DE69734772T2 - IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATED TO CALL PROCESSING - Google Patents

Description

The The invention relates to methods for routing received telephone calls and more specifically, a method for rejecting a received call, where the called party has the option of using their phone to use while the phone system continues ringing the calling party, whose call was rejected sends.

1 Fig. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the routing of calls in a conventional telephone system. When operating a telephone system, such as the one in 1 shown, the phone sends 112 a calling party a dialing signal to her central office 214 , which in turn sends a dialing signal to a central office 216 sends the phone 218 the party called. The telephone 218 The called party may communicate with the central office in a conventional manner 216 be connected, as for the phone 218d shown, or it came through a PBX 220 be connected, as by the conventional telephone 218a , the wireless phone 218b and the digital phone 218c shown. The dialing signal from the central office 216 ensures that the correct connection is made to the called party's phone. The two central offices and the PBX (if any) can be considered as a switching system connected to the two telephones.

If a connection from the central office 216 (or PBX 220 ) to the phone 218 the called party is free (ie, the phone is hung up), delivers the central office 216 (or the PBX 220 ) a data signal to the central office 214 that upon receipt of the data signal, a ringing signal to the phone 212 the calling party, indicating that the call has been made to the called party's telephone and that the called party's telephone is free to respond. Conversely, if the called party's phone is busy (dialed), the central office delivers 214 a busy signal to the phone 212 the calling party. Note that in some telephone systems the ringing and busy signals are provided by different sources, such as the central office 216 or the PBX 220 , and that the invention is not limited to a particular origin of these signals within the switching system.

One Phone call to the called party can be made by the called party, from a response system (e.g., an answering machine, a voice mail or a news service) or unanswered stay. If the call to the called party is not answered, is the connection between the phones of the calling or the maintained called party, the phone of the called The party rings again and the calling party's phone continues to receive a ringing signal until the calling party hangs up. If the called party want to use her phone, while her phone is still ringing, the called party has to wait, until the call is terminated by the calling party (otherwise, if the called party decreases, the call becomes the calling one Party answered).

The DE-A-4233064 discloses a method for rejecting a call, while the phone stays on the call, the called party can dial, redirect a received call to another phone without just by pressing a soft-key and the phone to which the call was diverted continues to receive ringing signals calling party sends.

It may be that one very busy person or a company needs a free telephone line immediately and do not want to wait the existence incoming call not to be answered by the calling one Party is terminated. This means, if an incoming call should not be answered, it is desirable, to have the free line immediately available instead of waiting until the ringing stops.

If Furthermore, if a call is not to be answered, it is often desirable to to end the call without answering the call and without the calling one Party knows that the called party has ended the call. A calling party would know that the responded and ended the call if the Called party briefly lifted the phone and then again would have hung up.

alternative may be desirable be to divert the calling party to a no-answer treatment (for example to a voice mail, to an operator, to an answering machine) and release the phone of the called party.

It It is an object of the invention to provide a new method of operation a telephone system that calls the telephone of a called party Party on command releases and thereby the problems of the state of the Technology avoids.

It another object of the invention is to provide a method that allows a called party to use their phone release while continue to send a ringing signal to the calling party.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a method in which the Emp one or more ringtones on the called party's telephone, one or more keys on the called party's telephone are pressed before it is picked up to provide a rejection signal to a switching system which sends a ringing signal to the calling party indicating the rejection signal in that the switching system should continue to send the ringing signal to the calling party until the calling party terminates the call.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide a method when receiving one or more ringtones on the phone the called party one or more keys on the phone the pressed party before it is picked up to provide a reject signal, indicating that the incoming Call immediately or at the end of a given period of time No-response treatment should be forwarded.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention receives a called party makes a phone call from a calling party, she does not want to answer. By entering one or more keystrokes on the Phone of the called party while her phone is ringing and is on the phone sends the called party Rejection signal to a switching system that receives the ringing signal sends to the calling party. The rejection signal causes the switching system the incoming call processed while the wireless phone the called party is released. The rejection signal can either show that the Switching system continues to ring the bell to the calling party Party until the calling party terminates the call, or that she forward the incoming call to a no-answer treatment which makes the phone of the called party available, before the call was terminated by the calling party without the phone the called party is accepted.

In a further preferred embodiment The phone of the called party is a wireless phone, wherein one or more keystrokes generates an appropriate command on the wireless telephone while the Wireless phone rings and is hung up, causing a rejection signal is sent. If the rejection signal was sent, it says that wireless phone available for use and can be removed without one Connect to the spoofed call.

The Procedure can also be done with conventional phones, with or without PBX, to be used. A refusal signal from the Called party phone while this is ringing and hanging up is that causes that Telephone system generates the appropriate data signal to the ringing signal on the phone of the calling party or the maintain Call to a no-answer treatment. As soon as that Rejection signal was sent, the phone can be called Party are used and accepted, without it with the rejected call is connected.

The Format of the rejection signal may be any conventional format that is for the Telephone system, in which the method is used, is suitable. The Rejection signal may be a series of multiple keystrokes the keyboard of the phone, and preferably a single keystroke be. When the rejection signal from a wireless phone the associated Private branch exchange can be sent, the refusal signal into existing Commands are programmed (the wireless phone and its associated PBX are common a group), without additional Hardware needed becomes. Similar came when the procedure with a conventional phone without PBX used, existing hardware on the phone and the central Office may be used, although some modifications may be necessary can, to translate the refusal signal from the phone into a data signal (Such modifications are within the ability of one of ordinary skill in the art in the field of telephone technology). Disconnecting the phone dependent party the transmission of a rejection signal can be implemented by techniques become available to the average person skilled in the art.

The special behavior that is determined by the refusal signal (Continue the ringing signal and / or divert to a no-answer treatment), can be specified as part of the telephone device of the called party be (so that the Behavior by presetting is selected) or by own Rejection signals (e.g., different key sequences) representing the can call the called party when receiving a call.

If the incoming call is forwarded to a no-answer treatment should be instead of a continued ringing signal until the calling Party hangs, The calling party can immediately or after a predetermined number of ringtones or be redirected after a predetermined period of time, for example through the use of a counter or timer available in the telephone system or provided according to the invention becomes.

Claims (6)

A method of operating a telephone system in which a called party receives a telephone call from a calling party that is not to be answered, the method allowing the calling party to release their telephone for use while the calling party continues to receive a ringing signal, characterized in that, upon receipt of one or more ringtones on the called party's telephone, one or more keystrokes are entered into the called party's telephone while the telephone is on-hook to deliver a denial signal to a switching system associated with the calling party; the refusal signal indicating that the calling party switching system should continue to display the ringing signal until the calling party terminates the call, the called party's phone being available for use before the call is terminated by the calling party, without that the phone on the called party. The method of claim 1, wherein the rejection signal optionally indicates that the calling party forwarded to a no-response processing to be, namely to a voice mail, to an operator or to an answering machine. Method according to Claim 2, in which the diversion to the no-answer processing for a particular Time or a number of ringtones is delayed. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein entering a single keystroke into the phone of the called party Party provides the Ablelnnungssignal. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the switching system comprises a private switching unit and the Rejection signal causes the private exchange unit generates a conventional data signal, which indicates that the Called party phone. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the switching system a central office and the refusal signal causes the central office to become a conventional one Generates data signal indicating that that this Called party phone.