Method and apparatus for providing customized ring back to calling terminals in a cable network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9699321-B2
Application number	US-201514595329-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 13, 2015
Priority date	Mar 17, 2006
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

In an apparatus and method, one method example has the steps of: placing a call from a calling terminal to a called terminal in a cable telecommunication network, and communicating with a ring back application; initiating a new call by the ring back application to the called terminal via a call management server; ringing the called terminal by the call management server and providing an indication of the ringing to the ring back application; and sending, by the ring back application, a predetermined ring back signal to the calling terminal. Upon answer by the called party, the ring back application informs the calling party end device of the called party's address, and upon receiving the acknowledgement from the calling party's end-device it stops the predetermined ring back signal and informs the called party end device to cut thru the bearer path to the calling party's device. Finally, upon call termination by one of the parties, the application facilitates the tear down of the call by relaying the appropriate messages between the equipment involved in the call between the calling and called parties.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method, executed in a call management server in a cable telecommunication network, comprising:
receiving a call from a calling terminal to a called terminal in a cable telecommunication network, and determining that the called terminal subscribes to a ring back service;
sending a message to a ring back application;
receiving an initiation of a new call, to the called terminal, from the ring back application:
completing the new call to the called terminal;
providing a ringing indication to the ring back application to cause it to send a predetermined ring back signal to the calling terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of receiving an initiation of a new call further comprises the step of receiving a SIP INVITE from the ring back application including a session description protocol for the calling terminal.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the call management server completes the call to the called terminal using cable call processing procedures.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the cable call processing procedures use NCS (network call signaling).

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein step of receiving an initiation of the new call does not hit a TAT (terminating attempt trigger) in the call management server, since the call was originated by the ring back application.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in the step of completing the new call to the called terminal, ringing of the called terminal is indicated to the call management server via NCS (network call signaling).

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a ringing indication to the ring back application further comprises the step of using a 180 Ringing message, including a Session Description Protocol of the called terminal.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a ringing indication further comprises the step of sending the predetermined ring back signal as a RTP (real time protocol) stream to an address and port indicated in a session description protocol of the calling terminal based on the ringing indication received by the ring back application.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises the step of receiving an indication of answering of the call by the called terminal via NCS (network call signaling).

10. In a call management server in a cable telecommunication network, a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable signal-bearing media having computer usable program code stored therein, said computer program product providing secure, searchable storage of data files on the network and comprising:
computer usable program code for receiving a call from a calling terminal to a called terminal in a cable telecommunication network, and determining that the called terminal subscribes to a ring back service;
computer usable program code for sending a message to a ring back application;
computer usable program code for receiving an initiation of a new call, to the called terminal, from the ring back application;
computer usable program code for completing the new call to the called terminal; and
computer usable program code for providing a ringing indication to the ring back application to cause it to send a predetermined ring back signal to the calling terminal.

11. The call management server according to claim 10 , further comprising computer usable program code for receiving a SIP INVITE from the ring back application including a session description protocol for the calling terminal.

12. The call management server according to claim 10 , further comprising computer usable program code for completing the call to the called terminal using cable call processing procedures.

13. The call management server according to claim 12 , wherein the cable call processing procedures use NCS (network call signaling).

14. The call management server according to claim 13 , wherein the new call does not hit a TAT (terminating attempt trigger) in the call management server, since the call was originated by the ring back application.

15. The call management server according to claim 10 , wherein ringing of the called terminal is indicated to the call management server via NCS (network call signaling).

16. The call management server according to claim 10 , wherein the call management server provides an indication of the ringing to the ring back application via a 180 Ringing message, including a Session Description Protocol of the called terminal.

17. The call management server according to claim 10 , wherein the ring back application sends the predetermined ring back signal as a RTP (real time protocol) stream to an address and port indicated in the session description protocol of the calling terminal.

18. The call management server according to claim 10 , further comprising computer usable program code for receiving an indication of answering of the call by the called terminal via NCS (network call signaling).

19. A method, executed in a call management server (CMS) in a cable telecommunication network, comprising:
receiving a call from a calling terminal to a called terminal in the cable telecommunication network and determining that the called terminal has a termination attempt trigger (TAT) provisioned for a ring back service;
sending an INVITE message to a ring back application;
receiving an initiation of a new call to the called terminal, from the ring back application, via a SIP INVITE that has a session description protocol for the calling terminal, the new call not hitting the TAT in the CMS, since the new call was originated by the ring back application;
completing the new call to called terminal; and
providing an indication of the ringing to the ring back application via a 180 ringing message, including a session description protocol of the called terminal, said indication causing the ring back application to send a predetermined ring back signal to the calling terminal.

20. The method according to claim 19 , wherein, upon answering by the called terminal, the CMS receives an update from the ring back application including the session description protocol that was received from the called terminal.

21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein upon receipt of an ACK (acknowledgement) from the calling terminal to an update message, the CMS forwards the ACK to the ring back application which stops the predetermined ring back signal, and the CMS also conveys the ACK to the called terminal so that path bearer path cut-thru between the calling terminal and the called terminal occurs.

22. The method according to claim 19 , wherein when the calling or called terminal hangs up, the call is terminated with a BYE and OK between the calling and called terminals per normal cable call flow, by means of messages relayed between the calling and called terminal's CMS equipment (CMS O and CMS T ) to ensure proper call tear down per normal cable telecommunication call processing procedures.

23. The method according to claim 22 , wherein the CMS O and CMS T communicate information using CMSS protocol.

Assignees

• Alcatel Lucent

Inventors

• Batni Ramachendra P
• Sharma Ranjan

Classifications

• H04L65/1083

  In-session procedures · CPC title

• H04M3/42017 Primary

  Customized ring-back tones · CPC title

• H04L65/1006

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L29/06027

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04M7/129 Primary

  Details of providing call progress tones or announcements · CPC title