Patents Examined by Harry Hong
  • Patent number: 8548145
    Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a call processing element in a communication system having a controller to detect an incoming call directed to a called party, retrieve presence information associated with a plurality of communication devices of the called party, retrieve presence information of a calling party initiating the incoming call, and determine from the presence information of the called party, the presence information of the calling party, and a call processing profile of the called party how to respond to the incoming call. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Scott White, James Cansler
  • Patent number: 8548154
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a ringtone uploading service method and system used in color ring back tone (CRBT) service. The present invention is that when a ringtone system successfully uploads a ringtone to at least one but not all ringtone servers, it records ringtone uploading information, sends a message about the successful uploading of the ringtone to an uploading terminal, and re-uploads the ringtone to the ringtone servers to which the ringtone has not been successfully uploaded. The ringtone uploading solution proposed in the present invention will greatly improve the success rate of ringtone uploading.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: ZTE Corporation
    Inventors: Meixia Liu, Xiaopeng Wei
  • Patent number: 8548146
    Abstract: A method is for managing connections on a conference bridge. The method includes determining a first noise level associated with a connection between a conference port and a conference server while there is no substantial contribution to the first noise level by a participant's device, determining a second noise level associated with a connection between the participant's device and the conference port while there is no substantial contribution to the second noise level by the participant's device, and determining whether the participant's device should be allowed to be connected to the conference bridge or whether at least one corrective action should be performed based on at least one of the first and second noise levels. Corresponding computer-readable mediums and systems are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property, I, L.P.
    Inventors: Armstrong Soo, Bernard Ku
  • Patent number: 8542809
    Abstract: A method and system for alphanumeric identifier indexing for advertising with cloud computing. A cloud computing service is provided to process alphanumeric identifiers (e.g., mobile device identifier, social network identifier, etc.) and used to categorize and associate pre-determined advertising and/or dynamically generated advertising with the alphanumeric identifiers. When the alphanumeric identifier is received anywhere on a cloud computing network, pre-determined or dynamically generated advertising associated with the alphanumeric identifier is sent to a target device. The cloud computing service keeps advertising synchronized across all devices all alphanumeric identifiers and all logins owned by a user of the target device used from anywhere on the cloud computing network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Inventor: Blake Bookstaff
  • Patent number: 8532277
    Abstract: The number of messages required in networks where both location and presence services are deployed may be reduced, by retrieving presence data from messages otherwise intended to provide only location information. Thus, information determined in a location service scheme is utilized to provide a presence service as well. A location server requests mobile subscriber (MS) information from a Core Network (CN) Node (i.e. HLR, MSC, etc.) that can be used in determining the Location of the MS. A single message aggregates retrieval of information for two services, specifically, for both location and presence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2013
    Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Gordon John Hines, Mario G. Tapia, Will Cousins, Patrick Carey
  • Patent number: 8520821
    Abstract: A new approach is proposed that contemplates systems and methods to support switching between computer audio and presenter audio during a conference call so that one and only one, not both, of the two audio streams is being transmitted to the rest of the conference at any time. More specifically, a switch engine is adopted, which separately takes one or more audio streams captured by a sound mixing component of the hosting device of a presenter and by a microphone attached to the hosting device as its two inputs, and outputs only one of the two inputs at any time. The selected audio output is then processed and transmitted to the rest of the conference with feedback from other audio sources canceled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Albert Alexandrov, Florian Winterstein
  • Patent number: 8509408
    Abstract: A text/voice system comprises a device configured to receive an incoming voice call intended for a called party, and detect, in response to receiving the voice call, the current status of the called party on a text messaging system, where the current status may include active or inactive. The device is also configured to establish a communication session between the calling party and the called party via the text messaging system, where speech from the calling party is translated to text and delivered to the called party during the communication session, and responsive text from the called party is translated to speech and delivered as speech to the calling party during the communication session.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
    Inventors: Lee N Goodman, Sujin C Chang
  • Patent number: 8494151
    Abstract: A system and method for balancing call session assignments on an agent console is provided. Incoming call sessions and one or more agent consoles, each managed by an agent, are monitored. An absolute upper limit on a number of the call sessions allowed at each agent console at any given time is assigned. A load of call session assignments is balanced on each agent console. Objective conditions regarding call sessions already assigned to each agent are collected. Subjective conditions regarding the agent's opinion of a current call session are also collected. The objective and subjective conditions are evaluated against the absolute upper limit to determine a load factor. Each incoming call session is assigned to one such agent console based on the load factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Intellisist, Inc.
    Inventors: Adam Waalkes, Gilad Odinak, Haodong (Howard) Jiang, Matthew Thorn, Tom McCann
  • Patent number: 8483372
    Abstract: A method for providing a click-to-call service includes receiving multimedia content, and acquiring a recipient's phone number from the multimedia content; generating a bridge call request message including the acquired recipient's phone number; and sending the bridge call request message to a telephony server device that forwards the bridge call request message to a bridge call provision device that provides a call connection so that the call connection is performed between a recipient's phone device corresponding to the recipient's phone number and a sender's phone device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ho-Yeon Park, Je-Young Maeng
  • Patent number: 8472608
    Abstract: A method and system for providing directory assistance to erroneous calls. The method and system includes an intercept system that intercepts erroneous calls and automatically routes them to a directory assistance service. The directory assistance service provides a least one advertisement, directory assistance information and derived information including caller demographics information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Inventors: Blake Bookstaff, Robert B. Deming, William W. Fisher
  • Patent number: 8472607
    Abstract: A method and system for providing directory assistance to erroneous calls. The method and system includes an intercept system that intercepts erroneous calls and automatically routes them to a directory assistance service. The directory assistance service provides a least one advertisement, directory assistance information and a variety of other information and services to the callers based on a highest expected revenue value of the advertisement or directory assistance services provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Inventors: Blake Bookstaff, Robert B. Deming, William W. Fisher
  • Patent number: 8462928
    Abstract: Systems and method for processing orders for telecommunications services are disclosed. Generally a telecommunications transaction set of an electronic data interchange standard is received, the telecommunications transaction set corresponding to a telecommunications product or service for a customer. An order for the telecommunications product or service is then generated based on processing of the telecommunications transaction set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventor: Timothy Mark Gilles
  • Patent number: 8447019
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for determining whether a call in a packet-switched network to a first destination is to be forwarded, forwarding the call to a second destination based on a determination that the call is to be forwarded, notifying the first destination that the call has been forwarded, receiving a request from the first destination to screen the call, and enabling the first destination to screen the call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
    Inventor: David C. Robbins
  • Patent number: 8442202
    Abstract: A telecommunications system is disclosed that enables a user to pair a desk set that is an extension of a private-branch exchange with a cell phone that is accessible via the Public Switched Telephone Network. One feature of the telecommunications system enables a call that is directed to the user's desk set to be automatically forwarded to the user's cell phone. This is advantageous to the user because it provides the illusion to the caller that the user is physically in her office when she is not necessarily there. A similar feature also provides the illusion when a third party initiates a call that connects the user's cell phone to a called party. Such a third party includes a computer-telephony integration (CTI) application in a telephone telemarketing center, which automatically places many outgoing telephone calls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Avaya Inc.
    Inventors: Sandra R. Abramson, Stephen M. Milton
  • Patent number: 8442197
    Abstract: The present invention is directed, in one embodiment, to the simultaneous streaming of a text representation of a first voice stream from a first call to a telephone for display and transmitting of a second voice stream from a second call to the telephone for audible play to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Avaya Inc.
    Inventors: Bruce P. Mazza, Paul Roller Michaelis
  • Patent number: 8433052
    Abstract: A system for determining whether to request additional telephone number resources for a telecommunications carrier. The system includes a first database operated by a telecommunications carrier and configured to store data indicative of telephone number usage and ENUM usage of telephone numbers assigned to the telecommunications carrier. The system further includes a computing device in communication with a multiple databases via a network, the multiple databases may contain telephone number usage information associated with multiple telecommunications carriers. The computing device executes software to query the first and multiple databases to retrieve information associated with the telecommunications carrier (i) to determine current utilization of telephone numbers of a rate center and (ii) to determine months to exhaust of telephone numbers and automatically generate a report utilizing the current utilization and months to exhaust in response to determining the current utilization and months to exhaust.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC
    Inventors: Justin Schultz, Lisa K. McLellan
  • Patent number: 8428243
    Abstract: Techniques for providing a method and system for trunk independent gateway transfer of calls are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a computer implemented method, comprising receiving a call transfer request for a call at a gateway and determining, using a processor of the gateway, whether a trunk to be used for transferring the call requires a transfer command. In the event the trunk requires transfer command, the techniques comprise generating a transfer command, and transferring the call using the transfer command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Inc.
    Inventors: Juan M. Vasquez, Prashant B. Desai, Mayuresh Mohan Hegde, Parind S. Poi
  • Patent number: 8428237
    Abstract: System and method for enabling push-to-talk (PTT) private calls in a wireless communications network are described. One embodiment includes selecting a called party private identification for a private call by a calling party on a mobile device; pressing a PTT button on the mobile device; transmitting a SIP SUBSCRIBE including the calling and called parties private identifications to request a speech token; redirecting the SIP SUBSCRIBE to the PTT Server for purposes of removing the calling party and the called party from a multicast group; receiving an acknowledge message that includes a speech token; transmitting calling party information from the PTT Server to the called party; communicating speech packets from the calling party to the called party in a half-duplex manner; releasing the PTT button on the mobile device; transmitting a SIP SUBSCRIBE to release the speech token; and notifying the calling and called parties that the group's speech token is available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Robert E. Denman, Sriram Parameswar, Barbara Derryberry
  • Patent number: 8428226
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a method of call trace on a next generation network (NGN) media gateway (MG). According to the present invention, a softswitch device adds an extended trace indication to an H.248 message related to the call to be traced; the MG determines whether the received H.248 message needs to be traced according to the extended trace indication; and if the H.248 message needs to be traced, trace the call to which the transaction in the H.248 message belongs. By the method, the MG can trace the entire calling process of a call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Dong Guo
  • Patent number: 8416936
    Abstract: A conference call management method and system. The method includes receiving by a computer processor from a conference call administrator, a command for enabling a first conference call. The computer processor enables the first conference call thereby allowing telecommunications between the conference call administrator and a first participant. The computer processor locks the first conference call such that additional participants are unable to access the first conference call. The computer processor receives from a second participant, a conference call request for accessing a second conference call and routes the second participant to a virtual holding area. The computer processor enables the second conference call and routes the second participant from the virtual holding area to the second conference call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Gregory J. Boss, Andrew R. Jones, Charles S. Lingafelt, Kevin C. McConnell, John E. Moore, Jr.