Apparatus and method for music-on-hold delivery on a communication system

• US 6,526,041 B1
• Filed: 09/14/1998
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unify Inc. (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Information & Communication Networks, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Shaffer, Shmuel, Wrede, Uwe, Beyda, William Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Marcelo, Melvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEHRA, INDER P
• Application Number:
  US09/152,939
• Time in Patent Office: 1,625 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/401, 370/428, 370/546, 370/352, 370/356, 379/215, 379/393, 379/258, 379/259, 379/260, 379/261, 379/262, 379/263, 379/264, 379/265, 379/266, 379/267, 379/268, 379/309, 709/203, 709/231, 348/14.01
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/14 Delay circuits; Timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4285 Notifying, informing or entertaining a held party while on hold, e.g. Music On Hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5238 with waiting time or load prediction arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0039 where the data service is provided by a stream of packets which are rendered in real time by the receiving terminal network streaming of media packets H04L65/60
• 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

Abstract

A system for enabling music to be provided to callers placed on hold in a LAN network used for voice communications. Bandwidth consumption is minimized by ensuring that music-on-hold is provided in a manner that enables most necessary tasks to be executed by a client instead of a server. In specific embodiment, the music-on-hold system is configured to transfer a small application program or applet, having a music file and a media player, from the server to the client if necessary. Concurrently, a real time protocol (RTP) stream carrying music is used to provide music to the client from the server during the applet transfer to ensure that the held caller receives music at all times. The RTP stream is initially used to provide music to held callers.

Claims

1. A communications system for providing music over a computer network to a user connected to a client workstation by way of a telephone who has been placed on hold, comprising:

a local area network;

a program stored on said local area network for playing audio;

means for transmitting a continuous audio stream to said client workstation when a caller is on hold; and

means for transferring said program from said local area network to said client workstation while said continuous audio stream is being transmitted such that said client workstation terminates said continuous audio stream and said program plays locally at said client workstation; and

means for switching between playing audio using said continuous audio stream and locally at said client workstation.

2. The call hold system of claim 1, wherein said program includes an audio file.

3. The call hold system of claim 1, wherein said program is transferred from said server to said client, for execution at said client workstation.

4. The call hold system of claim 2, wherein said program further includes a media player program for playing said audio file.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said system is H.322 compliant.

6. A call hold system for providing audio to a caller placed on hold, comprising:

a server;

a client having a mass storage device in communication with said server;

a continuous stream of audio transmitted from said server to said client, said continuous audio stream adapted to provide real time audio to said caller when said caller is on hold, said audio being stored by said client on said mass storage device; and

an applet stored on said server adapted to be downloaded to said client in parallel with said continuous stream to enable said client to terminate said continuous stream and to play said downloaded audio locally from said client using said applet,

wherein said call hold system may switch from playing audio using said continuous stream to playing audio at said client and vice-versa.

7. The call hold system of claim 6, wherein said applet is already present on said client.

8. A communications system for providing video over a computer network to a user connected to a client workstation by way of a videophone who has been placed on hold, comprising:

a local area network;

a program stored on said local area network for playing video; and

means for transmitting a continuous video stream to said client workstation when said caller is on hold;

means for transferring said program from said local area network to said client workstation while said continuous video stream is being transmitted such that said client workstation terminates said continuous video stream and said program plays locally at said client workstation and

means for switching between playing video using said continuous video stream and locally at said client workstation.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said program includes a media player program for playing said video.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein said program is transferred from said server to said client, for execution at said client workstation.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein said program includes a video file and a media player program for playing said video file.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein said video is already present on said client workstation.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein said system is H.323 compliant.

14. A call hold system for providing multimedia programming to a caller placed on hold, comprising:

a server;

a client having a mass storage device in communication with said server;

a continuous stream of multimedia transmitted from said server to said client, said continuous multimedia stream adapted to provide real time multimedia to said caller when said caller is on hold, said multimedia being stored by said client on said mass storage device; and

a small application file stored on said server adapted to be downloaded to said client in parallel with said continuous stream to enable said client to terminate said continuous stream and to play said downloaded multimedia locally from said client using said small application file;

wherein said client is adapted to switch between playing said multimedia locally using said small application file and said continuous stream.

15. The call hold system of claim 14 wherein said application file comprises an applet.

16. The call hold system of claim 14 wherein said multimedia includes music.

17. The call hold system of claim 14 wherein said multimedia includes video.

18. The call hold system of claim 14 wherein said client is H.323 compliant.

19. A method for providing audio to a caller placed on hold in a system including a server and a client having a mass storage device in communication with said server, the method comprising:

transmitting a continuous stream of audio from said server to said client, said continuous audio stream adapted to provide real time audio to said caller when said caller is on hold;

storing said audio on said mass storage device;

downloading an applet stored on said server to said client in parallel with said continuous stream to enable said client to terminate said continuous stream and to play said downloaded audio locally from said client using said applet; and

switching between playing said audio using said continuous stream and locally using said applet.