Method and apparatus for migrating active communication session between terminals

• US 10,397,341 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2018
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Schneider, Marco, Zhang, Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Kai
• Application Number:
  US16/045,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20180332123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 398 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/20 hybrid systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1327 Release and resetting of connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

An apparatus and method are disclosed for migrating between terminals. An apparatus that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a network proxy having a controller that manages a communications interface in a communication system. The controller can be programmed to receive a request to migrate a first terminal to a third terminal while active communications are taking place on a first voice channel connecting the first terminal to a second terminal, establish a second voice channel with the third terminal, connect the first and second voice channels, and terminate without action of an end user of the first terminal a connection between the first terminal and the first voice channel. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

responsive to receiving a request, during an active communication session between a first end user device and a second end user device by a first connection to a first channel, to migrate the active communication session from the first end user device to a third end user device;

facilitating, by a processing system including a processor, a network origination call to the third end user device via a second channel; and

facilitating, by the processing system, a second connection of the first channel and the second channel by way of a communications bridge to maintain the active communication session;

contemporaneously and responsive to initiation of the network origination call, terminating, by the processing system, the first connection between the first end user device and the first channel; and

transmitting, by the processing system, a notification to the third end user device indicating that the third end user device can engage in communications with the second end user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminating of the first connection between the first end user device and the first channel is performed contemporaneous with a detection at the third end user device of an acceptance of the network origination call.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminating of the first connection between the first end user device and the first channel releases the first channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is transmitted by the first end user device responsive to a detection of the third end user device by the first end user device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first end user device obtains an identifier of the third end user device via short-range communications via a radio frequency identification device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the request includes an identifier of the third end user device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first channel comprises a voice channel.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the processing system, a conferencing request transmitted from a fourth end user device to connect the fourth end user device to the second end user device and the third end user device; and

facilitating, by the processing system, a third connection of a third channel and the fourth end user device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising facilitating, by the processing system, a fourth connection of the second channel and the third channel, wherein the fourth connection of the second channel and the third channel is facilitated during the active communications session.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the processing system, a signal to the third end user device indicating that the active communication session with the second end user device is available to the third end user device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the signal comprises an audible signal, a text signal, or any combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, by the processing system, a notice to a user of the first channel regarding detection of one of the first end user device by the third end user device or the third end user device by the first end user device.

13. An end user device, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

facilitating a first connection to a first channel to enable an active communication session with a second end user device via the first channel;

sending a request to a server to migrate the active communication session with the second end user device to a third end user device, wherein the server facilitates a network origination call to the third end user device via a second channel, and wherein the server facilitates a second connection of the first channel and the second channel by way of a communications bridge when the network origination call is answered by the third end user device to maintain the active communication session; and

facilitating termination of the first connection between the end user device and the first channel contemporaneously and responsive to initiation of the network origination call.

14. The end user device of claim 13, wherein the first connection between the end user device and the first channel is automatically terminated contemporaneous with a detection at the third end user device of an acceptance of the network origination call.

15. The end user device of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise receiving an identifier of the third end user device via short-range communications via a radio frequency identification device.

16. The end user device of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise detecting the third end use device, wherein the sending of the request to the server to migrate the active communication session is responsive to the detecting of the third end user device.

17. The end user device of claim 13, wherein the first channel comprises a first voice channel, and wherein the second channel comprises a second voice channel.

18. A machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

responsive to receiving a request to conference a third end user device into an active communication session between a first end user device and a second end user device over a first connection to a first channel, initiating a network origination call to the third end user device via a second channel; and

facilitating a second connection of the first channel and the second channel by way of a communications bridge to complete the conference of the first end user device, the second end user device, and the third end user device.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the request is transmitted by the third end user device responsive to a detection, by the third end user device, of the first end user device, the second end user device, or any combination thereof.

20. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the processing system comprises a plurality of processors operating in a distributed processing environment.