Method and apparatus for managing incoming and outgoing calls at an endpoint placed on hold

• US 7,006,618 B1
• Filed: 11/09/2001
• Issued: 02/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaffer, Shmuel, Dewan, Rohit
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quynh H.
• Application Number:
  US09/990,688
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 379/215.01, 379/202.01, 379/204.01, 370/260
• US Class Current: 379/215.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4286 Notifying a held subscriber when his held call is removed from hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• 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 method and apparatus for managing incoming and outgoing calls at an endpoint placed on hold are disclosed. A first call that includes an outbound media stream is established on a network between a first endpoint and a second endpoint. The first endpoint detects that the first call was placed on hold by the second endpoint and a second call between the first endpoint and a third endpoint after detecting that the first call was placed on hold. The first endpoint communicates the outbound media stream in the second call and mixes a first incoming media stream from the first call with a second incoming media stream from the second call for presentation to a user of the first endpoint.

Claims

1. A method for managing incoming and outgoing calls when an endpoint has been placed on hold, comprising:

establishing, over a first phone line of an IP telephone, a first call on a packet switched network between the IP telephone and a first endpoint, the first call including an outbound packet media stream communicated from the IP telephone;

detecting that the first call was placed on hold by the first endpoint;

establishing, over a second phone line of the IP telephone, a second call on the packet switched network between the IP telephone and a second endpoint after detecting that the first call was placed on hold;

communicating the outbound packet media stream in the second call; and

mixing a first incoming packet media stream from the first call with a second incoming packet media stream from the second call for presentation to a user of the IP telephone.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein mixing the first incoming packet media stream from the first call with the second incoming packet media stream from the second call for presentation to the user of the IP telephone comprises generating a mixed packet media stream that includes a first percentage of the first incoming packet media stream and a second percentage of the second incoming packet media stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the outbound packet media stream in the second call comprises muting the outbound packet media stream in the first call.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that the first call has been removed from on hold by the first endpoint; and

communicating the outbound packet media stream in the first call after detecting that the first call was removed from on hold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating the outbound packet media stream in a second call comprises receiving an indication that a button has been activated by the user at the IP telephone, the button operable to:

mute the outbound packet media stream in the first call; and

transfer the outbound packet media stream from the first call to the second call.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting that the first call was placed on hold by the first endpoint comprises the user receiving notification from a remote user at the first endpoint that the remote user is placing the first call on hold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting that the first call was placed on hold by the first endpoint comprises receiving a signal from the first endpoint indicating that the first call was placed on hold.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting that the first call was placed on hold by the first endpoint comprises receiving a signal communicated from the first endpoint to a call manager via the packet switched network indicating that the first call was placed on hold.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein mixing the first incoming packet media stream from the first call with the second incoming packet media stream from the second call for presentation to the user of the IP telephone comprises:

communicating the first and second incoming packet media streams to a call resource by a call manager coupled to the packet switched network;

mixing the first and second incoming packet media streams at the call resource to create a mixed packet media stream; and

communicating the mixed packet media stream from the call resource to the IP telephone by the call manager.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the second call on the packet switched network between the IP telephone and the second endpoint after detecting that the first call was placed on hold comprises establishing the second call on the packet switched network in response to the user indicating a desire to place or receive the second call.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the IP telephone performs the detecting, communicating and mixing steps.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein mixing the first incoming media stream from the first call with the second incoming media stream from the second call for presentation to the user of the IP telephone comprises detecting that the first call was placed on hold by the first endpoint.

12. A method for managing incoming and outgoing calls when an endpoint has been placed on hold, comprising:

establishing, over a first phone line of an IP telephone, a first call on a packet switched network between the IP telephone and a first endpoint, the first call including an outbound packet media stream communicated from the IP telephone;

detecting that the first call was placed on hold by the first endpoint;

establishing, over a second phone line of the IP telephone, a second call on the packet switched network between the IP telephone and a second endpoint after detecting that the first call was placed on hold;

communicating the outbound packet media stream in the second call;

mixing a first incoming packet media stream from the first call with a second incoming packet media stream from the second call for presentation to a user of the IP telephone;

wherein establishing the first call on the packet switched network between the IP telephone and the second endpoint comprises receiving signaling information at the first and second endpoints from a call manager coupled to the packet switched network; and

wherein detecting that the first call was placed on hold by the second endpoint comprises receiving a signal communicated from the second endpoint to the call manager via the packet switched network indicating that the first call was placed on hold.

14. A method for managing incoming and outgoing calls when a telephone call has been placed on hold, comprising:

establishing, over a first phone line of an IP telephone, a first call on a packet switched network between the IP telephone and a first telephone, the first call comprising a first packet media stream communicated from the IP telephone to the first telephone and a second packet media stream communicated from the first telephone to the IP telephone;

detecting that the first call was placed on hold by the first telephone;

establishing, over a second phone line of the IP telephone, a second call on the packet switched network between the IP telephone and a second telephone after detecting that the first call was placed on hold;

communicating the first packet media stream in the second call, the second call including a third packet media stream communicated from the second telephone to the IP telephone; and

mixing the second packet media stream and the third packet media stream to generate a mixed packet media stream for presentation to a user of the IP telephone.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the mixed packet media stream comprises a first percentage of the second packet media stream and a second percentage of the third packet media stream.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the IP telephone comprises processing resources operable to mix the second and third packet media streams.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein communicating the first packet media stream in the second call comprises muting the first packet media stream in the first call.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

detecting that the first call has been removed from on hold by the first telephone; and

communicating the first packet media stream in the first call after detecting that the first call was removed from on hold.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein communicating the first packet media stream in the second call comprises receiving an indication that a button has been activated by the user at the IP telephone, the button operable to:

mute the first packet media stream in the first call; and

transfer the first packet media stream from the first call to the second call.

20. The method of claim 14, establishing the second call on the packet switched network between the IP telephone and the second telephone after detecting that the first call was placed on hold comprises establishing the second call on the packet switched network in response to the user indicating a desire to place or receive the second call.

21. An IP telephone, comprising:

a network interface operable to couple to a packet switched network;

a transmit circuit coupled to the network interface;

a receive circuit coupled to the network interface; and

a control circuit coupled to the transmit and receive circuits, the control circuit operable to;

detect that a first call, over a first phone line of the IP telephone, was placed on hold by a first remote endpoint, the first call including an outbound packet media stream communicated to the first remote endpoint and a first incoming packet media stream communicated from the first remote endpoint;

establish a second call, over a second phone line of the IP telephone, on the packet switched network with a second remote endpoint after detecting that the first call was placed on hold by the first remote endpoint, the second call including a second incoming packet media stream communicated from the second remote endpoint;

instruct the transmit circuit to communicate the outbound packet media stream to the second remote endpoint in the second call; and

mix the first and second incoming packet media streams for presentation to a user.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the control circuit is further operable to generate a mixed packet media stream that includes a first percentage of the first incoming packet media stream and a second percentage of the second incoming packet media stream.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein the control circuit is further operable to:

detect that the first call has been removed from on hold by the first remote endpoint; and

instruct the transmit circuit to communicate the outbound packet media stream in the first call after detecting that the first call was removed from on hold.

24. The device of claim 21, wherein the control circuit instructs the transmit circuit to communicate the outbound packet media stream to the second remote endpoint in the second call in response to the user pushing a button located on the IP telephone, the button operable to:

mute the outbound packet media stream in the first call; and

transfer the outbound packet media stream to the second call.

25. The device of claim 21, wherein the control unit detects that the first call was placed on hold by the first remote endpoint in response to receiving a media packet from the first remote endpoint that indicates the first call was placed on hold.

26. The device of claim 21, wherein the control unit detects that the first call was placed on hold by the first remote endpoint in response to receiving a signal from a call manager that indicates that the first call was placed on hold.

27. The device of claim 21, wherein the control unit establishes the second call on the packet switched network with the second remote endpoint in response to the user indicating a desire to place or receive the second call.

28. Logic encoded in media for managing incoming and outgoing calls at a telephone when a telephone call has been placed on hold, the logic operable to perform the following steps:

establishing a first call, over a first phone line of an IP telephone, on a packet switched network between the IP telephone and a first endpoint, the first call including an outbound packet media stream communicated from the IP telephone;

detecting that the first call was placed on hold by the first endpoint;

establishing a second call, over a second phone line of the IP telephone, on the packet switched network between the IP telephone and a second endpoint after detecting that the first call was placed on hold;

communicating the outbound packet media stream in the second call; and

mixing a first incoming packet media stream from the first call with a second incoming packet media stream from the second call for presentation to a user of the IP telephone.

29. The logic of claim 28, wherein mixing the first incoming packet media stream from the first call with the second incoming packet media stream from the second call for presentation to the user of the IP telephone comprises generating a mixed packet media stream that includes a first percentage of the first incoming packet media stream and a second percentage of the second incoming packet media stream.

30. The logic of claim 28, wherein communicating the outbound packet media stream in the second call comprises muting the outbound packet media stream in the first call.

31. The logic of claim 28, further comprising:

detecting that the first call has been removed from on hold by the first endpoint; and

communicating the outbound packet media stream in the first call after detecting that the first call was removed from on hold.

32. The logic of claim 28, wherein communicating an outbound packet media stream associated with the first call in a second call comprises receiving an indication that a button has been activated by the user of the IP telephone, the button operable to:

mute the outbound packet media stream in the first call; and

transfer the outbound packet media stream from the first call to the second call.

33. An apparatus for managing incoming and outgoing calls when an endpoint has been placed on hold, comprising:

means for establishing a first call, over a first phone line of an IP telephone, on a packet switched network between the IP telephone and a first endpoint, the first call including an outbound packet media stream communicated from the IP telephone;

means for detecting that the first call was placed on hold by the first endpoint;

means for establishing a second call, over a second phone line of the IP telephone, on the packet switched network between the IP telephone and a second endpoint after detecting that the first call was placed on hold;

means for communicating the outbound packet media stream in the second call; and

means for mixing a first incoming packet media stream from the first call with a second incoming packet media stream from the second call for presentation to a user of the IP telephone.