Systems and methods for voicemail avoidance

• US 8,315,362 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2007
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GOTO Group Incorporated (LogMeIn, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Payne, Gordon
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US11/843,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20090052639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,917 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.07, 379/87, 379/88.18, 379/207.02, 370/352, 370/389, 455/411, 709/204, 709/206, 709/227, 709/228, 715/854
• US Class Current: 379/88.18
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2027 Live party detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00

Abstract

Systems and methods for voicemail avoidance are shown and described. The method can include issuing an invitation to an audio communications session to a first one of the end-points, receiving, in response to the invitation to a first one the end-points, an indication that the first end-point is available for the audio communication session and that the invitation to the first one of the end-points did not terminate with a voicemail service associated with the first one of the end-points, and issuing, in response to the indication, an invitation to join the audio communications session to a second one of the end-points.

Claims

1. A method of establishing an audio communications session between at least two endpoints, each end-point having a voicemail service associated therewith, the method comprising:

issuing, by a communications gateway via a private branch exchange (PBX), an invitation to an audio communications session to a first one of the end-points, the PBX issuing a prompt to an end user of the first one of the end points to take an action, upon the end user answering the invitation, to complete a call to a second one of the end-points;

receiving, by the communications gateway in response to the prompt to the end user of the first one of the end-points, an indication that the end user of the first end-point is available for the audio communication session and that the invitation to the first one of the end-points did not terminate with a voicemail service associated with the first one of the end-points; and

issuing, by the communications gateway in response to the indication, an invitation to join the audio communications session to the second one of the end-points.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving an invitation to the audio communication session comprises receiving an invitation to the audio communication session from a private branch exchange.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving an indication comprises receiving a touch-tone response from a telephonic device.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising establishing the communications session between the first end-point and the second end-point.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving an indication comprises receiving the response resulting from an affirmative action of the end-user of the first one of the end-points.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the issuing an invitation comprises issuing a SIP invite command.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the end-points comprises telephonic devices.

8. A tangible non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions thereon that when executed establish an audio communications session between at least two end-points, each end-point having a voicemail service associated therewith, the computer readable medium comprising:

instructions to issue, by a communications gateway via a private branch exchange (PBX), an invitation to an audio communications session to a first one of the end-points, the PBX issuing a prompt to an end user of the first one of the end points to take an action, upon the end user answering the invitation, to complete a call to a second one of the end-points;

instructions to receive, by the communications gateway in response to the prompt to the end user of the first one of the end-points, an indication that the end user of the first end-point is available for the audio communication session and that the invitation to the first one of the end-points did not terminate with a voicemail service associated with the first one of the end-points; and

instructions to issue, by the communications gateway in response to the indication, an invitation to join the audio communications session to the second one of the end-points.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 8 wherein the instructions to receive an invitation to the audio communication session comprise instructions to receive an invitation to the audio communication session from a private branch exchange.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 8 wherein the instructions to receive an indication comprises instructions to receive a touch-tone response from a telephonic device.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 8 further comprising instructions to establish the communications session between the first end-point and the second end-point.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 8 wherein the instructions to receive an indication comprise instructions to receive the response resulting from an affirmative action of the end-user of the first one of the end-points.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 8 wherein the instructions to issue an invitation comprise instructions to issue a SIP invite command.

14. A system for establishing an audio communications session between at least two endpoints, each end-point having a voicemail service associated therewith, the system comprising:

means for issuing, by a communications gateway via a private branch exchange (PBX), an invitation to an audio communications session to a first one of the end-points, the PBX issuing a prompt to an end user of the first one of the end points to take an action, upon the end user answering the invitation, to complete a call to a second one of the end-points;

means for receiving, by the communications gateway in response to the prompt to the end user of the first one of the end-points, an indication that the end user of the first end-point is available for the audio communication session and that the invitation to the first one of the end-points did not terminate with a voicemail service associated with the first one of the end-points; and

means for issuing, by the communications gateway in response to the indication, an invitation to join the audio communications session to the second one of the end-points.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the means for receiving an invitation to the audio communication session comprises means for receiving an invitation to the audio communication session from a private branch exchange.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the means for receiving an indication comprises means for receiving a touch-tone response from a telephonic device.

17. The system of claim 14 further comprising means for establishing the communications session between the first end-point and the second end-point.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the means for receiving an indication comprises means for receiving the response resulting from an affirmative action of the end-user of the first one of the end-points.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein the means for issuing an invitation comprises means for issuing a SIP invite command.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein the end-points comprises telephonic devices.