Internet call waiting

• US 6,259,692 B1
• Filed: 06/12/2000
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories Incorporated (Genesys Cloud Services Incorporated)
• Inventors: Shtivelman, Yuri, Turovsky, Oleg
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOM, SHICK C
• Application Number:
  US09/592,182
• Time in Patent Office: 393 Days
• Field of Search: 370/219, 370/220, 370/352, 370/355, 370/356, 370/389, 370/392, 370/401, 370/410, 370/522, 370/402, 379/93.09, 379/93.35, 379/201, 379/212, 379/215
• US Class Current: 370/352
• 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 2203/156 On-line status dependent routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4281 when the called subscriber is connected to a data network using his telephone line, e.g. dial-up connection, Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0033 Notification or handling of incoming calls by a computer
• 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 telephony call-waiting system for clients having a computer with a video display unit (PC/VDU) and a public-switched telephony network (PSTN) telephone connected to the PSTN by a single line, keeps a status indication of the client'"'"'s Internet connection status and, during periods of time the PC/VDU is connected to the Internet, alerts the client by an alert signal over the Internet connection of any waiting PSTN calls. In a preferred embodiment the client'"'"'s PC/VDU is adapted to provide an audio and/or visual alert event when an alert signal is received, and to provide for a user-initiated response to an alert, accepting or rejecting a call. In the event a call is accepted, provision is made for connecting the accepted call to the client'"'"'s PC/VDU as an IP call. In some embodiments several calls may be dealt with at the PC/VDU, and features are provided such as caller-ID on the client'"'"'s VDU. Several ways of accomplishing the call-waiting system are taught.

Claims

1. An Internet call-waiting telephony system, comprising:

a client computer station comprising a PSTN telephone and a video display unit (VDU), the computer station and the PSTN telephone connected to a single telephone line;

a telephony link connecting the client'"'"'s computer station and the client'"'"'s public-switched telephony network (PSTN) telephone, on the single line, to a local PSTN switch;

a port at the local PSTN switch adapted to receive PSTN telephone calls directed to the client;

a status indicator at the PSTN switch indicating the client'"'"'s Internet connection status; and

an IP interface connected to both the PSTN and the Internet;

wherein the system, during periods of time that the status indicator indicates the client is Internet-connected, on receiving a PSTN call directed to the client, sends, via the IP interface, an alert signal of the call waiting to an IP address associated with the client, and the computer station provides an alert event comprising one or both of an audio signal and a visual indicia upon receipt of the alert signal, and enables a user-initiated response to the PSTN switch via the IP interface, indicating one of acceptance or refusal of the call waiting.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein, upon receipt of an acceptance response, the IP interface connects one of said PSTN calls to the client'"'"'s computer station over the client'"'"'s Internet connection converting the PSTN call to an IP call.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein, upon connection of the IP call to the client'"'"'s computer station, the client'"'"'s computer station plays a pre-recorded announcement to a caller of the IP call.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the IP interface is coupled to the first local PSTN switch and the client'"'"'s PC/VDU is adapted, when Internet connection is established, to contact a WEB server also coupled to the first local PSTN switch, initiating Internet call waiting, wherein incoming calls directed to the client'"'"'s PSTN telephone through the local PSTN switch are intercepted, and an alert is provided to the client'"'"'s PC/VDU via the IP interface of a call waiting.

5. An Internet call-waiting telephony system, comprising:

a client computer station comprising a PSTN telephone and a video

display unit (VDU), the computer station and the PSTN telephone connected to a single telephone line;

a telephony link connecting the client'"'"'s computer station and the client'"'"'s public-switched telephony network (PSTN) telephone, on the single line, to a first local PSTN switch;

a port at the first local PSTN switch adapted to receive PSTN telephone calls directed to the client;

a status indicator at the PSTN switch indicating the client'"'"'s Internet connection status;

an IP interface connected to both the PSTN and the Internet; and

a second telephony switch, coupled to the IP interface, to which said PSTN calls directed to the client may be forwarded,

wherein the client'"'"'s PC/VDU connects to the Internet through the first local PSTN switch to an Internet Service provider (ISP), and wherein the IP interface coupled to the second telephony switch connects to the Internet through the client'"'"'s ISP, and the system, during periods of time that the status indicator indicates the client is Internet-connected, on receiving a PSTN call directed to the client, sends, via the IP interface, an alert signal of a call waiting to an IP address associated with the client.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the client'"'"'s PC/VDU connects to the Internet by dialing the ISP via a dialing string, and the dialing string comprises commands to cause the local PSTN switch to set up call forwarding of the PSTN calls directed to the client to the second telephony switch.

7. An Internet call-waiting telephony system, comprising:

a client computer station comprising a PSTN telephone and a video display unit (VDU), the computer station and the PSTN telephone connected to a single line;

a telephony link connecting the client'"'"'s computer station and the client'"'"'s public-switched telephony network (PSTN) telephone, on the single telephone line, to a first local PSTN switch;

a port at the first local PSTN switch adapted to receive PSTN telephone calls directed to the client;

a status indicator at the PSTN switch indicating the client'"'"'s Internet connection status;

an IP interface connected to both the PSTN and the Internet;

a second telephony switch, coupled to the IP interface, to which said PSTN calls directed to the client are forwarded; and

a server coupled to the client'"'"'s ISP and to the second telephony switch;

wherein a specific log-in procedure at the ISP for the client initiates action by the server to direct the second telephony switch to call the first local PSTN switch with a remote call-forwarding number associated with the client, directing the first local PSTN switch to set up call forwarding for incoming PSTN calls directed to the client, and the system, during periods of time that the status indicator indicates the client is Internet-connected, on receiving a PSTN call directed to the client, sends, via the IP interface, an alert signal of a call waiting to an IP address associated with the client.

8. An Internet call-waiting telephony system, comprising:

a client computer station comprising a PSTN telephone and a video display unit (VDU), the computer station and the PSTN telephone connected to a single telephone line;

a telephony link connecting the client'"'"'s computer station and the client'"'"'s public-switched telephony network (PSTN) telephone, on the single telephone line, to a first local PSTN switch;

a port at the first local PSTN switch adapted to receive PSTN telephone calls directed to the client;

a status indicator indicating the client'"'"'s Internet connection status;

an IP interface connected to both the PSTN and the Internet;

a second telephony switch, coupled to the IP interface, to which said PSTN calls directed to the client may be forwarded; and

a server coupled to the client'"'"'s ISP and to a CTI-server connected by a CTI link to the local PSTN switch;

wherein a special log-in procedure at the ISP for the client initiates action by the server to direct the CTI-server to direct incoming PSTN calls directed to the client to the second telephony switch, and the system, during time that the status indicator indicates the client is Internet-connected, on receiving a PSTN call directed to the client, sends, via the IP interface, an alert signal of a call waiting to an IP address associated with the client.

9. A method for informing a client having a PSTN telephone and a computer station with a video display unit (PC/VDU) connected to a common telephony line, of a waiting PSTN telephone call during time periods when the client'"'"'s PC/VDU is connected to the Internet, comprising steps of:

(a) upon receiving a PSTN call directed to the client'"'"'s telephone, retrieving an IP address for the client; and

(b) sending an alert signal that a call is waiting to the client'"'"'s PC/VDU via an IP interface coupled to both the PSTN and the Internet;

(c) providing an audio alert event on receipt of the alert signal of a call waiting; and

(d) providing a user initiated response from the PC/VDU to the PSTN switch via the IP Interface, indicating one of acceptance or refusal of the call waiting.

10. A method for providing Internet call waiting for a client having a computer with a video display unit (PC/VDU) connected to the Internet on one line, and a PSTN telephone connected on the same line, comprising steps of:

(a) intercepting PSTN calls directed to the client'"'"'s PC/VDU;

(b) retrieving an IP address for the client'"'"'s PC/VDU;

(c) sending an alert signal to the client'"'"'s PC/VDU via an IP interface to the Internet;

(d) providing an audio alert event on receipt of the alert signal of a call waiting;

(e) providing a user-initiated response to the PSTN switch via the IP Interface, indicating one of acceptance or refusal of the call waiting; and

(e) connecting the PSTN call to the client'"'"'s PC/VDU via the IP interface as an IP telephone call, upon receiving a response from the client'"'"'s PC/VDU that the call has been accepted.

11. The method of claim 10 including a step wherein, upon connection of an IP call to the client'"'"'s computer station in step (e), the client'"'"'s computer station plays a pre-recorded announcement to the caller.