Communications system call complete arrangement

• US 5,835,568 A
• Filed: 04/08/1996
• Issued: 11/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Blosser, Donald LeRoy, Bass, Saundra V., LaPorta, Frank Carl, Crump, Andre K., Ricci, Ted Michael, Kerr, David Bruce, Stenger, William Henry Sr.
• Primary Examiner(s): MATAR, AHMAD
• Application Number:
  US08/637,191
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67, 379/88, 379/89, 379/127, 379/142, 379/201, 379/207, 379/208, 379/209, 379/217, 379/245, 379/246, 379/247, 379/249, 379/113, 379/309, 379/67.1, 379/88.25 , 379/88.26
• US Class Current: 379/88.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy

Abstract

A facility is disposed in a telecommunications network to provide an alternative to retrying the placing of a call to a telephone station when a busy signal is encountered. More particularly, if a subscriber places a telephone call to a called station set that is busy with another telephone call, then the facility notes that fact and terminates the subscriber'"'"'s telephone call. Thereafter, the facility places a telephone call to the called station and, when the call is answered, announces at least the calling subscriber'"'"'s telephone number and allows the called party to optionally extend the call back to the original calling subscriber. If the call is not answered, then the call back is terminated, and the placement of another call to the called station is rescheduled for a subsequent time.

Claims

1. A method of processing a telephone call from a calling telephone station to a called telephone station, said calling telephone station being associated with a particular telephone number, said method comprising the steps of

receiving said telephone call at a first communication switch in a telephone network and determining from information received from a second communications switch whether said called telephone station is busy,

if said called telephone station is not busy, then connecting said calling telephone station to said called telephone station via said first and second communications switches,

if said called telephone station is busy, and responsive to a user associated with said calling telephone station invoking a call completion service by entering a particular code, automatically storing and adding to a prestored announcement in the telephone network said calling telephone number and at least the time of said telephone call and terminating said telephone call;

and

following an expiration of a predetermined period of time, placing a completion telephone call to said called telephone station and presenting said stored calling telephone number and said time of said telephone call with the announcement to a user associated with said called telephone station.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of placing and presenting includes the step of presenting a name identifying said calling telephone station to said user associated with said called telephone station.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said name is an alias associated with said calling party.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said step of presenting includes the step of announcing at least said calling telephone number in a language selected by the calling telephone station and transmitted to said user associated with said called telephone station.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein said calling telephone number when from another country includes a country code and wherein said step of presenting includes the step of announcing to said user associated with said called telephone station at least said telephone number in a language selected as a function of said country code.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein said calling telephone number when from another country includes a country code and wherein said step of presenting includes the step of announcing to said user associated with said called telephone station at least said telephone number in a language selected as a function of said country code and in a language commonly spoken in a geographical area in which said calling telephone station is located.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein said calling telephone number when from another country includes a country code and wherein said completion telephone call is placed at a particular time of day and wherein said step of terminating includes the step of announcing to said user associated with said calling telephone station the corresponding particular time in the country identified by said country code.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein if said completion telephone call is not successfully completed, then including the step of reattempting delivery a predetermined number of times.