Internet on hold

• US 5,982,774 A
• Filed: 04/01/1996
• Issued: 11/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Goldman, Steven Howard, Foladare, Mark Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US08/625,963
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/380, 370/389, 370/392, 370/396, 370/401, 370/404, 370/427, 370/435, 370/450, 370/465, 370/485, 379/90.01, 379/93.01, 379/93.05, 379/93.09, 379/100.15, 379/100.16, 379/215, 379/216, 379/217, 379/218
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/428 Arrangements for placing incoming calls on hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4283 Call holding circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal

Abstract

A user connected to the Internet (102), over his or her telephone line (105), through an Internet Access Provider (IAP) (104) can place the Internet connection on hold to take an incoming telephone call from a calling party at a telephone set (110). The user is informed of the waiting call by means of a signal send by the Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) (103) to the IAP that indicates the presence of the waiting call and the identity of the calling party. This information is then transmitted by the IAP to the user'"'"'s terminal (101). Upon an affirmative decision to take the call, indicated to the IAP by means of a "click" on the screen of the user'"'"'s terminal, the call to the IAP is placed on hold and the incoming call is connected to the user'"'"'s telephone set (111).

Claims

1. A method of connecting an incoming call over a communication network from a calling party to a communication line of a called party while a call is ongoing on the same communication line between a terminal and an access provider to the Internet or an Internet-like packet-based data network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the incoming call from the calling party in the communication network;

signaling the access provider that the called party has an incoming call;

signaling the terminal on the same communication line on the call between the terminal and the access provider that the incoming call for the called party is present in the communication network;

receiving from the terminal over the same communication line a signal to accept the incoming telephone call;

disconnecting the call between the terminal and the access provider;

retaining a URL address to which the terminal is connected when the call is on hold;

connecting the incoming call over the same communication line; and

connecting the terminal back to the access provider when the incoming call is concluded.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the call between the terminal and the access provider resumes at the retained URL address when the terminal is connected back to the access provider.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of signaling the terminal that the incoming call is present includes the step of providing the identity of the calling party.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the identity of the calling party includes the automatic number identification of the calling party.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the identify of the calling party includes the name of the calling party.

6. A method of establishing a connection over a public-switched telephone network from a calling party to a telephone line of a called party while the same telephone line is busy on another call on the public-switched network between a terminal and connected an Internet Access Provider (IAP) that is connected to Internet, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an incoming call for the called party from the calling party in the telephone network;

signaling the IAP that the called party has an incoming call;

signaling the terminal on the same telephone line on the call between the IAP and the terminal that the incoming call for the called party is present in the telephone network;

receiving from the terminal over the same telephone line a signal to accept the incoming call;

disconnecting the call to the IAP;

retaining a URL address to which the called party is connected when the call to the IAP is disconnected;

connecting the incoming call for the called party over the same telephone line; and

connecting the terminal back to the IAP when the incoming call is concluded.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein upon connecting the terminal back to the IAP, the call resumes at the retained URL address.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of signaling the terminal that the incoming call is present includes the step of providing the identity of the calling party.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the identity of the calling party includes the automatic number identification of the calling party.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the identity of the calling party includes the name of the calling party.

11. A method of connecting an incoming telephone call from a calling party to a called party over a public-switched telephone network comprising the steps of:

receiving the incoming telephone call in the public-switched telephone network that is directed to a telephone line of the called party;

determining when the incoming telephone call is received if the telephone line of the called party is busy on a telephone call with a service provider which provides access to the Internet or Internet-like packet-based network;

signaling the service provider that the called party has a telephone call if it is determined that the same telephone line of the called party is busy on a telephone call with the service provider;

signaling on the call with the service provider that the incoming call for the called party is present in the public-switched telephone network;

receiving from over the same telephone line a signal to accept the in coming call;

disconnecting the call with the service provider;

retaining a URL address to which the called party is connected back to the access provider when the incoming call is concluded;

connecting the incoming call to the called party over the same telephone line; and

connecting the called party back to the access provider when the incoming call is concluded.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the call to the access provider resumes at the retained place.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of signaling that the incoming call for the called party is present includes the step of providing the identity of the calling party.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the identity of the calling party includes the automatic number identification of the calling party.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the identity of the calling party includes the name of the calling party.