Methods and systems for telephony call completion

• US 8,705,710 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2012
• Issued: 04/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CallWave Communications, LLC
• Original Assignee: CallWave Communications, LLC
• Inventors: Trandal, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quynh
• Application Number:
  US13/685,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20130078971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 512 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.12, 379/207.02, 379/207.04, 379/210.01, 379/211.01, 379/211.02
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

The present invention is directed to processing calls to busy and Do-Not-Disturb capable telecommunications lines. In one embodiment, the presence of a subscriber accessing a computer network over a first telephone line via a first computer terminal is detected, wherein the subscriber also has a first telephone station connected to the first line. When a caller calls the first line and the first line is busy, the call is forwarded to a second telephone line associated with a call manager system. The call manager system determines when the subscriber is no longer accessing the computer network. At least partly in response to determining that the subscriber is no longer accessing the computer network, the call manager system transmits a text message to the caller, the message including the subscriber'"'"'s phone number. The caller can then call back the first line using the transmitted phone number.

Claims

1. A method of processing a call, the method comprising:

receiving, at an enhanced services system, a request to activate Do-Not-Disturb on a first phone address, wherein the first phone address is associated with a first user;

modifying a state of the first user'"'"'s first phone address to Do-Not-Disturb;

receiving, at the enhanced services system, call signaling information associated with a first call from a first caller placed by the first caller using a first telephonic device, the first call intended for the first user;

determining whether the first telephonic device of the first caller is capable of receiving a text messages, wherein the determination is based at least in part on a first caller'"'"'s phone address included in the call signaling information associated with the first call;

at least partly in response to determining that the first telephonic device of the first caller is capable of receiving a text message,

presenting, via a first user interface, to the first caller during the first call an option to receive a first notification type when the first phone address Do-Not-Disturb state changes;

at least partly in response to receiving, at the enhanced services system, the first notification type request wherein the first notification type request is associated with the first caller and the state of the first user'"'"'s first phone address, storing the first notification type request in non-transitory memory;

receiving, at the enhanced services system, a request to deactivate Do-Not-Disturb on the first phone address;

at least partly in response to receiving the Do-Not-Disturb deactivation request;

modifying the state of the first user'"'"'s first phone address to a status different than Do-Not-Disturb; and

transmitting, from the enhanced services system, a first notification type to the first telephonic device associated with the first caller, wherein the first notification type includes the first user'"'"'s first phone address and enables, at least in part, the first caller to initiate a second call to the first user'"'"'s first phone address.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first phone address is a virtual phone address associated with the first user.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein modifying the state of the first user'"'"'s first phone address to the status different than Do-Not-Disturb further comprises modifying the state of the first user'"'"'s first phone address to Available or Busy.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first notification type is an SMS message.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first notification type is peer-to-peer texting service.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

providing a second user interface to the first user for inhibiting transmission of the first notification type.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first user interface includes an option for the first caller to press a first key if the first caller wants to receive the first notification type.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving, at the enhanced services system, call signaling information associated with a third call from a second caller placed using a second telephonic device, the second call intended for the first user;

determining that the Do-Not-Disturb state of the first phone address is deactivated;

generating an outbound call to a telephonic device associated with the first user; and

bridging the third call with the outbound call.

9. The method as defined in claim 8, wherein the bridging enables a two-way talk path between the second caller and the first user.

10. A method of processing a call, the method comprising:

providing, via a first user interface presented via a client software application running on a mobile device of a first user, an instruction to configure a Do-Not-Disturb state with respect to a first phone address associated with the first user;

receiving, via the client software application, a request from the first user to activate the Do-Not-Disturb state with respect to the first phone address associated with the first user;

modifying a state of the first user'"'"'s first phone address to Do-Not-Disturb;

receiving, at an enhanced services system, call signaling information associated with a first call from a first caller placed by the first caller using a first telephonic device, the first call intended for the first user;

determining whether the first telephonic device of the first caller is capable of receiving a text messages wherein the determination is based at least in part on a first caller'"'"'s phone address included in the call signaling information associated with the first call;

at least partly in response to determining that the first telephonic device of the first caller is capable of receiving a text message,

presenting via a second user interface to the first caller during the first call an option to receive a first notification type when the first phone address Do-Not-Disturb state changes;

at least partly in response to receiving, at the enhanced services system, the first notification type request from the first caller via the second user interface, storing the first notification type request in non-transitory memory;

receiving, via the client software application, a request to deactivate the Do-Not-Disturb state with respect to the first phone address;

at least partly in response to receiving the Do-Not-Disturb deactivation request;

modifying the state of the first user'"'"'s first phone address to a status different than Do-Not-Disturb; and

transmitting, from the enhanced services system, the first notification type to the first telephonic device associated with the first caller, wherein the first notification type includes the first user'"'"'s first phone address and enables, at least in part, the first caller to initiate a second call to the first user'"'"'s first phone address.

11. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the first phone address is a virtual phone address associated with the first user.

12. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein modifying the state of the first user'"'"'s first phone address to the status different than Do-Not-Disturb further comprises modifying the state of the first user'"'"'s first phone address to Available or Busy.

13. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the first notification type is an SMS message.

14. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the first notification type is peer-to-peer texting service.

15. The method as defined in claim 10, the method further comprising:

providing via the first user interface a control enabling the first user to inhibit the first notification type transmission.

16. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the second user interface includes an option for the first caller to press a first key if the first caller wants to receive the first notification type.

17. The method as defined in claim 10, the method further comprising:

receiving, at the enhanced services system, call signaling information associated with a third call from a second caller placed using a second telephonic device, the second call intended for the first user;

determining that the Do-Not-Disturb state of the first phone address is deactivated;

generating an outbound call to the mobile telephonic device associated with the first user; and

bridging the third call with the outbound call.

18. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein the bridging enables a two-way talk path between the second caller and the first user.

19. The method as defined in claim 10, the method further comprising:

downloading the client software application to a mobile device of the first user.

20. A system comprising:

at least one processing device;

non-transitory media having instructions stored thereon that when executed by the at least one processing device, cause the at least one processing device to perform operations, comprising;

providing, via a first user interface presented via a client software application running on a mobile device of a first user, an instruction to configure a Do-Not-Disturb state with respect to a first phone address associated with the first user;

receiving, via the client software application, a request from the first user to activate the Do-Not-Disturb state with respect to the first phone address associated with the first user;

modifying a state of the first user'"'"'s first phone address to Do-Not-Disturb;

receiving call signaling information associated with a first call from a first caller placed by the first caller using a first telephonic device, the first call intended for the first user;

determining whether the first telephonic device of the first caller is capable of receiving a text messages wherein the determination is based at least in part on a first caller'"'"'s phone address included in the call signaling information associated with the first call;

at least partly in response to determining that the first telephonic device of the first caller is capable of receiving a text message,

presenting, via a second user interface, to the first caller during the first call an option to receive a first notification type when the first phone address Do-Not-Disturb state changes;

at least partly in response to receiving the first notification type request from the first caller, storing the first notification type request in non-transitory memory;

receiving, at the client software application, a request to deactivate the Do-Not-Disturb state with respect to the first phone address;

at least partly in response to receiving the Do-Not-Disturb deactivation request;

modifying the state of the first user'"'"'s first phone address to a status different than Do-Not-Disturb; and

transmitting the first notification type to the first telephonic device associated with the first caller, wherein the first notification type includes the first user'"'"'s first phone address and enables, at least in part, the first caller to initiate a second call to the first user'"'"'s first phone address.