Prioritized Call Sessions

• US 20140192963A1
• Filed: 01/09/2014
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Connelly, Michael, Lewis, Jeffrey, Maharana, Bhagabati, Rubin, Louis, Vetter, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 9,716,925 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/37
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/04 for emergency applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/20 with means for interrupting existing connections; with means for breaking-in on conversations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0069 comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/70 Identification of class of calling subscriber

Abstract

A local network call handling device is configured to establish multiple concurrent call sessions between local network end devices and an external network. When a prioritized end device attempts to establish a call session, the call handling device may initially determine if a first call session identifier is available. If so, the call session can be established using that first identifier. If the first identifier is in use for a call session of another end device, the call handling device may either use a different call session identifier for the prioritized end device session or may drop a pre-existing call session to free an identifier for use in connection with the prioritized end device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

establishing a first subset of call session identifiers that comprises a first call session identifier and a second subset of the call session identifiers that comprises a second call session identifier;

determining, responsive to a request, and while at least the second call session identifier is available for use by a call-handling computing device, that all of the first subset of the call session identifiers are in use; and

responsive to determining that all of the first subset of the call session identifiers are in use, dropping by the call-handling computing device a pre-existing first call session that uses the first call session identifier and requesting by the call-handling computing device that a second call session be initiated using the first call session identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the pre-existing first call session and the second call session is a voice call session.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the request from an alarm system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting that the second call session be initiated comprises using a uniform resource identifier (URI) to request that the second call session be initiated.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the requesting that the second call session be initiated comprises requesting that the second call session be initiated over a packet-based telephony network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the call session identifiers of the first subset and of the second subset are respectively associated with one of a plurality of telephone numbers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the call session identifiers of the first subset and of the second subset is a telephone number.

8. A method, comprising:

configuring a call handling computing device to (a) establish one or more call sessions using one or more of a plurality of call session identifiers and (b) organize the call session identifiers into at least a first subset and a second subset; and

responsive to determining, upon receipt of a call request, that each of the call session identifiers in the first subset is in use irrespective of a use status of the call session identifiers in the second subset, dropping a pre-existing first call session associated with a first one of the call session identifiers of the first subset and requesting that a second call session be initiated using the first one of the call session identifiers.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one of the pre-existing first call session and the second call session is a voice call session.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving the call request from an alarm system.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the requesting that the second call session be initiated comprises using a uniform resource identifier (URI) to request that the second call session be initiated.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the requesting that the second call session be initiated comprises requesting that the second call session be initiated over a packet-based telephony network.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the call session identifiers of the first subset and of the second subset are respectively associated with one of a plurality of telephone numbers.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the call session identifiers of the first subset and of the second subset is a telephone number.

15. A method, comprising:

establishing, using a call handling computing device and a first call session identifier, a first call session;

responsive to a request during the first call session, determining which of a first plurality of call session identifiers that comprises the first call session identifier are in use; and

responsive to determining that all of the first plurality of call session identifiers are in use, and while at least a second call session identifier is available for use by the call handling computing device;

dropping the first call session, and

requesting, by the call handling computing device, that a second call session be initiated using the first call session identifier.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second call session identifier is part of a second plurality of call session identifiers that are each at least sometimes available for use by the call handling computing device.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the requesting that the second call session be initiated comprises the call handling computing device sending data packets, identifying the first call session identifier, to a network.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving the request from a device external to the call handling computing device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the call session identifiers of the first plurality of call session identifiers and the second call session identifier are respectively associated with one of a plurality of telephone numbers.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising establishing the second call session over a network.