IPC Definitions - January 01, 2012
H04M 3/00 - Definition
This main group covers:
Telephonic communication services, in particular supplementary services specifically adapted for telephonic communication provided by networks comprising any type of switching devices, such as telephone exchanges, telephone switches, softswitches, call agents or and call state control function or control protocols, such as ISDN User part (ISUP), H.323 and SIP;
Telephone exchanges or telephone switches, in particular digital switches which work by connecting two or more digital circuits together, according to a dialed telephone number. This main group covers both switches of Public Switched Telephone Networks, PSTN, and Private Branch Exchanges, PBX;
Application servers for information services, call distribution and queuing services, messaging services and conference services;
Arrangements for providing information services, such as Interactive Voice Response Systems, Voice Portals or Voice Browsers;
Centralised arrangements for answering requiring operator intervention (also referred to as a call centers), usually employing call queuing and call distribution;
Centralised arrangements for recording messages for absent or busy subscribers (also referred to as Voice Mail Systems);
Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit (also referred to as Conference Bridges).
Relationship between large subject matter areas
Services or devices which are arranged for use in substation equipment are classified in H04M 1/00, whereas services arranged for use in the exchange are classified in H04M 3/00.
Exchanges in and services specially provided for mobile radio systems are classified in H04W 4/00-H04W 92/00.
Implementation details and protocol details of networks comprising call agents, call controllers and call state control functions and/or employing the H.323 or SIP protocol are classified in H04L 29/06.
Protocol details of call control protocols such as Q.931 and ISDN User part (ISUP) are classified in H04Q.
References relevant to classification in this main group
This main group does not cover:
Selecting arrangements | H04Q 3/00-H04Q 5/00, H04Q 11/00, H04W |
Constructional details and the switching fabric of a telephone exchange | H04Q |