U.S. patent number RE34,735 [Application Number 07/898,767] was granted by the patent office on 1994-09-20 for call waiting arrangement providing options to both a subsequent calling party and to the called party.
This patent grant is currently assigned to AT&T Bell Laboratories. Invention is credited to Wing N. Toy, deceased, Tsaul Kuabe T.
United States Patent |
RE34,735 |
|
September 20, 1994 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Call waiting arrangement providing options to both a subsequent
calling party and to the called party
Abstract
An improved call waiting arrangement where a caller is free to
exercise discretion in interrupting ongoing telephone calls because
the caller is prompted, for example via an audible announcement,
that the called party is busy on another call but that the caller
may request interruption of the call by remaining off-hook. If the
caller believes that his call is sufficiently important, he
requests call interruption by remaining off-hook. If the caller
chooses not to interrupt, he may make subsequent call attempts
promptly because he knows that the called party is busy on another
call rather than being away from home. Alternatively, the caller
may activate auto-callback such that a call is completed between
the two parties as soon as the status of the called station returns
to on-hook.
Inventors: |
Tsaul Kuabe T, (Wheaton,
IL), Toy, deceased; Wing N. (late of Glen Ellyn, IL) |
Assignee: |
AT&T Bell Laboratories
(Murray Hill, NJ)
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Family
ID: |
22475557 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/898,767 |
Filed: |
June 11, 1992 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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Reissue of: |
137040 |
Dec 23, 1987 |
04947421 |
Aug 7, 1990 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
379/88.23;
379/215.01; 379/77; 379/84; 379/88.19 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M
3/428 (20130101); H04M 3/48 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04M
3/48 (20060101); H04M 3/42 (20060101); H04M
3/428 (20060101); H04M 003/50 () |
Field of
Search: |
;379/215,209,208,373,381,84,77,210,211,199,67,88,196,197,198,157 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
Bell Laboratories Station User's Guide for the AT&T
Dimension.RTM. PBX, Jun. 1982. .
Nippon Denki K. K., "Additional Dial Call Waiting System", vol. 9,
No. 165 (E-327) (1888), Jul. 10, 1985. .
"Bellcore Teaches Some Manners to Call Waiting", Telephony, Aug.
24, 1987, pp. 15, 16. .
"Business and Residence Features", Switching Products 5ESS.RTM.
Switch Feature Handbook, 235-390-500, 1986, pp. 14, 15..
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Primary Examiner: Brown; Thomas W.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Ulrich; Werner
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of processing a call from a calling communication
station to a called communication station comprising
in response to said call, determining whether call waiting is
assigned to said called station and said called station is
busy,
in response to a determination that call waiting is assigned to
said called station and said called station is busy, signaling to
prompt a caller for a request to interrupt an ongoing call at said
called station and to prompt a caller for an auto-callback
request,
in response to receipt of an interrupt request from said calling
station, transmitting an interrupt signal to said called
station,
after said transmitting, establishing a connection between said
calling and called stations only in response to receipt of a signal
from said called station, and
in response to receipt of an auto-callback request from said
calling station and to a return to an idle status of said called
station, initiating a new call between said called and calling
stations.
2. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said signaling step
comprises
transmitting a message to said calling station.
3. A method in accordance with claim 2 wherein said message
comprises an audible announcement transmitted to said caller.
4. A method in accordance with claim 3 wherein said announcement
prompts said caller at said calling station that said caller may
request interruption of an ongoing call at said called station by
maintaining an off-hook state of said calling station.
5. A method in accordance with claim 4 wherein said announcement
comprises a recording of the voice of a customer expected to answer
calls to said called station.
6. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising
in response to receipt of signaling from said calling station
representing an on-hook state of said calling station,
discontinuing processing of said first mentioned call.
7. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said interrupt
request comprises signaling representing an off-hook state of said
calling station.
8. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said interrupt
request comprises signaling representing a continued off-hook state
of said calling station for more than a predetermined time.
9. A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said interrupt
signal comprises a call waiting tone.
10. A method in accordance with claim 1 further comprising
in response to receipt of said interrupt request from said calling
station, determining whether said first-mentioned call is a toll
call,
in response to a determination that said first-mentioned call is a
toll call, transmitting an interrupt tone to said called station
that is distinctive from an interrupt tone for a local call.
11. A switching arrangement for processing calls among a plurality
of communication stations, said arrangement comprising
means, responsive to a call from a calling one of said stations to
a called one of said stations, for determining whether call waiting
is assigned to said called station and said called station is
busy,
means, responsive to a determination by said determining means that
call waiting is assigned to said called station and said called
station is busy, for signaling to prompt a caller for a request to
interrupt an ongoing call at said called station and to prompt a
caller for an auto-callback request,
means, responsive to receipt of an interrupt request from said
calling station for transmitting an interrupt signal to said called
station,
means for establishing a connection between said calling and called
stations only in response to receipt of a signal from said called
station after transmission of said interrupt signal by said
transmitting means, and
means responsive to receipt of an auto-callback request from said
calling station and to a return to an idle status of said called
station, for initiating a new call between said called and calling
stations. .Iadd.
12. A method of processing a call from a calling communication
station to a called communication station comprising:
determining for said call whether said called station is busy;
determining whether a call waiting feature is assigned to said
called station;
determining whether said call is a toll call;
if said called station is busy, and if said called station has a
call waiting feature assigned thereto, and if that said call is a
toll call, signaling to said called station via a special tone,
different from a call waiting tone for a local call, that a toll
call is waiting; and
after said signaling, establishing a connection between said
calling and said called stations only in response to receipt of a
signal from said called station. .Iaddend. .Iadd.
13. A method of processing a call waiting call from a calling
communication station to a called communication station
comprising:
determining whether said call is a toll call;
in response to determining that said call is a toll call, signaling
to said called station via a special tone, different from a call
waiting tone for a local call, that a toll call is waiting; and
after said signaling, establishing a connection between said
calling and said called stations only in response to receipt of a
signal from said called station. .Iaddend. .Iadd.14. A method of
processing a call waiting call from a calling communication station
to a called communication station comprising:
determining whether said call is a toll call;
in response to determining that said call is a toll call, signaling
to said called station via a special tone, different from a call
waiting tone for a local call, that a toll call is waiting;
checking whether said calling station is still off-hook; and
if said calling station is still off-hook after said signaling,
establishing a connection between said calling and said called
stations only in response to receipt of a signal from said called
station. .Iaddend.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to telecommunication call processing.
BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM
As stored program-controlled switching systems have evolved, a wide
variety of useful features have been developed to extend the
communication capabilities such systems provide. Call waiting, a
feature that uses a beep tone to inform a customer already engaged
in an ongoing telephone conversation that a second call is coming
in, is considered a convenience in many circumstances, allowing,
for example, the interruption of an extended but relatively
unimportant call to take an emergency, or long-awaited, priority
call. However, there are several problems with the call waiting
feature. Many customers would prefer not to have their telephone
conversations interrupted, particularly by frequent routine or
unwanted calls; customers with call waiting tend to interrupt a
call to find out who is making a second call. If a customer with
call waiting chooses to leave a second call unanswered, the second
caller hears ringing and is unaware that the called party is busy
on the telephone. The second caller may unnecessarily defer a
subsequent call attempt based on the mistaken impression that the
called party is not at home. Further, a call waiting interruption
of a computer terminal data communication session is particularly
undesirable. A customer may deactivate call waiting for such data
sessions, but undesirably loses the benefit of call waiting
interruption for important incoming calls for the duration of each,
typically lengthy, data session.
In view of the foregoing, a recognized problem in the art is the
failure of existing call waiting features to inform calling parties
of the true call state at the called station so that unnecessary
call interruptions and call attempt deferrals are minimized.
SOLUTION
The foregoing problem is solved and a technical advance is achieved
in accordance with the principles of the invention in an exemplary,
improved call waiting arrangement where a caller is free to
exercise discretion in interrupting ongoing telephone calls because
the caller is prompted, for example via an audible announcement,
that the called party is busy on another call but that the caller
may request interruption of the call by remaining off-hook. If the
caller believes that his call is sufficiently important, he
requests call interruption by remaining off-hook. If the caller
chooses not to interrupt, he may make subsequent call attempts
promptly, because he knows that the called part is busy on another
call rather than being away from home. Alternatively, the caller
may activate auto-callback such that a call is completed between
the two parties as soon as the status of the called station returns
to on-hook.
In accordance with the invention, a call from a calling
communication station to a called communication station is
processed by determining whether call waiting is assigned to the
called station and the called station is busy. If it is determined
that call waiting is assigned to the called station and the called
station is busy, signaling is performed to inform a caller at the
calling station of the busy status of the called station.
In an exemplary switching arrangement described herein, the
signaling comprises an audible announcement comprising a recording
of the voice of a customer expected to answer calls to the called
station. The announcement prompts the caller that he may request
interruption of an ongoing call by remaining off-hook or he may
request auto-callback. The switching arrangement responds to an
interrupt request by determining whether the call is a toll call.
If the call is a toll call, an interrupt tone is transmitted to the
called station that is distinctive from an interrupt tone for a
local call. The switching arrangement responds to an auto-callback
request and to a return to an idle status of the called station by
completing a call between the called and the calling stations.
DRAWING DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 is a diagram of a switching arrangement implementing an
exemplary, improved call waiting feature in accordance with the
present invention;
FIG. 2 is a memory map for memory facilities included in a control
portion of the switching arrangement of FIG. 1;
FIGS. 3 and 4 comprise a flow chart for a program used to effect
call waiting in the arrangement of FIG. 1; and
FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 comprise a flow chart for an alternative call
waiting program.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In FIG. 1 switching arrangement 1000 includes local switches 1100
and 1200, toll switch 1300 and common channel signaling network
1400. An example of local switch 1100 or 1200 is disclosed in U.S.
Pat. No. 3,570,008 issued to R. W. Downing, et al., on Mar. 9,
1971, and The Bell System Technical Journal, Vol. 43, No. 5, Parts
1 and 2 of Sept., 1964. An example of toll switch 1300 is disclosed
in U.S. Pat. No. 3,736,381 issued to G. D. Johnson, et al., on May
29, 1973. Switches 1100, 1200, and 1300 are connected together and
to other switches via a common channel signaling network 1400 such
as that described in The Bell System Technical Journal, Vol. 57,
No. 2 of Feb., 1978. Network 1400 provides high-speed data
transmission between the control facilities of switches 1100, 1200
and 1300 to carry all signaling, address, and network control
information independently of the inter-switch talking paths. For
instance, this information includes the identity of trunks used by
customers as well as calling and called party identification.
Local switch 1100 includes a switching network 1110 interconnecting
a plurality of analog station sets such as 1101 and 1102 under the
control of a control arrangement 1120 including a processor 1122
and associated memory 1125. Memory 1125 (FIG. 2) includes storage
for static and dynamic data as well as the call processing programs
used to control the operation of switch 1100. Also specifically
shown is announcement unit 1130 which is used in accordance with
the present invention to play advisory announcements to callers at
analog stations sets 1101 and 1102, or to callers connected via
local switch 1200 or toll switch 1300.
A flow chart for a call processing program stored in memory 1125
and executed by processor 1122 to implement an illustrative,
improved call waiting arrangement in accordance with the invention
is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Execution of the program is initiated
either in response to a call origination from a station on switch
1100 or in response to receipt of a message from another switch
concerning an incoming inter-switch call. Execution begins with
block 3010 where translation data is read from the static data
section of memory 1125 to determine the identity of the called
station based on the address information provided by the caller.
Once the called station has been determined, execution proceeds to
decision block 3020 where the station busy/idle data is read from
the dynamic data section of memory 1125 to determine whether the
called station is busy. If the check indicates that the called
station is not busy, execution proceeds from block 3020 to block
3030 where a connection is completed to the called station.
However, if the check made in block 3020 indicates that the called
station is busy, execution proceeds from block 3020 to decision
block 3040 where the feature assignment data is read from the
static data section of memory 1125 to determine whether the
improved call waiting feature has been assigned to the called
station. If the check indicates that the called station has not
been assigned the improved call waiting feature, execution proceeds
from block 3040 to block 3050 where busy treatment is provided to
the caller. However, if the check made in block 3040 indicates that
the called station has been assigned the improved call waiting
feature, execution proceeds from block 3040 to block 3060 where the
prior call waiting data is read from the dynamic data section of
memory 1125 to determine whether a prior call waiting call is in
progress at the called station. If the check indicates that a prior
call waiting call is in progress, execution proceeds from block
3060 to block 3050 where busy treatment is provided to the caller.
However, if the check made in block 3060 indicates that there is no
prior call waiting call in progress at the called station,
execution proceeds from decision block 3060 to block 3070 where the
calling station is connected to announcement unit 1130.
Announcement unit 1130 transmits an audible announcement to the
caller, for example, a recording of the voice of a customer
expected to answer calls to the called station. The announcement
informs the caller of the busy status of the called station. The
announcement also prompts the caller indicating that the caller may
request interruption of an ongoing call at the called station by
maintaining an off-hook state of the calling station. Once the
announcement has been completed, execution proceeds from block 3070
to block 3080 and announcement unit 1130 is disconnected from the
calling station. Execution then proceeds to decision block 3090
where the line connected to the calling station is monitored to
determine whether the caller requests call interruption by
remaining off-hook for more than a predetermined time, e.g., 10
seconds. If the caller does not remain off-hook for more than the
predetermined time, execution proceeds from block 3090 to block
3100 where the call is disconnected. However, if the caller remains
off-hook for more than the predetermined time, execution proceeds
from block 3090 to decision block 3110 where the call record data
stored in the dynamic data section of memory 1125 is read to
determine whether the incoming call is a toll call. If the check
indicates that the call is a toll call, execution proceeds from
block 3110 to block 3130 where an interrupt tone is transmitted to
the called station that is distinctive from an interrupt tone for a
local call. If the check indicates that the call is not a toll
call, execution proceeds from block 3110 to block 3120 where an
interrupt tone for a local call is transmitted to the called
station. Execution proceeds from either of the blocks 3120 or 3130
to a decision block 3140 where the line to the called station is
monitored to determine whether the called party interrupts the
ongoing conversation to take the incoming call by the appropriate
station signaling procedure for such interruption. If the caller
does not interrupt, execution proceeds from block 3140 to block
3160 where the incoming call is thereafter disconnected when the
caller goes on-hook. However, if the caller does interrupt,
execution proceeds from block 3140 to block 3150 and a connection
is completed between the calling and called stations. The parties
can now communicate.
A flow chart for a call processing program stored in memory 1125
and executed by processor 1122 to implement an alternative,
improved call waiting arrangement in accordance with the invention
is shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. Execution of the program is initiated
either in response to a call origination from a station on switch
1100 or in response to receipt of a message from another switch
concerning an incoming inter-switch call. Execution begins with
block 4010 where translation data is read from the static data
section of memory 1125 to determine the identity of the called
station based on the address information provided by the caller.
Once the called station has been determined, execution proceeds to
decision block 4020 where the station busy/idle data is read from
the dynamic data section of memory 1125 to determine whether the
called station is busy. If the check indicates that the called
station is not busy, execution proceeds from block 4020 to block
4030 where a connection is completed to the called station.
However, if the check made in block 4020 indicates that the called
station is busy, execution proceeds from block 4020 to decision
block 4040 where the feature assignment data is read from the
static data section of memory 1125 to determine whether the
improved call waiting feature has been assigned to the called
station. If the check indicates that the called station has not
been assigned the improved call waiting feature, execution proceeds
from block 4040 to block 4050 where busy treatment is provided to
the caller. However, if the check made in block 4040 indicates that
the called station has been assigned the improved call waiting
feature, execution proceeds from block 4040 to block 4060 where the
prior call waiting data is read from the dynamic data section of
memory 1125 to determine whether a prior call waiting call is in
progress at the called station. If the check indicates that a prior
call waiting call is in progress, execution proceeds from block
4060 to block 4050 where busy treatment is provided to the caller.
However, if the check made in block 4060 indicates that there is no
prior call waiting call in progress at the called station,
execution proceeds from decision block 4060 to block 4070 where the
calling station is connected to announcement unit 1130.
Announcement unit 1130 transmits an audible announcement to the
caller, for example, a recording of the voice of a customer
expected to answer calls to the called station. The announcement
informs the caller of the busy status of the called station. The
announcement also prompts the caller indicating that the caller may
request interruption of an ongoing call at the called station by
maintaining an off-hook state of the calling station or may
activate an auto-call back feature is such feature is assigned to
the calling station. Once the announcement has been completed,
execution proceeds from block 4070 to block 4080 and announcement
unit 1130 is disconnected from the calling station. Execution then
proceeds to branch block 4090 where the line connected to the
calling station is monitored to determine which of three events
occurs: (1) the caller returns the calling station to an on-hook
status within a predetermined time, e.g., 10 seconds, (2) the
caller activates auto-call back using the appropriate station set
signaling procedure, or (3) the caller requests call interruption
by remaining off-hook for more than the predetermined time. If the
caller does not remain off-hook for more than the predetermined
time, execution proceeds from block 4090 to block 4100 where the
call is disconnected. If the caller remains off-hook for more than
the predetermined time, execution proceeds from block 4090 to
decision block 4110 (FIG. 7) where the call record data stored in
the dynamic data section of memory 1125 is read to determine
whether the incoming call is a toll call. If the check indicates
that the call is a toll call, execution proceeds from block 4110 to
block 4130 where an interrupt tone is transmitted to the called
station that is distinctive from an interrupt tone for a local
call. If the check indicates that the call is not a toll call,
execution proceeds from block 4110 to block 4120 where an interrupt
tone for a local call is transmitted to the called station.
Execution proceeds from either of the blocks 4120 or 4130 to a
decision block 4140 where the line to the called station is
monitored to determine whether the called party interrupts the
ongoing conversation to take the incoming call by the appropriate
station signaling procedure for such interruption. If the caller
does not interrupt, execution proceeds from block 4140 to block
4160 where the incoming call is thereafter disconnected when the
caller goes on-hook. However, if the caller does interrupt,
execution proceeds from block 4140 to block 4150 and a connection
is completed between the calling and called stations. The parties
can now communicate.
Returning to branch block 4090 (FIG. 5), if the caller activates
auto-callback, execution proceeds instead to block 4210 (FIG. 6)
where the line to the called station is checked to determine
whether the called station has been returned to an on-hook status.
If the check indicates that the called station has not been
returned to on-hook status, execution proceeds from block 4210 to
decision block 4230 where a check is made to determine whether the
caller has subsequently deactivated the auto-callback feature. If
the auto-callback feature has been deactivated, processing of the
call is completed. However, if the auto-callback feature remains
active, execution is returned from block 4230 back to block 4210.
Once a check made in block 4210 indicates that the called station
has been returned to on-hook status, execution proceeds from block
4210 to block 4220 and a call is completed between the called and
calling stations. The two parties can now communicate.
It is to be understood that the above-described call waiting
arrangements are merely illustrative of the principles of the
present invention and that many variations may be devised by those
skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of
the invention. It is therefore intended that such variations be
included within the scope of the claims.
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