Call management system

• US 20060177033A1
• Filed: 02/28/2006
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Xynk Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Freedomtel Pty., Ltd.
• Inventors: Rolan, Gregory, Allen, Malcolm Evatt Keith
• Application Number:
  US11/364,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20060177033A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/210.20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/651 Text message transmission triggered by call automatic reactions in messaging within packet-switching networks H04L51/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/654 Pre, in or post-call message
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5307 for recording messages comprising any combination of audio and non-audio components
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53308 Message originator indirectly connected to the message centre, e.g. after detection of busy or absent state of a called party

Abstract

There is disclosed a system for managing calls between parties in a telecommunication network, the system comprising a database (16,33) having a plurality of records, at least some of the records defining at least one ring time out parameter (RTP), each RTP specifying when a call will be terminated without called party intervention, database checking means (12) for checking the database in response to a calling subscriber initiating a call to a called party to determine whether there is a record that defines an RTP for said called party and retrieving the RTP if an RTP is defined, and call stopping means (13) for stopping the call on the basis of the retrieved RTP if stopping the call is necessary to avoid termination without called party intervention.

Claims

1. A system for managing calls between parties in a telecommunication network, the system comprising:

a) a database having a plurality of records, at least some of the records defining at least one ring time out parameter (RTP), each RTP specifying when a call will be terminated without called party intervention;

b) database checking means for checking the database in response to a calling subscriber initiating a call to a called party to determine whether there is a record that defines an RTP for said called party and retrieving the RTP if an RTP is defined; and

c) call stopping means for stopping the call on the basis of the retrieved RTP if stopping the call is necessary to avoid termination without called party intervention.

2. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said database provides a subscriber preferences database (SPD) and said plurality of records include subscriber records for each subscriber or class of subscribers.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said database has records defining RTPs for at least one subscriber or class of subscriber and for at least one non-subscriber or class of non-subscriber.

4. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each record that defines an RTP contains a value of the RTP.

5. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the subscriber record contains information from which the RTP can be derived and the system comprises means for deriving an RTP from said information.

6. A system as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of subscriber devices, and wherein each subscriber device comprises a database checking means and a call stopping means.

7. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the SPD is configured to allow each subscriber having a subscriber record to update their own subscriber record.

8. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the SPD is configured in update subscriber records based on the presence or absence of a subscriber device on or from a network.

9. A system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said SPD comprises:

a central SPD having records for each subscriber of class of subscriber, the central SPD being accessible by each subscriber;

a local SPD for at least one subscriber storing at least a portion of the records of the central SPD and accessible by said at least one subscriber; and

wherein the system comprises database synchronization means for synchronizing the contents of the central SPD with the contents of the local SPDs.

10. A system as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

message recording means in each subscriber device for optionally recording a message in the calling party'"'"'s subscriber device when said call stopping means stops a call; and

message forwarding means for forwarding said message to a called party.

11. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said message forwarding means comprises means for forwarding messages in accordance with at least one of the messaging techniques selected from the group of:

a short messaging service (SMS);

a multimedia messaging service (MMS);

direct peer-to-peer messaging;

e-mail; and

forwarding the message to message storage database that subscriber devices can check on a periodic basis or in response to a notification such as an SMS.

12. A system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said message forwarding means comprises two or more message forwarding techniques and said subscriber device has forwarding technique selection means.

13. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the forwarding technique selection means is configured to select a forwarding technique based on cost benefit.

14. A system as claimed in claim 12, wherein the forwarding technique selection means is configured to select a forwarding technique based on a subscriber preference.

15. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least some records also define at least one message forwarding parameter (MFP) that indicate where messages destined for the called party are to be sent.

16. A system as claimed in claim 15, wherein each record contains a value of the MFP.

17. A system as claimed in claim 15, wherein each record contains information from which the MFP can be derived.

18. A method for managing calls between parties in a telecommunication network, the method comprising:

a) maintaining a plurality of records, at least some of the records defining a ring time out parameter (RTP), each RTP indicating when a call to a called party will be terminated without called party intervention;

b) checking the records in response to a calling subscriber initiating a call to a called party to determine whether there is a record that defines an RTP for the called party and retrieving the RTP if an RTP is defined; and

c) stopping the call on the basis of the retrieved RTP if stopping the call is necessary to avoid termination without called party intervention.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18, comprising:

recording a message in the calling party'"'"'s subscriber device after stopping a call; and

forwarding said message to a called party.

21. A system as claimed in claim 18 comprising a database having a plurality of records, at least some records defining a message forwarding parameter (MFP) which indicates where messages destined for a called party are to be sent.

20. A system for managing calls between parties in a telecommunication network, the system comprising:

a) message recording means in each of a plurality of subscriber devices for recording a voice message of a calling subscriber to a called party; and

b) message forwarding means for forwarding a recorded message to a called party.