EP0255325A2
Expired / Lapsed
EP
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Call transfer between a message service system and a telephone switching system
Assignee: AT&T Inc
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Filing: 1987-07-28
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2007-07-28
Abstract
Abstract This invention relates to business communication systems and, in particular, to message service system apparatus that provides a call transfer capability between a message service system (110) and any of the telephone station sets (TI00) and trunk circuits (TR1) of a telephone switching system (100). The business communication system provides a number of message service systems (voice mail (110), message center (120), etc.) and integrates the control of these message service systems so that a calling party can transfer an existing call connection between the message service system (110) and any telephone station set (T100), trunk circuit or other message service system (120) served by the business communication system.
Inventors
- 👤 Steven Clifford Grady
- 👤 Jeffrey Louis Greenfield
- 👤 John Rodney Lothrop
- 👤 Ronald Kirk Witmore
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 05:45
CPC Classifications
H; H04; H04M; H04M11/00; H04M3/00; H04M3/42; H04M3/50; H04M3/51; H04M3/53; H04M3/533; H04M3/53325; H04M3/54; H04M3/58; H04Q; H04Q3/00; H04Q3/42; H04Q3/54; H04Q3/545
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 8
Claim 1
Independent Claim
281 words
In a business communication system comprising a telephone switching system (100) for serving a plurality of telephone station sets (T100-Tm) and trunk circuits (TR1-TRn), a message service system (110) connected to said telephone switching system (100) via one or more voice communication paths (104) and at least one data link (105) for exchanging control messages therebetween, a method of providing a calling party (T100) on an existing call connection to either one of said voice communication paths (104) or one of said plurality of telephone station sets (T100-Tm) and trunk circuits (TR1-TRn) with a call transfer capability between said voice communication paths (104) of said message service system (110) and said plurality of telephone station sets (T100-Tm) and trunk circuits (TR1-TRn) of said telephone switching system (100) CHARACTERIZED BY the steps of: receiving, in said business communication system, a call transfer request from said calling party (T100) on said existing call connection, identifying an alternate destination for said existing call connection wherein said alternate destination comprises one of said plurality of telephone station sets (T100-Tm) and trunk circuits (TR1-TRn) when said existing call connection is to one of said voice communication paths (104), and one of said voice communication paths (104) when said existing call connection is to one of said plurality of telephone station sets (T100-Tm) and trunk circuits (TR1-TRn); exchanging call transfer control messages via said data link (105) between said message service system (110) and said telephone switching system (100) identifying said existing call connection and said alternate destination; and substituting, in said telephone switching system (100), a new call connection from said calling party (T100) to said identified alternate destination in place of said existing call connection.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
281 words
In a business communication system comprising a telephone switching system (100) for serving a plurality of telephone station sets (T100-Tm) and trunk circuits (TR1-TRn), a message service system (110) connected to said telephone switching system (100) via one or more voice communication paths (104) and at least one data link (105) for exchanging control messages therebetween, a method of providing a calling party (T100) on an existing call connection to either one of said voice communication paths (104) or one of said plurality of telephone station sets (T100-Tm) and trunk circuits (TR1-TRn) with a call transfer capability between said voice communication paths (104) of said message service system (110) and said plurality of telephone station sets (T100-Tm) and trunk circuits (TR1-TRn) of said telephone switching system (100) CHARACTERIZED BY the steps of: receiving, in said business communication system, a call transfer request from said calling party (T100) on said existing call connection, identifying an alternate destination for said existing call connection wherein said alternate destination comprises one of said plurality of telephone station sets (T100-Tm) and trunk circuits (TR1-TRn) when said existing call connection is to one of said voice communication paths (104), and one of said voice communication paths (104) when said existing call connection is to one of said plurality of telephone station sets (T100-Tm) and trunk circuits (TR1-TRn); exchanging call transfer control messages via said data link (105) between said message service system (110) and said telephone switching system (100) identifying said existing call connection and said alternate destination; and substituting, in said telephone switching system (100), a new call connection from said calling party (T100) to said identified alternate destination in place of said existing call connection.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
73 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of receiving includes the steps of: transmitting said call transfer request from said calling party (T100) to said message service system (110) via said existing call connection; and translating, in said message service system (110), said call transfer request identifying said alternate destination into data identifying the one of said plurality of telephone station sets (T100-Tm) and trunk circuits (TR1-TRn) corresponding to said alternate destination.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
90 words
The method of claim 1 wherein the step of exchanging includes the steps of: testing, in said telephone switching system (100), to determine whether said new call connection can be established; and transmitting failure control messages from said switch processor (102) to said message service system (110) via said data link (105) when said new call connection cannot be established; broadcasting a failure announcement to said calling party (T100) via said existing call connection from said message service system (110) in response to the receipt of said failure control messages.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
177 words
In a telephone switching system (100) having a switch processor (102) for controlling the operation of said telephone switching system (100), connected to a message service system (110) by one or more communication lines (104), a call transfer arrangement comprising: means (105) connected to both said message service system (110) and said switch processor (102) for transferring control messages therebetween; CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said arrangement further comprises: means (112), in said message service system (110), responsive to signals requesting transfer of an existing call connection via one of said communication lines (104) to said message service system (110) to an alternate destination, transmitted by a subscriber (T100) on said existing call connection, for transmitting a call transfer control message identifying said alternate destination to said switch processor (102) via said transferring means (105); and wherein said switch processor (102) includes means (503-505) responsive to said call transfer control message for causing said telephone switching system (100) to establish a new call connection from said subscriber (T100) to said alternate destination in place of said existing call connection.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
177 words
In a telephone switching system (100) having a switch processor (102) for controlling the operation of said telephone switching system (100), connected to a message service system (110) by one or more communication lines (104), a call transfer arrangement comprising: means (105) connected to both said message service system (110) and said switch processor (102) for transferring control messages therebetween; CHARACTERIZED IN THAT said arrangement further comprises: means (112), in said message service system (110), responsive to signals requesting transfer of an existing call connection via one of said communication lines (104) to said message service system (110) to an alternate destination, transmitted by a subscriber (T100) on said existing call connection, for transmitting a call transfer control message identifying said alternate destination to said switch processor (102) via said transferring means (105); and wherein said switch processor (102) includes means (503-505) responsive to said call transfer control message for causing said telephone switching system (100) to establish a new call connection from said subscriber (T100) to said alternate destination in place of said existing call connection.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
56 words
The arrangement of claim 4 wherein said transmitting means (112) includes: means (501) responsive to said signals requesting a call transfer to an alternate destination for translating said signals to data indicative of the identity of a telephone station set (T100-Tm) or trunk circuit (TR1-TRn) in said telephone switching system (100) corresponding to said alternate destination.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
63 words
The system of claim 4 wherein said switch processor (102) includes: means (503) responsive to said call transfer control message for testing to determine whether a new call connection can be established to said alternate destination; and means (508-510) responsive to the failure of said testing for returning a failure control message to said message service system (110) via said transferring means (105).
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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