System and method for avoiding hold times on a telephone call

• US 8,774,387 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2007
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Di Fabbrizio, Giuseppe, Renger, Bernard S., Stern, Benjamin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): ADDY, THJUAN KNOWLIN
• Application Number:
  US11/765,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20080317234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,575 Days
• Field of Search: 379/211, 379/265.01, 379/265.09, 379/266.01, 379/265.02, 379/211.01, 379/265.05, 379/265.11
• US Class Current: 379/211.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4283 Call holding circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4286 Notifying a held subscriber when his held call is removed from hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal

Abstract

A method and system including receiving a communication from a source, the communication including a request to connect to a destination, connecting, via a communication link, to the destination, detecting an event on the communication link to the destination, and connecting the source to the destination after detecting the event.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at an intermediary, a communication from a source, the communication including an indication that the source is waiting in a queue during an attempt a request to connect to a destination, the communication further connecting the intermediary to the destination via a communication link;

disconnecting the source after receiving the communication;

sending a notification to the destination indicating that the source has been disconnected and that the source has requested to connect to the destination;

detecting an event on the communication link to the destination in response to the notification; and

connecting the source to the destination after detecting the event.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is a telephone call from the source.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the detecting occurs after the telephone call has been disconnected.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a prompt to the destination, wherein the prompt informs the destination on how to generate the event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the event is one of a touch-tone input and a voice input.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the source when the event is detected.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein connecting the source to the destination is based on one of an automatic number identification of the source, a caller-identification number of the source, a user-identified number by the source, and a pre-registered number by the source.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a notification to the source indicating that the event has yet to be detected while connected, via the communication link, to the destination.

9. A system, comprising:

a receiving module receiving a communication from a source, the communication including an indication that the source is waiting in a queue during an attempt to connect to a destination, the communication further connecting the receiving module to the destination via a communication link, wherein the receiving module disconnects the source after receiving the request;

a notification module sending a notification to the destination indicating that the source has disconnected and that the source has requested to connect to the destination;

a detection module detecting an event on the communication link to the destination in response to the notification; and

a reciprocal holding module connecting the source to the destination after detecting the event.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the reciprocal holding module provides a prompt to the destination prior to detecting the event on the communication link, wherein the prompt informs the destination on the how to generate the event.

11. The system of claim 10, where the prompt further informs the destination of information relating to the source.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the receiving module disconnects the source based on one of receiving a disconnect request from the source or receiving the request.

12. A device, comprising:

a user interface receiving, from a user, a communication including an indication that the user is waiting in a queue during an attempt to connect to a destination;

a transceiver configured to place and receive telephone calls, wherein the communication from the user places the transceiver in communication with the user and the destination;

a processor disconnecting the user interface, notifying the destination that the user has disconnected and that the user has requested to connect to the destination, monitors the telephone call to detect an event in response to the notification, and generating an indication based on the detection of the event;

a user output module receiving the indication and reconnecting to the user via the transceiver.

13. A computing device, comprising:

a computer readable storage medium including a set of instructions executable by a processor, the set of instructions operable to;

receive a communication from a source, the communication including an indication that the source is waiting in a queue during an attempt to connect to a destination, the communication further connecting the computing device to the destination;

disconnect the source after receiving the communication;

send a notification to the destination indicating that the source has disconnected and that the source has requested to connect to the destination;

detect the event on the telephone call to the destination in response to the notification; and

connect the source to the destination after detecting the event.