Customized ringback and communications

• US 20070291931A1
• Filed: 05/24/2007
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ONMOBILE LIVE, INC. (Onmobile Global Limited)
• Original Assignee: NMS Communications Corporation (Live Microsystems, Inc.)
• Inventors: DeMent, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 8,130,930 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42017 Customized ring-back tones

Abstract

A ring-back tone generator system provides a customized ring-back tone to a calling party (attempting to reach a called party) while the ring-back tone generator system participates in alerting the called party of the call connection request. Upon acceptance of the call connection by the called party answering his phone, the ring-back tone generator system can temporarily bridge the caller party with the called party. After at least temporarily providing the bridge, the ring-back tone generator system communicates with a remote phone switch system for purposes of offloading the bridge to a remote device that instead provides the bridge between the caller and the called party. Accordingly, the ring-back tone generator system can participate in a process of providing a customized ring-back tone to a caller, initiate alerting of a called party of the call, bridging a call, and a handing off a call.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a first call leg to provide a customized ring-back tone to a caller party attempting to establish a call connection with a called party;

establishing a second call leg to notify the called party of the attempted call connection;

detecting acceptance of the call connection by the called party; and

providing notification to terminate the first call leg and the second call leg and bridge the caller party to the called party at a remote communication device.

2. A method as in claim 1 further comprising:

communicating with the remote communication device to retrieve channel identification information associated with the second call leg; and

storing the channel identification information associated with the second call leg.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein providing notification includes communicating the channel identification information associated with the second call leg over the first call leg to notify the remote communication device to terminate the first call leg and the second call leg and bridge the caller party to the called party at the remote communication device.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein establishing the first call leg occurs in response to receiving a communication from the remote communication device of a call request generated by the caller party to establish the call connection with the called party.

5. A method as in claim 1 further comprising:

after providing the customized ring-back tone, at least temporarily supporting a voice communication channel through the first call leg and the second call leg enabling communications between the caller party and the called party.

6. A method as in claim 5 further comprising:

initiating termination of the first call leg and the second call leg in response to the remote communication device initiating establishment of a bridge between the caller party and the called party.

7. A method as in claim 1 further comprising:

providing a voice communication channel through the first call leg and the second call leg enabling communications between the caller party and the called party;

initiating transmission of an initial request to the remote communication device to establish a call connection bridge between the caller party and the called party;

detecting an inability of the remote communication device to establish the call connection bridge; and

continuing to provide the voice communication channel through the first call leg and the second call leg enabling communications between the caller party and the called party.

8. A method as in claim 7 further comprising:

initiating transmission of a subsequent request to the remote communication device to establish the call connection bridge between the caller party and the called party;

detecting an ability of the remote communication device to establish the call connection bridge; and

initiating termination of the voice communication channel through the first call leg and the second call leg.

9. A method as in claim 1, wherein establishing the first call leg includes maintaining call leg identification information associated with the second call leg.

10. A method as in claim 8, wherein providing notification includes communicating the call leg identification information associated with the second call leg over the first call leg to notify the remote communication device to terminate the first call leg and the second call leg and bridge the caller party to the called party at the remote communication device.

11. A method as in claim 1 further comprising:

providing the customized ring-back tone to the caller over the first call leg while sending an alert over the second leg to the called party, the alert indicating that the caller party is attempting to reach the called party.

12. A method as in claim 11, wherein providing the customized ring-back tone includes transmitting the customized ring-back tone to the caller party over a voice channel established on the first call leg, the method further comprising:

after the called party accepts the call connection, at least temporarily supporting a voice communication channel through the first call leg and the second call leg enabling communications between the caller party and the called party; and

initiating termination of the first call leg and the second call leg in response to the remote communication device establishing a bridge between the caller party and the called party.

13. A method comprising:

receiving a call connection request generated by a caller party to establish a call connection with a called party;

participating in establishment of a first call connection segment on which to provide a customized ring-back tone from a ring-back tone generator to the caller party;

participating in establishment of a second call connection segment on which to notify the called party of the call connection request; and

receiving a bridge request from a remote destination to bridge the caller party to the called party.

14. A method as in claim 13, wherein participating in establishment of a first call connection segment includes allocating a first port resource of a switching resource for creating the first call connection segment between the switch and the ring-back tone generator;

and

wherein participating in establishment of the second call connection segment includes allocating a second port resource of the switching resource for creating the second call connection segment between the switch and the ring-back tone generator.

15. A method as in claim 14 further comprising:

in response to receiving a channel information request over the second call connection segment, providing channel identification information associated with the second call connection segment to the ring-back tone generator.

16. A method as in claim 15, wherein receiving the bridge request includes receiving the channel identification information associated with the second call connection segment over the first call connection segment, the method further comprising:

establishing a bridge between the caller party and the called party; and

terminating the first call connection segment and the second call connection segment at least in part by de-allocating use of the first port resource and the second port resource of the switching resource.

17. A method as in claim 16 further comprising:

at least temporarily supporting a voice communication channel between the caller party and the called party over a combination of the first call connection leg and the second call connection leg prior to establishing the bridge.

18. A method as in claim 13 further comprising:

in response to receiving the bridge request, initiating a reply to the remote destination indicating whether a bridge can be created to connect the caller party with the called party.

19. A method as in claim 13 further comprising:

at least temporarily supporting a voice communication channel between the caller party and the called party over a combination of the first call connection leg and the second call connection leg prior to establishing the bridge.

20. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

a memory unit that stores instructions associated with an application executed by the processor; and

an interconnect coupling the processor and the memory unit, enabling the computer system to execute the application and perform operations of;

establishing a first call leg to provide a customized ring-back tone to a caller party attempting to establish a call connection with a called party;

establishing a second call leg to notify the called party of the attempted call connection;

detecting acceptance of the call connection by the called party; and

providing notification to terminate the first call leg and the second call leg and bridge the caller party to the called party at a remote communication device.

21. A computer system as in claim 20 further supporting operations of:

communicating with the remote communication device to retrieve channel identification information associated with the second call leg; and

storing the channel identification information associated with the second call leg.

22. A computer system as in claim 21, wherein providing notification includes communicating the channel identification information associated with the second call leg over the first call leg to notify the remote communication device to terminate the first call leg and the second call leg and bridge the caller party to the called party at the remote communication device.

23. A computer system as in claim 20 further supporting operations of:

after providing the customized ring-back tone, at least temporarily supporting a voice communication channel through the first call leg and the second call leg enabling communications between the caller party and the called party.

24. A computer system as in claim 23 further supporting operations of:

initiating termination of the first call leg and the second call leg in response to the remote communication device initiating establishment of a bridge between the caller party and the called party.

25. A computer system as in claim 20 further supporting operations of:

providing a voice communication channel through the first call leg and the second call leg enabling communications between the caller party and the called party;

initiating transmission of an initial request to the remote communication device to establish a call connection bridge between the caller party and the called party;

detecting an inability of the remote communication device to establish the call connection bridge; and

continuing to provide the voice communication channel through the first call leg and the second call leg enabling communications between the caller party and the called party.

26. A computer system as in claim 25 further supporting operations of:

initiating transmission of a subsequent request to the remote communication device to establish the call connection bridge between the caller party and the called party;

detecting an ability of the remote communication device to establish the call connection bridge; and

initiating termination of the voice communication channel through the first call leg and the second call leg.

27. A computer system as in claim 20, wherein establishing the first call leg includes maintaining call leg identification information associated with the second call leg;

and

wherein providing notification includes communicating the call leg identification information associated with the second call leg over the first call leg to notify the remote communication device to terminate the first call leg and the second call leg and bridge the caller party to the called party at the remote communication device.

28. A computer program product including a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for processing data information, such that the instructions, when carried out by a processing device, enable the processing device to perform the steps of:

establishing a first call leg to provide a customized ring-back tone to a caller party attempting to establish a call connection with a called party;

establishing a second call leg to notify the called party of the attempted call connection;

detecting acceptance of the call connection by the called party; and

providing notification to terminate the first call leg and the second call leg and bridge the caller party to the called party at a remote communication device.