| Virtual work environment for remote users -> Monitor Keywords |
|
|
  Virtual work environment for remote usersUSPTO Application #: 20080065410Title: Virtual work environment for remote users Abstract: An arrangement provides a work environment to a remote user who is logged-in as a member of an enterprise, which work environment includes both a telecommunication capability and a data processing capability, and both are concurrently associated with the logged-in user. The data processing capability is restricted to the user obtaining only views of files, rather than the files themselves, and all file processing that can potentially store data is restricted to applications that can store files only in a range of locations specified by the enterprise. (end of abstract) Agent: At&t Corp. - Bedminster, NJ, US Inventors: Deborah M. Bloom, Mark Jeffrey Foladare, Shelley B. Goldman, Thaddeus Julius Kowalski USPTO Applicaton #: 20080065410 - Class: 705001000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Data Processing: Financial, Business Practice, Management, Or Cost/price Determination, Automated Electrical Financial Or Business Practice Or Management Arrangement The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20080065410. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 11/411,726, filed Apr. 26, 2006, which is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 10/299,364, filed Nov. 18, 2002. FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] This invention relates communication, and more particularly to a method and a system for providing access for a remote user's telephone and computer arrangement to a telecommunication and computing environment of an enterprise, thereby providing a complete telecommunication and data processing work environment for the remote user. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] The vast majority of US enterprises is "wired" in the sense that almost all of the enterprise employees use computers, or at least have access to computers, and those computers are interconnected to form networks; the combination of these networks commonly called an intranet. Also, often, those computers and their networks include means for connecting to the Internet (public packet network). [0004] In recent years the computer and communication networks have been linked through Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) applications, which facilitate incoming and outgoing call handling and control. CTI applications can be used to seamlessly interface the caller, the called party, and information on a host computer for a variety of applications. CTI applications deliver caller ID, automatic number identification (ANI), dialed number identification services (DNIS), and interactive voice response (IVR) dialed digits, such as a customer's account number, to a software application. CTI applications can also deliver request signals, such as "hold call" or "transfer call", to a telephone system. Even complete faxes that are delivered to a telephone number belonging to the enterprise can be made to the screen of a computer in the enterprise's computer network. [0005] In addition to the use of data networks in connection with CTI applications, IP telephony, where telephone calls traverse only the Intenet, has also advanced. Numerous patents have issued for IP telephones, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,449,269, and there are even commercially available IP telephones, such as the Polycom SountPoint IP 400 telephone made by Toshiba. [0006] In a slightly different but related art, client/server computing has become prevalent over the past years. Distributed computing allows one machine to delegate some of its work to another machine that might be better suited to perform that work. For example, the server could be a high-powered computer, while the client is simply a desktop personal computer (PC). In some arrangements the files that are processed are stored in the server as well, and in still other arrangements, the executables (programs) in the host employ a virtual machine that employs the same instruction set as that of the client, so that files can be executed in both the network host and at the client machine. See, U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,065. An arrangement where files of a PC are stored in a network host so that they can be executed from a different remote location is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,363. An arrangement where files can be executed only in the network, and the client machine is reduced to a terminal is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,409,602. [0007] Employees have become accustomed to the significant information handling capabilities of the combined communication and computing networks of enterprises, and various means have been developed to provide the same, or close to the same, capability for telecommuting employees through use of the Internet. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,404,874 describes a system for telecommuting employees. It includes a PBX, an enterprise computer network, and a Telecommute Server therebetween. When a call is received at the PBX that is destined to the office extension of an employee, the Telecommute Server checks whether the employee is logged into the computer network via the employee's office computer. If so, the assumption is made that the employee is at work, and the call is forwarded to the employee's office extension. When the telecommute server determines that the employee is logged in from the employee's home computer, the call is forwarded to the employee's home telephone. If the employee is found to not be logged into the computer network, the call forwarding is carried out in accordance with preselected, stored, instructions. [0008] This patent does not deal with calls made by the telecommuting employee, or with computing access restrictions of the telecommuting employee when the employee is connected to the network from the employee's home computer. A more stringent situation presents itself in connection with consultants who are physically located remotely from the enterprise's communication and computing environments, and for whom it is desirable to provide access, but on a highly constrained basis; particularly to the enterprise's computing intranet. SUMMARY [0009] An advance in the art is achieved with an arrangement wherein a remote user logs in to obtain a work environment of a sponsor enterprise. In this work environment, the user's telecommunications instrument appears to both the user and to others as if the logged in user is a member of the sponsor enterprise. Additionally, in connection with the user's communication capabilities in this work environment, the user receives access only to files that are made available by the sponsor enterprise, under conditions that are specified by the sponsor. One such condition is that only applications provided by the sponsor enterprise have access to these files, and the range of locations into which these applications can store files is limited to locations specifies by the sponsor organization, which excludes any storage devices at the remote user's location. This is achieved through an arrangement that provides a work environment to a logged-in user that includes both network telecommunication capabilities and network computing capabilities. Illustratively, a desktop browser window that includes an icon for telephony service, and icons for various file manipulation applications represents this work environment. In one embodiment, local storing of files is precluded by the nature of the interface, which provides only screen views of files, rather than access to the files themselves. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING [0010] FIG. 1 presents a block diagram of an arrangement for providing a work environment that is sponsored by an enterprise to remote users who are logged in as members of the enterprise; [0011] FIG. 2 shows the login process; [0012] FIG. 3 shows the process for dialing out by a logged-in remote user; and [0013] FIG. 4 shows the process for dialing to by a logged-in remote user. DETAILED DESCRIPTION [0014] FIG. 1 presents a block diagram of an arrangement in accord with the principles disclosed herein. It depicts a packet switched network 100 (for example, the Internet), a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 200, enterprises 300 and 800, and individual user locations 400, 500, 600, and 700. [0015] User location 400 comprises a plain-old-telephone-service (POTS) telephone 41 that is connected to PSTN 200 (which includes an SS7 signaling network that is not shown), and PC 42 that connects to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) within network 100, for example, ISP 92, via modem 43 and PSFN 200. The ISP comprises a gateway that serves as an interface to PSTN 200, a controller (for providing Internet access to only specified subscribers), and an edge router that connects the ISP to network 100. Voice communications by a user of telephone 41 at location 40 to other PSTN telephones are carried out in accord with conventional PSTN interactions. Voice communication by telephone 41 with a destination telephone that is reachable only by going through packet network 100 is also carried out in accord with conventional PSTN interactions, but with an intermediate point, which is a gateway to network 100, such as gateway 91. Gateway 91, in turn, is coupled to network 100 via edge router 25, and interacts with the destination telephone in accord with the IP telephony protocol employed in network 100. [0016] User location 500 comprises PC 51 that is connected to an ISP in network 100 (for example, ISP 93) via modem 52 and PSTN 200. PC 51 includes a "softphone" program that emulates a telephone that is adapted to operate in an established IP telephony protocol. Thus, a user at location 500 can conduct voice communication with a destination telephone through computer PC 51. Of course, such voice communication passes through network 100, and must interact with a unit that is coupled to Internet 200 and which employs the same digital protocol that is used by the software of computer 32. This unit may be the destination telephone itself, for example, IP telephone 62 (described infra), or a gateway, such as gateway 91, if the destination telephone is reachable only via PSTN 200. [0017] User location 600 comprises terminal 61 that is adapted to communicate in the IP protocol and is coupled to network 100, and IP telephone 62 (for example, Polycom SountPoint IP 400 telephone made by Toshiba) that is also coupled to network 100. More specifically, the coupling is via a connection to edge router 21, with terminal 61 having one fixed IP address, and telephone 62 having another fixed IP address. As an aside, the telephone that is emulated in computer 51 at location 500 can be arranged to provide the same functionality as that of telephone 62. [0018] User location 700 comprises PC 74 that is connected to network 100 via Hybrid Fiber Coax (HFC) cable 701, which is connected to ISP 94. Router 72 and cable modem 71 are interposed between PC 74 and cable 701. Router 72 is capable of coupling other devices to ISP 94 through cable 701, and FIG. 1 shows a physical IP telephone 73 that is so connected. Continue reading... Full patent description for Virtual work environment for remote users Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Virtual work environment for remote users patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Virtual work environment for remote users or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: System for capturing deal information Next Patent Application: Lifestyle improvement support system and lifestyle improvement support method Industry Class: Data processing: financial, business practice, management, or cost/price determination ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Virtual work environment for remote users patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.58944 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Tyco , Unilever , Warner-lambert , 3m |
||
