System and method for efficient telephone call transfer

• US 6,853,718 B1
• Filed: 05/29/2002
• Issued: 02/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bedingfield, James C. Sr., Nguyen, Hong Thi, Farmer, Sharolyn S.
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BENNY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US10/155,959
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 379/212.01, 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/215.01, 379/207.02, 379/201.01, 379/201.12, 379/219, 455/414.1, 455/417, 455/455
• US Class Current: 379/212.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

During a telephone call, a transferring party performs an action to cause the telephone call to be transferred. The action causes a switch to send a query to a service control point (SCP) in a public-switched telephone network (PSTN). The SCP determines a transfer telephone number to which the telephone call is transferred. The transfer telephone number can be stored in a subscriber information table. The SCP determines the transfer telephone number and returns the transfer telephone number to the switch sending the query. The switch makes a telephone call to the transfer telephone number to cause a telephone associated with the transfer telephone number to ring. When the telephone associated with the transfer telephone number is answered, the transferring party disconnects from the telephone call to complete the transfer of the telephone call. A services node can also be used to determine the transfer telephone number. In addition, other telephone services, such as three-way calling can be selected by the transferring party.

Claims

1. A method for transferring a telephone call, comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing a telephone call between a calling party and a called party;

(b) detecting an action indicating that a transfer of the telephone call is desired;

(c) sending a query to determine how to process the telephone call in response to the action,

(d) using information sent in the query to determine a transfer telephone number to which the telephone call is to be transferred;

(e) returning the transfer telephone number in response to the query;

(f) causing a telephone associated with the transfer telephone number to ring; and

(g) disconnecting a party performing the action in step (b) from the telephone call to complete transfer of the telephone call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the action is in step (b) is a hook flash, further comprising the step of sending an indication that the hook flash was performed in the query.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of pre-storing the transfer telephone number in a subscriber information table.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether a transfer service is active; and

transferring the telephone call only if the transfer service is determined to be active.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the action in step (b) is a hook flash, further comprising the steps of:

determining whether the party performing the hook flash subscribes to a call waiting service; and

suspending transfer of the first telephone call when there is an incoming telephone call if the party performing the hook flash subscribes to the call waiting service.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

prompting the party performing the action to select a transfer tag; and

determining a transfer telephone number in response to the party'"'"'s selection.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of speaking the transfer tag in response to the prompting step.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of pressing a key on a telephone keypad in response to the prompting step.

9. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of sending the query to a network element containing service logic in a telecommunication network in a public-switched telephone network.

10. A method for transferring a telephone call, comprising the steps of:

(a) establishing a telephone call between a calling party and a called party;

(b) detecting an action performed by a party to the telephone call indicating that the party desires to perform mid-call telephone call service;

(c) prompting the party performing the action for a selection of the service requested;

(d) transferring the telephone call if the party performing the action enters a code associated with a transfer service; and

(e) performing another telephone call processing service in accordance with the entered code if the calling party does not enter the code associated with a transfer service.

11. The method recited in claim 10, wherein the party performing the action enters a code corresponding to the transfer service, further comprising the steps of:

(f) sending a query to obtain a transfer telephone number;

(g) using information sent in the query to determine a transfer telephone number to which the telephone call is to be transferred;

(h) returning the transfer telephone number in response to the query;

(i) causing a telephone associated with the transfer telephone number to ring; and

(j) disconnecting the party performing the action from the first telephone call to complete the transfer of the first telephone call.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of pre-storing the transfer telephone number in a subscriber information table.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

performing a table lookup to determine whether a transfer service is active; and

transferring the first telephone call only if the transfer service is active.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

prompting the party performing the action to select a transfer tag; and

determining a transfer telephone number in response to the party'"'"'s selection.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of speaking the transfer tag in response to the prompting.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of pressing a key on a telephone keypad in response to the prompting.

17. The method recited in claim 11, further comprising the step of obtaining the transfer telephone number from a media server in a telecommunication network.

18. The method recited in claim 10, wherein the another telephone call processing service in step (e) is establishing a three-way telephone call, further comprising the steps of:

(f) receiving a valid telephone number in response to the prompting;

(g) making a telephone call to a telephone associated with the valid telephone number to cause the telephone to ring;

(h) answering the telephone associated with the valid telephone number; and

(i) performing a hook flash complete the three-way telephone call.

19. A system for performing an efficient transfer of a telephone call, comprising:

a first switch that couples a calling party telephone to a PSTN;

a second switch that couples a called party telephone to a PSTN, wherein a telephone call can be established from the calling party to the called party over the PSTN through the first switch and the second switch;

a network element containing service logic coupled to one of the first and second switches;

a database coupled to the network element, wherein the database comprises a subscriber information table comprising a first column and a second column, wherein the first column is used to store a subscriber identification and the second column is used to store a transfer telephone number associated with the subscriber identification, wherein the network element is adapted to receive a query for a transfer telephone number from a one of the first and second switches and determine a transfer telephone number to return to the one of the first and second switches in response to the query.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising a telephone call established between the calling party and the called party through the first and second switches and wherein the one of the first and second switches to which the network element is coupled comprises means for detecting an indication that one of the calling party and the called party desires to perform a midcall transfer of the telephone call.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the transfer telephone number associated with a particular subscriber identification is obtained from a subscriber associated with the subscriber identification.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the subscriber identification is a telephone number associated with a subscriber identified by the subscriber identification.

23. The system recited in claim 19, wherein the one of the first and second switches is adapted to suspend transfer of the telephone call when a request to transfer the telephone call would be incompatible with another telephone call handling service.

24. The system recited in claim 19, where at least one of the called party telephone and the calling party telephone is an ISDN telephone.

25. The system recited in claim 19, where at least one of the called party telephone and the calling party telephone is an ADSI telephone.

26. The system recited in claim 19, where at least one of the called party telephone and the calling party telephone is an analog telephone.

27. The system recited in claim 19, where at least one of the called party telephone and the calling party telephone is computer configured to emulate a telephone.

28. A system for performing an efficient transfer of a telephone call, comprising:

a first switch that couples a calling party telephone to a PSTN;

a second switch that couples a called party telephone to a PSTN, wherein a telephone call can be established from the calling party to the called party over the PSTN through the first switch and the second switch;

a services node coupled to the PSTN comprising a subscriber information table, that comprises two columns, wherein a first column is used to store a subscriber identification and a second column is used to store a transfer telephone number associated with the subscriber identification stored in the first column, wherein the services node is adapted to prompt a one of the calling party and the called party that requests a mid-call transfer to enter a code to request transfer of the telephone call, and wherein the services node is adapted to obtain a transfer telephone number to which the telephone call should be transferred and wherein the services node is further adapted to cause a telephone associated with the telephone transfer number to ring.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the transfer telephone number associated with a particular subscriber identification is obtained from a subscriber associated with the subscriber identification.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the subscriber identification is a telephone number associated with a subscriber identified by the subscriber identification.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the services node is adapted to receive one of a code indicating that it should transfer the telephone call and a valid telephone number indicating it should establish a three-way telephone call.

32. The system recited in claim 28, wherein the services node is further adapted to transfer the telephone call to a switch when the telephone associated with the transfer telephone number is answered.

33. A system for performing an efficient transfer of a telephone call, comprising:

a first switch that couples a calling party telephone to a PSTN;

a second switch that couples a called party telephone to a PSTN, wherein a telephone call can be established from the calling party to the called party over the PSTN through the first switch and the second switch;

a services node coupled to the PSTN comprising a subscriber information table, that includes subscriber information, and a transfer telephone number associated with each subscriber identification so stored, wherein the services node is adapted to prompt a one of the calling party and the called party that requests a mid-call transfer to enter a code to request transfer of the telephone call, and wherein the services node is adapted to obtain a transfer telephone number to which the telephone call should be transferred and wherein the services node is further adapted to cause a telephone associated with the telephone transfer number to ring.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the transfer telephone number associated with a particular subscriber identification is obtained from a subscriber associated with the subscriber identification.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the subscriber identification is a telephone number associated with a subscriber identified by the subscriber identification.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein the services node is adapted to receive one of a code indicating that it should transfer the telephone call and a valid telephone number indicating it should establish a three-way telephone call.

37. The system recited in claim 33, wherein the services node is further adapted to transfer the telephone call to a switch when the telephone associated with the transfer telephone number is answered.