Incoming call controller for preferentially connecting a waiting call based on number of previous unsuccessful call attempts

• US 5,646,988 A
• Filed: 10/17/1996
• Issued: 07/08/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Hikawa, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wolinsky, Scott
• Application Number:
  US08/730,806
• Time in Patent Office: 264 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/266, 379/211, 379/212, 379/207, 379/201, 379/142, 379/309, 379/112
• US Class Current: 379/266.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/551 Call history recording a computer conference H04L12/1831
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/64 Distributing or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

An incoming call controller for preferentially connecting a waiting calling subscriber, who had previously made more unsuccessful call attempts than any other waiting calling subscriber, to a called subscriber. The unsuccessful call attempts result in the calling subscriber receiving a busy signal. Call registering apparatus within the incoming call controller store identification data of each particular calling subscriber or calling terminal receiving a busy signal. After identification data is registered, the call register indicates future unsuccessful call attempts by incrementing a data field comprising the number of unsuccessful call attempts of the particular calling subscriber or calling terminal. A call manager within the incoming call controller identifies the calling subscriber registered as having previously made the most unsuccessful call attempts. When a line to the called subscriber becomes available, the calling subscriber or calling terminal identified by the call manager is connected to the called subscriber and the data field associated with the number of unsuccessful call attempts by the calling subscriber is reset.

Claims

1. An incoming call controller comprising:

waiting call registering means for registering a plurality of calls from calling subscribers waiting to be connected to a called subscriber; and

waiting call managing means, coupled to said call registering means, for determining from said plurality of calls registered in said waiting call registering means, a waiting call from a calling subscriber who previously made the greatest number of unsuccessful call attempts to be connected with said called subscriber and for connecting said waiting call with said called subscriber.

2. The incoming call controller according to claim 1, wherein said waiting call registering means stores up to a predetermined number of waiting calls from calling subscribers and registers calling subscriber identification data for specifying the calling subscriber of each individual waiting call and a corresponding number of previous unsuccessful call attempts to be connected with said called subscriber.

3. The incoming call controller according to claim 1, wherein a higher priority is given to a waiting call registered in said waiting call registering means from a calling subscriber having previously made the greatest number of unsuccessful call attempts to be connected with said called subscriber.

4. The incoming call controller according to claim 1, further comprising:

offering history registering means for registering and corresponding numbers of previously made calls rejected to be connected with said called subscriber to calling subscriber identification data for specifying each calling subscriber; and

offering history managing means for updating the registered contents in said offering history registering means.

5. The incoming call controller according to claim 4, wherein said waiting call managing means executes, when a call from a calling subscriber whose connection to said called subscriber has previously produced a busy signal is made, the steps of:

determining calling subscriber identification data for specifying a calling subscriber of said call;

informing said offering history managing means of said calling subscriber identification data to update or newly register a number of previous incomplete calls of said calling subscriber in said offering history registering means;

discriminating whether or not said call may be registered in said waiting call registering means;

registering the calling subscriber identification data, calling terminal identification data and number of previous incomplete calls of said calling subscriber to said waiting call registering means if it is possible to register said call in said waiting call registering means; and

canceling said call if it is impossible to register said call in said waiting call registering means.

6. The incoming call controller according to claim 5, wherein said offering history managing means executes, when it receives said calling subscriber identification data from said waiting call registering means, the steps of:

retrieving said offering history registering means based on said calling subscriber identification data to discriminate whether or not the number of previous incomplete calls of said calling subscriber has been registered;

updating the number of previous incomplete calls if the number of previous incomplete calls of said calling subscriber has been registered;

newly registering said calling subscriber identification data and an initial value of the number of previous incomplete calls if the number of the previous incomplete calls of said calling subscriber has not been registered; and

informing said waiting call managing means of the initial value of said number of previous incomplete calls.

7. The incoming call controller according to claim 5, wherein said waiting call managing means executes, when registering said call from said calling subscriber in said waiting call registering means, the steps of:

comparing the number of previous incomplete calls of said calling subscriber with that of waiting calls registered in said waiting call registering means;

giving a higher priority to the call from said calling subscriber than to a waiting call if the waiting call has a lower number of previous incomplete calls than that of said calling subscriber; and

giving the lowest priority to the call from said calling subscriber if no waiting call exists having a lower number of previous incomplete calls than that of the calling subscriber.

8. The incoming call controller according to claim 4, wherein said waiting call managing means executes a step of informing said offering history registering means of the calling subscriber identification data of said waiting call when said waiting call registered in said waiting call registering means has been canceled;

and

said offering history managing means executes a step of retrieving said offering history registering means based on said calling subscriber identification data and increasing the number of previous incomplete calls of said calling subscriber by 1 to update said number of previous incomplete calls of said calling subscriber.

9. The incoming call controller according to claim 4, comprising message sending means for sending a message prompting the calling subscriber to input calling subscriber identification data thereof before registering the calling subscriber of the call which has been rejected to be connected with said called subscriber in said offering history registering means.

10. The incoming call controller according to claim 9, wherein calling terminal identification data for specifying a calling terminal for each waiting call is registered in a waiting queue registering section and said message sending means sends a message to the calling terminal for said waiting call by making reference to said calling terminal identification data in sending the message to the calling subscriber of said waiting call.

11. The incoming call controller according to claim 4, wherein said waiting call managing means updates the number of previous incomplete calls of waiting calls registered in said waiting call registering means at constant intervals.

12. The incoming call controller according to claim 4, wherein said waiting call registering means includes a main area for storing up to a predetermined number of waiting calls, and a sub-area for temporarily storing waiting calls,

said waiting call managing means executing, when a call to be connected with said called subscriber is made and is responded to by a busy signal when the predetermined number of waiting calls have been stored in said main area, the steps of:

determining the calling subscriber identification data for specifying the calling subscriber of said call;

informing said offering history managing means of said calling subscriber identification data and updating the number of previous incomplete calls of said calling subscriber;

comparing the updated number of previous incomplete calls of said calling subscriber with the numbers of previous incomplete calls of the waiting calls stored in said main area to discriminate whether or not a waiting call having a lower number of previous incomplete calls than those of said calling subscriber exists;

giving a priority higher than that of a waiting call to the call of said calling subscriber if the waiting call has a lower number of previous incomplete calls than that of said calling subscriber;

registering a waiting call having the lowest priority among the waiting calls stored in said main area to said sub-area and at the same time, storing registered position information of said waiting call in said sub-area into said main area; and

storing the call from said calling subscriber into said main area.

13. The incoming call controller according to claim 1, further comprising message sending means for informing calling subscribers of waiting calls registered in said waiting call registering means of their updated priority when the content in said waiting call registering means has been updated.

14. The incoming call controller according to claim 13, wherein calling terminal identification data for specifying a calling terminal of each waiting call is registered in a waiting queue registering section and said message sending means sends a message to the calling terminal of said waiting call by making reference to said calling terminal identification data in sending the message to the calling subscriber of said waiting call.

15. The incoming call controller according to claim 1, further comprising message sending means for sending a message prompting the calling subscriber to input calling subscriber identification data thereof before registering the call which has been rejected to be connected with said called subscriber in said waiting call registering means.

16. The incoming call controller according to claim 15, wherein calling terminal identification data for specifying a calling terminal for each waiting call is registered in a waiting queue registering section and said message sending means sends a message to the calling terminal for said waiting call by making reference to said calling terminal identification data in sending the message to the calling subscriber of said waiting call.