System and method for conveying end-to-end call status

• US 8,774,174 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2007
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yasrebi, Mehrad, Cunetto, Philip, James, Jackson
• Primary Examiner(s): Phung, Luat
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, KAI J
• Application Number:
  US11/870,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20090097619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,462 Days
• Field of Search: 370352-356, 370/260, 379/1.01, 379/1.02, 379 671- 8828, 379/93.01, 379/88.18, 379/93.07, 379/93.31, 379/114.15, 379/211.01, 379/211.02
• US Class Current: 370/356
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/424 Arrangements for automatic redialling at the subscriber's set H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53341 Message reply
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/126 Interworking of session control protocols

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a Unified Messaging System having a controller element to submit to a Calling Card Server (CCS) over a primary call leg a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) SUBSCRIBE message requesting outdial event notification for a call placed on a secondary call leg responsive to a reply of a voicemail message, and receive over the primary call leg a SIP NOTIFY message from the CCS indicating outdial events associated with placing the call over the secondary call leg. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to facilitate performance of operations comprising:

receiving from a unified messaging system a session initiation protocol subscribe message over a primary call leg requesting outdial event notification on a secondary call leg responsive to the unified messaging system placing a call outside of its local access and transport area, wherein the unified messaging system operates in an Internet protocol multimedia subsystem network, and wherein the primary and the secondary call legs bypass the Internet protocol multimedia subsystem network;

placing a call on the secondary call leg responsive to receiving, on the primary call leg, outdial information from the unified messaging system, wherein receiving the outdial information is responsive to an autodial request to a voicemail message of the unified messaging system, and wherein the outdial information is directed towards a calling party of the voicemail message;

submitting a session initiation protocol notify message to the unified messaging system that indicates outdial events associated with call status of the call on the secondary call leg; and

responsive to the call on the secondary leg being unanswered;

receiving alternative outdial information directed to the calling party of the voicemail message; and

placing another call on the secondary leg responsive to receiving the alternative outdial information, wherein the placing of the other call does not require receiving from a unified messaging system another session initiation protocol subscribe message over the primary call leg requesting outdial event notification on the secondary call leg.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the outdial information comprises one among an E.164 telephone number and a uniform resource indicator.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the outdial event comprises one of a session initiation protocol provisional response, a session initiation protocol final response or a combination thereof.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the session initiation protocol provisional and final responses are defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force in request for comments 3261.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein a calling card server performs session initiation protocol messaging.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein a calling card server corresponds to an interactive voice response system.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the call is placed on a voice over Internet protocol network that produces the outdial events.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the outdial information is responsive to presence information of the calling party of the voicemail message.

9. A unified messaging system, comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the instructions, facilitates performance of operations comprising;

submitting to a calling card server over a primary call leg a session initiation protocol subscribe message requesting outdial event notification for a call on a secondary call leg responsive to an autodial request to a caller identification associated with a calling party of a voicemail message of the unified messaging system, and wherein the call on the secondary call leg is directed to said caller identification, wherein the unified messaging system operates in an Internet protocol multimedia subsystem network, and wherein the primary and the secondary call legs bypass the Internet protocol multimedia subsystem network;

receiving over the primary call leg a session initiation protocol notify message from the calling card server indicating outdial events associated with placing the call over the secondary call leg; and

responsive to the call on the secondary leg directed to said caller identification being unanswered;

determining an alternative destination number of the calling party of the voicemail message; and

initiating another call on the secondary leg responsive to alternative destination number, wherein the initiating of the other call does not require receiving from a unified messaging system another session initiation protocol subscribe message over the primary call leg requesting outdial event notification on the secondary leg.

10. The unified messaging system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

submitting to the calling card server a session initiation protocol invite message with outdial information to place the call over the secondary call leg; and

receiving session initiation protocol notify messages from the calling card server regarding call status associated with placing the call over the secondary call leg.

11. The unified messaging system of claim 10, wherein the outdial information comprises one among an E.164 telephone number and a uniform resource indicator.

12. The unified messaging system of claim 9, wherein the calling card server is communicatively coupled to a public switched telephone network.

13. The unified messaging system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

submitting a session initiation protocol invite message to establish communications with the calling card server over the primary call leg; and

transmitting, to the calling card server, dual tone multi-frequency signals corresponding to a calling card number and destination number to direct the calling card server to place the call over the secondary leg.

14. The unified messaging system of claim 9, wherein the outdial event comprises one of a session initiation protocol provisional response, a session initiation protocol final response or a combination thereof.

15. The unified messaging system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting the session initiation protocol subscribe message to the calling card server responsive to a subscriber of the unified messaging system replying to a voicemail message;

identifying a party leaving the voicemail message; and

determining a telephone number to reach the party from presence information associated with the party.

16. The unified messaging system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise contacting the calling card server when placing a call outside of its local access and transport area.

17. The unified messaging system of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise obtaining the caller identification from a presence server.

18. A calling card system, comprising:

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor, responsive to executing the instructions, facilitates performance of operations comprising;

transmitting a session initiation protocol notify message to a unified messaging system over a primary call leg, wherein the session initiation protocol notify message includes call status associated with a secondary call leg, wherein the unified messaging system operates in an Internet protocol multimedia subsystem network, and wherein the primary and the secondary call legs bypass the Internet protocol multimedia subsystem network; and

initiating a call on the secondary call leg responsive to an autodial request to a caller identification of a calling party of voicemail message received from the unified messaging system in response to the voicemail message presented by the unified messaging system; and

responsive to the call on the secondary leg being unanswered;

determining another autodial request to an alternative destination number of the calling party of the voicemail message; and

initiating another call on the secondary leg responsive to the alternative destination number, wherein the initiating of the other call does not require receiving from a unified messaging system another session initiation protocol subscribe message over the primary call leg requesting outdial event notification on the secondary leg.

19. The calling card system of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a session initiation protocol subscribe message requesting the call status on the secondary call leg.

20. The calling card server system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise receiving, from the unified messaging system, outdial information associated with the voicemail message that includes a calling card number and one among an E.164 telephone number and a uniform resource indicator.

21. The calling card system of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise being contacted by the unified messaging system when the unified messaging system places a call outside of its local access and transport area.

22. The calling card system of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise establishing communications over the secondary call leg with a called endpoint comprising one among a voice over Internet protocol client and a public switched telephone network client.

23. The calling card server system of claim 18, wherein the call status comprises one of a session initiation protocol provisional response, a session initiation protocol final response or a combination thereof.

24. The calling card system of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a call back number of a calling party of the voicemail message, the call back number responsive to presence information of the calling party.