PBX Held Call Management via Path Reuse
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current telecommunications systems face challenges in managing held calls efficiently, particularly in call-waiting or three-way call scenarios, due to high costs associated with allocating multiple communications paths and inconsistent user interfaces across different systems.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves relocating the control of held calls to the private branch exchange that extends calls to off-premises terminals, allowing it to selectively manage communications paths and provide a consistent user interface, enabling the private branch exchange to handle multiple calls and route them efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the data-processing system manages held calls for off-premises terminals, then call control functionality is provided, but costs increase due to allocation of multiple communications paths and user interface consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the held call management functionality from the data-processing system and relocates it to the private branch exchange. This allows the PBX to manage held calls locally using existing communications paths, eliminating the need for the data-processing system to allocate additional resources while maintaining full call control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The private branch exchange acts as an intermediary between the data-processing system and off-premises terminals. It receives call management requests from the data-processing system via signaling protocols and executes held call management operations locally, reducing the need for direct data-processing system involvement and associated resource allocation.
2Ease of operation
If the data-processing system manages held calls, then call functionality is provided, but user interface consistency deteriorates across different systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges held call management functionality into the private branch exchange, which already provides other call control features to off-premises terminals. This consolidation ensures that all call control functions, including held call management, originate from a single system with a unified user interface, eliminating inconsistencies between different systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The private branch exchange is enhanced to perform multiple functions including held call management, call forwarding, and other telephony services. This multi-functional approach allows a single system to provide comprehensive call control with a consistent user interface, rather than distributing functions across multiple specialized systems.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple communications paths are allocated for held calls, then call control capability is improved, but costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements held call management using existing communications paths without allocating additional paths. The private branch exchange utilizes the same communications infrastructure already in place for active calls, applying partial action (managing held calls) without the excessive resource allocation that would be required if full duplicate paths were created.
Solution Approach 2:
The system recovers and reuses existing communications paths for held call management rather than allocating new resources. When calls are held or transferred, the private branch exchange repurposes available communications paths dynamically, maximizing resource utilization and minimizing the need for additional path allocation.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and an apparatus are disclosed that manage the held calls for an off-premises terminal at the system that extends calls to the terminal, such as a private branch exchange or other type of data-processing system, instead of at the system that is receiving the extended calls, such as a mobile switching center at which a cell phone is registered. The disclosed technique is based on the observation that the extending system knows of an incoming call to an off-premises terminal before the receiving system. As a result, the extending system can advantageously select the calls that it holds versus the calls that it sends to the receiving system. The extending system can control the routing costs and provide a consistent look-and-feel of call control to the off-premises terminal user.