Post answer call redirection via voice over IP

• US 8,072,970 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2009
• Issued: 12/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ricciardi, Dominic, Samarasinghe, Harish, Natarajan, Gautham, Peters, Robert Yaeger Jr., Ibezim, James, Dolly, Martin C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hashem, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US12/506,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20090279539A1
• Time in Patent Office: 868 Days
• Field of Search: 370228-503, 379/88.17, 379/88.13, 379/203.01, 379/204.01, 379/205.01, 379/207.01, 379/158, 709205-248
• US Class Current: 370/356
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• 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: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• 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

Abstract

A method is provided for forming a multi-media communication path between at least first, second and third communication devices coupled to a multi-media provider system during post answer call redirecting and/or teleconferencing. The method includes receiving and processing a first call request at a circuit-based portion of the multi-media provider system for forming a first communication link between the first and second communication devices. Thereafter, predetermined attributes of the first communication link may be sent to an IP-based portion of the multi-media provider system for configuring the IP-based portion of the multi-media provider system to process a subsequent request to execute post answer call redirecting and/or teleconferencing. Upon detecting the request to execute the post answer call redirecting and/or teleconferencing in the first communication link, the IP-based portion of the multi-media provider systems responds by forming the multi-media communication path between at least first, second and third communication devices.

Claims

1. A method of forming a multi-media communication path between a first communication device, a second communication device and a third communication device all of which are coupled to a multi-media provider system, comprising:

receiving a call request at a circuit-based portion of a multi-media provider system;

processing the call request at the circuit-based portion of the multi-media provider system for forming a first communication link between the first communication device and the second communication device in the circuit-based portion of the multi-media provider system;

processing predetermined attributes in a first format for the circuit-based portion of the multi-media provider system into a second format for an Internet protocol-based portion of the multi-media provider system;

sending the predetermined attributes of the first communication link to an internet protocol-based portion of the multi-media provider system before a request for one of a plurality of multi-media services is received, for configuring the internet protocol-based portion of the multi-media provider system to provide the one of the plurality of multi-media services associated with the third communication device; and

monitoring the first communication link for the request for the one of the plurality of multi-media services.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forming a first real-time transport protocol stream between the first communication device and an application server located on the internet protocol-based portion of the multi-media provider system.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

forming a second real-time transport protocol stream between the second communication device and the application server located on the internet protocol-based portion of the multi-media provider system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the monitoring the first communication link for the request comprises monitoring the first communication link for a post-answer call redirect request as directed by an application server.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the configuring the internet protocol-based portion of the multi-media provider system to provide the one of the plurality of multi-media services comprises:

configuring the internet protocol-based portion of the multi-media provider system to provide post-answer call redirecting services.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

forming a third real-time transport protocol stream between the third communication device and the application server located on the internet protocol-based portion of the multi-media provider system.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

moving the first, second and third real-time transport protocol streams to a media server located on the internet protocol-based portion of the multi-media provider system for enabling the media server to operate as a mediator for the first, second and third real-time transport protocol streams.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

instructing by the application server the media server to mix the first, second and third real-time transport protocol streams for providing the multi-media communication path between the first communication device, the second communication device and the third communication device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

disabling the monitoring of the first communication link for the post-answer call redirect request.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

controlling the media server to monitor the multi-media communication path for one of a plurality of conferencing instructions.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

controlling the media server to monitor the multi-media communication path for one of a plurality of transfer instructions.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

controlling the media server to monitor the multi-media communication path for one of a plurality of courtesy transfer instructions.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

controlling the media server to monitor the multi-media communication path for one of a plurality of consult and transfer instructions.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

controlling the media server to monitor the multi-media communication path for one of a plurality of conference and transfer instructions.

15. An apparatus for forming a multi-media communication path between a first communication device, a second communication device and a third communication device all of which are coupled to a multi-media provider system, comprising:

means for receiving a call request at a circuit-based portion of a multi-media provider system;

means for processing the call request at the circuit-based portion of the multi-media provider system for forming a first communication link between the first communication device and the second communication device in the circuit-based portion of the multi-media provider system;

means for processing predetermined attributes in a first format for the circuit-based portion of the multi-media provider system into a second format for an internet protocol-based portion of the multi-media provider system;

means for sending the predetermined attributes of the first communication link to an internet protocol-based portion of the multi-media provider system before a request for one of a plurality of multi-media services is received, for configuring the internet protocol-based portion of the multi-media provider system to provide the one of the plurality of multi-media services associated with the third communication device; and

means for monitoring the first communication link for the request for the one of the plurality of multi-media services.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

means for forming a first real-time transport protocol stream between the first communication device and an application server located on the internet protocol-based portion of the multi-media provider system.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising:

means for forming a second real-time transport protocol stream between the second communication device and the application server located on the internet protocol-based portion of the multi-media provider system.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the means for monitoring the first communication link for the request monitors the first communication link for a post-answer call redirect request as directed by an application server.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for configuring the internet protocol-based portion of the multi-media provider system to provide the one of the plurality of multi-media services comprises:

means for configuring the internet protocol-based portion of the multi-media provider system to provide post-answer call redirecting services.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

means for forming a third real-time transport protocol stream between the third communication device and the application server located on the internet protocol-based portion of the multi-media provider system.