Method and system for online call management

• US 7,254,219 B1
• Filed: 09/13/2000
• Issued: 08/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qwest Communications International Incorporated (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morrison, Scott, Hansen, Benjamin E., Quintanar, Leo R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Escalante; Ovidio
• Application Number:
  US09/660,785
• Time in Patent Office: 2,519 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 379 8819- 8825, 379/202.01, 379/203.01, 379/204.01, 379/205.01, 379/207.01, 379/207.14, 379/207.15, 379/210.02, 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/212.01, 379/215.01, 379/220.01, 379/221.01, 379/93.09, 379/93.35, 379/142.01, 379/142.02, 379/93.01, 370/352, 370/355, 370/356, 370/389, 370/392, 370/40, 370/410, 370/522, 370/402
• US Class Current: 379/88.17
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/247 Telephone sets including user guidance or feature selection means facilitating their use user interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones H04M1/724
• 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 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 1/64 Automatic arrangements for answering calls; Automatic arrangements for recording messages for absent subscribers; Arrangements for recording conversations centralised dictation systems H04M11/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• 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 3/4281 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 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54

Abstract

A method of managing a telephone call from a calling station to a called station having a telephone service, where the called station is capable of connection to the Internet comprising the steps of forwarding the called station telephone service to an intermediate server upon the called station launching an Internet connection responsive to a telephone call from a calling station received by the intermediate server, sending a communication to the called station including available calling station identification information and a query to the called station via the Internet requesting a decision from a list of call disposition options for the telephone call receiving a decision from the called station choosing at least one call disposition option and performing an action according to the call disposition option.

Claims

1. A method of managing a telephone call from a calling station to a called station having a telephone service, where the called station is connected to a data network comprising the steps of:

forwarding the called station telephone service to an application server;

responsive to a telephone call from a calling station, forwarding the telephone call to the application server regardless of a connection status of the called station;

at the application server, obtaining from an Internet Access Server, an IP address relating to the called station, wherein the Internet Access Server is a different server from the application server;

sending a screen viewable query to the called station via the data network requesting disposition of said telephone call, wherein the query includes a list of call disposition options for said telephone call, and wherein one of said list of call disposition options includes sending said telephone call to a voicemail system;

receiving a decision on the disposition of said telephone call from the called station;

performing an action according to the decision, wherein said action includes sending said telephone call to a voicemail system; and

logging information related to the telephone call and the decision on the disposition of the telephone call, wherein the information is viewable via the data network.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein said screen viewable query includes an option of answering said telephone call over the data network.

3. A method as in claim 1, wherein said screen viewable query includes an option of answering said telephone call using a public switched network.

4. A method as in claim 1, wherein said screen viewable query includes an option of ignoring said telephone call.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein said screen viewable query includes an option of forwarding said telephone call to a different telephone number.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein said screen viewable query includes an option of playing an announcement to the calling station.

7. A method as in claim 1, wherein said screen viewable query includes an option of placing the calling station on hold.

8. A method as in claim 1, wherein said screen viewable query includes an option of adding the calling station to a conference call bridge.

9. A method as in claim 1, wherein said screen viewable query includes an option of hanging up said telephone call.

10. A method of managing a telephone call from a calling station to a called station having a telephone service, where the called station is capable of connection to the Internet comprising the steps of:

forwarding the called station telephone service to an intermediate server upon said called station launching an Internet connection;

responsive to a telephone call from a calling station, forwarding the telephone call to the intermediate server regardless of a connection status of the called station;

responsive to the telephone call from a calling station received by said intermediate server, obtaining from an Internet Access Server, an IP address relating to the called station, wherein the Internet Access Server is a different server from the intermediate server;

sending a screen viewable communication to the called station including available calling station identification information and a query to the called station via the Internet requesting a decision from a list of call disposition options for said telephone call, wherein said query includes an option of sending said telephone call to a voicemail system;

receiving a decision from the called station choosing at least one call disposition option;

performing an action according to the call disposition option; and

logging information related to the telephone call and the decision choosing at least one call disposition option, wherein the information is viewable via the Internet.

11. A method as in claim 10, wherein one of said list of call disposition options includes answering said telephone call over the Internet and said step of performing an action includes answering said telephone call over the Internet.

12. A method as in claim 10, wherein one of said list of call disposition options includes answering said telephone call using a public switched network and said step of performing an action includes answering said telephone call using a public switched network.

13. A method as in claim 10, wherein one of said list of call dispositions options includes ignoring said telephone call.

14. A method as in claim 10, wherein said list of call disposition options includes forwarding said telephone call to a different telephone number and said step of performing an action includes forwarding said telephone call to a different telephone number.

15. A method as in claim 10, wherein said list of call disposition options includes playing an announcement to the calling station and said step of performing an action includes playing an announcement to the calling station.

16. A method as in claim 10, wherein said list of call disposition options includes placing the calling station on hold and said step of performing an action includes placing the calling station on hold.

17. A method as in claim 10, wherein said list of call disposition options includes adding the calling station to a conference call bridge and said step of performing an action includes adding the calling station to a conference call bridge.

18. A method as in claim 10, wherein said list of call disposition options includes hanging up said telephone call and said step of performing an action includes hanging up said telephone call.

19. A method as in claim 10, wherein said list of call disposition options includes adding the available calling station identification information to a database and said step of performing an action includes adding the available calling station identification information to a database.

20. A method as in claim 10, wherein said list of call disposition options includes displaying information stored about the calling station and said step of performing an action includes displaying information stored about the calling station.