Methods, apparatus and computer program products for secondary routing of calls in a voice over internet protocol communication system

• US 20070115923A1
• Filed: 10/19/2005
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Denny, Michael, Hill, Sammie
• Application Number:
  US11/254,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20070115923A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/46 Arrangements for calling a number of substations in a predetermined sequence until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A method of providing Voice-Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications can include processing a call placed to a VoIP phone line based on whether the VoIP phone line is included in a calling group of a plurality of VoIP phone lines.

Claims

1. A method of providing Voice-Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications comprising:

processing a call placed to a VoIP phone line based on whether the VoIP phone line is included in a calling group of a plurality of VoIP phone lines.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the calling group comprises a logical association of the plurality of VoIP phone lines.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein processing comprises routing the call responsive to input from a caller VoIP phone line if a status of the called VoIP phone line comprises unavailable status.

4. A method according to claim 3 wherein unavailable status comprises do-not-disturb status, out-of-office status, or on-another-line status.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein processing further comprises

processing the call according to a contact profile associated with the called VoIP phone line.

6. A method according to claim 5 wherein a contact profile comprises at least one secondary VoIP phone line to which the call is routed if selected.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the secondary VoIP phone line is included in the calling group of a plurality of VoIP phone lines.

8. A method according to claim 5 wherein the contact profile comprises one of a plurality of contact profiles associated with the called VoIP phone line.

9. A method according to claim 8 further comprising:

processing the call according to the one of the plurality of contact profiles responsive to information associated with a VoIP phone line of the caller.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein information associated with the VoIP phone line of the caller comprises the VoIP phone line of the caller and/or a calling group in which the VoIP phone line of the caller is included.

11. A method according to claim 5 wherein processing further comprises:

determining that the called VoIP phone line is unavailable;

accessing the contact profile;

providing routing options in the contact profile to a caller VoIP phone line from which the call is placed;

receiving input from caller VoIP phone line; and

routing the call based on the input.

12. A method of providing Voice-Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications comprising:

receiving a call from a caller to a called VoIP phone line at a service provider based on an indication that VoIP phone line is unavailable;

determining whether the VoIP phone line is included in a calling group of a plurality of VoIP phone lines;

providing routing options for the call to the caller according to a contact profile associated with the called VoIP phone line;

receiving input from the caller to route the call according to an option selected by the input; and

routing the call according to the option selected.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein a contact profile comprises at least one secondary VoIP phone line to which the call is routed if selected.

14. A method according to claim 13 wherein the secondary VoIP phone line is included in the calling group of a plurality of VoIP phone lines.

15. A method according to claim 12 wherein the contact profile comprises one of a plurality of contact profiles associated with the called VoIP phone line.

16. A method according to claim 15 further comprising:

processing the call according to the one of the plurality of contact profiles responsive to information associated with the called VoIP phone line.

17. A computer program product for providing Voice-Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communications comprising a computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program product comprising:

computer readable program code configured to process a call placed to a VoIP phone line based on whether the VoIP phone line is included in a calling group of a plurality of VoIP phone lines.

18. A computer program product according to claim 17 wherein computer readable program code configured to process comprises computer readable program code configured to route the call responsive to input from a caller VoIP phone line if a status of the called VoIP phone line comprises unavailable status.

19. A computer program product according to claim 18 wherein unavailable status comprises do-not-disturb status, out-of-office status, or on-another-line status.

20. A computer program product according to claim 17 wherein computer readable program code configured to process further comprises computer readable program code configured to process the call according to one of a plurality of contact profiles associated with the called VoIP phone line.