System and method for forwarding calls

• US 9,258,427 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2007
• Issued: 02/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rahman, Moshiur
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): HARLEY, JASON A
• Application Number:
  US11/736,693
• Publication Number:
  US 20080260136A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,219 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

A system and method for forwarding calls is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a communication device having a controller element to receive a call from a communication system, retrieve a caller ID from information associated with the call, present a caller ID, receive a request to forward the call, present one or more communication identifiers responsive to the forwarding request, receive a selection corresponding to one of the one or more communication identifiers, and submit to the communication system a request to forward the call to the selected communication identifier. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A communication device, comprising:

a memory to store instructions and a plurality of phonebooks, wherein the plurality of phonebooks are respectively associated with a plurality of users that share the communication device; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein responsive executing the instructions, the processor performs operations comprising;

receiving from a communication system a notification of an incoming call initiated by a second communication device,

wherein the communication system operates as a multimedia system, wherein the multimedia system is coupled to a television system, wherein the communication device is coupled to a media presentation device, and wherein the media presentation device comprises one of a television set, or a computer display;

receiving a media program from the television system;

presenting the media program at the media presentation device;

pausing the media program responsive to receiving the incoming call;

recording the media program from a time when the media program was paused;

retrieving a caller identification from signaling information associated with the incoming call;

presenting the caller identification at a display of a media controller managing operations of the communication device responsive to the incoming call;

identifying a called party by associating the caller identification with an entry in a select one of the plurality of phonebooks that is associated with the called party;

receiving a first request to forward the incoming call to another communication device;

accessing a phonebook of the called party from the plurality of phonebooks stored in the memory;

obtaining from the phonebook of the called party a plurality of communication identifiers respectively associated with devices used for communication by the called party;

obtaining presence information associated with the called party;

presenting the plurality of communication identifiers, wherein according to the presence information a communication identifier of the plurality of communication identifiers corresponds to a device used by the called party that has a greater likelihood of facilitating communications with the called party than other devices corresponding to other communication identifiers of the plurality of communication identifiers, and wherein the presentation of the communication identifier is distinct from the presentation of the other communication identifiers;

receiving a selection of a communication identifier of the plurality of communication identifiers;

submitting to the communication system a second request to forward the incoming call according to the communication identifier selected; and

reestablishing presentation of the media program from the time the media program was paused responsive to submitting the second request.

2. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the communication device comprises one of a set-top box, a computer, a fixed communication device, a short-range portable communication device, or a cellular communication device.

3. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise presenting the plurality of communication identifiers by way of a display of the communication device.

4. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the incoming call corresponds to a voice over internet protocol call, and wherein the signaling information conforms to a session initiation protocol.

5. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the communication system operates as only a packet-switched network or as only a circuit-switched network and does not provide combined circuit and packet-switched operations.

6. The communication device of claim 1 wherein the plurality of communication identifiers are presented at the display of the media controller responsive to the first request.

7. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting the caller identification at the media presentation device responsive to the call; and

presenting the plurality of communication identifiers at the media presentation device responsive to the first request.

8. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting the plurality of users; and

receiving a second selection of a user from the plurality of users, wherein the user is the called party, wherein the phonebook of the called party is accessed responsive to the second selection of the user.

9. The communication device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication identifiers comprises one of an E.164 number or a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier.

10. A network device, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein responsive executing the instructions, the processor performs operations comprising;

notifying a first communication device of an incoming call, wherein the network device and the first communication device are coupled to a communication system, wherein the communication system operates as a multimedia system, wherein the multimedia system is coupled to a television system, wherein the communication device is coupled to a media presentation device, and wherein the media presentation device comprises one of a television set or a computer display;

directing the incoming call to the first communication device, wherein responsive to receiving the incoming call, the first communication device pauses a media program being presented at the media presentation device from the television system and records the media program from a time when the media program was paused;

supplying the first communication device with a caller identification associated with the incoming call, wherein the first communication device presents the caller identification at a display of a media controller managing operations of the first communication device responsive to the incoming call;

identifying a called party by associating the caller identification with an entry in a phonebook of the called party, the phonebook being one of a plurality of phonebooks;

accessing the phonebook of the called party from the plurality of phonebooks;

obtaining from the phonebook of the called party a plurality of communication identifiers respectively associated with devices used for communication by the called party;

obtaining presence information associated with the called party;

presenting at the first communication device the plurality of communication identifiers respectively associated with the devices used by the called party, wherein the presentation of one of the plurality of communication identifiers is distinct from the presentation of a remaining number of the plurality of communication identifiers and is based on the presence information;

receiving from the first communication device a request to forward the incoming call according to a selection of one communication identifier from the plurality of communication identifiers, wherein the first communication device reestablishes presentation of the media program from the time the media program was paused responsive to submitting the request; and

redirecting the incoming call according to the communication identifier selected.

11. The network device of claim 10, wherein the network device comprises a proxy call session control function.

12. The network device of claim 10, wherein the first communication device comprises one of a set-top box, a computer, a fixed communication device, a short-range portable communication device, or a cellular communication device.

13. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a first communication device, a notification via a communication system of an incoming call initiated by a second communication device,

wherein the communication system operates as a multimedia system, wherein the multimedia system is coupled to a television system, wherein the communication device is coupled to a media presentation device, and wherein the media presentation device comprises one of a television set, or a computer display;

receiving, by the first communication device, a media program from the television system;

presenting, by the first communication device, the media program at the media presentation device;

pausing, by the first communication device, the media program responsive to receiving the incoming call;

recording, by the first communication device, the media program from a time when the media program was paused;

presenting, by the first communication device at a display of a media controller managing operations of the first communication device responsive to the incoming call, a caller identification associated with the incoming call;

identifying, by the first communication device, a called party by associating the caller identification with an entry in a phonebook of the called party, the phonebook being one of a plurality of phonebooks;

accessing, by the first communication device, the phonebook of the called party from the plurality of phonebooks, wherein the plurality of phonebooks are respectively associated with a plurality of users that share the first communication device;

obtaining, by the first communication device, from the phonebook of the called party a plurality of communication identifiers associated with devices used for communication by the called party;

obtaining, by the first communication device, presence information associated with the called party;

presenting, by the first communication device, the plurality of communication identifiers associated with the devices used for communication by the called party, wherein one of the plurality of communication identifiers is presented distinctly from a remaining number of the plurality of communication identifiers responsive to the presence information;

requesting, by the first communication device, a communication system to redirect the incoming call according to a selected one of the plurality of communication identifiers; and

reestablishing, by the first communication device, presentation of the media program from the time the media program was paused responsive to the requesting.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising detecting, by the first communication device, the selection of the communication identifier to which the incoming call is to be redirected.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the incoming call is a voice over internet protocol call.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the method is used by one of a set-top box, a media controller that manages the set-top box, a computer, a fixed communication device, a short-range portable communication device, or a cellular communication device.