Method and apparatus for migrating active communication session between terminals

• US 9,537,704 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2006
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2006
• 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: Schneider, Marco, Zhang, Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Parth
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, KAI J
• Application Number:
  US11/420,181
• Publication Number:
  US 20070274292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,877 Days
• Field of Search: 370/260, 370/261, 370352-356, 379/93.09, 379/93.11, 379/207.01, 379/221.02, 379/212.01, 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/207.12, 455/456.1, 455/456.2, 455/461, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/422.1, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 709204-207, 709/230, 709/231
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/20 hybrid systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1327 Release and resetting of connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

An apparatus and method are disclosed for migrating between terminals. An apparatus that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a network proxy having a controller that manages a communications interface in a communication system. The controller can be programmed to receive a request to migrate a first terminal to a third terminal while active communications are taking place on a first voice channel connecting the first terminal to a second terminal, establish a second voice channel with the third terminal, connect the first and second voice channels, and terminate without action of an end user of the first terminal a connection between the first terminal and the first voice channel. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A network proxy, comprising:

a network proxy communications interface;

a memory that stores executable instructions; and

a processing system including a processor coupled to the memory and in communication with the network proxy communications interface, wherein the processing system, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising;

receiving, at the network proxy communications interface, a request that is transmitted from a first terminal or a third terminal to migrate active communications with a second terminal from the first terminal to the third terminal while active communications are taking place on a first voice channel connecting the first terminal to the second terminal,

wherein the first terminal and the third terminal are remote from the network proxy communications interface,

wherein the request is responsive to a user-generated input detected at the one of the first terminal or the third terminal without an automatic detection by the first terminal or the third terminal,

wherein the request includes an identifier of the third terminal, and

wherein the first terminal obtains the identifier from the third terminal responsive to the input detected at the one of the first terminal or the third terminal using short-range communications via a first radio frequency identification device at the first terminal and a second radio frequency identification device at the third terminal;

initiating a network origination call to the third terminal via a second voice channel responsive to the receiving of the request and the identifier of the third terminal from the first terminal;

facilitating a connection of the first and second voice channels by way of a communications bridge; and

contemporaneous with a detection at the third terminal of an acceptance of the network origination call, terminating, without additional user-generated input required at the first terminal or the third terminal, a connection between the first terminal and the first voice channel, thereby releasing the first voice channel connecting the first terminal and the second terminal;

receiving a conferencing request transmitted from a fourth terminal to connect the fourth terminal to the second voice channel;

establishing a third voice channel with the fourth terminal; and

facilitating a connection of the second and third voice channels,

wherein the connection of the second and third voice channels is performed while active communications are taking place on the second voice channel.

2. The network proxy of claim 1, wherein the request comprises a dual tone multi frequency signal.

3. The network proxy of claim 1, wherein the network proxy operates as an internet protocol multimedia subsystem.

4. The network proxy of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting a completion signal to the third terminal indicating that the third terminal can engage in communications with the second terminal.

5. The network proxy of claim 1, wherein the conferencing request includes an identifier of the fourth terminal.

6. The network proxy of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the conferencing request from one among the second terminal, the third terminal or the fourth terminal.

7. The network proxy of claim 6, wherein the conferencing request conforms to a protocol selected from a group of protocols consisting of signaling system 7, session initiation protocol, H.323, and combinations thereof.

8. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions, which, responsive to being executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising:

receiving a request from a first terminal or a third terminal to migrate active communications with a second terminal from the first terminal to the third terminal,

wherein the request is responsive to a user-generated input detected at the first terminal or the third terminal without an automatic detection by the first terminal or the third terminal,

wherein the request includes an identifier of the third terminal, and

wherein the first terminal obtains the identifier from the third terminal responsive to the input detected at the one of the first terminal or the third terminal using short-range communications via a first radio frequency identification device at the first terminal and a second radio frequency identification device at the third terminal;

migrating the active communications of the first terminal engaged in the active communications over a first voice channel with the second terminal to the third terminal by facilitating a connection of the third terminal to the first voice channel by way of a communications bridge responsive to the first terminal detecting a presence of the third terminal, wherein the first terminal and the third terminal are remote from the processor; and

contemporaneous with a detection at the third terminal of the migrating of the active communications, terminating connection of the first terminal to the first voice channel without additional user-generated input required at the first terminal or the third terminal;

receiving a conferencing request from a fourth terminal to connect the fourth terminal to the first voice channel; and

facilitating a connection of the fourth terminal to the first voice channel,

wherein the connection of the fourth terminal to the first voice channel is performed while active communications are taking place on the first voice channel.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the request to migrate the first terminal to the third terminal comprises a short message service message.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the short message service message is received from the first terminal.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the short message service message is received from the third terminal.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting to one among the second terminal and the third terminal a signal corresponding to the conferencing request to connect the fourth terminal to the first voice channel;

wherein the connection of the fourth terminal to the first voice channel is facilitated upon receiving a conference acceptance signal from one among the second terminal and the third terminal.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the conferencing request from one among the second terminal and the third terminal by way of the first voice channel.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting a network originating call to the third terminal to establish a second voice channel with the third terminal; and

facilitating a connection of the second voice channel to the first voice channel by way of the communications bridge upon detecting an acceptance of the network originating call by the third terminal.

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising executable instructions, which, responsive to being executed by a processing system including a processor of a first terminal, facilitate to performance of operations comprising:

communicating with a second terminal over a first communications channel;

detecting a user-generated input of the first terminal or a third terminal without an automatic detection by the first terminal or the third terminal;

receiving an identifier of the third terminal responsive to the detecting of the input, wherein the identifier is received using short-range communications via a first radio frequency identification device at the first terminal and a second radio frequency identification device at the third terminal; and

responsive to detecting the input, sending a request with the identifier of the third terminal from the first terminal to a network proxy to migrate active communications with a second terminal from the first terminal to the third terminal by facilitating a connection of the third terminal to the first communications channel by way of a communications bridge;

contemporaneous with a detection at the third terminal of an acceptance of the connection of the third terminal, terminating a connection between the first terminal and the first communications channel without additional user-generated input required at the first terminal or the third terminal, wherein the first terminal and the third terminal are remote from the network proxy;

receiving a conferencing request from a fourth terminal to connect the fourth terminal to the first communications channel; and

facilitating a connection of the fourth terminal to the first communications channel,

wherein the connection of the fourth terminal to the first communications channel is performed while active communications are taking place on the first communications channel.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the first terminal comprises one among a plain old telephone service communication device, a voice over internet protocol communication device, and a wireless communication device.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the request to migrate is based on an out-of-band message.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the out-of-band message comprises a short message service message.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the request is made by the third terminal.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting to equipment of an end user of the first terminal a notice received from the network proxy indicating that migration is ready to be executed;

receiving a migration acceptance message from the end user; and

transmitting the migration acceptance message to the network proxy by way of a short message service directing the network proxy to complete the migration from the first to the third terminal.