Call handling between a cellular network and a communication service

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10051545-B2
Application number	US-201615044416-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 16, 2016
Priority date	Feb 16, 2016
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

Techniques for call handling between a cellular network and a communication service are described. In at least some embodiments, a call refers to a real-time exchange of communication media between different communication endpoints. According to one or more embodiments, techniques described herein determine whether to route a call over a cellular network or to transfer (e.g., hand over) the call from the cellular network to a communication service. This determination can be made based on various policies that consider different call-related criteria.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
at least one processor; and
one or more computer-readable storage media including instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the at least one processor, cause the system perform operations including:
detecting initiation of a call from a calling device over a wireless cellular network;
determining that the calling device is associated with an account with a communication service that is separate from the wireless cellular network;
notifying the communication service of the call to cause call control to be passed to the communication service;
receiving a notification from the communication service that the call is to be handled by the wireless cellular network;
receiving the call as routed back from the communication service to the wireless cellular network; and
handling the call over the wireless cellular network.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said detecting is performed by an infrastructure component of the wireless cellular network.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said determining comprises determining that a phone number of the calling device is linked to the account with the communication service.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said determining comprises determining that a user of the calling device is linked to the account with the communication service.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the communication service comprises a service that implemented independent of the wireless cellular network.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the communication service comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said notifying comprises routing a media flow of the call to the communication service.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said notifying comprises routing a media flow of the call over a wireless network that is different than the wireless cellular network.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the call is transferred between the wireless cellular network and the communication service multiple times in real time and in response to a change in one or more call conditions for the call.

10. A method comprising:
receiving a notification from a wireless cellular network indicating that a call is initiated with the wireless cellular network from a calling device associated with an account with a communication service that is separate from the wireless cellular network;
receiving call control from the wireless cellular network at the communication service;
determining that the call is to be handled by the wireless cellular network;
routing the call back from the communication service to the wireless cellular network; and
causing the call to be handled by the wireless cellular network.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the communication service comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service.

12. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein said determining comprises determining that the calling device is not connected to a suitable alternative wireless network.

13. The method as recited in claim 10 , wherein the call is transferred between the wireless cellular network and the communication service multiple times in real time and in response to a change in one or more call conditions for the call.

14. The method as recited in claim 10 , further comprising:
receiving an indication that the call is to be handled by the communication service; and
causing a hand over of the call from the wireless cellular network to the communication service.

15. A method comprising:
receiving at a communication service a notification that a call is initiated with a wireless cellular network by a calling device associated with an account with a communication service that is separate from the wireless cellular network;
receiving call control from the wireless cellular network at the communication service;
determining that the call is to be handled by the wireless cellular network;
routing the call back from the communication service to the wireless cellular network;
determining that the call is to be handled by the communication service; and
receiving the call back from the wireless cellular network at the communication service.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein said receiving call control comprises receiving a hand over of the call from the wireless cellular network to the communication service.

17. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein said receiving the notification comprises receiving the notification at the communication service separate from a hand over of the call from the wireless cellular network to the communication service.

18. The method as recited in claim 15 , further comprising causing the call to be managed by the communication service and a media flow of the call to be routed via a data connection over the wireless cellular network.

19. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein the communication service comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service.

20. The method as recited in claim 15 , wherein said determining that the call is to be handled by the communication service is based on a change in network quality at the wireless cellular network.

21. A method comprising:
detecting initiation of a call from a calling device over a wireless cellular network;
determining that the calling device is associated with an account with a communication service that is separate from the wireless cellular network;
notifying the communication service of the call to cause call control to be passed to the communication service;
receiving a notification from the communication service that the call is to be handled by the wireless cellular network;
receiving the call as routed back from the communication service to the wireless cellular network; and
handling the call over the wireless cellular network.

22. The method as recited in claim 21 , wherein said determining comprises determining that a phone number of the calling device is linked to the account with the communication service.

23. The method as recited in claim 21 , wherein said determining comprises determining that a user of the calling device is linked to the account with the communication service.

24. The method as recited in claim 21 , wherein the communication service comprises a service that is implemented independent of the wireless cellular network.

25. The method as recited in claim 21 , wherein the communication service comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network.

26. The method as recited in claim 21 , wherein the call is transferred between the wireless cellular network and the communication service multiple times in real time and in response to a change in one or more call conditions for the call.

27. A system comprising:
at least one processor; and
one or more computer-readable storage media including instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the at least one processor, cause the system to perform operations including:
receiving a notification indicating that a call is initiated with a wireless cellular network by a calling device associated with an account with a communication service that is separate from the wireless cellular network;
receiving call control from the wireless cellular network at the communicat

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Hassan Amer Aref
• Levin Danny
• Clark Bradford R

Classifications

• H04M3/54 Primary

  Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber {(based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308)} · CPC title

• H04W40/36

  due to handover · CPC title

• H04W76/12

  Setup of transport tunnels · CPC title

• H04M2207/185

  wireless packet-switched · CPC title

• H04M7/0057

  Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network · CPC title