Methods and systems for telephony call-back processing

• US 8,976,951 B1
• Filed: 05/30/2013
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CallWave Communications, LLC
• Original Assignee: CallWave Communications, LLC
• Inventors: Trandal, David S., Smith, Robert F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohammed, Assad
• Application Number:
  US13/905,757
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/210.01, 455/456.1, 455/417, 455/456.3
• US Class Current: 379/210.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/642 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6505 storing speech in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4527 Voicemail attached to other kind of message
• 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 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• 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

Abstract

The present invention provides flexible call processing. In one embodiment, a first call from a calling party intended for a called party is received at a call processing system. The call processing system places a second call to a telephonic device associated with the called party. The calling party and called party communicate via the first and second calls. A determination is made that the first call has been terminated. A call-back instruction is received from the called party while the second call is still in place. At least partly in response to receiving the call-back instruction, a third call is placed to a terminal associated with the calling party. The calling party and the called party can communicate via the second call and the third call.

Claims

1. A method of processing a call, the method comprising:

receiving at a call processing system, the call processing system comprising hardware, an inbound call from a calling party intended for a called party,

wherein the inbound call is associated with a phone address of the calling party;

querying, by the call processing system, a location-based service using at least in part the phone address associated with the inbound call to determine a location of the calling party;

identifying a destination phone address of the calling party based at least in part on a response to the query to the location-based service,

wherein the identified destination phone address of the calling party is different than the phone address of the calling party associated with the inbound call;

at least partly in response to receiving a call re-origination request from the called party, prior to the termination of the inbound call, enabling, by the call processing system, an outbound call to be placed to the destination phone address of the calling party; and

enabling the calling party and the called party to communicate via the outbound call.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the call re-origination request indicates a device or location identifier and/or a numeric phone address.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein call signaling information associated with the inbound call is used to determine the phone address of the calling party.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the called party is a subscriber to the call processing system.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the calling party is not a subscriber to the call processing system.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the destination phone address corresponds to a phone address of the calling party'"'"'s office phone.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the re-origination request includes the destination phone address selected by the called party using a voice response command.

at least partly in response to receiving a call re-origination request, querying, by the application software program being executed by the mobile device, the location-based service to determine a second location of the mobile device associated with the user.

8. A system, comprising:

a computing device;

non-transitory media storing instructions readable by the computing device, that when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations, comprising;

receiving an inbound call from a calling party intended for a called party, wherein the inbound call is associated with a phone address of the calling party;

querying a location-based service using at least in part the phone address associated with the inbound call to determine a location of the calling party;

identifying a destination phone address of the calling party based at least in part on a response to the query to the location-based service,

wherein the identified destination phone address of the calling party is different than the phone address of the calling party associated with the inbound call;

at least partly in response to receiving a call re-origination request from the called party prior to the termination of the inbound call, enabling an outbound call to be placed to the destination phone address of the calling party; and

enabling the calling party and the called party to communicate via the outbound call.

9. A method of utilizing a location based service, the method comprising:

receiving, via a first user interface of an application software program installed on a mobile device associated with a user, the user selection or entry of a phone address wherein the user selected or entered phone number is not a phone address of the mobile device, wherein the mobile device executes the application software program;

querying, by the application software program being executed by the mobile device, a location-based service to determine a first location of the mobile device and creating an association between the phone address the user selected or entered and the determined first location;

storing in computer memory the association between the determined first location and the selected or entered phone address; and

receiving at a call processing system, the call processing system comprising hardware, an inbound call from a calling party intended for the user;

at least partly in response to receiving a call re-origination request from the user prior to the termination of the inbound call, querying, by the application software program being executed by the mobile device or the call processing system, a location-based service to determine a second location of the mobile device associated with the user;

if the determined second location is in proximity to the first location, causing, by the call processing system, an outbound call to be placed to the selected or entered phone address stored in association with the first location; and

enabling the calling party and the user to communicate via the outbound call.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the call re-origination request is a user spoken command.

11. The method as defined in claim 9, the method further comprising:

bridging an inbound call from a calling party to the outbound call.

12. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the selected or entered phone address corresponds to a phone address of the user'"'"'s office phone or home phone.

13. The method as defined in claim 9, further comprising:

creating the association between the phone address and the first location of the mobile device at substantially the same time the application software program receives the phone address selected or entered by the user.