Call Management Service

Abstract

An embodiment of the invention pertains to a call management service ( 62 ) for a communications system ( 60 ), configured to automatically: receive telephone call data identifying a destination end point and identifying a source end point; initiate a call-back telephone call to said source end point to set-up a first call leg responsive to receiving said telephone call data; initiate a telephone call to said destination end point to set-up a second call leg; combine ( 67 ) said first and second call legs together thereby to provide voice communication between said source and destination end points; and transmit call leg status signals for said voice communication over a separate real-time communications connections signalling link ( 72 ) to a communications client ( 54 ) associated with at least one of said end points.

1 - 40 . (canceled)  
   
   
       41 . A method of operating data processing apparatus for providing a call management service, comprising: 
 receiving telephone call data identifying a destination end point and identifying a source end point;    initiating a call-back telephone call to said source end point to set-up a first call leg responsive to receiving said telephone call data;    initiating a telephone call to said destination end point to set-up a second call leg;    combining first and second call legs together thereby to provide voice communication between said source and destination end points; and    transmitting call leg status signals for said voice communication over a separate real-time communications connections signalling link to a communications client associated with at least one of said end points wherein said signalling link comprises a real-time communications protocol for creating, modifying and terminating a communication between end points.    
   
   
       42 - 43 . (canceled)  
   
   
       44 . A method according to  claim 41 , wherein said signalling link comprises a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) session.  
   
   
       45 . A method according to  claim 41 , further comprising: 
 receiving telephone call data identifying a second destination endpoint,    initiating a call to said second destination end point to set-up a third call leg; and    combining said third call leg to said first and second call legs to provide voice communication between said source end point, said destination end point and said second destination end point.    
   
   
       46 . A method according to  claim 41 , further comprising combining said call legs between different communications networks.  
   
   
       47 . A method according to  claim 46 , further comprising combining call legs between a PSTN and an IP telephony network.  
   
   
       48 . A method according to  claim 41 , further comprising receiving a call control signal via said signalling link from said communications client and implementing automatically said call control signal.  
   
   
       49 . A method according to  claim 48 , automatically implementing said call control message comprising one or more of a signal to mute, hold and drop a call leg to mute, hold or drop that call leg.  
   
   
       50 . A method according to  claim 41 , further comprising establishing said signalling link between a call controller at said call management service and said communications client.  
   
   
       51 . A method according to  claim 41 , wherein said telephone call data comprises one or more telephone numbers.  
   
   
       52 . A method of operating data processing apparatus for providing a communications client for a communications system, comprising establishing a real time communications connections signalling link to a call management service responsive to instantiation of said communications client said signalling link separate from a voice communications channel, further comprising receiving at least one call status signal via said signalling link from said call management service and automatically providing corresponding call status information to said user.  
   
   
       53 . A method according to  claim 52 , further comprising responding to user actuation to transmit telephone call data identifying a destination end point and identifying a source end point defined by said user to said call management service for setting up first and second call legs for establishing voice communication between said end points.  
   
   
       54 . (canceled)  
   
   
       55 . A method according to  claim 52  wherein said call status signal includes one or more of a call leg seized, a call leg pending and call leg connected.  
   
   
       56 . A method according to  claim 52 , further comprising transmitting telephone call data identifying a second destination end point to said call management service for said call management service to add a third leg for establishing voice communication between said second destination end point and said source and destination end points.  
   
   
       57 . A method according to  claim 52 , further comprising automatically responding to a call status signal received via said real-time communications connections signaling link and corresponding to a displayed call leg to display an icon indicative of the status of said corresponding call leg.  
   
   
       58 . A method according to  claim 57 , further comprising automatically responding to a call status signal received via said real-time communications connections signalling link and corresponding to a displayed call leg to display an icon indicative of the status of said corresponding call leg.  
   
   
       59 . A method according to  claim 57 , further comprising displaying at least one user actuatable icon indicative of a call control function for said displayed call leg and responding to user actuation of said icon to transmit a call control signal to said call management service via said real-time communications connections signalling link to implement said call control function.  
   
   
       60 . A method according to  claim 59 , further comprising displaying a plurality of user actuatable icons corresponding to each displayed call leg, and responding to actuation of respective icons to transmit a call control signal to said call management service via said real-time communications connections signalling link to mute, hold or drop a corresponding call leg.  
   
   
       61 . A method according to  claim 58 , wherein an icon displays a call leg state and further comprising automatically responding to user actuation of said icon to send a call control message to said call management service via said real-time communications connections signalling link to implement a call control function to toggle said call state.  
   
   
       62 - 107 . (canceled)  
   
   
       108 . A communications client for a communications system, said communications client responsive to instantiation thereof to establish a separate real-time communications connections signalling link to a call management service, said signalling link separate from a voice communications channel, and said communications client operative to communicate data messages to said call management service via a communications link, said communications client associated with a conference call participant and configured to display a call status icon for a participant call leg.  
   
   
       109 . A communications client according to  claim 108 , further configured to display a user actuatable call control icon associated with a participant call leg and responsive to actuation of said icon to transmit a call control signal to said call management service via said signalling link to effect call control of said associated participant call leg.  
   
   
       110 . A communications client according to  claim 108 , comprising a network interface.  
   
   
       111 . A communications client according to  claim 110 , wherein said network interface is a web server.  
   
   
       112 . A method of operating a data processing apparatus to provide a call management service for a communications system including a communications client at each of one or more conference call participants, comprising: 
 automatically responding to a conference call set-up request message comprising conference call schedule information and contact information for two or more conference call participants received from said a communications client via a real time communications link to transmit a message to said two or more participants comprising a mechanism for joining said conference call; and    transmitting back to said communications client via said communications link a data message confirming scheduling of said conference call.    
   
   
       113 . A method according to  claim 112 , further comprising transmitting to said communications client via said communications link a data message notifying said communications client that said conference call is available to join.  
   
   
       114 . A method according to  claim 112 , further comprising: determining that a conference call participant end point call leg is active for said conference call; and automatically transmitting to said communications client via said communications link a data message notifying said communications client that said conference call is active.  
   
   
       115 . A method according to  claim 112 , further comprising automatically transmitting to said communications client via said communications link a data message notifying said communications client of the identity of an active participant end point.  
   
   
       116 . A method according to  claim 115 , 
 further comprising automatically responding to a request from said communications client to join said conference call to establish a separate real-time communications connections signalling link to said communications client for transmitting call leg status signals for said conference call and establishing a call leg to an end point designated by said communications client to join said conference call.    
   
   
       117 . A method according to  claim 116 , further comprising transmitting a call status signal via said signalling link to said communications client indicative of the call status of active participant call legs.  
   
   
       118 . A method according to  claim 117 , further comprising receiving a call control signal from said communications client via said signalling link and automatically implementing said call control signal to effect call control of an active participant.  
   
   
       119 . A method according to  claim 118  further comprising automatically responding to said call control signal comprising one or more of a signal to mute, hold and drop an active participant call leg to mute, hold or drop that call leg.  
   
   
       120 . A method according to  claim 116 , further comprising automatically responding to a request from said communications client to add a new participant to said conference call, said request identifying an end point corresponding to said new participant, establishing a new participant call leg to said new participant end point and joining said new participant call leg to said conference call.  
   
   
       121 . A method according to  claim 112 , further comprising automatically transmitting a call status signal indicative of a call status of an active participant leg to a further communications client associated with an active conference call participant other than a participant associated with said communications client.  
   
   
       122 . A method according to  claim 121 , further comprising automatically responding to a request from said further communications client to add a another participant to said conference call, said request identifying an end point corresponding to said another participant, establishing an another participant call leg to said another participant end point and joining said another participant call leg to said conference call.  
   
   
       123 . A method according to  claim 122 , further comprising receiving a further call control signal from said further communications client via a separate real-time communications connections signalling link and automatically implementing said further call control signal only if said further call control signal is for said another participant call leg.  
   
   
       124 . A method according to  claim 123 , further comprising automatically responding to said further call control signal comprising one or more of a signal to mute, hold and drop said another participant call leg to mute, hold or drop said another participant call leg.  
   
   
       125 . A method according to  claim 112 , wherein said mechanism for joining comprises transmitting to said call management service a request for an SMS message reminder for said conference call and designating a telephone number for receiving said SMS message, said method further comprising automatically sending an SMS message to said designated telephone number and responding to a reply SMS message comprising one or more predefined characters to establish a participant call leg with an end point corresponding to an end point associated with said designated telephone number.  
   
   
       126 . A method according to  claim 125 , wherein said end point associated with said designated telephone number corresponds to that designated telephone number.  
   
   
       127 . A method according to  claim 125 , further comprising looking up said designated telephone number in a look up table to determine an identity of said end point.  
   
   
       128 . A method according to  claim 112 , wherein said joining mechanism comprises requesting a call back to a destination end point specified by the participant requesting said call back, said method further comprising automatically responding to said call back request to establish a participant call leg with said specified destination end point.  
   
   
       129 - 135 . (canceled)  
   
   
       136 . A method of operating a data processing apparatus to provide a communications client for a communications system, comprising establishing a separate real-time communications connections signalling link to a call management service, said signalling link separate from a voice communications channel, responsive to instantiation of said method and communicating a conference call set-up request comprising conference call schedule information and contact information for two or more conference call participants to said call management service via a communications link.  
   
   
       137 . A method according to  claim 136 , further comprising periodically interrogating said call management service via said communications link to determine the status of any activity on said call management service concerning said communications client.  
   
   
       138 . A method according to  claim 136 , further comprising automatically responding to a data message from said call management service received via said communications link and comprising conference call details, and displaying said details.  
   
   
       139 . A method according to  claim 138 , further comprising automatically responding to a data message from said call management service received via said communications link and indicative that said conference call is available to join, and highlighting said corresponding conference call details.  
   
   
       140 . A method according to  claim 139 , further comprising automatically responding to a further data message from said call management service via said communications link and indicative of said conference call active, and highlighting said conference call details in a manner different from the highlighting for said conference call being available.  
   
   
       141 . A method according to  claim 140  further comprising automatically responding to a data message from said call management service via said communications link and indicative of the identity of an active participant end point, and displaying said identity.  
   
   
       142 . A method according to  claim 139 , further comprising automatically responding to user selection of said highlighted conference call details to transmit a message to said call management service to initiate call-back to a designated end point for said communications client to establish a participant call leg to join said user to said conference call.  
   
   
       143 . A method according to  claim 142 , further comprising transmitting said message to initiate call-back to said call management service via said separate real-time communications connections signalling link.  
   
   
       144 . A method according to  claim 142 , further comprising automatically responding to establishment of a call participant leg for said designated end point to receive a call status signal indicative of an active participant call leg via said signalling link and displaying an icon representative of said call status in association with a display of a corresponding identity of a participant end point.  
   
   
       145 . A method according to  claim 142 , further comprising displaying a user actuatable call control icon in association with a display of a corresponding identity of a participant end point.  
   
   
       146 . A method according to  claim 145 , further comprising responding to user actuation of said call control icon to transmit a call control signal to said call management service via said signalling channel for effecting call control on a call leg corresponding to said corresponding identity of a participant end point.  
   
   
       147 . A method according to  claim 145 , wherein said call control signal comprises one or more of a signal to mute, hold and drop said call leg corresponding to said corresponding identity of a participant end point.  
   
   
       148 . A method of operating data processing apparatus for providing a communications client for a communications system, comprising establishing a separate real-time communications connections signalling link to a call management service, said signalling link separate from a voice communications channel responsive to instantiation of said method and communicating data messages to said call management service via a communications link, said communications client associated with a conference call participant and configured to display a call status icon for a participant call leg.  
   
   
       149 . A method according to  claim 148 , further comprising displaying a user actuatable call control icon associated with a participant call leg and responding to actuation of said icon to transmit a call control signal to said call management service via said signalling link to effect call control of said associated participant call leg.  
   
   
       150 - 161 . (canceled)