Call notification service for use with call waiting

Details Call notification service for use with call waiting Call notification service for use with call waiting

1998-11-02

2004-09-28

Tsang, Fan (Department: 2645)

Telephonic communications

Audio message storage, retrieval, or synthesis

Call source identification

C379S142080, C379S215010, C379S221090

Reexamination Certificate

active

06798868

ABSTRACT:

TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an enhanced service feature provided through an intelligent telephone network, whereby a subscriber can obtain notice and information from the network regarding the identity of callers who called during times when the subscriber's communication link was busy, and possibly when there was no answer. The notification service also enables automatic follow-up calls, for example, to a caller or to a messaging service.
Acronyms
The written description uses a large number of acronyms to refer to various services, messages and system components. Although generally known, use of several of these acronyms is not strictly standardized in the art. For purposes of this discussion, acronyms therefore will be defined as follows:
Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN)
Analog Display Services Interface (ADSI)
Automatic Number Identification (ANI)
Call Processing Record (CPR)
Central Office (CO)
Common Channel Interoffice Signaling (CCIS)
Customer Premises Equipment (CPE)
Data Reporting System (DRS)
Feature Code Trigger (FCT)
Generic Data Interface (GDI)
Integrated Service Control Point (ISCP)
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
Intelligent Peripheral (IP)
Intelligent Signaling Transfer Point (ISTP)
ISDN Users Part (ISDN-UP)
Line Identification DataBase (LIDB)
Multi-Line Hunt Group (MLHG)
Multi-Services Application Platform (MSAP)
Office Equipment (OE) number
Operations Systems Network (OSN)
Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS)
Point In Call (PIC)
Primary Rate Interface (PRI)
Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN)
Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs)
Service Control Point (SCP)
Service Creation Environment (SCE)
Service Management System (SMS)
Service Switching Point (SSP)
Signaling Point (SP)
Signaling System 7 (SS7)
Signaling Transfer Point (STP)
Simplified Message Desk Interface (SMDI)
Telephone Application Program Interface (TAPI)
Terminating Attempt Trigger (TAT)
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
Transaction Capabilities Application Part (TCAP)
Trunk (TR)
Voice Mail System (VMS)
Voice Response Unit (VRU)
BACKGROUND ART
Telephone communication has become a virtually ubiquitous aspect of modern life. Subscribers have come to depend on the telephone network to provide fast, dependable communication wherever and whenever needed. As consumers become dependent on the ease of communication and familiar with advanced services, the demand for new and still further enhanced services has increased in an almost exponential manner.
One popular telephone service offered through program controlled switches of the telephone network is commonly known as ‘call waiting’. With this service, when the switch serving a subscriber detects a call to the subscriber's number when the subscriber's line is in use or ‘busy’, the switch applies a ‘call-waiting’ signal to the subscriber's line. Typically, the call-waiting signal is an audible tone, which a party using a telephone on the subscriber's line can hear through the telephone earpiece.
The call-waiting service offers the subscriber several options for responding to the call waiting signal. For example, the party using the subscriber's telephone, upon hearing the call-waiting signal, may briefly activate the telephone hook-switch to generate a ‘hook-flash’ signal to the central office switch. In response, the switch places the existing call on hold and connects the new call to the subscriber's line. This enables the called party to talk to the party on the second call. Subsequent hook-flash signals to the switch cause the switch to alternately connect the two caller's to the subscriber's line, to enable the subscriber to switch back and forth between the two calls, if desired.
Subscribers encounter a number of problems with existing call waiting services. Most subscribers with call waiting tend to stop an ongoing conversation and talk to a secondary caller, to determine the identity of the second caller and/or the urgency of the second call. Many subscribers, however, would prefer not to have ongoing conversations interrupted by less important calls, for example calls for solicitations. Many call waiting features commonly available today do not provide the subscriber with any information as to the identity of the caller or other information that might signify the importance of the second call. At least during particularly important calls, some subscribers ignore the call waiting tone and allow the second call to go unanswered, regardless of the identity of the caller or the importance of the second call.
In circumstances where the subscriber with call waiting elects not to answer the second call, while already engaged in an ongoing call, the new caller hears a ringback signal in the same manner as for a normal unanswered call. If the subscriber also has a network based voice mail service, the call rolls over into the subscriber's voice mailbox. This type of voice messaging service allows the caller to leave a message that may enable a call-back. If the subscriber does not have voice mail, however, the second call goes completely unanswered. The caller may assume erroneously that the subscriber is not home and therefore not call again for some period of time. Also, the called subscriber does not know who called during the in-progress call and triggered the call-waiting tone, and the subscriber may not be able to call that party back.
A number of solutions to these problems have been proposed. Several examples are outlined below.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,269 to Eisdorfer discloses a methodology for using information about a calling party's identity or the importance of a call to control the call waiting signal played to a called party that is busy on another call. The network routes the secondary incoming call to an intelligent processor, which interacts with the caller to obtain identity related information or an indication of the caller's perception of the importance of the call. The call waiting process and signaling to the subscriber is then controlled in accord with the identity or importance signified by the caller. For example, in one embodiment, the network provides a distinctive call-waiting signal over the subscriber's line, based on information about the identity of the calling party. In another embodiment, information about the calling party's identity controls whether a call waiting signal is played to the called party or suppressed. This type of approach does provide added information to the called subscriber, but the subscriber still must choose whether or not to interrupt an ongoing call in light of the information provided through the distinctive call waiting signaling. In some cases, the signal may fully identify the secondary caller, but in some it may not. Also, if the call-waiting signal is suppressed, the subscriber does not know that a call-waiting event occurred and may not know to return the call. There is no easy way to ensure call-back. As such, there is no easy way to ensure communication with the second caller except to interrupt the stable call and answer the waiting call.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,512 to Blackmon et al. discloses a deluxe call waiting service, where a switching system forwards calls for busy called stations to a service node that provides specialized call processing, e.g., text-to-speech conversion. The service node uses the dialed directory number to invoke a call waiting-originating feature, which takes precedence over the call forwarding-busy line feature. This causes transmission of a call waiting signal to the called station. The service node obtains the calling party name from a database and responds to a flash signal from the called station by speaking the calling party name to the called party. This service does provide an identification of the caller during a call-waiting event, however, the subscriber must still interrupt an existing conversation to obtain the second caller's identity and/or to take the second call.
U.S. Reissue Pat. RE34,735 to Kuabe T et al. disclo

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Call notification service for use with call waiting does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Call notification service for use with call waiting, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Call notification service for use with call waiting will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3200962