Lucent Technologies Inc.

At+t Corp.

David B Menist

Richard H Janow

James Francis Day

Hrair Aldermeshian

One communications device (called the 'impersonating' device) can selectively impersonate another communications device (called the 'impersonated' device) by arranging the impersonating device to take over and/or use the same network identification number (typically stored in an identification number memory and used to control selection of incoming calls to which the device responds) normally associated with the impersonated device. As a result of impersonation, there is a hand-off between the devices, with the impersonated device becoming dormant and the impersonating device becoming active, such that calls normally received by the impersonated device are received by the impersonating device, and such that calls originating in the impersonating device get the identical network treatment as would be accorded to calls originated by the impersonated device, all of this without any need to adjust or update profiles stored in a network database. Impersonation can be triggered automatically, as by the physical proximity of one terminal device to the other, or manually, such as by pushing a button on one of the devices.

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Little Silver, NJ, United States of America

David B Menist