which accesses a central storage facility, the central storage facility being divided into portions and containing elements therein, the method comprising the steps of: sending, from the first device, a code associated with the facility access center; determining, via automatic number identification (ANI), a first ID of a first of the at least two devices; selecting a first portion of the central storage facility, said first portion being associated with said first ID; ascertaining a second ID of a second of the at least two devices; retrieving an element of said first portion of the central storage facility, said element being associated with said second ID; sending a message, from the facility access center, to the PSTN; and presently providing a connection between a first switching center coupled to the first device and a second switching center coupled to the second device.

Claim 11

A system for automatically establishing a communication path between at least two devices having unique identifications (ID) and each being coupled to a switching center of a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the PSTN further having a facility access center for coupling the switching centers to a storage facility controller which accesses a central storage facility, the central storage facility being divided into portions and containing elements therein, the system comprising: means for establishing a connection between a first switching center coupled to a first of the at least two devices and the facility access center; means for determining a first ID of said first device; means for selecting a first portion of the central storage facility, said first portion being associated with said first ID; means for ascertaining a second ID of a second of the at least two devices; means for retrieving an element of said first portion of the central storage facility, said element being associated with said second ID; and means, at the facility access center, for creating a communication path which carries communication signals between said first device and said second device.

Claim 12

A system for automatically establishing a communication path between at least two devices having unique identifications (ID) and each being coupled to a switching center of a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the PSTN further having a facility access center for coupling the switching centers to a storage facility controller which accesses a central storage facility, the central storage facility being divided into portions and containing elements therein, the system comprising: means for establishing a connection between a first switching center coupled to a first of the at least two devices and the facility access center; means for determining a first ID of said first device; means for selecting a first portion of the central storage facility, said first portion being associated with said first ID; means for ascertaining a second ID of a second of the at least two devices; means for retrieving an element of said first portion of the central storage facility, said element being associated with said second ID; and means, at the facility access center, for creating a communication path which carries communication signals between said first device and said second device.

Claim 16

A method of automatically establishing a communication path between at least two devices having unique identifications (ID) and each being coupled to a switching center of a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the PSTN further having a facility access center for coupling the switching centers to a storage facility controller which accesses a central storage facility, the central storage facility being divided into portions and containing elements therein, the method comprising the steps of: establishing a connection between a first switching center coupled to a first of the at least two devices and the facility access center; determining a first ID of said first device; selecting a first portion of the central storage facility, said first portion being associated with said first ID and including a predetermined list of target IDs; ascertaining at least one of the target IDs from said predetermined list, said at least one target ID being associated with a second of the at least two devices; retrieving an element of said first portion of the central storage facility, said element being associated with said at least one target ID; and presently creating, using the retrieved element, a communication path between said first device and said second device.

Claim 17

A method of automatically establishing a communication path between at least two devices having unique identifications (ID) and each being coupled to a switching center of a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the PSTN further having a facility access center for coupling the switching centers to a storage facility controller which accesses a central storage facility, the central storage facility being divided into portions and containing elements therein, the method comprising the steps of: establishing a connection between a first switching center coupled to a first of the at least two devices and the facility access center; determining a first ID of said first device; selecting a first portion of the central storage facility, said first portion being associated with said first ID and including a predetermined list of target IDs; ascertaining at least one of the target IDs from said predetermined list, said at least one target ID being associated with a second of the at least two devices; retrieving an element of said first portion of the central storage facility, said element being associated with said at least one target ID; and presently creating, using the retrieved element, a communication path between said first device and said second device.

Claim 18

A method of automatically establishing a communication path between at least two devices having unique identifications (ID) and each being coupled to a switching center of a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the PSTN further having a facility access center for coupling the switching centers to a storage facility controller which accesses a central storage facility, the central storage facility being divided into portions and containing elements therein, the method comprising the steps of: sending, from the first device, a code associated with the facility access center; determining, via automatic number identification (ANI), a first ID of a first of the at least two devices; selecting a first portion of the central storage facility, said first portion being associated with said first ID; ascertaining a second ID of a second of the at least two devices; retrieving an element of said first portion of the central storage facility, said element being associated with said second ID; sending a message, from the facility access center, to the PSTN; and presently providing, using ISDN topology, a connection between a first switching center coupled to the first device and a second switching center coupled to the second device.

Claim 19

A method of automatically establishing a communication path between at least two devices having unique identifications (ID) and each being coupled to a switching center of a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the PSTN further having a facility access center for coupling the switching centers to a storage facility controller which accesses a central storage facility, the central storage facility being divided into portions and containing elements therein, the method comprising the steps of: sending, from the first device, a code associated with the facility access center; determining, via automatic number identification (ANI), a first ID of a first of the at least two devices; selecting a first portion of the central storage facility, said first portion being associated with said first ID; ascertaining a second ID of a second of the at least two devices; retrieving an element of said first portion of the central storage facility, said element being associated with said second ID; sending a message, from the facility access center, to the PSTN; and presently providing, using ISDN topology, a connection between a first switching center coupled to the first device and a second switching center coupled to the second device.

Claim 20

A system for presently establishing a communication path between at least two devices having unique identifications (ID) and each being coupled to a switching center of a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the PSTN further having a facility access center for coupling the switching centers to a storage facility controller which accesses a central storage facility, the central storage facility being divided into portions and containing elements therein, the system comprising: means for establishing a connection between a first switching center coupled to a first of the at least two devices and the facility access center; means for determining a first ID of said first device; means for selecting a first portion of the central storage facility, said first portion being associated with said first ID; means for ascertaining a second ID of a second of the at least two devices; means for retrieving an element of said first portion of the central storage facility, said element being associated with said second ID; and switching means for presently creating a communication path between said first device and said second device.

Claim 21

A system for presently establishing a communication path between at least two devices having unique identifications (ID) and each being coupled to a switching center of a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the PSTN further having a facility access center for coupling the switching centers to a storage facility controller which accesses a central storage facility, the central storage facility being divided into portions and containing elements therein, the system comprising: means for establishing a connection between a first switching center coupled to a first of the at least two devices and the facility access center; means for determining a first ID of said first device; means for selecting a first portion of the central storage facility, said first portion being associated with said first ID; means for ascertaining a second ID of a second of the at least two devices; means for retrieving an element of said first portion of the central storage facility, said element being associated with said second ID; and switching means for presently creating a communication path between said first device and said second device.