At+t Corp.

At&t Bell Laboratories

Barry S Seip

Patricia D Saleh

Wayne D Phillips

Peter Kapsales

William J D'Ambrogio

Alan Ira Schwartz

James Kemble

Peter Dunn

Gregory Pulz

Karen M McCourt

Marius Jonas Gudelis

Gary A Munson

Charles David Caldwell

Alok K Gupta

Esther L Davenport

Elaine I Sze

Belkacem Manseur

Susan Feit

Jane E Cockrell

Leon H Gellman

Elaine G Burns

Michael A Pellegrino

A communications system is designed to allow a temporary electronic find transfer from a pre-paid calling card balance to an account of the prepaid calling card issuer to take place when the user of such prepaid calling card number elects to record a spontaneous message for a called party. The transferred fund is either permanently deducted from the prepaid calling card balance when the recorded message is delivered to the called party, or partially or fully refunded to the prepaid calling card balance when the recorded message is deemed undeliverable.

Spontaneous messaging service for prepaid calling card users

The present invention provides a blocked call routing apparatus and method that allows a caller to access a blocked number, such as a 1-8YY paging service, from a restricted device. The blocked call routing apparatus includes a controller, a database interface and a network interface. The blocked call routing apparatus receives call signals through the network interface and retrieves information from a database, through the database interface, corresponding to the source type and call destination address. Based on the information obtained from the database, the blocked call routing apparatus determines whether the call is blocked or unblocked. If the call is blocked, the blocked call routing apparatus queries the called party to determine if they wish to accept the additional charges necessary to complete the call. If they do, the block is overridden and the call is completed. Otherwise, the blocked call routing apparatus queries the calling party to determine if they wish to accept the additional charges necessary to complete the call. If the calling party accepts the charges, the blocked call routing apparatus then queries the calling party for billing information. The blocked call routing apparatus then verifies the billing information entered and, if the information is valid, overrides the block and completes the call.

Apparatus and method for routing blocked calls

An intelligent method is disclosed for handling call redirection to an external service provider (ESP) for subsequent call processing. In one embodiment, a network database (,) is queried to determine whether the calling party station (,) has pre-selected an ESP for subsequent call processing. In the event that the calling party station has pre-selected an ESP, the call is automatically redirected to the pre-selected ESP; no caller input is required. If, however, the calling party station has not pre-selected an ESP, an announcement is played to the calling party offering a menu of available ESPs. To accept the offer, the caller must explicitly respond to the offer using, e.g., DTMF signaling. The call is then redirected on a per-call basis in accordance with the calling party's selection.

Intelligent call redirection

In a method of leaving a message for a calling party in an automatic long-distance re-dialing service where a called party returns a call from the calling party but the calling party does not answer the called party's return call, the method comprises the steps of providing the called party an option of returning the call from the calling party, for example, at the expense of the calling party and prompting the called party to leave a message for the calling party if the calling party does not answer the called party's return call. The apparatus comprises a controller for controlling operation of an announcement(message delivery capability, a dialer, a voice detector/coder and a memory for storing the message from the called party to be delivered to the calling party. The message is delivered upon detecting the calling party's next picking up their receiver or delivery is attempted periodically over a period of time until one means or the other first results in the calling party's receiving the message.

Method for accomplishing complete re-dial

A method for completing a telephone call originating from a calling party to a called party. The method determines the time zone at a first cell location associated with the originating calling party. It also determines the time zone at a second location associated with the called party. A comparison is made between the time zone associated with the calling party with the time zone associated with the called party. An announcement associated with the time of day is made to the calling party if the time zone associated with the calling party is not the same as the time zone associated with the called party. The system provides the calling party with a menu of options for completing a telephone call to the called party when the calling party receives either a busy signal, a ring no answer response, a message that said called party's telephone has been changed or a message that said called party's telephone is out of service. A response is inputted corresponding to a selected one of the options included in the menu. The selected option is processed during the telephone call connection attempt.

Wireless telephone menu system

Systems and methods for providing personal, bi-directional, non-geographic base call management are presented. An inter-exchange provider network enables subscribers to obtain a personal telephone number that is independent of the subscriber's residence. As such, the subscriber retains the personal phone number even when the subscriber move to another part of the country. The personal telephone number may be used to receive inbound calls, either through call forwarding features, paging or voice mail, and to place outbound calls using the personal number as a calling card number. In this manner, a subscriber's telephone needs may be consolidated with a single carrier that provides simplified access for the subscriber while following the subscriber where ever the subscriber moves. The subscriber is also provided with access to customize the call management features provided by the inter-exchange carrier through a phone call.

Systems and methods for providing personal, non-geographic call

A method for use in a communications system permitting a first party connected to a central platform to receive an out-of-band signal in response to predetermined trigger conditions. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, leaving a voice mail message results in an automatic page to the first party notifying him, or her, of the voice mail message from a second party. Similarly, the first party is notified of alert or alarm conditions and preprogrammed schedule changes through use of the out-of-band signal. Certain predetermined characters may be used to distinguish between the various types of out-of-band messages sent to the first party.

Method in a communications systems for providing an out-of-band

A method is described for completing calls to wireless communications customers. A database is queried to determine whether to bill the calling party or the called party for communication charges (e.g., airtime charges) associated with the wireless communication service. When the query indicates that the calling party is to be billed for those communications charges, a telecommunications switch which received the call from the calling party is instructed to record information to be used in billing the calling party for the charges. At the same time, the wireless switch that normally would bill the called party for the charges is instructed to suppress billing of the called party for the charges. The billing instruction is sent to the wireless switch in a signaling message using a message parameter that is unaffected by intermediate (e.g., local exchange carrier) switches.

Calling party-paid wireless telephone service

ISDN access to a telecommunications network is provided to customers at different locations by sharing a D-channel controllers (DCC's) positioned within the network in close proximity to the ISDN-capable toll switches serving those customers. The customers provide call set up parameters to a DCC via a user interface system (UIS) at the customers premises that communicates via a dial-up data connection with a respective user support system (USS) connected to the DCC. The DCC in turn formulates ISDN signaling messages that are sent to the switch via a PRI interface and set up an appropriate communications path through the network to a desired destination. Data originating in customer premises equipment is received in the switch via a T1 access line operating in the 'non-facility associated signalling' mode. Alternatively, a central USS located in a control center within the telecommunications network, transmits, via dial-up data connections, signalling information to individual USS's supporting associated DCC's.

Method and apparatus for providing ISDN access

A method of administering a sequence of locations to which calls placed to a subscriber's personal telephone number may be routed for personal communication service by a) storing pre-defined mnemonic audible tags for association with telephone numbers prior to any interactions with the subscriber, b) offering the subscriber a choice of the pre-defined mnemonic audible tags by speaking them to him, c) receiving an indication of the mnemonic audible tag selected by the subscriber, d) receiving signals indicating a telephone number supplied by the subscriber and e) storing the received telephone number information in association with the selected mnemonic audible tag. The mnemonic audible tags are then used in place of their respective associated telephone numbers in administering the sequence of locations. A mnemonic audible tag is a meaningful word indicative of the actual location, person, or service, e.g., 'office', 'neighbor' or 'AT&T voicemail', to which a call to the personal telephone number is to be completed. Advantageously, administering a sequence of locations is accomplished by simply manipulating friendly, meaningful and easy to understand terms rather than cumbersome and meaningless, telephone numbers or codes.

Technique for administering personal telephone numbers

A method for effecting bandwidth-on-demand, multiple digital channel connections between network subscribers, wherein each of a series of call requests from a given network subscriber to a given recipient establishes a connection via a restricted tandem switching arrangement. The switches within the network facilitating this method are each programmed to utilize inter-switch paths having essentially equivalent electrical delays when effecting connections for calls dialed by network subscribers designated as bandwidth-on-demand users, resulting the virtual elimination of inter-channel differential path delays.

Network-based digital bandwidth-on-demand

A subscriber can dynamically provision, i.e., assign desired characteristics to any 'target station', which is an active phone accessible to a telecommunications network. A call thereafter originated from the target station (including a pay phone or a mobile phone) then can use customized features (for example, speed calling, conferencing, account code dialing) and take advantage of special corporate billing arrangements (for example, SDN, WATS and MEGACOM). The identity of the target station with respect to the communications network (e.g., the Automatic Number Identification (ANI) of the station) is not changed. Initially, a service profile is created and stored for each subscriber, containing information describing desired features and billing options. Thereafter, the characteristics of a particular target station are changed by an activation process that can be initiated from any location, whereby the ANI associated with the target station is entered into the ANI trigger table in an intelligent switch on which that station is homed, and the service profile is loaded into a database. When a call is originated in the target station, information in the database is applied to the switch to provide the desired characteristics.

Growing community of inventors

New Providence, NJ, United States of America

Barry S Seip