Method and apparatus for managing incoming and outgoing calls at an endpoint placed on hold

A method for managing incoming and outgoing calls when an endpoint has been placed on hold, comprising:

• establishing, over a first phone line of an IP telephone, a first call on a packet switched network between the IP telephone and a first endpoint, the first call including an outbound packet media stream communicated from the IP telephone;
• detecting that the first call was placed on hold by the first endpoint;
• establishing, over a second phone line of the IP telephone, a second call on the packet switched network between the IP telephone and a second endpoint after detecting that the first call was placed on hold;
• communicating the outbound packet media stream in the second call;
• mixing a first incoming packet media stream from the first call with a second incoming packet media stream from the second call for presentation to a user of the IP telephone;
• wherein establishing the first call on the packet switched network between the IP telephone and the second endpoint comprises receiving signaling information at the first and second endpoints from a call manager coupled to the packet switched network;
• and
• wherein detecting that the first call was placed on hold by the second endpoint comprises receiving a signal communicated from the second endpoint to the call manager via the packet switched network indicating that the first call was placed on hold.

A method for managing incoming and outgoing calls when a telephone call has been placed on hold, comprising:

• establishing, over a first phone line of an IP telephone, a first call on a packet switched network between the IP telephone and a first telephone, the first call comprising a first packet media stream communicated from the IP telephone to the first telephone and a second packet media stream communicated from the first telephone to the IP telephone;
• detecting that the first call was placed on hold by the first telephone;
• establishing, over a second phone line of the IP telephone, a second call on the packet switched network between the IP telephone and a second telephone after detecting that the first call was placed on hold;
• communicating the first packet media stream in the second call, the second call including a third packet media stream communicated from the second telephone to the IP telephone;
• and
• mixing the second packet media stream and the third packet media stream to generate a mixed packet media stream for presentation to a user of the IP telephone.

An IP telephone, comprising:

• a network interface operable to couple to a packet switched network;
• a transmit circuit coupled to the network interface;
• a receive circuit coupled to the network interface;
• and
• a control circuit coupled to the transmit and receive circuits, the control circuit operable to:
• detect that a first call, over a first phone line of the IP telephone, was placed on hold by a first remote endpoint, the first call including an outbound packet media stream communicated to the first remote endpoint and a first incoming packet media stream communicated from the first remote endpoint;
• establish a second call, over a second phone line of the IP telephone, on the packet switched network with a second remote endpoint after detecting that the first call was placed on hold by the first remote endpoint, the second call including a second incoming packet media stream communicated from the second remote endpoint;
• instruct the transmit circuit to communicate the outbound packet media stream to the second remote endpoint in the second call;
• and
• mix the first and second incoming packet media streams for presentation to a user.

Logic encoded in media for managing incoming and outgoing calls at a telephone when a telephone call has been placed on hold, the logic operable to perform the following steps:

• establishing a first call, over a first phone line of an IP telephone, on a packet switched network between the IP telephone and a first endpoint, the first call including an outbound packet media stream communicated from the IP telephone;
• detecting that the first call was placed on hold by the first endpoint;
• establishing a second call, over a second phone line of the IP telephone, on the packet switched network between the IP telephone and a second endpoint after detecting that the first call was placed on hold;
• communicating the outbound packet media stream in the second call;
• and
• mixing a first incoming packet media stream from the first call with a second incoming packet media stream from the second call for presentation to a user of the IP telephone.

An apparatus for managing incoming and outgoing calls when an endpoint has been placed on hold, comprising:

• means for establishing a first call, over a first phone line of an IP telephone, on a packet switched network between the IP telephone and a first endpoint, the first call including an outbound packet media stream communicated from the IP telephone;
• means for detecting that the first call was placed on hold by the first endpoint;
• means for establishing a second call, over a second phone line of the IP telephone, on the packet switched network between the IP telephone and a second endpoint after detecting that the first call was placed on hold;
• means for communicating the outbound packet media stream in the second call;
• and
• means for mixing a first incoming packet media stream from the first call with a second incoming packet media stream from the second call for presentation to a user of the IP telephone.