CALL MANAGEMENT SERVICE

• US 20110305331A1
• Filed: 08/23/2011
• Published: 12/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LoopUp Ltd. (LoopUp Group plc)
• Original Assignee: Ring2 Communications Limited (LoopUp Group plc)
• Inventors: Hughes, Thomas Michael, Siddiq, Abdelkareem, Dufour, Sylvain, Mohanty, Sandeep
• Granted Patent: US 9,118,981 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/202.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1305 Software aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13091 CLI, identification of calling line
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13176 Common channel signaling, CCS7
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1326 Consultation call, broker's call, call hold, toggling
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0016 Arrangements providing connection between exchanges

Abstract

The invention pertains to a call management service for a communications system, configured to automatically: receive telephone call data identifying a destination end point and identifying a source end point; initiate a call-back telephone call to said source end point to set-up a first call leg responsive to receiving said telephone call data; initiate a telephone call to said destination end point to set-up a second call leg; combine said first and second call legs together thereby to provide voice communication between said source and destination end points; and transmit call leg status signals for said voice communication over a separate real-time communications connections signalling link to a communications client associated with at least one of said end points.

Claims

1. A method of operating a communications system including a call management server and a communications client at one or more conference call participants, for the establishment of a conference call having a plurality of conference call participant call legs, comprising the steps of determining that a conference call participant call leg is active for said conference call;

notifying said communications client at another conference call participant that said conference call participant call leg has become active;

presenting in response to said notification a message to said another conference call participant confirming that the conference call is active and presenting a mechanism to join or monitor the conference call.

2. A communications client for a communications system including a call management server and a communications client at one or more conference call participants, for the establishment of a conference call having a plurality of conference call participant call legs, said communications client being configured to receive a notification from the call management server that a conference call conference call participant call leg has become active;

to present automatically in response to said notification a message to the conference call participant confirming that the conference call is active and to present a mechanism to join or monitor the conference call.

3. A communications client according to claim 2, automatically responsive to a call status signal to display an icon indicative of the status of a corresponding conference call participant call leg.

4. A communications client according to claim 3, operative to display at least one user actuatable icon indicative of a call control function for said corresponding conference call participant call leg and responsive to user actuation of said icon to transmit a call control signal to said call management service to implement a call control function.

5. A communications client according to claim 4, operative to display a plurality of user actuatable icons corresponding to each conference call participant call leg, respective icons being user actuatable to transmit a call control signal to said call management service to mute, hold or drop a corresponding call leg.

6. A communications client according to claim 5, wherein an icon displays a conference call participant call leg state and said communications client is responsive to user actuation of said icon to send a call control message to said call management service to implement a call control function to toggle said call state.

7. A communications client for a communications system, said communications client operative to communicate via a communications link to a call management service and said communications client responsive to instantiation thereof to establish a separate real-time communications connections signalling link to said call management service, said signalling link separate from a voice communications channel, further configured to receive at least one call leg status signal from said call management service and automatically provide corresponding call status information to said user.

8. A communications client according to claim 7, wherein said at least one call status signal includes one or more of a call leg seized, a call leg pending and call leg connected.

9. A communications client according to claim 7, automatically responsive to a call status signal received via said real-time communications connections signalling link and corresponding to a call leg to display the identity of said corresponding call leg.

10. A communications client according to claim 9, automatically responsive to a call status signal received via said real-time communications connections signalling link and corresponding to a displayed call leg to display an icon indicative of the status of said corresponding call leg.

11. A communications client according to claim 7, operative to display at least one user actuatable icon indicative of a call control function for said displayed call leg and responsive to user actuation of said icon to transmit a call control signal to said call management service via said real-time communications connections signalling link to implement said call control function.

12. A communications client according to claim 11, operative to display a plurality of user actuatable icons corresponding to each displayed call leg, respective icons for each leg being user actuatable to transmit a call control signal to said call management service via said real-time communications connections signalling link to mute, hold or drop a corresponding call leg.

13. A communications client according to claim 7, wherein an icon displays a call leg state and said communications client is responsive to user actuation of said icon to send a call control message to said call management service via said real-time communications connections signalling link to implement a call control function to toggle said call state.

14. A method of operating data processing apparatus for providing a communications client for a communications system, comprising establishing a real time communications connections signalling link to a call management service responsive to instantiation of said communications client, said signalling link separate from a voice communications channel;

responding to user actuation to transmit telephone call data identifying a destination end point and identifying a source end point defined by said user to said call management service for setting up first and second call legs for establishing voice communication between said end points; and

receiving at least one call status signal via said signalling link from said call management service and automatically providing corresponding call status information to said user.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein said call status signal includes one or more of a call leg seized, a call leg pending and call leg connected.

16. A method according to claim 14, further comprising automatically responding to a call status signal received via said real-time communications connections signalling link and corresponding to a displayed call leg to display an icon indicative of the status of said corresponding call leg.

17. A method according to claim 16, further comprising automatically responding to a call status signal received via said real-time communications connections signalling link and corresponding to a displayed call leg to display an icon indicative of the status of said corresponding call leg.

18. A method according to claim 16, further comprising displaying at least one user actuatable icon indicative of a call control function for said displayed call leg and responding to user actuation of said icon to transmit a call control signal to said call management service via said real-time communications connections signalling link to implement said call control function.

19. A method according to claim 18, further comprising displaying a plurality of user actuatable icons corresponding to each displayed call leg, and responding to actuation of respective icons to transmit a call control signal to said call management service via said real-time communications connections signalling link to mute, hold or drop a corresponding call leg.

20. A method according to claim 14, wherein an icon displays a call leg state and further comprising automatically responding to user actuation of said icon to send a call control message to said call management service via said real-time communications connections signalling link to implement a call control function to toggle said call state.

21. A communications system, configured to respond automatically to a conference call set-up request message received from a communications client via a communications link to transmit a message comprising a mechanism for joining said conference call;

and transmit back to said communications client via said communications link a data message confirming scheduling of said conference call, said call management service further configured to determine that a conference call participant end point call leg is active for said conference call; and

to automatically transmit to said communications client via said communications link a data message notifying said communications client that said conference call is active.

22. A communications system according to claim 21, further configured to automatically transmit to said communications client via said communications link a data message notifying said communications client of the identity of an active participant end point.

23. A communications system according to claim 21, further configured to automatically respond to a request from said communications client to join said conference call to establish a separate real-time communications connections signalling link to said communications client for transmitting call leg status signals for said conference call, and establish a call leg to an end point designated by said communications client to join said conference call.

24. A communications system according to claim 21, further configured to transmit a call status signal via said signalling link to said communications client indicative of the call status of active participant call legs.

25. A communications system according to claim 21, further configured to receive a call control signal from said communications client via said signalling link and to implement automatically said call control signal to effect call control of an active participant.

26. A communications system according to claim 25, automatically responsive to said call control signal comprising one or more of a signal to mute, hold and drop an active participant call leg to mute, hold or drop that call leg.

27. A call management method for a communications system including a call management server and a communications client at one or more conference call participants, for the establishment of a conference call having a plurality of conference call participant call legs, the call management server configured to respond automatically to a conference call set-up request from a first conference call participant;

to transmit to a second conference call participant a message comprising a mechanism for joining said conference call; and

to automatically transmit a call status signal indicative of a call status of an active participant leg to a communications client associated with said first conference call participant.

28. A call management service according to claim 27, further configured to automatically respond to a request from said communications client to add said first participant to said conference call, to establish an another participant call leg to said first participant end point and join said another participant call leg to said conference call.

29. A call management service according to claim 27, wherein said mechanism for joining comprises transmitting to said call management service a request for an SMS message reminder for said conference call and designating a telephone number for receiving said SMS message, said call management service further configured to automatically send an SMS message to said designated telephone number and responsive to a reply SMS message comprising one or more predefined characters to establish a participant call leg with an end point corresponding to an end point associated with said designated telephone number.

30. A call management service according to claim 27, wherein said joining mechanism comprises requesting a call back to a destination end point specified by the participant requesting said call back, said call management service automatically responsive to said call back request to establish a participant call leg with said specified destination end point.

31. A communications client for a communications system, said communications client responsive to instantiation thereof to establish a separate real-time communications connections signalling link to a call management service, said signalling link separate from a voice communications channel, and said communications client operative to communicate data messages to said call management service via a communications link, said communications client associated with a conference call participant and configured to display a call status icon for a participant call leg;

further configured to display a user actuatable call control icon associated with a participant call leg and responsive to actuation of said icon to transmit a call control signal to said call management service via said signalling link to effect call control of said associated participant call leg.

32. A method of operating a communications system to establish a conference call having a plurality of conference call participant call legs, comprising:

responding to a conference call set-up request message to transmit a message to a said participant comprising a mechanism for joining said conference call;

transmitting a data message confirming scheduling of said conference call;

determining that a conference call participant end point call leg is active for said conference call; and

automatically transmitting a data message notifying client that said conference call is active.