WO2008141025A1 - Providing alternative call routing with a consistent user experience - Google Patents

Abstract

Techniques for providing alternative call routing for connecting a mobile phone calling party to a called party includes receiving an inputted telephone number at a mobile phone. The inputted telephone number is used to place a first call over a first path between the mobile phone and a call redirection service. The inputted telephone number is also used to send from the mobile phone to the call redirection service over a second path, a message that includes the inputted telephone number information. The inputted telephone number information contained in the message is used to place a second call over a third path between the call redirection service and a telephone operated by the called party. The first call and the second call are connected, thereby allowing the calling party to communicate with the called party.

Description

Attorney Docket No. WCL001-003PCT

PROVIDING ALTERNATIVE CALL ROUTING WITH A CONSISTENT USER EXPERIENCE

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims benefit of Provisional Appln. 60/916,907, filed May 9, 2007, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein, under 35 U.S. C. §119(e).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to mobile telephone devices and methods, and in particular to improved systems and methods for providing alternative call routing with a consistent user experience. Description of Prior Art

[0003] One technique currently used for alternative call routing of a call originating on a mobile telephone involves providing an application on the mobile phone that interrupts normal call completion processing, captures the called number and sends it together with the calling number to a call redirection service. The call redirection service then establishes the connection between the called and calling number. [0004] The call established by the call redirection service is typically preferred in some way to the connection that would have been established by the normal call completion process. For example it could be of a superior quality or it could be more secure. The most frequent reason that the call established by the call redirection service is preferred to the call established by normal call processing is that the cost of the connection established using the call redirection service is less than the cost of the connection that would have been established by the normal call processing. [0005] In the existing art there are many means and methods for performing alternative call routing in this general way but all of them have the property that the calling party, i.e., the user, becomes aware that the call is being handled in the alternative manner. Often this is not an issue. For example, if the user has explicitly subscribed to a call redirection service, then this awareness is a benefit because it reassures the user that the call redirection service is engaged and performing the service expected of it.

[0006] The applicant has determined, however, that there exist situations, in which it is undesirable for the user to become aware that the call is being handled in a manner different from normal call completion processing.

- ? - SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0007] These and other issues are addressed by embodiments of the present invention. One embodiment provides a technique for providing alternative call routing for connecting a mobile phone calling party to a called party. According to the technique, an inputted telephone number is received at a mobile phone. The inputted telephone number is used to place a first call over a first path between the mobile phone and a call redirection service. The inputted telephone number is also used to send a message from the mobile phone to the call redirection service over a second path, the message including the inputted telephone number information. The inputted telephone number information contained in the message is used to place a second call over a second path between the call redirection service and a telephone operated by the called party. The first call and the second call are then connected, thereby allowing the calling party to communicate with the called party. Other embodiments are directed to an apparatus or system for implementing the described technique.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

[0009] FlG. 1 shows a flowchart of a "callback" technique for providing call routing between a mobile phone user and a called party;

[0010] FlG. 2 shows a flowchart of a second technique for providing call routing between a mobile phone user and a called party;

[0011] FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a technique according to an aspect of the present invention for providing call routing between a mobile phone user and a called party;

[0012] FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are diagrams of a call routing system according to a further aspect of the invention; and

[0013] FIG. 6 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system upon which an embodiment of the invention may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The systems and techniques described herein provide for rerouting of calls from a mobile telephone with the desirable property that the user experience of the completion of a re-routed call to the called party is not noticeably different from the user experience of the completion of a call by normal routing; i.e. without rerouting. In other words, the user experience of the re-routed call is consistent with the user experience of a non-re-routed call and thus the user is not aware that the call has been re-routed.

[0015] There are a number of ways that a user can become aware that a mobile telephone call is being handled in a manner other than the normal way. For example, the user may have to perform additional tasks such as answering an incoming call from the call redirection service. There may be unexpected messages on the mobile phone's display screen. There may be additional and out-of-the-ordinary tones in the mobile phone's ear piece. The amount of time taken to establish communication with the called party may be noticeably different than the amount of time typically taken by normal call completion processing. All of these indicators of alternative processing must be set below the just-noticeable threshold if the user is to not be able to tell the difference between a normally handled call and an alternatively handled call.

[0016] In communications networks, a network node is a network device or computer or specialized device connected by one or more communication links. Communications between nodes are typically effected by exchanging discrete packets of data. Information is exchanged within data packets according to one or more of many well known, new or still developing protocols. In this context, a protocol consists of a set of rules defining how the nodes interact with each other based on information sent over the communication links.

[0017] Multiple communications networks have evolved that support wireless communications with a mobile communications device, called a mobile station (MS), such as a cell phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) and a lap top computer. The Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) is a digital cellular technology that is used worldwide, predominantly in Europe and Asia. GSM is the world's leading standard in digital wireless communications. GSM supports real time digital voice and multimedia streams. In the process of setting up sessions across the GSM network to carry such real time streams, signaling data packets are sent among network nodes. These signaling data packets use a signaling protocol, such as Signal System 7 (SS7), and are usually transparent to the user of the MS. The signaling data packets indicate the network address and other properties of the two communicating end stations (such as a dialed telephone number) and reserve network resources to support the communications. In some applications the signaling data packets are used to support short data messaging (SMS) and other data services. [0018] General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a mobile communications technology that enables mobile wireless service providers to offer packet-based data services over GSM networks to their mobile subscribers. GPRS is considered to be between a second generation and a third generation wireless technology, and is designated a 2.5G technology in the industry. Common applications of GPRS include Internet access, intranet/corporate access, instant messaging, and multimedia messaging. GPRS was standardized by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), but today is standardized by the Third Generation Partnership Program (3GPP). [0019] FlG. 1 shows a flowchart 100 of a currently used, "in-band" technique for optimal call routing, generally referred to as "callback."

[0020] In step 102, the calling party enters the number of a called party. In step 104, the optimal routing application on the mobile phone places a first call to a call redirection service after blocking normal call processing by the mobile phone. In step 106, on this first call, the routing application sends to the call redirection service the telephone number of the called party and the telephone number of the mobile telephone making the call. In step 108, the application terminates the first call to the call redirection service and awaits a callback from the call redirection service. [0021] In step 110, the call redirection service places a second call back to the mobile telephone that called the call redirection service. This second call is referred to as the "callback." In step 112, the call redirection service places a third call to the called party using the called party telephone number sent by the phone application. In step 114, the call redirection service connects the second and third calls. In step 116, the calling party answers the second call from the call redirection service. In step 118, the called party answers the third call from the call direction service. Finally, in step 120 the calling party and the called party communicate with each other. [0022] The callback from the call redirection service in step 110 is the mobile telephone end of the re-routed call. The user answers this call in order to be placed in communication with the called party. In the technique illustrated in FIG. 1 , the user is aware that an alternative method as been used to complete the call, because the user has to answer the callback call. In the FIG. 1 technique, the call on which the call information is sent to the call redirection service is the first call, and is not part of the final communication path between the calling and called parties created by the call redirection service. [0023] FlG. 2 shows a diagram illustrating a second "in-band" call routing technique 200, also in current use, but not as popular as the "callback" technique illustrated in FlG. 1. In step 202, the calling party enters the telephone number of the called party. In step 204, the phone application places a first call to a call redirection service. In step 206, the phone application sends, on the first call, the number of the called party to the cell redirection service. In step 208, the call redirection service places a second call to the called party. In step 210, the call redirection service connects the first call and the second call. In step 212, the called party answers the second call from the call redirection service. Finally, in step 214, the calling party and the called party communicate.

[0024] Thus, in this second technique 200, the call information is transmitted to the call redirection service on the first call from the mobile phone to the call redirection service. Unlike the callback technique 100 described above, this first call is part of the final communication path between the calling party, i.e., the mobile phone user, and the called party. Thus, the second technique 200 is more like normal call processing than the callback technique 100 because it is not necessary for the user to answer an incoming call in order to be connected to the called party. The user dials the number of the called party, and sooner or later the called party answers. [0025] In both of the described techniques 100 and 200, the typical method that is used by the application on the mobile phone to send the called number to the call redirection service is a sequence of dial-tone multi- frequency (DTMF) signals, popularly referred to as "dialing tones," on the voice channel created by the first call to the call redirection service. Thus, users typically hear these unexpected DTMF tones in the earpieces of their mobile phones and thereby become aware that the call is being handled in a manner that is out of the ordinary. [0026] Further, the sending of the called number on the voice channel using DTMF is a slow process and adds a noticeable amount of time to the overall time taken to create the call. This added time is a second way in which users become aware that a call is being handled in a manner that is out of the ordinary. [0027] An embodiment of the present invention provides an improved call routing technique. The improved technique is similar to the second method above in that the application on the mobile phone substitutes a call to the call redirection service for the call to the called party. This call becomes part of the final connection between the user and the called party. The improved call routing technique described herein differs from the above-described techniques 100 and 200 in that the information about the called number is not sent to the call redirection service over the first call to the call redirection service.

[0028] FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of a technique 300 according to this embodiment of the present invention. Although steps in FIG. 3 and subsequent flowcharts are presented in a particular order for purposes of illustration, in other embodiments one or more steps are performed in a different order or overlapping in time, or one more other steps are added or one or more steps are omitted, or some combination of changes are made.

[0029] In step 302, the calling party enters the number of the called party. In step 304, the phone application places a first call to a call redirection service. In step 306, performed in parallel with step 304, the phone application sends the called number to the call redirection service using a message. The communication path between the mobile telephone and the call redirection service that is used for the first call is different from the communication path between the mobile telephone and the call redirection service that is used to send the message containing the called number information.

[0030] For example, in GSM and 3GPP mobile telephone networks, the called number information can be sent from the phone application to the call redirection service using unstructured supplementary service data (USSD) messages. These messages cannot be detected by the mobile phone user because they are part of the signaling means between the mobile telephone and the network operator. Furthermore, because they are part of the signaling means, these messages are delivered to the call redirection service very quickly, typically in less than one second. [0031] In step 308, the call redirection service receives the first call and the associated message containing the called number. If the first call arrives at the call redirection service before the signaling message arrives, the call redirection service waits until the signaling message that goes with the first call arrives. If the signaling message arrives before the first call, the call redirection service may or may not initiate the second call to the called party before the first call arrives. In step 310, the call redirection service places a second call to the called party. In step 312, the cell redirection service connects the first and second calls. In step 314, the called party answers the second call from the call redirection service. Finally, in step 316, the calling party and the called party communicate with each other. [0032] Similar to the second technique 200 described above, in the improved technique 300, the user, i.e., the calling party, dials a number on a mobile phone and is connected to the called party. It is not necessary for the user to answer an incoming callback call, as is required by the first technique 100 described above. [0033] However, unlike the second technique 200, the improved technique 300 connects the calling party to the called party without the calling party hearing any unexpected tones in the mobile phone earpiece. Further, there are no unexpected messages on the cell phone display. Also, the amount of time required to complete the call is not noticeably different from the expected amount of time required to complete a call using a normal call completion process. Thus, the improved technique 300 allows an alternative call routing scheme to be implemented that provides a user with an experience that is consisting with normal call routing. [0034] FlG. 4 shows a diagram of a system 400 embodying the above-described techniques. As shown in FIG. 4, a calling party 402 initiates a telephone call by inputting a telephone number 404 into a mobile telephone 406. A mobile telephone application 408 then places a first call 410 to a call redirection service 412. In parallel, the mobile telephone application 408 also sends a message 414 to the call redirection service 412. The message contains the inputted telephone number 404, and is sent to the call redirection service 412 using a separate path from the path used to play the first call 410. The call redirection service 412 then uses the number information contained in the message 414 to place a second call 416 to a telephone 418 operated by a called party 420.

[0035] FIG. 5 shows a diagram of the system 400 shown in FIG. 4, after a connection has been established. As shown in FIG. 5, after the second call 416 has been placed, the call redirection service 412 establishes a connection 422 between the first call 410 and the second call 416. The system 400 thus provides two-way communication between the calling party 402 and the called party 420. This two-way communication is illustrated by a first double-headed arrow 424 between the calling party 402 and the calling party's mobile phone 406 and a second double-headed arrow 426 between the called party 420 and the called party's telephone 418. [0036] FlG. 6 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system 600 upon which an embodiment of the invention may be implemented. Computer system 600 includes a communication mechanism such as a bus 610 for passing information between other internal and external components of the computer system 600. Information is represented as physical signals of a measurable phenomenon, typically electric voltages, but including, in other embodiments, such phenomena as mechanical, magnetic, electromagnetic, pressure, chemical, molecular atomic and quantum interactions. For example, north and south magnetic fields, or a zero and non-zero electric voltage, represent two states (0, 1) of a binary digit (bit). A sequence of binary digits constitutes digital data that is used to represent a number or code for a character. A bus 610 includes many parallel conductors of information so that information is transferred quickly among devices coupled to the bus 610. One or more processors 602 for processing information are coupled with the bus 610. A processor 602 performs a set of operations on information. The set of operations include bringing information in from the bus 610 and placing information on the bus 610. The set of operations also typically include comparing two or more units of information, shifting positions of units of information, and combining two or more units of information, such as by addition or multiplication. A sequence of operations to be executed by the processor 602 constitute computer instructions. [0037] Computer system 600 also includes a memory 604 coupled to bus 610. The memory 604, such as a random access memory (RAM) or other dynamic storage device, stores information including computer instructions. Dynamic memory allows information stored therein to be changed by the computer system 600. RAM allows a unit of information stored at a location called a memory address to be stored and retrieved independently of information at neighboring addresses. The memory 604 is also used by the processor 602 to store temporary values during execution of computer instructions. The computer system 600 also includes a read only memory (ROM) 606 or other static storage device coupled to the bus 610 for storing static information, including instructions, that is not changed by the computer system 600. Also coupled to bus 610 is a non-volatile (persistent) storage device 608, such as a magnetic disk or optical disk or flash drive, for storing information, including instructions, that persists even when the computer system 600 is turned off or otherwise loses power.

[0038] In many embodiments, information, including instructions, is provided to the bus 610 for use by the processor from an external input device 612, such as a keyboard containing alphanumeric keys operated by a human user, or a sensor. A sensor detects conditions in its vicinity and transforms those detections into signals compatible with the signals used to represent information in computer system 600. Other external devices coupled to bus 610, used primarily for interacting with humans, include a display device 614, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a plasma screen, for presenting images, and a pointing device 616, such as a mouse or a trackball or cursor direction keys, for controlling a position of a small cursor image presented on the display 614 and issuing commands associated with graphical elements presented on the display 614. [0039] In the illustrated embodiment, special purpose hardware, such as an application specific integrated circuit (IC) 620, is coupled to bus 610. The special purpose hardware is configured to perform operations not performed by processor 602 quickly enough for special purposes. Examples of application specific ICs include graphics accelerator cards for generating images for display 614, cryptographic boards for encrypting and decrypting messages sent over a network, speech recognition, and interfaces to special external devices, such as robotic arms and medical scanning equipment that repeatedly perform some complex sequence of operations that are more efficiently implemented in hardware. [0040] Computer system 600 also includes one or more instances of a communications interface 670 coupled to bus 610. Communication interface 670 provides a two-way communication coupling to a variety of external devices that operate with their own processors, such as printers, scanners and external disks. In general, the coupling is with a network link 678 that is connected to a local network 680 to which a variety of external devices with their own processors are connected. For example, communication interface 670 may be a parallel port or a serial port or a universal serial bus (USB) port on a personal computer. In some embodiments, communications interface 670 is an integrated services digital network (ISDN) card or a digital subscriber line (DSL) card or a telephone modem that provides an information communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line. In some embodiments, a communication interface 670 is a cable modem that converts signals on bus 610 into signals for a communication connection over a coaxial cable or into optical signals for a communication connection over a fiber optic cable. As another example, communications interface 670 may be a local area network (LAN) card to provide a data communication connection to a compatible LAN, such as Ethernet. Wireless links may also be implemented. Carrier waves, such as acoustic waves and electromagnetic waves, including radio, optical and infrared waves travel through space without wires or cables. Signals include man-made variations in amplitude, frequency, phase, polarization or other physical properties of carrier waves. For wireless links, the communications interface 670 sends and receives electrical, acoustic or electromagnetic signals, including infrared and optical signals, that carry information streams, such as digital data.

[0041] The term computer-readable medium is used herein to refer to any medium that participates in providing information to processor 602, including instructions for execution. Such a medium may take many forms, including, but not limited to, nonvolatile media, volatile media and transmission media. Non- volatile media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as storage device 608. Volatile media include, for example, dynamic memory 604. Transmission media include, for example, coaxial cables, copper wire, fiber optic cables, and waves that travel through space without wires or cables, such as acoustic waves and electromagnetic waves, including radio, optical and infrared waves.

[0042] Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a compact disk ROM (CD-ROM), a digital video disk (DVD) or any other optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, or any other physical medium with patterns of holes or knobs, a RAM, a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), a FLASH-EPROM, or any other memory chip or cartridge, signals on a carrier wave, or any other medium from which a computer can read.

[0043] Network link 678 typically provides information communication through one or more networks to other devices that use or process the information. For example, network link 678 may provide a connection through local network 680 to a host computer 682 or to equipment 684 operated by an Internet Service Provider (ISP). ISP equipment 684 in turn provides data communication services through the public, world-wide packet-switching communication network of networks now commonly referred to as the Internet 690. A computer called a server 692 connected to the Internet provides a service in response to information received over the Internet. For example, server 692 provides information representing video data for presentation at display 614.

[0044] The invention is related to the use of computer system 600 for implementing the techniques described herein. According to one embodiment of the invention, those techniques are performed by computer system 600 in response to processor 602 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in memory 604. Such instructions, also called software and program code, may be read into memory 604 from another computer-readable medium such as storage device 608. Execution of the sequences of instructions contained in memory 604 causes processor 602 to perform one or more of the method steps described herein. In alternative embodiments, hardware, such as application specific integrated circuit 620, may be used in place of or in combination with software to implement the invention. Thus, embodiments of the invention are not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software, unless otherwise stated.

[0045] The signals transmitted over network link 678 and other networks through communications interface 670, carry information to and from computer system 600. Computer system 600 can send and receive information, including program code, through the networks 680, 690 among others, through network link 678 and communications interface 670. In an example using the Internet 690, a server 692 transmits program code for a particular application, requested by a message sent from computer 600, through Internet 690, ISP equipment 684, local network 680 and communications interface 670. The received code may be executed by processor 602 as it is received, or may be stored in storage device 608 or other non-volatile storage for later execution, or both. In this manner, computer system 600 may obtain application program code in the form of a signal on transmission media such as a carrier wave.

[0046] Various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying one or more sequence of instructions or data or both to processor 602 for execution. For example, instructions and data may initially be carried on a magnetic disk of a remote computer such as host 682. The remote computer loads the instructions and data into its dynamic memory and sends the instructions and data over a telephone line using a modem. A modem local to the computer system 600 receives the instructions and data on a telephone line and uses an infra-red transmitter to convert the instructions and data to a signal on an infra-red carrier wave serving as the network link 678. An infrared detector serving as communications interface 670 receives the instructions and data carried in the infrared signal and places information representing the instructions and data onto bus 610. Bus 610 carries the information to memory 604 from which processor 602 retrieves and executes the instructions using some of the data sent with the instructions. The instructions and data received in memory 604 may optionally be stored on storage device 608, either before or after execution by the processor 602.

[0047] While the foregoing description includes details which will enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, it should be recognized that the description is illustrative in nature and that many modifications and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of these teachings. It is accordingly intended that the invention herein be defined solely by the claims appended hereto and that the claims be interpreted as broadly as permitted by the prior art.

Claims

What is claimed is: 1. A method for providing alternative call routing for connecting a mobile phone calling party to a called party, comprising: (a) receiving an inputted telephone number at a mobile phone; (b) using the inputted telephone number to place a first call over a first path between the mobile phone and a call redirection service; (c) using the inputted telephone number to send a message from the mobile phone to the call redirection service over a second path, the message including the inputted telephone number information; (d) using the inputted telephone number information contained in the message to place a second call over a third path between the call redirection service and a telephone operated by the called party; and (e) connecting the first call and the second call, thereby allowing the calling party to communicate with the called party.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message containing the inputted number information is sent using an unstructured supplementary service data message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the first call arrives at the call redirection service before the signaling message arrives, then the call redirection service waits for the arrival of the signaling message that goes with the first call.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the message arrives at the call redirection service before the first call arrives, then the call redirection service initiates the second call to the called party before the first call arrives.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the message arrives at the call redirection service before the first call arrives, then the call redirection service waits for the arrival of the first call before initiating the second call to the called party.

6. A system for routing a call from a mobile phone, comprising: a mobile telephone operated by a calling party, the mobile telephone including application means for receiving an inputted telephone number of a called party, the application means including means for using a first path to place a first call to a call redirection service and means for using a second path to send a message to the call redirection service containing the inputted telephone number information, the call redirection service including means for receiving the message and using the inputted telephone number information to place a second call to a telephone operated by the called party, and means for connecting the first call and the second call.