Method, apparatus, programs and storage medium for transferring data between different types of terminals

• US 20050210148A1
• Filed: 08/24/2004
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kato, Tetsuya, Fukuta, Shigeki, Fukuyama, Noriyuki, Fujino, Nobutsugu, Iida, Ichiro, Motoyama, Hideyuki, Noda, Masahide, Toda, Akinobu
• Granted Patent: US 8,046,474 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/244
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/43 Billing software details
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8016 based on quality of service [QoS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0168 On line or real-time flexible customization or negotiation according to wishes of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7414 QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308

Abstract

A communications terminal selection unit acquires, upon receipt of a call origination request, presence information including terminal information on terminals available to a call terminator from a presence management unit, and selects a specific terminal, if there are a plurality of terminals available to the call terminator based on the presence information, based on terminal selection information in which at least whether communication quality or charge takes priority is defined beforehand by the call terminator, notifying a call transfer unit of the selected terminal as a transfer destination terminal for call transfer.

Claims

1. A method of transferring data between different types of terminals, comprising:

a presence information acquisition step of acquiring presence information including terminal information on terminals available to a call terminator upon receipt of a call origination request;

a terminal selection step of selecting a specific terminal based on terminal selection information in which the a call terminator at least defines in advance whether call quality or call charge takes priority if there are a plurality of terminals available to the call terminator based on the presence information; and

a call transfer step of notifying of a selected terminal as transfer destination to allow call transfer.

2. The method of transferring data between different types of terminals according to claim 1, wherein a terminal type is set such as phone, instant message, http and mail as a first terminal attribute in the terminal information, and wherein details of the phone are set such as fixed phone, mobile phone, PHS, and VoIP phone as a second terminal attribute in the terminal information.

3. The method of transferring data between different types of terminals according to claim 1, wherein the terminal selection step includes selecting a specific terminal or service based on a terminal filter defining a terminal selection condition that is based on which is larger or smaller of a first evaluation value held by a call originator and a second evaluation value held by a call terminator.

4. The method of transferring data between different types of terminals according to claim 3, wherein a terminal selection condition is set in advance in the terminal filter for selecting a specific terminal or service through comparison of call originator'"'"'s call priority level and call terminator'"'"'s busyness.

5. The method of transferring data between different types of terminals according to claim 4, wherein a terminal selection condition is set in advance in the terminal filter for selecting a call terminal if busyness is lower than call originator'"'"'s call priority level and for selecting recorded service in any other cases.

6. The method of transferring data between different types of terminals according to claim 4, wherein a terminal selection condition is set in advance in the terminal filter for selecting a specific terminal or service through comparison of job titles of the call originator and the call terminator.

7. The method of transferring data between different types of terminals according to claim 6, wherein a terminal selection condition is set in advance in the terminal filter for selecting a call terminal if the call terminator is lower than the call originator in job title and for selecting recorded service in any other cases.

8. The method of transferring data between different types of terminals according to claim 3, wherein the terminal selection step includes selecting a terminal with high call quality or with low communications charge based on priority level information if a plurality of call terminals are selected as terminal candidates based on the terminal filter.

9. The method of transferring data between different types of terminals according to claim 8, wherein the terminal selection step includes setting a weighted communication bandwidth, weighted communications charge and priority level value as priority level information, finding a priority level using (weighted communication bandwidth)−

(weighted communications charge)+(priority level value), and selecting a call terminal with highest priority level in absolute value so as to allow selection of a terminal with high quality and low charge.

10. The method of transferring data between different types of terminals according to claim 9, wherein the terminal selection step includes, when selection of a terminal with high call quality is desired, setting weights for communications charge in the priority level information to zero, and selecting a call terminal with highest priority level.

11. The method of transferring data between different types of terminals according to claim 9, wherein the terminal selection step includes, when selection of a terminal with low call charge is desired, setting weights for communications bandwidth in the priority level information to zero, and selecting a call terminal with highest priority level in absolute value.

12. The method of transferring data between different types of terminals according to claim 9, wherein when selection of a specific terminal is desired independently of call quality and call charge, a priority level value of a terminal to be selected in the priority level information is set to a large value so as to assign the highest priority level in absolute value, with other weights being set to zero.

13. The method of transferring data between different types of terminals according to claim 3, wherein the terminal selection step includes setting a weighted communication bandwidth, weighted communications delay, weighted time charging, weighted data charging, and priority level value as the priority level information, finding priority level using (weighted communication bandwidth)−

(weighted communications delay)−

(weighted time charging)−

(weighted data charging)+(priority level value), and selecting a call terminal with highest priority level in absolute value so as to allow selection of a terminal with high quality and low charge.

14. The method of transferring data between different types of terminals according to claim 1, when a communications terminal in an external network is selected as a transfer destination terminal by Web page referencing from a call originator'"'"'s terminal in an external network, further comprising a dynamic phonebook display step of notifying the call originator'"'"'s terminal of the phone number of the transfer destination terminal so as to allow the call originator'"'"'s terminal to directly originate a call.

15. The method of transferring data between different types of terminals according to claim 14, wherein the dynamic phonebook display step includes creating a confirmation screen that includes the phone number of the transfer destination terminal as a link and transferring the screen to the call originator'"'"'s terminal.

16. The method of transferring data between different types of terminals according to claim 1, when a communications terminal in an internal network is selected as a transfer destination terminal by Web page referencing from a call originator'"'"'s terminal in an external network, further comprising a dynamic phonebook display step of notifying the call originator'"'"'s terminal of a key phone number so as to allow the call originator'"'"'s terminal to make a call origination request, and converting the key phone number received through the call origination request to an internal network phone number of the transfer destination terminal so as to allow call transfer.

17. The method of transferring data between different types of terminals according to claim 16, wherein the dynamic phonebook display step includes creating a confirmation screen that includes the key phone number as a link and transferring the screen to the call originator'"'"'s terminal.

18. An apparatus for transferring data between different types of terminals, comprising:

a presence information acquisition unit for acquiring presence information including terminal information on terminals available to a call terminator upon receipt of a call origination request;

a terminal selection unit for selecting a specific terminal based on terminal selection information in which the call terminator at least defines in advance whether call quality or call charge takes priority if there are a plurality of terminals available to the call terminator based on the presence information; and

a call transfer unit for notifying of a selected terminal as transfer destination to allow call transfer.

19. A program for causing a computer to execute:

a presence information acquisition step of acquiring presence information including terminal information on terminals available to a call terminator upon receipt of a call origination request;

a terminal selection step of selecting a specific terminal based on terminal selection information in which the call terminator at least defines in advance whether call quality or call charge takes priority if there are a plurality of terminals available to the call terminator based on the presence information; and

a call transfer step of notifying of a selected terminal as transfer destination to allow call transfer.

20. A computer-readable storage medium having therein stored a program for causing a computer to execute:

a presence information acquisition step of acquiring presence information including terminal information on terminals available to a call terminator upon receipt of a call origination request;

a terminal selection step of selecting a specific terminal based on terminal selection information in which the call terminator at least defines in advance whether call quality or call charge takes priority if there are a plurality of terminals available to the call terminator based on the presence information; and

a call transfer step of notifying of a selected terminal as transfer destination to allow call transfer.