Call hold signaling
AssigneeAT&T Corp.
InventorsFrederick Murray Burg, Mark Jeffrey Foladare, Tung-Hai Hsiao
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
One or more elements in a telecommunications network (10, 10′ and 10″) receive a call hold-initiating message when a first party places a second party to the call on hold, and in doing so, triggers a call hold event in the network. In response to the call hold-initiating message, the network element may take one or more actions, including releasing one or more network resources and/or providing a service to the second party during the period the call remains on hold. Upon resumption of the call, the network will re-acquire the resources that had been previously released.
Claims20
An apparatus for propagating signaling information in a communications network to alert at least one element of a call hold event when a first party to a telephone call with at least a second party places the call (and the second party) on hold, comprising:
- means for receiving in the network a call hold event in response to the first party placing the call on hold;
- and
- means for generating a call hold-initiating signal in response to receipt of the call hold event and propagating that signal to at least one network element.
An apparatus for propagating signaling information in a communications network to alert at least one element of a call hold event when a first party to a telephone call with at least a second party places the call (and the second party) on hold, comprising:
- means for receiving in the network a call hold event in response to the first party placing the call on hold;
- means for generating a call hold-initiating signal in response to receipt of the call hold event and propagating that signal to at least one network element;
- means for taking a first action while the call remains on hold;
- means for receiving a call resumption-event in response to a first party taking the call off hold;
- means for generating a call resumption-initiating signal in response to receipt of the call resumption event and propagating that signal to at least one network element;
- and
- means for taking a second action once the call is taken off hold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.