Hold detection and handling

• US 8,447,021 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2010
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Skype S.Ã R.L. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Zourzouvillys, Theo Peter, MacDonald, Derek, Rescorla, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): ISLAM, MOHAMMAD K
• Application Number:
  US12/727,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20110228914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 379 8801- 8823, 379/211.01, 379/215.01, 379/142.15, 37926502-26603, 455/419, 455/560, 455/414.1, 455/415
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• 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 3/4285 Notifying, informing or entertaining a held party while on hold, e.g. Music On Hold

Abstract

A communication system comprising: a terminal having: an interface to a network, whereby the terminal can be connected to another party on a communication session; an output for outputting a communication stream received from another party on a communication session; and a source of play-out stream independent of a communication session; and a communication controller for managing a communication session terminated at the terminal, the communication controller being configured to: a) when it detects that the terminal has been placed on hold in a communication session, cause play-out stream from the source of play-out stream to be directed to the output; and b) when it detects that the terminal has been taken off hold in the communication session, cause communication stream from the communication session to be directed to the output.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a user device having;

an interface to a network, whereby the user device can be connected to another device on a communication session;

an output for outputting a communication stream received from the other device as part of the communication session;

a source of play-out stream independent of the communication session and being determined at the user device; and

at least one memory that stores configuration settings for the source of play-out stream, the source of play-out stream being responsive to the configuration settings such that content of the play-out stream that is directed from the source of play-out stream to the output when the user device has been placed on hold in the communication session is dependent on the configuration settings;

and

a communication controller for managing the communication session for the user device, the communication controller being configured to;

when it detects that the user device has been placed on hold in the communication session, cause play-out stream from the source of play-out stream to be directed to the output; and

when it detects that the user device has been taken off hold in the communication session, cause communication stream from the communication session to be directed to the output.

2. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user device is configured to implement a user interface whereby the configuration settings can be set by a user local to the user device.

3. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the source of play-out stream is responsive to the configuration settings in such a way as to decode one or more files specified by the configuration settings so as to form the stream that is directed to the output when the user device has been placed on hold in a communication session.

4. A communication system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the one or more files are stored in memory of the user device.

5. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the source of play-out stream is responsive to the configuration settings in such a way as to retrieve the stream that is directed to the output when the user device has been placed on hold in a communication session from a location specified by the configuration settings.

6. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication controller is configured to detect that the user device has been placed on hold in a communication session by virtue of signaling messages associated with the communication session.

7. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication controller is configured to detect that the user device has been placed on hold in a communication session by virtue of processing of the communication stream received from the other device.

8. A communication system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the communication controller is configured to detect that the user device has been placed on hold in a communication session by virtue of audio processing of the communication stream received from the other device.

9. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication controller is configured to detect that the user device has been placed on hold in a communication session by virtue of input to the user device.

10. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication controller is configured to detect that the user device has been placed on hold in a communication session by virtue of input provided to the user device and designating a current state of the communication stream as being associated with a hold state.

11. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication controller is configured to detect that the user device has been taken off hold in a communication session by virtue of signaling messages associated with the communication session.

12. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication controller is configured to detect that the user device has been taken off hold in a communication session by virtue of processing of the communication stream received from the other device on the communication session.

13. A communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the user device comprises the communication controller.

14. A system comprising:

at least one memory device storing software for execution in a communication system having a user device comprising an interface to a network, whereby the user device can be connected to another device on a communication session;

an output for outputting a communication stream received from the other device as part of a voice call;

a source of play-out stream independent of the communication session and being determined at the user device, the at least one memory storing configuration settings for the source of play-out stream such that content of the play-out stream that is directed from the source of play-out stream to the output when the user device has been placed on hold in the communication session is dependent on the configuration settings; and

a communication controller for managing the communication session for the user device;

the software being executable to cause the communication controller to;

when it detects that the user device has been placed on hold in the communication session, direct the play-out stream from the source of the play-out stream to the output; and

when it detects that the user device has been taken off hold in the communication session, direct communication stream from the communication session to the output.

15. A system as recited in claim 14, wherein the source of play-out stream is a file stored on the at least one memory device.

16. A system as recited in claim 14, wherein the source of play-out stream is a file retrieved from a network resource by the communication controller.

17. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting that a user device is placed on hold during a communication session;

retrieving, responsive to said detecting and from a source local to the user device, configuration settings for a source of play-out stream that is determined locally at the user device;

retrieving content from the source of play-out stream determined locally at the user device responsive to said retrieving and dependent on the configuration settings, the content comprising at least one of audio content or video content;

causing the content to be output via the user device while the user device is on hold; and

causing a communication stream to be output as part of the communication session when it is detected that the user device is taken off hold.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein said retrieving comprises connecting to a content service that streams content from a network resource.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein said retrieving comprises retrieving the content from a content playlist that is generated locally on the user device.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, wherein said causing the content to be output comprises outputting at least one content file that is stored locally on the user device.