Method for providing call waiting service

• US 5,513,251 A
• Filed: 12/30/1993
• Issued: 04/30/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Strahs, Lee B., Rochkind, Mark M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Jason
• Application Number:
  US08/176,003
• Time in Patent Office: 852 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93, 379/94, 379/96, 379/97, 379/98, 379/201, 379/207, 379/215, 370/76, 370/58.1, 370/110.1, 370/60, 370/60.1, 370/62, 370/110.4, 375/222
• US Class Current: 379/93.35
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/428 Arrangements for placing incoming calls on hold

Abstract

The disruption on the data channel caused by use of the conventional call waiting feature with simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modems, when the data channel is active, is overcome by employing SVD modems in the public switched telephone network and supplying the call waiting signal over only one of the channels made available by such an SVD modem. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the call waiting signal from the public switched telephone network is supplied by coupling it into the network side of the SVD modems that are provisioned in the public switched telephone network for providing simultaneous voice and data service. Advantageously, a data call that is in progress will not be disturbed by the coupling of an audible signal into the voice channel. Also, since the connection between the user'"'"'s local SVD modem and the SVD modem in the network to which he is connected can be maintained while changing the source of the data that is coupled to the SVD modem on the network side, it is possible to implement a "data call waiting" feature as well. Moreover, the fact that a voice call is waiting may be signaled over the voice channel or the data channel and, likewise, the fact that a data call is waiting may be signaled over the voice channel or the data channel.

Claims

1. A method for use in a public switched network having a simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modem, comprising the steps of:

receiving a call destined for a subscriber having an SVD modem, the channel of said subscriber SVD modem over which said received call must be routed being already in use; and

supplying an alert to said subscriber without disrupting any communication that is in-progress over the data channel of said subscriber SVD modem.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said alert is supplied in said supplying step over the same channel on which said call is received.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said alert is supplied in said supplying step over a channel other than that on which said call is received.

4. The invention as defined in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

detecting a signal from said subscriber indicating that said subscriber will answer said received call;

placing the already in use channel on hold; and

connecting said already in use channel to said received call.

5. A method for use in a public switched network having a simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modem that can simultaneously carry a voice and data channel in a single POTS channel, comprising the steps of:

receiving a call destined for a subscriber having an SVD modem, the channel of said subscriber SVD modem over which said received call must be routed being already in use;

retrieving prestored information indicating the type of alerting to be supplied in response to an incoming call if said incoming call is one that must be carried to said subscriber over a channel that is already in use; and

supplying said indicated type of alerting to said subscriber.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein said alerting is supplied in said supplying step over the same channel on which said call is received.

7. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein said alerting is supplied in said supplying step over a channel other than that on which said call is received.

8. The invention as defined in claim 5 further comprising the steps of:

detecting a signal from said subscriber indicating that said subscriber will answer said received call;

placing the already in use channel on hold; and

connecting said already in use channel to said received call.

9. A method for use in a public switched network having a simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modem, comprising the steps of:

receiving a call destined for a subscriber having an SVD modem whose telephone line is already in use on a call using a first of the two channels provided by said subscriber'"'"'s SVD modem;

determining that said received call can only be carried over said first channel; and

alerting said subscriber over the second of the two channels provided by said subscriber'"'"'s SVD modem that said received call is waiting to be answered.

10. A method for use in a public switched network having a simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modem, comprising the steps of:

receiving a call destined for a subscriber having an SVD modem whose telephone line is already in use on a call using a first of the two channels provided by said subscriber'"'"'s SVD modem; and

alerting said subscriber over the second of the two channels provided by said subscriber'"'"'s SVD modem that said received call on said first channel is waiting to be answered if said second channel can carry such an alert.

11. A method for communicating the existence of an incoming call to a called party, the method comprising the step of:

supplying an alerting indication to said called party, said alerting being supplied over only one of the channels supplied as an output by a simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modem and in joint response to (i) an SVD modem being provisioned at the destination of said call and (ii) the existence of another call through said destination SVD modem at the time said call is incoming, said another call being carried on the same channel as that required to carry said call.

12. A method for use in a public switched network having a simultaneous voice/data (SVD) modem that can simultaneously carry a voice and data channel in a single POTS channel, said SVD modem being used by a subscriber having an SVD modem whose telephone line is already in use on a first call using a first of the two SVD modem channels to a first destination, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a signal from said subscriber indicating that said subscriber desires to make a second call over said first channel;

placing said first call on said first channel on hold; and

connecting said second call over said first channel to a second destination.

13. The invention as defined in claim 12 wherein said signal is received over said first channel.

14. The invention as defined in claim 12 wherein said signal is received over the second of the two SVD modem channels.

15. The invention as defined in claim 12 further comprising the steps of:

receiving another signal from said subscriber indicating that said subscriber desires to return to said first call; and

reconnecting said subscriber to said first call over said first channel.

16. The invention as defined in claim 15 wherein said other signal from said subscriber indicating that said subscriber desires to return to said first call is received over said first channel.

17. The invention as defined in claim 15 wherein said other signal from said subscriber indicating that said subscriber desires to return to said first call is received over the second of the two SVD modem channels.

18. The invention as defined in claim 15 further including the step of placing said second call on hold.