Mid-call hand-off between end user terminals

• US 20070004411A1
• Filed: 06/23/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Goldman, Stuart, Patfield, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 8,477,923 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/436
• 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: H04W 36/00 Hand-off or reselection arrangements

Abstract

A method of supporting a mid-call hand-off feature (22) is provided in a telecommunications network (40). The method includes: connecting a first call through a first switching facility (20) of the telecommunications network (40) such that a first party served by the first switching facility (20) and a second party are participating in the call; making a decision to-invoke the mid-call hand-off feature (22); placing a second call from the first switching facility (20) to a designated telephone number; and, connecting the second party to the second call.

Claims

1. A method of supporting a mid-call hand-off feature in a telecommunications network, the method comprising:

(a) connecting a first call through a first switching facility of the telecommunications network such that a first party served by the first switching facility and a second party are participating in the call;

(b) making a decision to invoke the mid-call hand-off feature;

(c) placing a second call from the first switching facility to a designated telephone number; and

,

(d) connecting the second party to the second call.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

placing the second party on hold after step (b) and prior to (d).

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

releasing the first call after the second party has been placed on hold.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising after step (d):

completing connection of the second call between the first and second parties in response to the first party answering the second call.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (b) and (c) are carried out while the first call remains in progress.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the designated telephone number from the first party via the first call.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the designated telephone number from a subscriber database having the designated telephone number stored therein.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the decision to invoke the mid-call hand-off is made in response to an instruction to do so received from the first party via the first call.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the decision to invoke the mid-call hand-off is made automatically in response to the first switching facility detecting a defined call condition.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the defined call condition is low signal strength or a loss of signal for the first party.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first party is using a first end user terminal served by the first switching facility to participate in the first call, and the designated telephone number is assigned to a second end user terminal different than the first end user terminal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second end user terminal is served by a second switching facility different than the first switching facility.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein step (d) is carried out in response to the second call being answered by the first party on the second end user terminal to which the second call was placed.

14. A system for supporting a mid-call hand-off service in a telecommunications network, the system comprising:

connecting means that connect a first call through a first switching facility of the telecommunications network such that a first party served by the first switching facility and a second party are participating in the call;

invoking means that selectively invoke the mid-call hand-off service;

calling means for placing a second call from the first switching facility to a designated telephone number in response to invocation of the mid-call hand-off service by the invoking means; and

,

bridging means that selectively bridge the second party to the second call after the second call has been placed.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

holding means for selectively placing the second party on hold for a period of time after invocation of the mid-call hand-off service and before the second party is bridged to the second call.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the connection means releases the first call after the second party has been placed on hold.

17. The system of claim 15, the connection means completes a connection of the second call between the first and second parties in response to the first party answering the second call.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the first party is using a first end user terminal served by the first switching facility to participate in the first call, and the designated telephone number is assigned to a second end user terminal different than the first end user terminal.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the bridging means bridges the second party to the second call in response to the second call being answered by the first party on the second end user terminal to which the second call was placed.

20. A switching facility in operative communication with a telecommunications network and a first end user terminal that is provided access to the network by the switching facility, the switching facility comprising:

connecting means that selectively connects a first call through the switching facility such that the first end user terminal and a second end user terminal are connected on the first call;

invoking means that selectively invokes a service;

calling means that placing a second call from the switching facility to a designated telephone number in response to invocation of the service by the invoking means; and

,

bridging means that selectively bridges the second end user terminal to the second call after the second call has been placed.