MISSED ALT CLB CLRNC RESTRICTION.

Narrative

ON HIGH FREQ REQUESTED A CLB TO FL390 AT 20 W. CLRNC CAME BACK; 'CLRED TO CLB TO FL390; BE LEVEL BY XB00Z.' THE APPROX TIME RECEIVING CLRNC WAS XA20. IN THE CLRNC; NO XING RESTRICTION WAS MENTIONED AT 20 W; WHOSE ETA WAS XA43Z. AT XA37Z; I RPTED OUT OF FL350 FOR FL390 (ATC HAD REQUESTED A 'RPT LEAVING' RPT ALSO). WE CLBED UNEVENTFULLY TO FL390 IN APPROX 7-8 MINS; SO WE WERE STILL IN A CLB MODE AT 20 W. HOWEVER DUE TO FREQ CONGESTION; THE COPLT WAS NOT ABLE TO MAKE THE POS RPT (OR THE 'RPT REACHING' RPT) UNTIL 2 OR 3 MINS PAST 20 W. HE GAVE A NORMAL OCEANIC POS RPT; EXCEPT THAT HE SAID WE WERE LEVEL AT FL390 AT 20 W; WHEN; IN FACT; WE WERE PROBABLY PASSING THROUGH FL380. THE CTLR ACKNOWLEDGED THE POS RPT; AND WE WENT INTO SELCAL MODE. IN A FEW MINS WE GOT A SELCAL MESSAGE. ON ANSWERING; THE CTLR ADVISED US THAT WE HAD CLBED EARLY; HE RESTATED THE CLRNC; THEN REALIZED IT WAS AMBIGUOUS. HE SAID THE EARLY CLB CAUSED NO TFC CONFLICTS OR COMPROMISED SAFETY; IN ANY WAY. I NORMALLY SEEK A CLARIFICATION OF ANY CLRNC NOT COMPLETELY UNDERSTOOD. IT 'SEEMED' A STRAIGHTFORWARD CLRNC AND NOT AT ALL AMBIGUOUS THE FIRST TIME I HEARD IT. IT JUST SO HAPPENED THE COPLT HAD GONE TO THE BATHROOM; FOR ABOUT 5 MINS; SO I DIDN'T HAVE THE BENEFIT OF ANOTHER SET OF EARS LISTENING TO THE CLRNC. THE NEXT TIME I WILL ASK FOR A CLARIFICATION SO AT LEAST I WILL GET THE BENEFIT OF HEARING IT TWICE.