Intelligent call management and redirection

• US 8,576,270 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Glowpoint, Inc. (Oblong, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Glowpoint, Inc. (Oblong, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morris, Stuart, Vitale, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai N
• Application Number:
  US11/246,956
• Time in Patent Office: 2,947 Days
• Field of Search: 379/221.14, 379/88.12, 379/88.13, 379/93.24, 379/100.06, 379/100.08, 379/201.01, 379/207.08, 348/14.01, 348/14.02, 348/14.03, 348/14.04, 348/14.05, 348/14.06, 348/14.07, 348/14.08, 348/14.09, 348/14.1, 348/14.11, 348/14.12, 348/14.13, 348/14.14, 348/15.15, 348/14.16
• US Class Current: 348/14.06
• 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 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• 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: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/62 user interface aspects of conference calls
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/14 Systems for two-way working H04N7/12, H04N7/173 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/141 between two video terminals, e.g. videophone telephonic communication systems combined with television receiver for reception of entertainment or information matter H04M11/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems

Abstract

The disclosed systems and methods provide intelligent device inspection and interrogation in an application layer system to route packet-based network calls. These systems and methods can be used to detect the status of a specified endpoint. Endpoint devices can be configured to communicate status information to a central call manager. Endpoints can also be periodically polled to request device information. Pre-defined rules applied at the central call manager can be used to process call flow based on the device information. These rules can be configured so that a call that is not completed for any reason can be transferred to another destination such as a video mail service or an automated or live operator service.

Claims

1. A method for routing packet-based network video calls, the method comprising:

receiving destination endpoint status information from a destination endpoint, wherein the destination endpoint status information is received from a resource status data store, and wherein the destination endpoint status information is collected in the resource status data store in response to polling the destination endpoint;

receiving a video call request from an originating endpoint to initiate a video call to the destination endpoint;

determining, using a microprocessor, if the destination endpoint is available to accept the video call from the originating endpoint based on the received destination endpoint status information and a predefined destination availability rule; and

if the destination endpoint is unavailable, using a microprocessor to

forward the video call to a video call mailbox associated with the destination endpoint and provide a visual indication of the redirection,

record a video message at the video call mailbox, and send a notification to an electronic mail address associated with the destination endpoint, the notification including information about the video message and a link directed to a server configured to allow access to the video call mailbox.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically receiving the destination endpoint status information from the destination endpoint in response to a predefined event or condition at the destination endpoint.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined destination availability rule comprises a parameter provided by a user of the destination endpoint.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the call manager is an application layer system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising routing one or more calls at a call manager based on a user-supplied conditional parameter and a network status parameter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination endpoint status information indicates status as busy or offline.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising routing one or more calls based on quality of service information received at a call manager.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification includes a video frame from the recorded video message as an attachment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the notification includes a video frame from the recorded video message in a body of the notification.

10. A system for routing packet-based network video calls, the system comprising:

a call manager, implemented using a microprocessor, configured for;

receiving destination endpoint status information from a destination endpoint, wherein the destination endpoint status information is received from a resource status data store, and wherein the destination endpoint status information is collected in the resource status data store in response to polling the destination endpoint,

receiving a video call request from an originating endpoint to initiate a video call to the destination endpoint, and

determining if the destination endpoint is available to accept the video call from the originating endpoint based on the received destination endpoint status information and a predefined destination availability rule; and

a video call mailbox, implemented using a microprocessor, associated with the destination endpoint configured to record a video message,

wherein if the destination endpoint is unavailable, the call manager forwards the video call to the video call mailbox and provides a visual indication of the redirection and the system send a notification to an electronic mail address associated with the destination endpoint, the notification including information about the video message and a link directed to a server configured to allow access to the video call mailbox.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the call manager is further configured for automatically receiving the destination endpoint status information from the destination endpoint in response to a predefined event or condition at the destination endpoint.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the call manager is further configured for applying a predefined destination availability rule, the rule further comprising a parameter provided by a user of the destination endpoint.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the call manager is an application layer system.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the call manager is further configured for routing one or more calls at the call manager based on a user supplied conditional parameter and a network status parameter.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the destination endpoint status information indicates status as busy or offline.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the call manager is further configured for routing one or more calls based on quality of service information received at the call manager.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable medium having program code stored thereon which, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving destination endpoint status information from a destination endpoint, wherein the destination endpoint status information is received from a resource status data store, and wherein the destination endpoint status information is collected in the resource status data store in response to polling the destination endpoint;

receiving a video call request from an originating endpoint to initiate a video call to the destination endpoint;

determining if the destination endpoint is available to accept the video call from the originating endpoint based on the received destination endpoint status information and a predefined destination availability rule; and

if the destination endpoint is unavailable,

forwarding the video call to a video call mailbox associated with the destination endpoint and providing a visual indication of the redirection,

recording a video message at the video call mailbox, and

sending a notification to an electronic mail address associate with the destination endpoint, the notification including information about the video message and a link directed to a server configured to allow access to the video call mailbox.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises automatically receiving the destination endpoint status information from the destination endpoint in response to a predefined event or condition at the destination endpoint.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the predefined destination availability rule comprises a parameter provided by a user of the destination endpoint.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the call manager is an application layer system.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises routing one or more calls at a call manager based on a user supplied conditional parameter and a network status parameter.

22. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the destination endpoint status information indicates status as busy or offline.

23. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises routing one or more calls based on quality of service information received at a call manager.