Telephonic communications – Special services
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-25
2001-12-11
Hong, Harry S. (Department: 2642)
Telephonic communications
Special services
C379S207010, C379S215010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06330318
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to telephone call processing, and more particularly to a method of providing party initiated call interruption services in a switched telecommunications network, such as a long distance telephone network.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Private telephone systems and local telephone companies currently provide services that allow a caller to interrupt a call in progress. For example, local telephone companies provide Call Waiting service that alerts a caller with a special tone that there is an incoming call waiting for the caller. When the caller hears the special tone, the caller may take the incoming call by pressing and releasing the switch hook. Pressing and releasing the switch hook puts the first call affectively on hold and connects the caller to the incoming call. The caller can toggle back and forth between the original call and the incoming call by pressing and releasing the switch hook.
Another example of mid-call interruption services provided by local telephone companies is three-way calling, which allows a caller to be connected to two different parties at the same time. During a call to a first party, a caller can put that party on hold by pressing and releasing the switch hook. When the caller receives a dial tone, the caller can dial the number of the other party. When the other party answers, the caller and the other party can talk privately or the caller can add the first party into the conversation by pressing and releasing the switch hook. If either of the other parties disconnects, the conversation continues with the remaining party. When the caller hangs up, all other parties are disconnected.
Currently, there is no system by which long distance telephone carriers can provide mid-call interruption services. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a system for interrupting calls between two parties in a switched telecommunications network, such as a long distance telephone network.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method of interrupting an original call between two parties in a switched telecommunications network in which each of the parties is associated with a switch of the network. A switch monitors the call for a party initiated interrupt signal, which is a dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) sequence. Whenever the monitoring switch receives an interrupt signal, the monitoring switch initiates a new call between the party initiating the interrupt signal and a serving platform, and parks the other party to the original call at a port of the monitoring switch. The monitoring switch then monitors the status of the new call between the party initiating the interrupt signal and the serving platform, and the status of the parked original call.
Whenever the serving platform releases the requesting party, the monitoring switch determines whether or not the parked party is still connected. If the parked party is still connected, the switch reconnects the requesting party and the parked party. If the parked party is disconnected, then the monitoring switch informs the requesting party that the parked party has disconnected, and releases the original call to the parked party.
Whenever the requesting party disconnects, the switch determines whether or not the parked party is still connected. If the parked party is still connected, the monitoring switch informs the parked party that the requesting party has disconnected and releases the call to the parked party. Whenever the parked party disconnects, the monitoring switch determines whether or not the requesting party is still connected. If the requesting party is still connected, the monitoring switch waits until the serving platform releases the requesting party and then informs the requesting party that the parked party has disconnected.
The method of the present invention is preferably implemented with a call park table at the monitoring switch. When the monitoring switch initiates the call to the serving platform, the monitoring switch inserts in the call park table an identifier identifying the original call between the parties, an identifier identifying the new call between the requesting party and the serving platform, and an action code that identifies the status of the parked call.
When the monitoring switch receives a release message, the monitoring switch searches the call park table for a match between the identifier of the released call and the identifier of the original call between the parties or the identifier of the new call between the requesting party and the serving platform. If there is no match, the monitoring switch processes the release message in the normal way. Whenever the identifier of the released call matches the identifier of the new call between the requesting party and the serving platform, the monitoring switch checks the action code to determine whether or not the parked party is still connected. Whenever the parked party is still connected, the monitoring switch reconnects the requesting party and the parked party. Whenever the parked party is not still connected, the monitoring switch applies a call treatment informing the requesting party that the parked party has disconnected.
Private telephone systems and local telephone companies currently provide services that allow a caller to interrupt a call in progress. For example, local telephone companies provide Call Waiting service that alerts a caller with a special tone that there is an incoming call waiting for the caller. When the caller hears the special tone, the caller may take the incoming call by pressing and releasing the switch hook. Pressing and releasing the switch hook puts the first call effectively on hold and connects the caller to the incoming call. The caller can toggle back and forth between the original call and the incoming call by pressing and releasing the switch hook.
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Dendi Ranga R.
Morgan Timothy A.
Shaffer Franklin O.
Turner Donald A.
Hong Harry S.
MCI Worldcom, Inc.
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