Source: http://www.google.ca/patents/US7751546
Timestamp: 2013-05-18 20:57:24
Document Index: 120404859

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No 60', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60', 'Application No. 60']

Patent US7751546 - Call transfer system, method and network devices - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Advanced Patent Search | Web History | Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsIn a call transfer of a call there is an original calling network device, an original recipient of the call, and a transferee of the call. Systems, network devices, and methods are provided for delivering local call transfer functionality. Each network device is capable of functioning in the capacity...http://www.google.ca/patents/US7751546?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7751546 - Call transfer system, method and network devicesPublication numberUS7751546 B2Publication typeGrantApplication number10/762,754Publication date6 Jul 2010Filing date22 Jan 2004Priority date22 Jan 2003Also published asUS20050021872WO2004066604A1InventorsNatalie Ann GagnonBehrouz PoustchiVineet SethOriginal AssigneeAvaya Canada Corp.U.S. Classification379/211.2370/352370/230379/229379/386715/736455/445370/397379/198379/219455/462International ClassificationH04M7/00H04M3/42H04M3/58H04M3/54Cooperative ClassificationH04M3/58H04M7/006European ClassificationH04M3/58H04M7/00MReferencesPatent Citations (40)Non-Patent Citations (4)Referenced by (3)External LinksUSPTOUSPTO AssignmentEspacenetCall transfer system, method and network devicesUS 7751546 B2Abstract In a call transfer of a call there is an original calling network device, an original recipient of the call, and a transferee of the call. Systems, network devices, and methods are provided for delivering local call transfer functionality. Each network device is capable of functioning in the capacity of any one or more of the above three roles, namely, originator, original recipient, and transferee by providing local call transfer functionality. There is no requirement for central processing equipment used to provide local call transfer functionality for transferring calls.
a call set up function for setting up the call; and
16. A network device according to claim 14 comprising a call processing module adapted, to process the call, the call processing module comprising the call transfer function.
a call set up function being adapted to set up a call between the network device and a first other network device; and
a call transfer function being adapted to participate in a call transfer of a call between the first other network device and a second other network device by:
a user interface adapted to receive a user input requesting a call transfer;
(i) participate in a call transfer of a first call between the network device and a first other network device using local call transfer functionality, the first call being transferred from the network device to a second other network device;
(ii) participate in a call transfer of a second call between the network device and the first other network device using local call transfer functionality, the second call being transferred from the first other network device to the second other network device; and
(iii) participate in a call transfer of a third call between the first other network device and the second other network device using local call transfer functionality, the third call being transferred from the first other network device to the network device.
computer readable code means for processing a call between the network device and a first other network device; computer readable code means for receiving a user input requesting a call transfer to a second other network device; and
computer readable code means for processing an other call from the network device to a first network device other than the network device; and computer readable code means for participating in a call transfer of the other call by:
42. An article of manufacture according to claim 32 wherein the network device is one of a telephone, a video phone, a FDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a soft phone, a wireless device, a wireless telephone, and a cell phone.
participating in a call set up of a call between the network device and a first other network device; and
participating in a call transfer of the call between the first other network device and a second other network device by:
after receiving a first message from the second other network device initiating a connection between the network device and the second other network device, responding to a second message from the first other network device containing a reference to the second other network device by replacing the connection between the network device and the second other network device with an other connection between the network device and the first other network device.
RELATED APPLICATION This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 60/441,481 filed Jan. 22, 2003 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to call transfer systems, methods and network devices in for example a distributed peer-to-peer network.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In a call transfer of a call there is an original calling network device, an original recipient of the call, and a transferee of the call. Systems, network devices, and methods are provided for delivering call transfer functionality in a manner such that the call processing involved is performed locally on the network devices themselves without the requirement for central processing equipment. Each network device is capable to function in the capacity of any one or more of the above three roles, namely originator, original recipient, and transferee by providing local call transfer functionality. As the requirement for central processing equipment is removed, network devices can be added to a system without incurring high costs of replacing central processing equipment when a system becomes large.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments provide blind transfer and/or consultative transfer. In some embodiments of the invention, network devices in a network provide call transfer functionality locally. In some embodiments of the invention, this call transfer functionality can be implemented as part of a call processing capability that incorporates other call processing features. An example implementation of an embodiment of the invention will be described in the context of call processing on a peer-to-peer distributed network, which incorporates call transfer, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.
Referring to FIG. 1, shown is an example implementation of a system generally indicated by 10 which makes use of network based distributed peer-to-peer call processing. In addition to call transfer, in the example, call processing functionality such as call forwarding, call park and pickup, voice mail, and paging, and other features such as time synchronization, backup features, and peer discovery, may be provided locally at network devices within a network. Such features and functionality are described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/441,481 entitled �DISTRIBUTED PEER-TO-PEER CALL TRANSFER SYSTEM, METHOD AND TELEPHONE TERMINALS� and filed Jan. 22, 2003; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/441,121 entitled �DISTRIBUTED PEER-TO-PEER CALL FORWARDING SYSTEM, METHOD AND TELEPHONE TERMINAL� and filed Jan. 21, 2003; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/434,813 entitled �DISTRIBUTED PEER-TO-PEER VOICE MAIL SYSTEM, METHOD AND TELEPHONE TERMINALS� and filed Dec. 20, 2002; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/473,877 entitled �DISTRIBUTED PEER-TO-PEER CALL PARK AND CALL PARK PICKUP SYSTEM, METHOD AND TELEPHONE TERMINALS� filed May 29, 2003; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No 60/518,646 entitled �PEER-TO-PEER DISCOVERY SYSTEM, METHOD AND NETWORK DEVICES� filed Nov. 12, 2003; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/523,703 entitled �PEER BACK-UP IN A DISTRIBUTED PEER-TO-PEER NETWORK: SYSTEM, METHOD AND NETWORK DEVICES� filed Nov. 21, 2003; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/523,140 entitled �TIME SYNCHRONIZATION OF NETWORK DEVICES IN A NETWORK: SYSTEM, METHOD AND NETWORK DEVICE� filed Nov. 19, 2003; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/524,041 entitled �SYSTEM, METHOD AND NETWORK DEVICES FOR PAGING IN A NETWORK� filed Nov. 24, 2003; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/740,405 entitled �VOICE MAIL SYSTEM, METHOD AND NETWORK DEVICES� filed Dec. 22, 2003, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. It is to be clearly understood that embodiments of the invention are also provided which only provide call transfer functionality.
Unlike conventional systems, the system 10 of FIG. 1 features distributed call processing, and a number of capabilities including distributed call transfer.
In some implementations, a network device has one or more network devices designated to serve as backup network devices in the event the network device is unavailable to process a call. In particular, if a network device is unavailable to process a call, the call is re-directed to one of its designated backup network devices and the designated backup network device receiving the re-directed call provides call functionality for the network device that is unavailable. In the example of FIGS. 1 to 3, and 5 for each terminal set 101, 102, 103, 104, 105 there are two network devices designated as backup network devices which are identified in columns 260, 270 of the routing table 200. For example, network devices having DNs 202, 205 in columns 260, 270, respectively, are designated as backup network devices for terminal set 101 which has DN 201. In the example implementation, the TTI 40 (T01) is not hacked up; however, as further discussed below in some implementations the TTI 40 is backed up by one or more network devices. As shown in the routing table 200, there are preferably two backup network devices designated for each network device; however, more generally, there is one or more backup network device designated for each network device. In our example implementation, in columns 260, 270 the backup network devices are identified by their DNs for clarity. Some implementations make use of DNs to identify backup network devices as illustrated. In other embodiments of the invention, MAC addresses are maintained in columns 260, 270 to identify the backup network devices. Furthermore, any unique identifier for the network devices may be used. The routing table 200 is shown as an illustrative example of the type of routing information that might be maintained; however, the invention is not limited to the illustrative example of FIG. 5 and in other implementations fewer or additional routing information is maintained in the routing table 200. More generally, the routing table 200 may contain any information on network devices, which is maintained for providing local functionality such as voice mail, call transfer, call forward, paging, and backup functionality. Other information that may also be maintained in table 200 might be for example, network device type identifiers, timestamps for synchronization purposes, network class identifiers for identifying a network class on which a network device is connected, and activity indicators identifying whether network devices are active. For purposes of providing backup functionality entries in columns 260, 270 are maintained. On a more simplified level, each network device maintains an identification of its designated backup network devices and an address for each designated backup network device. In particular, when a new network device is added to the network 30, the network device makes use of its peer discovery module 110 to obtain routing information pertaining to other network devices in the network 30 and makes use of the peer backup module 160 to designate two other network devices as backup network devices. In some implementations, maintaining column 260, 270 involves periodically redistributing backup designations to prevent, for example, a network device form continuously providing backup functionality for another network device that is prone to failure. Periodic redistribution of backup designations provides a fair distribution of workload in providing voice mail backup functionality among the network devices.
Referring to FIG. 7, shown is a flow chart of steps followed in transferring a call. At step 700, a user initiates a transfer of a call from an originator network device by pressing a transfer key for example. At step 710, the call is placed on hold and a dial tone is provided to the user making the transfer. The user then dials a new destination (transferee) for transferring the call (step 720) and then receives a ringing confirmation from the new destination (step 730). In the case of a blind transfer, the user initiates the transfer by hanging up the call to the new destination or by pressing a transfer key (step 740). In the case of a consultation transfer, the call to the new destination is answered and a conversation takes place (step 750). The user making the transfer then completes the transfer by hanging up the call to the new destination or by pressing the transfer key (step 760).
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