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US 7,822,188 B1Granted
Methods and apparatus for providing expanded telecommunications service
AssigneeCallwave, Inc.
InventorsLeland W. Kirchhoff, David S. Trandal, Colin Kelley, David J. Brahm, Robert F. Smith, David Frank Hofstatter, Robert A. Dolan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention provides flexible call processing. For example, a call processor system can receive an inbound call intended for a called party and place an outbound call to the called party. The call processing system can provide the called party with a call transfer option.
Claims57
A method of processing calls, the method comprising:
- storing in computer readable memory associated with a call processing system a phone address associated with a first subscriber;
- storing in computer readable memory a plurality of phone addresses for the subscriber associated with at least one network selected from the group including a wireline network, a wireless network, and/or an Internet network;
- participating at the call processing system in a first call with the subscriber, wherein the first call is associated with a second phone address;
- placing a first outcall from a call processing system to the first called party, wherein the call processing system inserts the first phone address in a callerID field associated with signaling information associated with the first outcall, wherein the first phone address is different than the second phone address;
- bridging the first call and the first outcall;
- participating at the call processing system in a second call with the subscriber, wherein the second call is conducted via a subscriber communication device associated with a third phone address;
- placing a second outcall from a call processing system to the second called party, wherein the call processing system inserts the first phone address in a callerID field associated with signaling information associated with the second outcall, wherein the first phone address is different than the third phone address;
- and
- bridging the second call and the second outcall.
6 more elements
A method of processing calls, the method comprising:
- receiving at a call processing system a first call request from a client telecommunications application hosted on a user computer, wherein the first call request identifies a first party to be called;
- at least partly in response to the first call request, placing a first outcall from the call processing system to a telephone associated with the user;
- placing a second outcall from the call processing system to a telephone associated with the first party, wherein the second outcall is associated with signaling information, the signaling information including a user phone address associated with the user, wherein the user phone address is not the phone address of the call processing system, but is a phone address assigned to or specified by the user;
- and
- causing the first outcall and the second outcall to be connected.
2 more elements
A method of processing calls, the method comprising:
- storing in computer readable memory an association between a user and a first phone address associated with a call processing system;
- receiving from the user a plurality of user phone addresses associated with at least one network selected from the group including wireline network, wireless network, and Internet network;
- storing the plurality of user phone addresses in computer readable memory;
- receiving at the call processing system an indication from the user that the user wants to establish a call with a first party using a first of the plurality of phone addresses;
- and
- placing a first outcall from the call processing system to the first party, wherein the call processing system inserts the first phone address associated with the call processing system in a callerID field associated with signaling information corresponding to the first outcall,
- wherein a user communication device to be connected to the first outcall at least partly in response to a user action.
4 more elements
A method of processing calls, comprising:
- receiving at a call processing system a message from an Internet protocol proxy regarding a first call from a caller;
- determining if the first call is directed to a telephone address of a subscriber of services offered by the call processing system, wherein at least partly in response to determining that the telephone address is that of a subscriber:
- accessing an account record associated with the subscriber, the account record including at least one subscriber instruction;
- based at least in part on the subscriber instruction, placing a first outcall to a first communication device associated with the subscriber;
- if the first outcall is not answered within a first number of rings or period of time, placing a second outcall to a second communication device associated with the subscriber;
- and
- receiving a call connect instruction from the subscriber;
- and
- instructing the call processing system to connect the first call to a third communication device.
6 more elements
A method of processing calls, comprising:
- receiving a message over the Internet indicating a call has been placed by a caller to a phone address of a user having a mobile communication device, wherein the user has an account associated with a call processing system;
- requesting the status of the mobile communication device;
- receiving a response to the request;
- if the response indicates that the mobile communication device is available to receive the call,
- causing at least in part that call to be routed to the mobile communication device;
- receiving at the call processing system an indication as to whether the mobile communication device answered the call;
- at least partly in response to receiving an indication that the mobile communication device answered the call, causing a half-duplex talk path to be established between the mobile communication device and the caller so that the user can hear the caller and the caller does not hear the user;
- at least partly in response to receiving an indication that the user wants to converse with the caller via the mobile communication device, causing a full duplex communication path to be established between the mobile communication device and the caller;
- connecting the call to a computer-based telecommunications client application in half-duplex mode, wherein the user can hear the caller and the caller cannot hear the user;
- and
- if an indication is provided that the user wants to converse with the caller via the computer-based telecommunications client application, causing, at least in part, a full duplex talk path to be established between the computer-based telecommunications client application and the caller so that the caller and the user can converse.
8 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.