Dynamic registration for call-pickup group membership, and selective rerouting of calls

• US 8,638,923 B1
• Filed: 02/16/2007
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Zhang, Baoquan, Weaver, Farni B., McConnell, Von K.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, QUYNH H
• Application Number:
  US11/675,921
• Time in Patent Office: 2,538 Days
• Field of Search: 379/211.02, 379/212.01, 379/220.01
• US Class Current: 379/211.02
• 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: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42212 Call pickup comprising simultaneous alerting H04M3/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0033 Notification or handling of incoming calls by a computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0075 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A method and system for registering a client for a call-pickup service and for executing the call-pickup service for a new call placed to a given communication device. The call-pickup service may carried out, in part, by providing the client with notification of when the new call is placed to the given communication device, the client requesting that the new call be re-routed to a location other than the given communication device, and a server re-routing the new call to the location other than the given communication device. The location other than the given communication device may be the client that registers for the call-pickup service or another location.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

registering, at a server, a first device to receive notification that a call has been placed to a second device;

detecting, using the server, placement of a new call from a calling device to the second device;

transmitting, using the server in response to detecting placement of the new call, a first session initiation protocol (SIP) message to the first device and a second SIP message to the second device, wherein the first SIP message comprises data indicating the new call can be routed to a device other than the second device, and wherein the second SIP message comprises a call-alert;

receiving, at the server, a third SIP message transmitted from the first device after the server transmits the first SIP message but prior to the calling device establishing the new call with either the second device or the device other than the second device, wherein the third SIP message comprises a request for the server to route the new call to the device other than the second device;

transmitting, using the server, a fourth SIP message to the second device, wherein the fourth SIP message comprises a cancel-call-alert; and

transmitting, using the server, at least one other SIP message to the device other than the second device, wherein the at least one other SIP message is for establishing the new call between the calling device and the device other than the second device.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the device other than the second device is the first device.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein the device other than the second device is a voice mail server providing voice mail services for the first device.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein registering the first device to receive the notification that a call has been placed to the second device comprises storing, in a data storage device accessible by the server, data indicating the first device should receive notification that a call has been placed to the second device.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein registering the first device comprises the server receiving a SIP SUBSCRIBE message including a request for the server to register the first device, and

wherein the first SIP message comprises a SIP NOTIFY.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the server from the first device, a request to un-register the first device from receiving notification that a call has been placed to the second device, and responsively un-registering the first device from receiving notification that a call has been placed to the second device,

whereby the server then no longer notifies the first device that a call is placed to the second device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the request to un-register the first device comprises a SIP UNSUBSCRIBE message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the new call is a voice call, a video call, or a data call.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

registering at least one other device to receive notification that a call has been placed to the second device, and

in response to detecting placement of the new call to the second device, notifying the at least one other device of the new call placement.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is selected from the group consisting of:

(i) a home subscriber server (HSS), (ii) an application server, and (iii) a call server.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device client device is assigned a first telephone number and the second device is assigned a second telephone number that differs from the first telephone number.

12. The method of claim 1,

wherein the call-alert is for causing the second device to play a ringtone to indicate placement of the new call to the second device, and

wherein the cancel-call-alert is for causing the second device to stop playing the ringtone.

13. A method comprising:

sending, to a server from a first device, a first Short Message Service (SMS) message comprising a request for the server to register the first device to receive notification that a call has been placed to a second device, wherein the first device comprises a wireless communication device;

receiving, at the first device from the server, a second SMS message, wherein the second SMS message indicates that a new call, placed to the second device from a calling device, can be routed to a device other than the second device; and

transmitting, to the server from the first device after the first device receives the first SMS message but prior to the calling device establishing the new call with either the second device or the device other than the second device, a third SMS message, wherein the third SMS message comprises a request for the server to route the new call to the device other than the second device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, at the first device, a call setup request; and

thereafter, the first device establishing the new call with the calling device,

wherein the first device is the device other than the second device.

15. The method of claim 14,

wherein the call setup request comprises a cellular page message.

16. The method of claim 13,

wherein the calling device comprises a wireless communication device or a wireline communication device.

17. The method of claim 13,

wherein the device other than the second device is the first device,

the method further comprising:

receiving the new call at the first device in response to the first device sending the request for the server to route the new call to the device other than the second device.

18. The method of claim 13,

wherein the device other than the second device is a voice mail server providing voice mail services for the first device,

the method further comprising:

establishing, using the first device, communication with the voice mail server; and

requesting, to retrieve for the first device from the voice mail server, a voice mail message stored by a caller that placed the new call.

19. A wireless communication device comprising:

a user interface;

a processor;

a network communications section for communicating with a server via a wireless network; and

a data storage device,

wherein the data storage device contains program logic executable by the processor to cause the network communications section to transmit, to the server using the wireless network, a first Short Message Service (SMS) message comprising a request for the server to register the wireless communication device to receive notification that a call has been placed to a second device,

wherein the network communications section is arranged to receive a second SMS message transmitted from the server, wherein the second SMS message indicates that a new call, placed to the second device from a calling device, can be routed to a device other than the second device, and

wherein the data storage device contains program logic executable by the processor to transmit, to the server after the wireless communication device transmits the first SMS message but prior to the calling device establishing the new call with either the second device or the device other than the second device, a third SMS message, wherein the third SMS message comprises a request to route the new call to the device other than the second device.

20. The wireless communication device of claim 19,

wherein the request to route the new call comprises a request to route the new call to a voice mail server providing voice mail services for the wireless communication device, and

wherein the voice mail server allows a caller that placed the new call to store a voice mail message that can be accessed by the wireless communication device.

21. The wireless communication device claim 19,

wherein the request to route the new call comprises a request to route the new call to the wireless communication device, and

wherein the network communications section receives the new call after transmission of the third SMS message.

22. The wireless communication device of claim 19,

wherein the user interface includes a microphone for:

(i) detecting a voice command to request re-routing of the new call, and (ii) providing the processor with a signal representing the voice command, and

wherein in response to receiving the signal representing the voice command, the processor executes the program logic to transmit the third SMS message.

23. A server system comprising:

one or more servers configured to serve a first device and a second device;

a data storage device storing computer-readable program logic; and

a processor configured to execute the computer-readable program logic,

wherein the processor executes the computer-readable program logic to register the first device to receive notification that a call has been placed to a second device,

wherein the processor executes the computer-readable program logic to detect placement of a new call to the second device,

wherein the processor executes the computer-readable program logic to transmit, in response to detecting placement of the new call, a first session initiation protocol (SIP) message to the first device and a second SIP message to the second device, wherein the first SIP message comprises data indicating the new call can be routed to a device other than the second device, and wherein the second SIP message comprises a call-alert,

wherein the server system receives a third SIP message transmitted from the first device after the processor transmits the first SIP message but prior to the calling device establishing the new call with either the second device or the device other than the second device, wherein the third SIP message comprises a request for the server system to route the new call to the device other than the second device, and

wherein the processor executes the computer-readable program logic to transmit at least one other SIP message to the device other than the second device, wherein the at least one other SIP message is for establishing the new call between the calling device and the device other than the second device.

24. The server system of claim 23,

wherein the data storage device stores data that identifies a first IP address, a second IP address, and a third IP address,

wherein the first IP address is associated with the first device,

wherein the second IP address is associated with the second device, and

wherein the third IP address is associated with the device other than the second device.

25. The server system of claim 23, wherein the communication device other than the second device comprises the first device.

26. The server system of claim 24, wherein the device other than the second device comprises a voice mail server.

27. The server system of claim 24, wherein the data storage device stores registration data that identifies how the new called placed to the second device is to be routed to the device other than the second device.