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Abstract

A technique for matching Internet telephone calls originating on a packet-switched data network with legacy automatic call distribution centers on a public switched telephone network utilizes a gateway architecture to accommodate disparate network architecture and protocols. The gateway receives a call on an Internet Protocol-based network, placing the call in queue at a gateway port, and places an analogous call over a traditional PSTN line to a legacy call center. The gateway provides the call center with information identifying the port at which the IP based call is queued. The call center is provided with software capable of resolving the identification information into the network protocol address of the gateway and the actual port for establishing a dual communication path, both over a PSTN network, and an Internet protocol address to the caller. Upon connection to the gateway the legacy call center may complete both the PSTN audio communication path and the packet-switched connection, both of which appear to the caller as a single connection.

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First Claim