Extended call handling functionality using multi-network simulcasting

• US 7,974,296 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2010
• Issued: 07/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Seshadri, Nambirajan, Bennett, James D., Karaoguz, Jeyhan
• Primary Examiner(s): Rampuria; Sharad
• Application Number:
  US12/778,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20100220704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/352, 370/401, 455/3.01, 455/3.06
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42221 Conversation recording systems at the subscriber's set H04M1/656
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A method and apparatus supporting the handling of calls using simulcasting of multimedia information via a broadband access gateway are disclosed. A broadband access gateway supporting both a personal area network and a broadband network may receive multimedia information simultaneously exchanged by an associated access device via a wide area network. The broadband access gateway may store the received multimedia information locally, within the broadband access gateway, or may communicate the multimedia information to storage accessible from the broadband access gateway. The broadband access gateway may cause a user of the access device to be notified of the availability of multimedia information for a recorded call, and may communicate the multimedia information to the access device for playback. A user may be notified if storage and bandwidth for the recording of a call is not available.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a plurality of code sections, each code section comprising a plurality of instructions executable by a processor for causing the processor to perform the steps of a method of handling calls in a wide area network using simulcasting of multimedia information via a broadband access gateway, the method comprising:

associating at least one access device with the broadband access gateway;

receiving, at the broadband access gateway from the associated access device via a broadband network, a request to record call information communicated during a call via a wide area network;

accepting the request to record the call information, if it is determined that a first condition is met;

rejecting the request to record the call information, if it is determined that a second condition is met;

receiving, via the broadband network, the call information communicated during the call; and

storing the received call information, if the request is accepted.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, the method comprising:

receiving, from the associated at least one access device, a request for stored call information; and

sending stored call information to the associated at least one access device for playback.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, the method comprising:

receiving, via the broadband network, a request to halt recording of the communicated call information.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1, the method comprising:

notifying the associated at least one access device of available stored call information.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1 wherein the wide area network comprises one or more of:

a cellular digital packet data (CDPD) network, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) network, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network, a short message service (SMS) network, a GSM enhanced data rates for global evolution (EDGE) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, an integrated digital enhanced network (DEN), a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, and/or a CDMA2000 1xRTT network.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1 wherein the personal area network comprises one or more of:

a Bluetooth network, an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 network, an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.3a network, and/or a cellular network.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1 wherein the broadband network comprises one or more of:

a cable network, a digital subscriber loop network, a T1 network, a T3 network, a local multipoint distribution system (LMDS), a WiMAX network, and/or an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 network.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 1 comprising receiving from the associated access device via the broadband network, an additional request to record multimedia information communicated during the call, wherein the multimedia information comprises one or more of:

streaming video, broadcast video, digitized voice, digital data, text, digitized audio, digitized still images, digitized video, and/or digitized music.

9. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1 wherein determining that the first condition is met comprises determining whether a resource for recording the call information is available.

10. The computer-readable medium according to claim 9 wherein determining that the second condition is met comprises determining whether the resource for recording the call information is not available.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9 wherein the resource for recording the call information comprises one or both of:

storage and/or bandwidth.

12. A system for handling calls using simulcasting of multimedia information via a broadband access gateway, the system comprising:

at least one processor communicatively coupled to a broadband network and at least one wireless interface, the at least one processor operable to, at least;

selectively communicate multimedia and call information between the at least one wireless interface and the broadband network;

communicate with at least one access device via the at least one wireless interface;

associate the at least one access device with the broadband access gateway;

receive at the broadband access gateway from the associated access device via a broadband network, a request to record the call information communicated during a call via a wide area network;

accept the request to record the call information, if it is determined that a first condition is met;

reject the request to record the call information, if it is determined that the first condition is not met;

receive, via the broadband network, the call information communicated during the call; and

store the received call information, if the request is accepted.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is operable to, at least:

receive, from the associated at least one access device, a request for stored call information; and

send stored call information to the associated at least one access device for playback.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is operable to, at least:

receive, via the broadband network, a request to halt recording of the communicated call information.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is operable to, at least:

notify the associated at least one access device of available stored call information.

16. The system according to claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is operable to, at least:

receive from the associated access device via the broadband network, an additional request to record multimedia information communicated during the call, wherein the multimedia information comprises one or more of;

streaming video, broadcast video, digitized voice, digital data, text, digitized audio, digitized still images, digitized video, and/or digitized music.

17. The system according to claim 12, wherein the broadband network comprises one or more of:

a cable network, a digital subscriber loop network, a T1 network, a T3 network, a local multipoint distribution system (LMDS), a WiMAX network, and/or an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 network.

18. The system according to claim 12 wherein the at least one wireless interface comprises one or more of:

a Bluetooth network interface, an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 network interface, an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.3a network, and/or a cellular network interface.

19. The system according to claim 12 wherein the wide area network comprises one or more of:

a cellular digital packet data (CDPD) network, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) network, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network, a short message service (SMS) network, a GSM enhanced data rates for global evolution (EDGE) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, an integrated digital enhanced network (iDEN), a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, and/or a CDMA2000 1xRTT network.

20. The system according to claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is operable to, at least:

inform the wide area network, via the broadband network, of acceptance of all information by the associated at least one access device via the personal area network.

21. The system according to claim 12 wherein the call information is stored within the gateway.

22. The system according to claim 12 wherein determining that the first condition is met comprises determining whether a resource for recording the call information is available.

23. The system according to claim 22 wherein determining that the second condition is met comprises determining whether the resource for recording the call information is not available.

24. The system according to claim 22 wherein the resource for recording the call information comprises one or both of:

storage and/or bandwidth.

25. A method of handling calls in a wide area network using simulcasting of multimedia information via a broadband access gateway, the method comprising:

associating at least one access device with the broadband access gateway;

receiving, at the broadband access gateway from the associated access device via a broadband network, a request to record call information communicated during a call via a wide area network;

accepting the request to record the call information, if it is determined that a first condition is met;

rejecting the request to record the call information, if it is determined that a second condition is met;

receiving, via the broadband network, the call information communicated during the call; and

storing the received call information, if the request is accepted.

26. The method according to claim 25, further comprising:

receiving, from the associated at least one access device, a request for stored call information; and

sending stored call information to the associated at least one access device for playback.

27. The method according to claim 25, further comprising:

receiving, via the broadband network, a request to halt recording of the communicated call information.

28. The method according to claim 25, further comprising:

notifying the associated at least one access device of available stored call information.

29. The method according to claim 25 wherein the wide area network comprises one or more of:

a cellular digital packet data (CDPD) network, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) network, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network, a short message service (SMS) network, a GSM enhanced data rates for global evolution (EDGE) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, an integrated digital enhanced network (iDEN), a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, and/or a CDMA2000 1xRTT network.

30. The method according to claim 25 wherein the personal area network comprises one or more of:

a Bluetooth network, an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 network, an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.3a network, and/or a cellular network.

31. The method according to claim 25 wherein the broadband network comprises one or more of:

a cable network, a digital subscriber loop network, a T1 network, a T3 network, a local multipoint distribution system (LMDS), a WiMAX network, and/or an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.16 network.

32. The method according to claim 25 comprising receiving from the associated access device via the broadband network, an additional request to record multimedia information communicated during the call, wherein the multimedia information comprises one or more of:

streaming video, broadcast video, digitized voice, digital data, text, digitized audio, digitized still images, digitized video, and/or digitized music.

33. The method according to claim 25 wherein determining that the first condition is met comprises determining whether a resource for recording the call information is available.

34. The method according to claim 33 wherein determining that the second condition is met comprises determining whether the resource for recording the call information is not available.

35. The method according to claim 33 wherein the resource for recording the call information comprises one or both of:

storage and/or bandwidth.