Method and system for providing enhanced call waiting

• US 20040137883A1
• Filed: 07/23/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Claude Lee Harrington, James Thomas Maciejewski, Mary Louise Hardzinski, Nancy Ann Book, Robert Wesley Bossemeyer, Jr, Susan Marie Crockett, Thomas Joseph McBlain
• Original Assignee: Claude Lee Harrington, James Thomas Maciejewski, Mary Louise Hardzinski, Nancy Ann Book, Robert Wesley Bossemeyer, Jr, Susan Marie Crockett, Thomas Joseph McBlain
• Inventors: Book, Nancy Ann, McBlain, Thomas Joseph, Bossemeyer, Robert Wesley Jr., Crockett, Susanne Marie, Maciejewski, James Thomas, Hardzinski, Mary Louise, Harrington, Claude Lee
• Granted Patent: US 7,391,859 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/428 Arrangements for placing incoming calls on hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4288 Notifying a called subscriber of an incoming call during an ongoing call, e.g. Call Waiting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed for providing an enhanced call waiting message to a customer when the customer is busy on a previous call and receives a current call. The call waiting message preferably includes a call waiting indicator and an audible representation of information associated with a current calling party. The call waiting message alerts the customer that a current call is waiting and provides the customer with information that assists the customer in deciding whether or not to take the current call. The call waiting indicator and the information associated with a current calling party are automatically transmitted to the customer without any customer commands.

Claims

1. A method for processing a call from a calling communication station to a called communication station, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a current call at a called party'"'"'s switch;

(b) determining that a called communication station is busy on a previous call;

(c) transmitting information from the called party'"'"'s switch to a hub switch if the called communication station is busy on a previous call;

(d) using the hub switch to generate a query that requests information associated with the calling communication;

(e) obtaining information associated with the calling communication station in response to the query; and

(f) transmitting the information associated with the calling communication station to the called communication station.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein (c) comprises initiating an outgoing call from the called party'"'"'s switch to the hub switch.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein (e) comprises obtaining information associated with the calling communication station from a database in response to the query.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein (e) comprises obtaining information associated with the calling communication station from a caller identification with name database in response to the query.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein (e) comprises obtaining an identity of a caller at the calling communication station in response to the query.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein (e) comprises obtaining a telephone number associated with the calling communication station in response to the query.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein (e) comprises obtaining an identity of a caller at the calling communication station and a telephone number associated with the calling communication station in response to the query.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein (e) comprises using a service control point to obtain information associated with the calling communication station in response to the query generated by the hub switch.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein (f) comprises automatically transmitting an audible representation of the information associated with the calling communication station to the called communication station.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein (f) comprises automatically transmitting a textual representation of the information associated with the calling communication station to the called communication station.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting an audible call waiting indicator to the called communication station prior to (f).

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a single tone to the called communication station prior to (f).

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting one tone to the called communication station prior to (f) and transmitting one tone to the called communication station after (f).

14. A system for processing a call from a calling communication station to a called communication station, the system comprising:

a called party'"'"'s switch having a called communication station coupled thereto, the called party'"'"'s switch being operative to receive a current call, determine that a called communication station is busy on a previous call, and transmit information to a hub switch if the called communication station is busy on a previous call;

the hub switch being coupled with the called party'"'"'s switch and being operative to generate a query that requests information associated with the calling communication;

a service control point coupled with the hub switch, the service control point being operative to receive the query from the hub switch, obtain information associated with the calling communication station in response to the query, and transmit the information associated with the calling communication station to a destination.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising a service node coupled with the hub switch, the service node being operative to transmit an audible representation of the information associated with the calling communication station to the called communication station.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising an intelligent peripheral coupled with the hub switch, the intelligent peripheral being operative to transmit an audible representation of the information associated with the calling communication station to the called communication station.

17. The system of claim 14, further comprising a caller identification with name database coupled with the service control point.

18. A method for processing a call from a calling communication station to a called communication station, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a current call at a called party'"'"'s switch;

(b) determining that a called communication station is busy on a previous call;

(c) initiating an outgoing call from the called party'"'"'s switch to a hub switch if the called communication station is busy on a previous call;

(d) using the hub switch to generate a query that requests information associated with the calling communication;

(e) transmitting the query to a service control point;

(f) using the service control point to obtain information associated with the calling communication station from a database; and

(g) transmitting the information associated with the calling communication station to the called communication station.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein (f) comprises obtaining an identity of a caller at the calling communication station and a telephone number associated with the calling communication station in response to the query.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein (g) comprises automatically transmitting an audible representation of the information associated with the calling communication station to the called communication station.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein (g) comprises automatically transmitting a textual representation of the information associated with the calling communication station to the called communication station.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising transmitting an audible call waiting indicator to the called communication station prior to (g).