SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONVEYING END-TO-END CALL STATUS

• US 20090097619A1
• Filed: 10/11/2007
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: CUNETTO, PHILIP, YASREBI, MEHRAD, JACKSON, JAMES
• Granted Patent: US 8,774,174 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.17
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• 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 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/424 Arrangements for automatic redialling at the subscriber's set H04M1/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53341 Message reply
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/126 Interworking of session control protocols

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a Unified Messaging System having a controller element to submit to a Calling Card Server (CCS) over a primary call leg a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) SUBSCRIBE message requesting outdial event notification for a call placed on a secondary call leg responsive to a reply of a voicemail message, and receive over the primary call leg a SIP NOTIFY message from the CCS indicating outdial events associated with placing the call over the secondary call leg. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium operating in a Calling Card Server (CCS), comprising computer instructions for:

receiving from a Unified Messaging System (UMS) a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) SUBSCRIBE message over a primary call leg requesting outdial event notification on a secondary call leg;

placing a call on the secondary call leg responsive to receiving on the primary call leg outdial information from the UMS; and

submitting a SIP NOTIFY message to the UMS that indicates outdial events associated with call status of the call on the secondary call leg.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the outdial information comprises one among an E.164 telephone number and a Uniform Resource Indicator (URI).

3. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the outdial event comprises at least one among a SIP provisional response and a SIP final response.

4. The storage medium of claim 3, wherein the SIP provisional and final responses are defined by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in Request For Comments (RFC) 3261.

5. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the CCS performs SIP messaging.

6. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the CCS places the call in response to a subscriber of the UMS responding to a voicemail message.

7. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the CCS corresponds to an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system.

8. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the call is placed on a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network that produces the outdial events.

9. A Unified Messaging System (UMS), comprising a controller to:

submit to a Calling Card System (CCS) over a primary call leg a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) SUBSCRIBE message requesting outdial event notification for a call on a secondary call leg; and

receive over the primary call leg a SIP NOTIFY message from the CCS indicating outdial events associated with placing the call over the secondary call leg.

10. The UMS of claim 9, wherein the controller is adapted to:

submit to the CCS a SIP INVITE message with outdial information to place the call over the secondary call leg; and

receive SIP NOTIFY messages from the CCS regarding call status associated with placing the call over the secondary call leg.

11. The UMS of claim 10, wherein the outdial information comprises one among an E.164 telephone number and a Uniform Resource Indicator (URI).

12. The UMS of claim 9, wherein the UMS and the CCS operate in an Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network.

13. The UMS of claim 9, wherein the UMS operates in an IMS network and the CCS operates in a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

14. The UMS of claim 9, wherein the controller is adapted to:

submit a SIP INVITE message to establish communications with the CCS over the primary call leg; and

transmit to the CCS Dual Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signals corresponding to a calling card number and destination number to direct the CCS to place the call over the secondary leg.

15. The UMS of claim 9, wherein the outdial event comprises at least one among a SIP provisional response and a SIP final response.

16. The UMS of claim 9, wherein the controller is adapted to transmit the SIP SUBSCRIBE message to the CCS responsive to a subscriber of the UMS replying to a voicemail message having a caller identification associated therewith, and wherein the call on the secondary call leg is directed to said caller identification.

17. The UMS of claim 9, wherein the controller is adapted to:

transmit the SIP SUBSCRIBE message to the CCS responsive to a subscriber of the UMS replying to a voicemail message;

identify a party leaving the voicemail message; and

determine a telephone number to reach the party from presence information associated with the party.

18. The UMS of claim 9, wherein the controller is adapted to contact the CCS when placing a call outside of its Local Access and Transport Area (LATA).

19. A Calling Card System (CCS), comprising a controller to transmit a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) NOTIFY message to a Unified Messaging System (UMS) over a primary call leg, wherein the SIP NOTIFY message includes call status associated with a secondary call leg.

20. The CCS of claim 19, wherein the controller is adapted to receive a SIP SUBSCRIBE message requesting the call status on the secondary call leg.

21. The CCS of claim 19, wherein the controller is adapted to initiate a call on the secondary call leg responsive to a subscriber of the UMS responding to a voicemail message presented by the UMS.

22. The CCS of claim 21, wherein the controller is adapted to receive from the UMS outdial information associated with the voicemail message that includes a calling card number and one among an E. 164 telephone number and a Uniform Resource Indicator (URI).

23. The CCS of claim 19, wherein the controller is adapted to be contacted by the UMS when the UMS places a call outside of its Local Access and Transport Area (LATA).

24. The CCS of claim 19, wherein the controller is adapted to establish communications over the secondary call leg with a called endpoint comprising one among a VoIP client and a PSTN client.

25. The CCS of claim 19, wherein the call status comprises at least one among a SIP provisional response and a SIP final response.