Communication system
AssigneeMicrosoft Technology Licensing, LLC
InventorTanel Erm
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
When a first user intends a call with a second user via a packet switched communication service (e.g. VoIP), but the second user terminal or second user is currently unavailable to answer a call through the packet-switched service, then a call intent notification is sent to the second user terminal via an out-of-band communication channel, the call-intent notification notifying the second user about the intended call. Includes in the notification is a gateway PSTN number enabling the second user terminal to establish a hybrid PSTN call with the first user terminal via a connection between the second user terminal and a gateway over a PSTN network, and via a connection between the gateway and the first user terminal over the packet-switched network using the packet-switched communication service.
Claims22
A system comprising:
- memory comprising one or more memory units, the memory storing code;
- and
- processing apparatus comprising one or more processing units, the processing apparatus being arranged to run the code from said memory, wherein the code is configured so as when run on the processing apparatus to perform operations including:
- receiving an indication that a first user performs an action on a first user terminal to initiate a packet-switched call with a second user of a second user terminal and via a communication service;
- determining one or more of that the second user terminal is currently unavailable to answer a call through said communication service, or that the second user is currently unavailable to answer a call through said communication service;
- sending, automatically and responsive to said determining, a call intent notification to the second user terminal via an out-of-band communication channel that is separate from the communication service;
- and
- including in the notification a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) number enabling the second user terminal to initiate a hybrid PSTN call with the first user terminal using the PSTN number and via a connection between the second user terminal and a gateway over a PSTN network, and via a connection between the gateway and the first user terminal over the packet-switched network using said packet-switched communication service.
A method comprising:
- receiving an indication that a first user performs an action on a first user terminal to initiate a packet-switched call with a second user of a second user terminal and via a packet-switched communication service;
- determining one or more of that the second user terminal is currently unavailable to answer a call through said communication service, or that the second user is currently unavailable to answer a call through said packet-switched communication service;
- sending, automatically and responsive to said determining, a call intent notification to the second user terminal via an out-of-band communication channel that is separate from the communication service;
- and
- including in the notification a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) number enabling the second user terminal to initiate a hybrid PSTN call with the first user terminal using the PSTN number and via a connection between the second user terminal and a gateway over a PSTN network, and via a connection between the gateway and the first user terminal over the packet-switched network using said packet-switched communication service.
A computer-readable memory storing code that is executable by a processor to perform operations comprising:
- receiving an indication that a first user performs an action on a first user terminal to initiate a packet-switched call with a second user of a second user terminal and via a communication service;
- determining one or more of that the second user terminal is currently unavailable to answer a call through said communication service, or that the second user is currently unavailable to answer a call through said communication service;
- sending, automatically and responsive to said determining, a call intent notification to the second user terminal via an out-of-band communication channel that is separate from the communication service;
- and
- including in the notification a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) number enabling the second user terminal to initiate a hybrid PSTN call with the first user terminal using the PSTN number and via a connection between the second user terminal and a gateway over a PSTN network, and via a connection between the gateway and the first user terminal over the packet-switched network using said packet-switched communication service.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.