Internet call waiting messaging

• US 20040037266A1
• Filed: 06/21/2002
• Published: 02/26/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Hong Thi, Silver, Edward Michael, Roberts, Linda Ann
• Granted Patent: US 7,317,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4281 when the called subscriber is connected to a data network using his telephone line, e.g. dial-up connection, Internet browsing

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatuses are disclosed for providing Internet Call Waiting (ICW) Messaging Services. In an embodiment, a calling party places an incoming call to a called telephone number having an active ICW session and data connection. A telecommunications system allows a calling party to communicate an ICW message to a computer system engaged in the ICW session and data connection. The telecommunications system may also allow a called party (e.g., the user of the computer system) to communicate a response to the ICW message and, thus, allow interactive ICW messaging.

Claims

1. A method, comprising the steps of:

receiving an incoming communication in a telecommunications network to a called telephone number having a data connection;

associating an Internet Call Waiting messaging profile with the incoming communication;

querying for an Internet Protocol address associated with an Internet Protocol addressable communications device of the called telephone number; and

generating an Internet Call Waiting message to communicate to the Internet Protocol addressable communication device of the called telephone number.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

interrupting the data connection according to at least one interruption preference of the Internet Call Waiting messaging profile; and

routing the Internet Call Waiting message to the Internet Protocol address associated with the Internet Protocol addressable communications device of the called telephone number.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein routing the Internet Call Waiting message to the Internet Protocol address associated with the Internet Protocol addressable communications device of the called telephone number includes routing the Internet Call Waiting message via the telecommunications network to the Internet Protocol address associated with the Internet Protocol addressable communications device of the called telephone number.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein routing the Internet Call Waiting message to the Internet Protocol address associated with the Internet Protocol addressable communications device of the called telephone number includes routing the Internet Call Waiting message via a gateway of a data network communicating with the telecommunications network to the Internet Protocol address associated with the Internet Protocol addressable communications device of the called telephone number.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

presenting the Internet Call Waiting message via the Internet Protocol addressable communications device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein presenting the Internet Call Waiting message includes audibly presenting the Internet Call Waiting message.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein presenting the Internet Call Waiting message includes visually presenting the Internet Call Waiting message.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

receiving a response Internet Call Waiting message in a telecommunications network from the IP addressable communications device of the called telephone number;

formatting the response Internet Call Waiting message for a communications device associated with a calling telephone number of the incoming communication; and

routing the formatted response Internet Call Waiting message to the calling telephone number.

9. A system, comprising:

a database of Internet Call Waiting Messaging profiles for an Internet Call Waiting message to a communications device having an Internet Protocol address associated with a called telephone number having a data connection;

a server for selecting an Internet Call Waiting Messaging profile associated with the called telephone number; and

a telecommunications switch, the telecommunications switch establishing a telephony connection to a called telephone number, the telecommunications switch engaged in the data connection associated with the called telephone number.

10. The system of claim 9, the telecommunications switch further communicating an Internet Call Waiting message to the communications device.

11. The system of claim 9, the telecommunications switch further communicating a response Internet Call Waiting message from the communications device.

12. The system of claim 9, the telecommunications switch further capable of disabling the data connection and routing an incoming call associated with the Internet Call Waiting message to the called telephone number.

13. The system of claim 9, the telecommunications switch further capable of processing the incoming call associated with the Internet Call Waiting message according to a selected call handling option.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the Internet Call Waiting messaging profile comprises information associated with at least one of the following:

Internet Service Provider login information;

a password;

the called telephone number;

a calling telephone number;

a profile of a communications device associated with the calling telephone number;

a name associated with the calling telephone number;

a time of day;

a date identifier;

information associated with the incoming line identification signal communicated with the incoming communication;

a length of the Internet Call Waiting message;

a duration of the Internet Call Waiting message;

an instruction for presentation of the Internet Call Waiting message;

an interruption preference; and

an instruction for managing on-line session information of an interrupted session.

15. The system of claim 9, the communications device comprising at least one of the following:

a wireless phone;

a cellular phone;

a satellite phone;

a computer system;

a modem;

an audio pager;

a personal digital assistant;

a digital signal processor;

a global positioning system transceiver; and

an interactive television.

16. A system, comprising:

a first telecommunications switch connected to a first communications device having an Internet Protocol address associated with a called telephone number in a telecommunications network, the called telephone number having a data connection;

a second telecommunications switch connected to a second communications device having a calling telephone number; and

the telecommunications network connecting the first switch to the second switch, the telecommunications network accessing Internet Call Waiting messaging profiles and processing the Internet Call Waiting messaging profiles to communicate an Internet Call Waiting message from the second communications device to the Internet Protocol address of the first communications device of the called telephone number.

17. The system of claim 16, the telecommunications network further operable to communicate a response Internet Call Waiting message from the first communications device to the second communications device.

18. A system, comprising:

a telecommunications switch processing an Internet Call Waiting Message from a calling telephone number to a called telephone number, the called telephone number having a data connection, the telecommunications switch connected to a communications device having an Internet Protocol address associated with the called telephone number in a telecommunications network; and

a telecommunications network accessing Internet Call Waiting messaging profiles and processing the Internet Call Waiting messaging profiles to communicate the Internet Call Waiting to interrupt the data connection and to communicate the Internet Call Waiting message to the Internet Protocol address associated with the called telephone number.

19. The system of claim 18, the telecommunications network further comprising:

a processor, the processor operable for managing the Internet Call Waiting messaging profiles, the Internet Call Waiting messaging profiles associated with information to control presentation of the ICW message, an ICW response message, an interruption preference, and special services and features offered by a telecommunications provider;

a database for storing the Internet Call Waiting messaging profiles;

a database server for retrieving the stored Internet Call Waiting messaging profiles; and

a presentation application for converting the response Internet Call Waiting message to a format presentable to a communications device associated with the calling telephone number.

20. The system of claim 18, the telecommunications network comprising a public switch telephone network.

21. The system of claim 18, the telecommunications network comprising a mobile switch telephone network.

22. An apparatus, comprising:

a network port for receiving an Internet Call Waiting message from a telecommunications network;

a memory device for storing a selection of Internet Call Waiting message presentation to accompany the Internet Call Waiting message to a communications device having an Internet Protocol address associated with a called telephone number; and

a digital signal processor communicating with the memory device, the digital signal processor selecting presentation format stored in the memory device based upon information contained within the Internet Call Waiting message.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a system for generating the selected Internet Call Waiting message presentation.