System, method, and apparatus for transfer to VoIP call

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12301768-B2
Application number	US-202118015373-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2021
Priority date	Jul 31, 2020
Publication date	May 13, 2025
Grant date	May 13, 2025

Abstract

This application discloses a call method and system, and a related apparatus. When a specific condition is met (for example, a callee fails to be paged), a network device forwards, to a VoIP server, a first call request to a target number, where the first call request is a call request initiated by a calling terminal to the target number, and the target number has been subscribed to a call forwarding service. Then the VoIP server parses a forwarding message from the network device to obtain a called number, searches, based on the called number, for the called terminal associated with the called number, and initiates a VoIP call to the called terminal, so that the callee in an out-of-service state (for example, there is no signal of an operator network or the callee is in an airplane mode) can still receive the call request from the caller.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A call method, applied to a first terminal device, wherein the first terminal device is installed with a first application serving as a VoIP client, and the method comprises:
detecting, by the first terminal device, a first operation;
sending, by the first terminal device, a first call request to a network device in response to the first operation, wherein the first call request is a call request initiated to a target number;
determining, by the first terminal device, that a target condition is met, the target condition comprising a failure to establish an initial call connection; and
in response to the determining, hanging up, by the first terminal device, a call corresponding to the first call request to end the call, and sending a second call request to a VoIP server using the first application to start a separate call, wherein the second call request is a VoIP call request to the target number, and the second call request indicates the VoIP server to initiate a VoIP call to a second terminal device associated with the target number.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein after the detecting the first operation, the method further comprises:
displaying, by the first terminal device, a first interface in response to the first operation, wherein the first interface comprises the target number and a first button, and the first button can be used to hang up a call.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein after the determining that the target condition is met, the method further comprises:
displaying, by the first terminal device, first prompt information in the first interface, wherein the first prompt information provides an option to switch to a VoIP call;
detecting, by the first terminal device, a second operation, wherein the second operation indicates the first terminal device to switch to the VoIP call; and
in response to the second operation, triggering, by the first terminal device, the step of hanging up the call corresponding to the first call request, and sending the second call request to the VoIP server using the first application.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein after the hanging up the call corresponding to the first call request, and sending the second call request to the VoIP server using the first application, the method further comprises:
displaying, by the first terminal device, second prompt information in the first interface, wherein the second prompt information indicates that the first terminal device has switched to the VoIP call.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein determining that the target condition is met comprises:
determining, by the first terminal device, that a first preset condition is met;
in response to the first preset condition being met, obtaining, by the first terminal device, related information associated with the target number;
determining, by the first terminal device, based on the related information, that a second preset condition is met; and
in response to the second preset condition being met, determining, by the first terminal device, that the target condition is met.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the determining that the first preset condition is met comprises:
when a first message returned by the network device is received, determining that the first preset condition is met, wherein the first message indicates that an attempt to page the target number fails; or when time detected by a timer exceeds a preset time threshold, determining that the first preset condition is met, wherein the timer is configured to detect time from call initiation to ringing.

7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the obtaining related information associated with the target number comprises:
sending a query request to the VoIP server using the first application, wherein the query request carries the target number; and
receiving, from the VoIP server, the related information associated with the target number.

8. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the related information comprises first information, second information, third information, and fourth information, the first information describes whether the target number is stored on the VoIP server, the second information describes whether a second application is in an online state, the third information describes a signal status of an operator network of the second terminal, and the fourth information describes whether the target number has been subscribed to a call forwarding service; and
the determining, based on the related information, that the second preset condition is met comprises:
when the target number is stored on the VoIP server, the second application is in the online state, a signal of the operator network of the second terminal is in an out-of-service state, and the target number has not been subscribed to the call forwarding service, determining that the second preset condition is met, wherein
the second terminal device is installed with the second application serving as a VoIP client.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein after the detecting the first operation, the method further comprises:
displaying, by the first terminal device, a second interface, wherein the second interface comprises third prompt information prompting a user to select between one or more call options including a cellular call option and a VoIP call option; and
when detecting an operation on the cellular call option, entering, by the first terminal device, the step of sending the first call request to a network device in response to the first operation; or
when detecting an operation on the VoIP call option, sending, by the first terminal device, a third call request to the VoIP server using the first application, wherein the third call request is a VoIP call request to the target number, and the third call request indicates the VoIP server to initiate a VoIP call to the second terminal device associated with the target number.

10. A terminal device, comprising a memory, a processor, a first application capable of serving as a VoIP client, and a computer program that is stored in the memory and that can be run on the processor, wherein when executing the computer program, the program enables the processor to:
detect a first operation;
send a first call request to a network device in response to the first operation, wherein the first call request is a call request initiated to a target number;
determine that a target condition is me, the target condition comprising a failure to establish an initial call connection t; and
in response to the determining, hang up a call corresponding to the first call request to end the call, and send a second call request to a VoIP server using the first application to start a separate call, wherein the second call request is a VoIP call request to the target number, and the second call request indicates the VoIP server to initiate a VoIP call to a second terminal device associated with the target number.

11. The terminal device according to claim 10 , wherein when executing the computer program, the program enables the processor further to:
display a first interface in response to the first operation, wherein the first interface comprises the target number and a first button, and the first button can be used to hang up a call.

12. The terminal device according to claim 11 , wherein after the determining that the target condition is met, when executing the computer program, the program enables the processor further to:
display first prompt information in the first interface, wherein the first prompt information provides an option to switch to a VoIP call;
dete

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd

Inventors

• Gong Weilin
• Yao Jingjing
• Fan Yuwei
• Lian Hai
• Jia Yinyuan

Classifications

• H04M2207/203

  composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet · CPC title

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · CPC title

• H04L65/1069

  Session establishment or de-establishment · CPC title

• H04W8/20

  Transfer of user or subscriber data · CPC title

• H04W4/16 Primary

  Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold · CPC title