Susan Leah Sobel

US Patent:

52532887, Oct 12, 1993

Filed:

Sep 23, 1991

Appl. No.:

7/763489

Inventors:

Alan E. Frey - Naperville IL
Joshua H. Rosenbluth - Middletown NJ
Susan J. Sobel - Brooklyn NY

Assignee:

AT&T Bell Laboratories - Murray Hill NJ

International Classification:

H04M 342

US Classification:

379221

Abstract:

This invention relates to apparatus and methods for redirecting calls from a first choice destination to some alternate destination if the call cannot be conveniently completed to the first destination. A call is initially extended through a toll network toward the first destination; if the toll network is congested and cannot reach an egress switch to access the first destination, or if a local exchange network connecting the first destination to the toll network is congested, or if a first destination PBX cannot be reached from the toll or local network because all access channels thereto are blocked, or if the first destination PBX is congested or attendants are unavailable, an indication that the call cannot be completed to the first destination is sent back to the ingress switch to the toll network for that call. The call is then redirected from the ingress switch of the toll network to an alternate destination. In some cases, this alternate destination may be the same as the first destination but accessed from a different egress switch of the toll network.