Device-to-device call disposition

• US 8,411,834 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2010
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Cox Communications Incorporated (Cox Enterprises Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gopinath, Radhakrishnan, Gravino, Douglas David, Poffenberger, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, QUYNH H
• Application Number:
  US12/767,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20110261942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,071 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 379/211.02, 455/404.2, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• 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

Device-to-device call disposition is provided. When a call is received at a first telecommunications device, a determination may be made as to whether a second device has been designated to receive a notification of the inbound call and to allow for call disposition at the second device. At the second device, the user may be notified of the incoming call at the first device, and the user may be provided with a number of options for disposing of the incoming call. While the user is positioned at a location having a wireline or wireless communications device associated with the location, and the user receives a call on his/her personal wireless device, a call to the personal wireless device may be automatically routed to the wireline or wireless device associated with the user'"'"'s location (e.g., home or office).

Claims

1. A method of device-to-device call disposition, comprising:

receiving a call at a first telecommunications device;

determining whether the first telecommunications device is in an operational proximity of a second telecommunications device;

if the first telecommunications device is in the operational proximity of the second telecommunications device, automatically forwarding the call received at the first telecommunications device to the second telecommunications device; and

if the first telecommunications device is not in the operational proximity of the second telecommunications device;

determining whether device-to-device call disposition is required for the received call;

passing call disposition instructions to the second telecommunications device via an intelligent network component associated with the second telecommunications device, wherein the intelligent network component includes an internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) application associated with the second telecommunications device; and

at the second telecommunications device, presenting a notification of the call received at the first telecommunications device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether device-to-device call disposition is required for the received call includes querying a database of features associated with the first telecommunications device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein querying the database of features associated with the first telecommunications device includes querying the database of features via the intelligent network component associated with the first telecommunications device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein querying the database of features associated with the first telecommunications device includes obtaining device-to-device call disposition instructions from the database of features associated with the first telecommunications device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the notification of the call received at the first telecommunications device includes presenting a visual indication at the second telecommunications device of the call received at the first telecommunications device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the notification of the call received at the first telecommunications device includes presenting at the second telecommunications device an audible notification of the call at the first telecommunications device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein presenting the notification of the call received at the first telecommunications device includes presenting a textual notification at the second telecommunications device of the call at the first telecommunications device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein presenting the textual notification of the call at the first telecommunications device includes presenting caller identification information at the second telecommunications device for the call at the first telecommunications device.

9. The method of claim 7, at the second telecommunications device, presenting one or more call disposition options for disposing of the call at the first telecommunications device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein presenting one or more call disposition options includes presenting an option of answering at the second telecommunications device the call at the first telecommunications device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein presenting one or more call disposition options includes presenting an option of ignoring the call at the first telecommunications device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein presenting one or more call disposition options includes presenting the option of ignoring the call at the first telecommunications device and allowing the call at the first telecommunications device to be routed to a voicemail platform associated with the first telecommunications device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein presenting one or more call disposition options includes presenting the option of ignoring the call at the first telecommunications device and allowing the call at the first telecommunications device to be routed to a voicemail platform associated with the second telecommunications device.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein presenting one or more call disposition options includes presenting an option of transferring the call at the first telecommunications device to a third telecommunications device.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising

receiving a call disposition instruction at the second telecommunications device;

and

processing the call disposition instruction received at the second telecommunications device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein receiving the call disposition instruction at the second telecommunications device includes receiving the call disposition instruction at the second telecommunications device via the intelligent network component associated with the second telecommunications device.

17. A method of automatic call forwarding and device-to-device call disposition from a first telecommunications device to a second telecommunications device, comprising:

receiving a call at the first telecommunications device;

determining whether the first telecommunications device is in an operational proximity of the second telecommunications device, including querying an intelligent network component associated with the first telecommunications device to determine whether the first telecommunications device is within a prescribed physical range of the second telecommunications device;

if the first telecommunications device is in the operational proximity of the second telecommunications device, automatically forwarding the call received at the first telecommunications device to the second telecommunications device; and

if the first telecommunications device is not in the operational proximity of the second telecommunications device;

querying a database of features associated with the first telecommunications device via the intelligent network component associated with the first telecommunications device to determine whether device-to-device call disposition is required for the received call;

passing call disposition instructions to the second telecommunications device;

at the second telecommunications device, presenting a notification of the call received at the first telecommunications device;

receiving a call disposition instruction at the second telecommunications device; and

processing the call disposition instruction received at the second telecommunications device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining whether the first telecommunications device is in the operational proximity of the second telecommunications device includes determining whether the call received at the first telecommunications device is received during a time prescribed for automatically forwarding calls received at the first telecommunications device to the second telecommunications device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein determining whether the first telecommunications device is in the operational proximity of the second telecommunications device includes determining from a global positioning satellite system associated with the first telecommunications device whether the first telecommunications device is within the prescribed physical range of the second telecommunications device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein determining whether the first telecommunications device is in the operational proximity of the second telecommunications device includes determining whether calendaring information for a user of the first and second telecommunications devices indicates the user will be in a location of the second telecommunications device at a prescribed time.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer executable instructions which when executed by a computer perform a method of device-to-device call disposition, comprising:

receiving a call at a first telecommunications device;

determining whether the first telecommunications device is in an operational proximity of a second telecommunications device, including querying an intelligent network component associated with the first telecommunications device to determine whether the first telecommunications device is within a prescribed physical range of the second telecommunications device;

if the first telecommunications device is in the operational proximity of the second telecommunications device, automatically forwarding the call received at the first telecommunications device to the second telecommunications device; and

if the first telecommunications device is not in the operational proximity of the second telecommunications device;

querying a database of features associated with the first telecommunications device via the intelligent network component associated with the first telecommunications device to determine whether device-to-device call disposition is required for the received call;

passing call disposition instructions to the second telecommunications device;

at the second telecommunications device, presenting a notification of the call received at the first telecommunications device;

receiving a call disposition instruction at the second telecommunications device; and

processing the call disposition instruction received at the second telecommunications device.