Method and communications arrangement for operating a communications connection

• US 9,154,632 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2007
• Issued: 10/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Unify GmbH & Co. KG (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Lederer, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Chea, Philip
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ma, Wing
• Application Number:
  US12/678,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20100211684A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,938 Days
• Field of Search: 709227-228
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1053 IP private branch exchange [PBX] functionality entities or arrangements circuit switched PBXs H04M3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1106 Call signalling protocols; H.323 and related
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0012 Details of application programming interfaces [API] for telephone networks; Arrangements which combine a telephonic communication equipment and a computer, i.e. computer telephony integration [CPI] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a communications arrangement for operating a communications connection between a communications terminal device (KE1) associated with a first participant and at least one first terminal device (KE2) associated with a second participant. For a process running on a second terminal device (RE1) integrating with a first communications terminal device (KE1) to be operated by the first participant, said process being free of functions for controlling the communications connection, at least one piece of information that is reproducible on a terminal device is extracted from a process-produced output (P1) to the second terminal device (RE1). Further, upon initiation of the communications connection between the communications terminal device (KE1) and the first terminal device (KE2), the reproducible information is transmitted to at one of the least one terminal devices (KE2, RE2) associated with the second participant.

Claims

1. A method for operating a communications connection between a first communications terminal device and a second communications terminal device comprising:

the first communications terminal device sending a call setup request for establishing the communications connection with the second communications terminal device;

notifying a first computer device associated with the first communications terminal device of the call setup request for establishing the communications connection with the second communications terminal device, the call setup request being triggered by the first communications terminal device and being sent prior to the first computer device being notified of the call setup request;

the first computer device analyzing active applications in response to the notifying of the call setup request;

the first computer device determining an application of the active applications that is an input focus for the first computer device;

the first computer device determining reproducible information from the input focus;

attempting to establish the communications connection between the first communications terminal device and the second communications terminal device;

transmitting the reproducible information to at least one of the second communications terminal device and a second computer device associated with a user that is also associated with the second communications terminal device during the attempting to establish the communications connection between the first communications terminal device and the second communications terminal device; and

at least one of the second communications terminal device and the second computer device outputting the reproducible information prior to establishing the communications connection between the first communications terminal device and the second communications terminal device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the first communications terminal device sending the call setup request to a public branch exchange;

the public branch exchange performing the notifying of the first computer device of the call setup request;

the first computer device transmitting the reproducible information to the public branch exchange;

the public branch exchange performing the attempting to establish the communications connection between the first communications terminal device and the second communications terminal device; and

the public branch exchange performing the transmitting of the reproducible information to the second communications terminal device during the establishing of the communications connection between the first communications terminal device and the second communications terminal device.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the public branch exchange is a first public branch exchange, the method further comprising:

the first public branch exchange forwarding the call setup request to a second public branch exchange for establishing the communications connection;

the first public branch exchange forwarding the reproducible information to at least one of the second public branch exchange and the second computer device to transmit the reproducible information to the second communications terminal device;

the second public branch exchange forwarding the call setup request to the second communications terminal device; and

the second public branch exchange transmitting the reproducible information to the second computer device associated with the second communications terminal device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting of the reproducible information to the second communications terminal device is performed within a context of signaling for establishing the communications connection between the first communications terminal device and the second communications terminal device, wherein the context of signaling corresponds to a D-channel of an Integrated Services Digital Network, signaling packages according to H.323 format, or signaling packages according to Session Initiation Protocol (“

SIP”

).

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining of the application of the active applications that is the input focus comprises selecting the application from the active applications such that the application was active when the first computer device was notified of the call request and such that an active window associated with the selected application is displayed via the first computer device when the first computer device is notified of the call request, and the method further comprises:

capturing the reproducible information from the selected application; and

selecting the second communications terminal device from a plurality of devices such that the reproducible information is outputtable by the selected second communications terminal device according to a format of the captured reproducible information.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the application that is the input focus is an application for communicating with emails, and wherein the reproducible information that is output at the second communications terminal device is content of an email or content of an email attachment.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising withdrawing the attempt to establish the communications connection between the first communications terminal device and the second communications terminal device following the second communications terminal device outputting the reproducible information.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the second communications terminal device refusing a call associated with the call setup request.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the reproducible information is at least one of a character string, an electronic graphics image, and a video and wherein the reproducible information is received by the second communications terminal device and wherein the reproducible information is displayed by the second communications terminal device prior to the communications connection being established and wherein the communications connection is a telephone call.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the first communications terminal device is coupled to a household appliance and the reproducible information is a type of error code generated by the household appliance.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising redirecting the communications connection from the second communications terminal device to another communications terminal device based on the transmitted reproducible information.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a rule-based system in which at least one rule is defined for a piece of comparative information; and

allocating an action applicable to the communications connection to the at least one rule;

comparing content of the transmitted reproducible information with the comparative information of the at least one rule; and

upon a determination that the comparative information matches at least a portion of the transmitted information, performing the action allocated to the at least one rule for the communications connection.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising altering the reproducible information according to an output option of the second communications terminal device.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the second communications terminal device outputting the reproducible information by displaying the reproducible information on a display device of the second communications terminal device prior to the communications connection being established.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein the communications connection is a telephone call.

22. The method of claim 2 wherein the first computer device has a Computer Telephony Integration (“

CTI”

) connection with the public branch exchange and the public branch exchange performs the notifying of the first computer device of the call setup request via the CTI connection and the first computer device transmits the reproducible information to the public branch exchange via the CTI connection.

15. A communications system comprising:

a first communications terminal device for operating a communications connection between the first communications terminal device and at least one second communications terminal device;

a computer device;

the first communications terminal device sending a call setup request for the at least one second communications terminal device to establish the communications connection with the at least one second communications terminal device;

the first communications terminal device triggering a notification of a call setup request directed to the at least one second communications terminal device, the notification to be provided to the computer device;

the computer device receiving the notification of the call setup request after the first communications terminal device sends the call setup request;

the computer device analyzing active applications and determining an application of the active applications that is an input focus for the computer device in response to the notification of the call setup request;

the computer device determining reproducible information from the input focus;

the first communications terminal device attempting to establish the communications connection between the first communications terminal device and the at least one second communications terminal device;

the at least one second communications terminal device receiving the reproducible information during the attempt to establish the communications connection between the first communications terminal device and the at least one second communications terminal device; and

the at least one second communications terminal device outputting the reproducible information prior to establishing the communications connection between the first communications terminal device and the at least one second communications terminal device.

16. The communications system of claim 15 further comprising a first public branch exchange and a second public branch exchange;

and

wherein the first communications terminal device sends the call setup request to the first public branch exchange;

wherein the first public branch exchange provides the notification to the computer device of the call setup request;

wherein the computer device transmits the reproducible information to the first public branch exchange; and

wherein the first public branch exchange transmits the reproducible information to the at least one second communications terminal device during the attempt to establish the communications connection between the first communications terminal device and the at least one second communications terminal device.

17. The communications system of claim 16 wherein the computer device is a first computer device and the at least one second communications terminal device is comprised of a second computer device and a telephone associated with a user that is also associated with the second computer device, and wherein the second public branch exchange transmits the reproducible information to the second computer device and wherein the call setup request is directed to the telephone and the reproducible information is received by both the telephone and the second computer device.

18. The communications system of claim 15 wherein upon a determination that the communications connection is not completed at the at least one second communications terminal device, the reproducible information is evaluated and placed in a contact list of missed calls such that the reproducible information is displayed in the contact list of missed calls for the at least one second communications terminal device.

19. The communications system of claim 15 further comprising a third communications terminal device, wherein the third communications terminal device receives the reproducible information during the attempt to establish the communications connection between the first communications terminal device and the at least one second communications terminal device, and wherein the third communications terminal device outputting the reproducible information prior to establishing the communications connection between the first communications terminal device and the at least one second communications terminal device.

20. The communications system of claim 15 wherein the reproducible information is in a format selected from the group consisting of a character string, an electronic graphics image, and a video.

23. The system of claim 16 wherein the computer device has a Computer Telephony Integration (“

CTI”

) connection with the first public branch exchange and the first public branch exchange performs the notifying of the computer device of the call setup request via the CTI connection and the computer device transmits the reproducible information to the first public branch exchange via the CTI connection.