Call Forwarding Based on Determination of Status of Destination

• US 20070127678A1
• Filed: 02/13/2007
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Khan, Azhar
• Granted Patent: US 8,670,542 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/211.20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• 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

In a call forwarding system, a call from a calling party for a called party is received at a switching device and in response to the received call the switching device issues a request for call processing instructions to a control device. The call processing instructions request is received at the control device and in response to the received request the control device checks with the destination station to determine the availability thereof. The control device returns call processing instructions to the switching device including a telephone number of the destination station if the destination station is available. Similarly, the control device returns alternative call processing instructions to the switching device if the destination station is not available.

Claims

1. A method of forwarding a call from a calling party to a called party, the method comprising:

receiving the call from the calling party;

retrieving call processing instructions from a control device;

determining, prior to forwarding the call, whether a user of the destination station to which the call processing instructions indicate the call is to be forwarded accepts or rejects the call that is to be forwarded, the determination of whether a user of the destination station accepts or rejects the call being made even if the destination station is determined to be available;

wherein the call processing instructions include a telephone number of the destination station if the destination station is available and the user of the destination station accepts the call; and

wherein alternative call processing instructions are retrieved if the destination station is not available or the user of the destination station rejects the call.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising receiving the call from the calling party at a service switching point (SSP) or central office, and in response to the received call the SSP issuing a request for call processing instructions to a service control point (SCP) in an advanced intelligent network (AIN).

3. The method of claim 1 comprising the control device determining that the destination station is not available if not on or if on and busy.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the destination station is a wireless device and further comprising the control device checking with the wireless device to determine the availability thereof by way of a gateway through which the wireless device is accessed.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the destination station is a wireless application protocol (WAP) enabled wireless device and wherein the gateway is a WAP gateway.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising the gateway in response to instructions received from the control device establishing a data connection with the wireless device and with the data connection determining the availability of the destination station, the gateway thereafter informing the control device of the determined availability.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising automatically forwarding the call to the destination station if the destination station is available and the user of the destination station accepts the call.

8. One or more computer-readable media comprising instructions for forwarding a call from a calling party to a called party, the instructions comprising instructions for:

receiving the call from the calling party;

retrieving call processing instructions from a control device;

determining, prior to forwarding the call, whether a user of the destination station to which the call processing instructions indicate the call is to be forwarded accepts or rejects the call that is to be forwarded, the determination of whether a user of the destination station accepts or rejects the call being made even if the destination station is determined to be available;

wherein the call processing instructions include a telephone number of the destination station if the destination station is available and the user of the destination station accepts the call; and

wherein alternative call processing instructions are retrieved if the destination station is not available or the user of the destination station rejects the call.

9. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8 comprising instructions for receiving the call from the calling party at a service switching point (SSP) or central office, and in response to the received call the SSP issuing a request for call processing instructions to a service control point (SCP) in an advanced intelligent network (AIN).

10. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8 comprising instructions for the control device to determine that the destination station is not available if not on or if on and busy.

11. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8 wherein the destination station is a wireless device and further comprising instructions for the control device to check with the wireless device to determine the availability thereof by way of a gateway through which the wireless device is accessed.

12. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 11 wherein the destination station is a wireless application protocol (WAP) enabled wireless device and wherein the gateway is a WAP gateway.

13. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 11 further comprising instructions to the gateway to establish a data connection with the wireless device and with the data connection determining the availability of the destination station, the gateway thereafter informing the control device of the determined availability.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising instructions for automatically forwarding the call to the destination station if the destination station is available and the user of the destination station accepts the call.

15. A call forwarding system comprising:

a controller configured to;

receive a service request for call processing instructions for a call from a calling party,

retrieve call processing instructions for the call,

determine whether a user of a destination station to which the call processing instructions indicate the call is to be forwarded accepts or rejects the call that is to be forwarded, the determination of whether a user of the destination station accepts or rejects the call being made even if the destination station is determined to be available, and

forwarding the call processing instructions if the destination station is available and a user of the destination station accepts the call,

wherein the call processing instructions include a telephone number of the destination station if the destination station is available and the user of the destination station accepts the call; and

wherein alternative call processing instructions are retrieved if the destination station is not available or the user of the destination station rejects the call.

16. The system of claim 15 further comprising a service switching point (SSP) or central office which receives the call from the calling party and issues the request for call processing instructions to the controller, which comprises a service control point (SCP) in an advanced intelligent network (AIN).

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the controller determines that the destination station is not available if not on or if on and busy.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the destination station is a wireless device and the controller is configured to check with the wireless device to determine the availability thereof by way of a gateway through which the wireless device is accessed.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the destination station is a wireless application protocol (WAP) enabled wireless device and wherein the gateway is a WAP gateway.

20. The system of claim 15 wherein the gateway is configured to establish a data connection with the wireless device and with the data connection determining the availability of the destination station in response to instructions received from the controller, the gateway thereafter informing the controller of the determined availability.