METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MIGRATING BETWEEN TERMINALS

• US 20070274292A1
• Filed: 05/24/2006
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: SCHNEIDER, MARCO, ZHANG, YI
• Granted Patent: US 9,537,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/20 hybrid systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• 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: H04Q 2213/1327 Release and resetting of connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

An apparatus and method are disclosed for migrating between terminals. An apparatus that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a network proxy having a controller that manages a communications interface in a communication system. The controller can be programmed to receive a request to migrate a first terminal to a third terminal while active communications are taking place on a first voice channel connecting the first terminal to a second terminal, establish a second voice channel with the third terminal, connect the first and second voice channels, and terminate without action of an end user of the first terminal a connection between the first terminal and the first voice channel. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A network proxy, comprising a controller that manages a communications interface in a communication system, wherein the controller is programmed to:

receive a request to migrate a first terminal to a third terminal while active communications are taking place on a first voice channel connecting the first terminal to a second terminal;

establish a second voice channel with the third terminal;

connect the first and second voice channels; and

terminate without action of an end user of the first terminal a connection between the first terminal and the first voice channel.

2. The network proxy of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to receive the request from the first terminal by way of the first voice channel.

3. The network proxy of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to receive the request from the third terminal.

4. The network proxy of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to receive the request from an over-the-air message transmitted by one among the first and third terminals.

5. The network proxy of claim 1, wherein the request comprises an Internet message generated by an Internet server directed by an end user of one among the first and third terminals.

6. The network proxy of claim 1, wherein the request comprises one or more Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) signals generated by one among the first and third terminals over the first voice channel.

7. The network proxy of claim 1, wherein the request comprises at least one among a voice message and one or more DTMF signals processed by an interactive voice response system (IVR) managed by the controller.

8. The network proxy of claim 1, wherein the network proxy comprises an Internet protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS).

9. The network proxy of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to transmit a completion signal to the third terminal indicating that the third terminal can engage in communications with the second terminal.

10. The network proxy of claim 1, wherein the controller is programmed to:

receive a conferencing request to connect a fourth terminal to the first voice channel;

establish a third voice channel with the fourth terminal; and

connect the first and third voice channels.

11. The network proxy of claim 10, wherein the controller is programmed to receive the conferencing request from one among the second, third and fourth terminals.

12. The network proxy of claim 1, wherein the request conforms to one among a group of protocols comprising signaling system 7 (SS7), session initiation protocol (SIP), and H.323.

13. A computer-readable storage medium in a network proxy, comprising computer instructions for migrating a first terminal, engaged in active communications over a first voice channel with a second terminal, to a third terminal by connecting the third terminal to the first voice channel and terminating a connection between the first terminal and the first voice channel.

14. The storage medium of claim 13, comprising computer instructions for receiving a request to migrate the first terminal to the third terminal.

15. The storage medium of claim 14, comprising computer instructions for receiving the request from the first terminal by way of the first voice channel.

16. The storage medium of claim 14, comprising computer instructions for receiving the request from the third terminal.

17. The storage medium of claim 14, comprising computer instructions for receiving the request from a group of sources comprising an over-the-air message transmitted by one among the first and third terminals, an Internet message generated by an Internet server as directed by an end user of one among the first and third terminals, and one or more Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) signals generated by one among the first and third terminals over the first voice channel.

18. The storage medium of claim 13, comprising computer instructions for:

receiving a conferencing request to connect a fourth terminal to the first voice channel;

transmitting to one among the second and third terminals a signal corresponding to the conferencing request for connecting the fourth terminal to the first voice channel; and

connecting the fourth terminal to the first voice channel upon receiving a conference acceptance signal from one among the second and third terminals.

19. The storage medium of claim 18, comprising computer instructions for receiving the conferencing request from one among the second and third terminals by way of the first voice channel.

20. The storage medium of claim 13, comprising computer instructions for:

transmitting a network originating call to the third terminal;

connecting the third terminal to the first voice channel upon detecting an acceptance of the network originating call by the third terminal.

21. A computer-readable storage medium in a first terminal, comprising computer instructions for transmitting to a network proxy a request to migrate the first terminal, engaged in active communications over a first communications channel with a second terminal, to a third terminal by connecting the third terminal to the first communications channel and terminating a connection between the first terminal and the first communications channel upon completing the connection to the third terminal.

22. The storage medium of claim 21, wherein the first terminal comprises one among a plain old telephone service (POTS) communication device, a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) communication device, a wireless communication device.

23. The storage medium of claim 21, comprising computer instructions for transmitting the request to the network proxy in response to detecting a presence of the third terminal.

24. The storage medium of claim 23, wherein the first terminal comprises a wireless receiver and the third terminal comprises a wireless transmitter to signal the first terminal of its presence.

25. The storage medium of claim 23, wherein the first and second terminals each comprise a radio frequency identification (RFID) device for detecting each other'"'"'s presence.

26. The storage medium of claim 21, comprising computer instructions for:

detecting a presence of the third terminal;

submitting a notice to an end user of the first terminal in response to detecting the presence of the third terminal;

receiving an acceptance signal from the end user indicating a desire to migrate to the third terminal; and

transmitting to the network proxy the request to migrate to the third terminal in response to detecting said acceptance signal.

27. The storage medium of claim 21, comprising computer instructions for:

presenting to an end user of the first terminal a notice received from the network proxy indicating that migration is ready to be executed;

receiving a migration acceptance message from the end user; and

transmitting the migration acceptance message to the network proxy directing the network proxy to complete the migration from the first to the third terminal.