Call Routing Using Call Forwarding Options In Telephony Networks

• US 20190007806A1
• Filed: 06/29/2018
• Published: 01/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Phoneic, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Phoneic, Inc.
• Inventors: CHU, Enlai
• Granted Patent: US 10,841,755 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42127 Systems providing several special services or facilities from groups H04M3/42008 - H04M3/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/543 Call deflection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/545 with loop avoiding arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

In one embodiment, a device receives a call from a caller that is initiated as a public switched telephone network (PSTN) call and directed to first contact information for a recipient'"'"'s device. The call is forwarded using an unconditional call forwarding option to the device. The device retrieves second contact information for the recipient'"'"'s user device. The second contact information is different from the first contact information used in the PSTN call. The device initiates a communication to the recipient'"'"'s user device using the second contact information via a communication channel different from the PSTN. The communication avoids triggering the unconditional call forwarding option for the recipient'"'"'s device. The device connects the call between the caller and the recipient'"'"'s device upon initiating the communication. The device is in a call path of the call and performs a call feature for the call.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a call from a caller that is initiated as a public switched telephone network (PSTN) call and directed to first contact information for a recipient'"'"'s device, the call being forwarded using an unconditional call forwarding option to the computing device;

retrieving, by the computing device, second contact information for the recipient'"'"'s user device, the second contact information different from the first contact information used in the PSTN call;

initiating, by the computing device, a communication to the recipient'"'"'s user device using the second contact information via a communication channel different from the PSTN, wherein the communication avoids triggering the unconditional call forwarding option for the recipient'"'"'s device; and

connecting, by the computing device, the call between the caller and the recipient'"'"'s device upon initiating the communication, wherein the computing device is in a call path of the call and performs a call feature for the call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the communication comprises:

initiating a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication to the recipient'"'"'s device at the second contact information, wherein the VoIP communication avoids triggering the unconditional call forwarding option for the recipient'"'"'s device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the communication comprises:

sending a notification to the recipient'"'"'s user device at the second contact information using the communication channel different from the PSTN; and

receiving a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication from the recipient'"'"'s device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the communication comprises:

sending a notification to the recipient'"'"'s user device at the second contact information using the communication channel different from the PSTN; and

receiving a PSTN communication from the recipient'"'"'s device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein unconditional call forwarding forwards all calls to the first contact information via the PSTN to the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein connecting the call comprises:

connecting a first call between the caller and the computing device; and

connecting a second call between the computing device and the recipient'"'"'s user device, wherein the computing device bridges the first call and the second call.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the call feature comprises:

connecting a first call between the caller and the computing device via a voice mode of communication; and

connecting a second call between the computing device and the recipient'"'"'s user device via a text mode of communication, wherein the computing device bridges the first call via voice and the second call via text using a speech to text converter and a text to speech converter.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the call feature comprises:

maintaining a list of caller number and corresponding actions to perform; and

performing an action for the call based on third contact information for the caller.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the call feature comprises:

connecting a first call between the caller and the computing device via a voice mode of communication; and

connecting a second call between the computing device and the recipient'"'"'s user device via a PSTN call or a VoIP call, wherein the computing device simultaneously sends voice and text to the recipient'"'"'s user device using a speech to text converter that converts the voice to the text.

9. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a call from a caller that is directed to first contact information for a recipient'"'"'s device, the call being forwarded using a conditional call forwarding option to the computing device, wherein second contact information for the caller is configured on a blocklist that causes redirection to the computing device;

retrieving, by the computing device, third contact information;

initiating, by the computing device, a communication to the recipient'"'"'s user device using the third contact information, wherein the communication avoids triggering the conditional call forwarding option for the recipient'"'"'s device based on the blocklist; and

connecting, by the computing device, the call between the caller and the recipient'"'"'s device upon initiating the communication, wherein the computing device is in a call path of the call and performs a call feature for the call.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein initiating the communication comprises:

initiating a voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication to the recipient'"'"'s device to the third contact information identifying the call as being from the second contact information, wherein the VoIP communication avoids triggering the conditional call forwarding option for the recipient'"'"'s device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein initiating the communication comprises:

retrieving the third contact information via a table, the third contact information including a VoIP address for the recipient'"'"'s device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

sending a notification to the recipient'"'"'s user device; and

receiving the VoIP address from the recipient'"'"'s device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein initiating the communication comprises:

initiating a PSTN communication to the recipient'"'"'s device to the first contact information for the recipient'"'"'s device from the third contact information, wherein the PSTN communication avoids triggering the conditional call forwarding option for the recipient'"'"'s device due to the third contact information not being on the blocklist.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein initiating the communication comprises:

sending a notification to the recipient'"'"'s user device at the third contact information to indicate the call has been received at the computing device, wherein the notification includes fourth contact information for the computing device; and

upon sending the notification, receiving a VoIP communication from the recipient'"'"'s device, wherein the recipient'"'"'s device initiates the VoIP communication using the fourth contact information.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein initiating the communication comprises:

sending a notification to the recipient'"'"'s device at the third contact information to indicate the call has been received at the computing device, wherein the notification includes fourth contact information for the computing device; and

upon sending the notification, receiving a PSTN communication from the recipient'"'"'s device, wherein the recipient'"'"'s device initiates the PSTN communication using the fourth contact information.

19. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

sending a notification to the recipient'"'"'s device at the third contact information with the second contact information and fourth contact information, wherein;

the recipient'"'"'s device creates a contact for fourth contact information that includes identifying information for the caller,

the fourth contact information is different from second contact information for the caller, and

the call identifies the call is from the fourth contact information.

16. (canceled)

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

including information in the blocklist to redirect unknown contacts to the computing device.

18. The method of claim 16, the method further comprising:

causing the recipient'"'"'s device to temporarily remove the second contact information from the blocklist, wherein the recipient'"'"'s device does not redirect the communication to the recipient'"'"'s device that is sent from the second contact information to the third contact information, and wherein the third contact information is the same as the first contact information.

20. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a call from a caller that is directed to first contact information for a recipient'"'"'s device, the call forwarded from the recipient'"'"'s device using a call forwarding option;

analyzing, by the computing device, the call to determine the call forwarding option from a plurality of call forwarding options that was used to forward the call;

selecting, by the computing device, a mechanism to connect the call between the caller and the recipient'"'"'s device with the computing device in a call path of the call, the mechanism selected from a plurality of mechanisms based on the determining of the call forwarding option;

initiating, by the computing device, a communication to the recipient'"'"'s user device using the mechanism, wherein the mechanism avoids triggering the call forwarding option set for the recipient'"'"'s device; and

connecting, by the computing device, the call between the caller and the recipient'"'"'s device upon initiating the communication, wherein the computing device is in the call path of the call and performs a call feature for the call.

22. A method comprising:

retrieving, by a computing device, first contact information for a recipient'"'"'s user device;

sending, by the computing device, a notification to a recipient'"'"'s user device at the first contact information using a communication channel different from a PSTN, the notification indicating a caller has made a call to the recipient;

receiving, by the computing device, a communication from the recipient'"'"'s device from second contact information for the recipient'"'"'s user device; and

connecting, by the computing device, the call from the caller, the call being directed to the second contact information for the recipient'"'"'s device, wherein the computing device is in a call path of the call and performs a call feature for the call.