Call contention mediation after dropped call

• US 8,755,502 B1
• Filed: 02/07/2007
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Schlesener, Matthew C., Mauer, Brian D., Sankaranaraynan, Pallavur, Isaacson, Sean A.
• Primary Examiner(s): DEANE JR, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US11/703,384
• Time in Patent Office: 2,687 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 455/445, 455/412.1, 455435-436
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/22 Synchronisation circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2088 Call or conference reconnect, e.g. resulting from isdn terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00

Abstract

A call contention manager mediates between call contentions that occur when two callers attempt to place a telephone call to one another at approximately the same time. The call contention manager may be implemented in or separate from a mobile switching center. The manager detects a call contention between two calls, and it determines whether the call contention is taking place in a window of time that follows shortly after at least one of the callers was involuntarily dropped from a call. If a call contention occurs within such a call drop window, it is resolved according to a post-drop protocol that enables a connection between the callers. If, however, the call contention occurs outside any call drop window, it is resolved without establishing a connection between the callers, for example by sending one or more of the contending calls to voicemail.

Claims

1. A method carried out by at least one network entity, the method comprising:

detecting a call contention between a first call made by a first caller and a second call made by a second caller, wherein the call contention comprises the first call being made to the second caller when the second call is being made to the first caller;

making a determination of whether the call contention was detected within a call drop window after a call drop experienced by at least one of the first and second callers; and

responsive to the determination being that the call contention was detected within the call drop window, resolving the call contention with a post-drop protocol that establishes a connection between the first and second callers, wherein resolving the call contention with the post-drop protocol comprises connecting exactly one of the first and second calls.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein resolving the call contention with the post-drop protocol further comprises causing exactly one of the first and second calls to be canceled, wherein the canceled call is the call other than the call that is connected.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein resolving the call contention with the post-drop protocol further comprises:

determining that exactly one of the calls is from a mobile telephone; and

causing the call that is from the mobile telephone to be canceled.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the post-drop protocol further comprises:

determining that exactly one of the two calls has priority; and

causing the call that does not have priority to be canceled.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein making the determination of whether the call contention was detected within the call drop window comprises determining that the first caller and the second caller each experienced a respective call drop, wherein the respective call drop of the first caller is experienced at approximately the same time as the respective call drop of the second caller.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein making the determination of whether the call contention was detected within the call drop window comprises determining that both the first caller and the second caller were dropped from a call with each other.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the call drop window ends at a predetermined time after the at least one experienced call drop.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a plurality of call drops, wherein each detected call drop is experienced by at least one caller of a respective pair of callers; and

for each detected call drop, creating at least one record of the detected call drop, wherein each such record includes information identifying at least one of the callers of the respective pair of callers that the detected call drop was between,

wherein the step of making the determination of whether the call contention was detected within the call drop window includes making a determination of whether at least one of the first and second callers is identified in at least one of the records.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein making the determination of whether the call contention was detected within the call drop window includes making a determination of whether exactly both the first caller and the second caller are identified in at least one record.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein making the determination of whether the call contention was detected within the call drop window includes making a determination of whether exactly both the first caller and the second caller are identified in the same record.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein each such record further includes information identifying the time of that call drop.

12. A method carried out by at least one network entity, the method comprising:

detecting a call contention, wherein the call contention is between a pair of calls made by a respective pair of callers;

making a determination of whether the call contention occurred within a call drop window after at least one caller in the pair experienced a call drop;

if the determination is that the call contention was detected within the call drop window, resolving the call contention with a post-drop protocol that establishes a connection between the respective pair of callers, wherein resolving the call contention with the post-drop protocol comprises (i) connecting exactly one call of the pair of calls, and (ii) causing the other call of the pair of calls to be canceled; and

if the determination is that the call contention was not detected within the call drop window, resolving the call contention with a default protocol that does not establish a connection between the respective pair of callers.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the default protocol comprises directing

at least the first call to a voicemail of the second caller.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the default protocol further comprises directing the second call to a voicemail of the first caller.

15. A system comprising:

a mobile switching center; and

a call contention manager,

wherein the call contention manager is operative to determine whether a call contention between two calls made by two callers takes place within a call drop window, to cause the call contention to be resolved at least in part by the mobile switching center according to a post-drop protocol if the contention takes place within the call drop window, and to cause the call contention to be resolved at least in part by the mobile switching center according to a default protocol if the contention does not take place within the call drop window,

wherein the post-drop protocol connects exactly one of the two calls so as to establish a connection between the two callers, and causes the other of the two calls to be canceled, and

wherein the default protocol does not connect either of the two calls.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the call contention manager is implemented at the mobile switching center.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the call contention manager is operative, in response to a determination that the call contention is to be resolved according to the post-drop protocol, to instruct the mobile switching center to cancel one of the contending calls.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the mobile switching center is operative, in the absence of a contrary instruction from the call contention manager, to resolve the call contention by routing at least one of the contending calls to voicemail.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the call contention manager is operative to receive call drop data, wherein the call drop data includes data identifying, for each of a plurality of call drop events, a time at which the call was dropped.