System and Method for Transferring a Call

• US 20150350339A1
• Filed: 09/29/2014
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2014
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: LEE, Teck Yang, ABDULRAHIMAN, Najeeb M., YERRABOMMANAHALLI, Vikram B., MATHIAS, Arun G.
• Application Number:
  US14/500,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20150350339A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1093 by adding participants; by removing participants
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• 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: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

Described are systems and methods for transferring calls between multiple stations. An exemplary system includes a first station and a second station that establishes a first communication session having a first call identification with the first station. The system further includes a third station and a network device that includes stored data indicating a relationship between the first station and the third station, the network device configured to receive the first call identification from the first station and transmit the first call identification to the third station based on the relationship, wherein the third station is configured to receive the first call identification and send an invite to the second station to replace the first communication session with the first station with a second communication session with the third station, the invite including the first call identification and a second call identification that identifies the second communication session.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a first station;

a second station that establishes a first communication session with the first station, the first communication session having a first call identification that identifies the first communication session;

a third station; and

a network device that includes stored data indicating a relationship between the first station and the third station, the network device configured to receive the first call identification from the first station and transmit the first call identification to the third station based on the relationship,

wherein the third station is configured to receive the first call identification and send an invite to the second station to replace the first communication session with the first station with a second communication session with the third station, the invite including the first call identification and a second call identification that identifies the second communication session.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second station is configured to terminate the first communication session based on receiving the invite.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the third station is configured to transmit the second call identification to the network device when the second communication session is established.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the network device is configured to transmit the second call identification to the first station.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first station is configured to send a further invite to the second station to replace the second communication session with the third station with a third communication session with the first station, the further invite including the second call identification and a third call identification that identifies the third communication session.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a fourth station that is related to the first and third stations based on information stored in the network device, wherein the network device is further configured to transmit the first call identification to the fourth station substantially simultaneously with transmitting the first call identification to the third station.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the network device stores a database of user accounts, wherein each of the first and third stations transmit information to the network device that relates each of the first and third stations with one of the user accounts, the relationship between the first and third stations being based relating to the one of the user accounts.

8. A method comprising:

at a first station;

receiving a first call identification of a first communication session between a second station and a third station, wherein the first call identification is received from a network device based on information stored at the network device indicating the first station is related to the second station;

receiving an input indicating the first communication session is to be transferred from the second station to the first station;

transmitting an invite including the first call identification and a second call identification to the third station, wherein the invite indicates to the third station that the first communication session with the second station is to be terminated and a second communication session with the first station is to be established, wherein the second communication session is identified by the second call identification; and

establishing the second communication session with the third station.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first station establishes the relation to the second station by:

transmitting user information to the network device to generate a user account; and

transmitting first station information of the first station to relate the first station with the user account.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first station is related to the second station based on the second station transmitting second station information to the network device to relate the second station with the user account.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting the second call identification to the network device upon the second communication session being established.

12. A method, comprising:

at a first station;

establishing a first communication session with a second station, wherein the first communication session is identified by a first call identification;

transmitting the first call identification to a network device, wherein the network device propagates the first call identification to a third station, the first and third stations being related based on information stored at the network device; and

terminating the first communication session with the second station when the first communication session is replaced by a second communication session between the third station and the second station, wherein the second communication session is established by the third station transmitting a transfer invite including the first call identification to the second station.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein establishing the first communication session includes:

transmitting an invite to the second station for the first communication session to be performed;

receiving a response to the invite from the second station, the response including the first call identification to be used for the communication session; and

transmitting an acknowledgement to the second station indicating the response was received and the first call identification is acknowledged.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein establishing the first communication session includes:

receiving an invite from the second station for the first communication session to be performed, the invite also being received by the third station based upon the relation between the first and third stations.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein establishing the first communication session includes:

generating the first call identification to identify the first communication session;

transmitting a response to the invite to the second station, the response including the first call identification to identify the communication session; and

receiving an acknowledgement from the second station indicating the response was received and the call identification is acknowledged.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting user information to the network device to generate a user account; and

transmitting first station information of the first station to relate the first station with the user account.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

at the second station;

transmitting second station information of the second station to relate the second station with the user account, the network device relating the first station with the second station based on the first and second stations being related to the user account.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

after the communication session has been terminated, receiving a second call identification identifying the second communication session from the network device based on the relation between the first station and the third station.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

at a fourth station;

transmitting fourth station information of the fourth station to the network device to relate the fourth station with the user account, the network device relating the fourth station with the first and third stations.