Call waiting priority alert

• US 7,602,896 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2006
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Silver, Edward Michael, Roberts, Linda Ann
• Primary Examiner(s): Sing; Simon
• Application Number:
  US11/613,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20070127660A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: 379/215, 379/215.01, 379/207.16, 379/208.01, 379/210.03
• US Class Current: 379/215.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4288 Notifying a called subscriber of an incoming call during an ongoing call, e.g. Call Waiting

Abstract

A method for delivering a priority call waiting alert service to a telephone subscriber. An embodiment of the present invention may be implemented on an Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN). When a call intended the subscriber is received by a service switching point from a calling party while the telephone line is already engaged in a first communication between the subscriber and a third party, the calling party is solicited to supply a priority code. If the priority code is recognized by a service control point, a call waiting tone or a priority alert signal associated with the priority code is played to alert the subscriber that a priority call has been received.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium containing instructions that when executed by a computing device perform acts for providing a call waiting priority alert service to a subscriber of a telephone line, the acts comprising:

associating a plurality of priority codes with a single telephone number of the telephone line, the plurality of priority codes being other than innate indicators of caller identification and having been provided to a plurality of calling parties, wherein a first calling party is provided with at least one priority code that is unique to the first calling party relative to other calling parties of the plurality, wherein each priority code of the plurality of priority codes corresponds to a priority alert signal specific to the priority code;

receiving a call from a calling party of the plurality while the telephone line is engaged in a first communication session between the subscriber and a third party;

soliciting from the calling party a priority code;

determining whether the priority code matches one of the plurality of priority codes;

playing the priority alert signal associated with the priority code to interfere with the first communication session; and

establishing a second communication session between the calling party and the subscriber if the subscriber chooses to suspend the first communication session.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the priority code is provided by the subscriber to the calling party and other priority callers.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the priority alert signal is a regular call waiting tone.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising playing an announcement for the calling party if the calling party does not provide any priority code.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising the step of playing an announcement for the calling party if the priority code provided by the calling party does not match the at least one priority code.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the priority alert is sent using the same telephone number and corresponding telephone line that is associated with the first communication session.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the acts further comprise sending to a switch handling the call a signaling system seven message having a ControllingLegTreatment field that specifies a priority alert signal assigned to the priority code if the priority code matches one of the plurality of priority codes.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the acts further comprise sending to a switch handling the call a signaling system seven message having a ControllingLegTreatment field that specifies a priority alert signal assigned to the priority code if the priority code matches one of the plurality of priority codes.

9. A method for providing a priority call waiting services to a called party who is a subscriber of a telephone line, the method comprising:

associating a single telephone number of the telephone line with a plurality of priority codes, the plurality of priority codes being other than innate indicators of caller identification and having been provided to a plurality of calling parties, wherein a first calling party is provided with at least one priority code that is unique to the first calling party relative to other calling parties of the plurality, wherein each priority code of the plurality of priority codes corresponds to a priority alert signal specific to the priority code;

assigning a priority alert signal to each of the plurality of priority codes;

receiving a call to the telephone number from a calling party while the telephone line is engaged in a first communication session between the subscriber and a third party who dialed in on the same telephone number;

soliciting from the calling party a priority code;

determining whether the priority code matches any of the plurality of priority codes;

playing the specified priority alert signal assigned to the priority code to the subscriber from the switch; and

establishing a second communication session between the calling party and the subscriber if the subscriber chooses to suspend the first communication session.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of priority codes is associated with a priority level.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the calling party is provided by the subscriber with more than one of the plurality of priority codes, the more than one of the priority codes being unique to the calling party.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the more than one of the plurality of priority codes represents a different priority level.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the priority alert is sent using the same telephone number and corresponding telephone line that is associated with the first communication session.

14. A system for providing a priority call waiting alert service to a subscriber of a telephone line, the system comprising:

a switch in communication with the telephone line, wherein the switch is adapted to detect incoming calls intended for a single telephone number of the telephone line of the subscriber when the subscriber is already engaged in a first communication session with a third party who called in on the single telephone number and then launches a query comprising the single telephone number; and

a controller in communication with the switch,

wherein when the controller receives the query, the controller instructs the switch to solicit a priority code that is other than an innate indicator of caller identification from calling party without interfering with the first communication session,

wherein the controller instructs the switch to interrupt the first communication session with a priority alert signal if the priority code supplied by the calling party is recognized by the controller, the single telephone number having been associated with a plurality of priority codes that have been distributed to a plurality of calling parties with at least one unique priority code having been distributed to at least one calling party of the plurality, the plurality of priority codes, wherein each priority code of the plurality of priority codes corresponds to a priority alert signal specific to the priority code; and

wherein the switch then suspends the first communication session, and establishes a second communication session between the calling party and the subscriber if the subscriber chooses to suspend the first communication session.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the switch is a service switching point that is provisioned with a trigger.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the trigger is a terminating busy/no answer trigger.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the priority alert signal is a regular call waiting tone.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the priority alert is sent by the switch by using the same telephone number and corresponding telephone line that is associated with the first communication session.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller sends to the switch handling the call a signaling system seven message having a ControllingLegTreatment field that specifies a priority alert signal assigned to the priority code if the priority code matches one of the plurality of priority codes.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the controller sends to the switch handling the call a signaling system seven message having a ControllingLegTreatment field that specifies a priority alert signal assigned to the priority code if the priority code matches one of the plurality of priority codes.