At+t Corp.

At&t Intellectual Property I, LP

Shoretel, Inc.

Fen-Chung Kung

Spencer Wang

Jesse Eugene Russell

Anish Sankalia

Hopeton S Walker

Laura Huang

Spencer C Wang

Vinay M Singh

Cherry Tom

A method and system for providing call forwarding in an IP telephone network is disclosed. First, when a telephone number for a first telephone from a second telephone is dialed, the call is routing to a call manager. Call setup procedures with a BRG responsible for the first telephone are then initiated. The BRG then checks stored call forwarding profiles to determine whether there is an active call forwarding profile for the first telephone. The call is connected to the first telephone if an active call forwarding profile is not found. However, if an active call forwarding profile is found, the call forwarding information is sent to the call manager. The call is routed to at least a third telephone based on the call forwarding information.

System with call forward profile

A method and apparatus provide multiple telephone lines using a single directory number. A method and apparatus associate multiple directory numbers with multiple telephone lines. A broadband residential gateway (BRG) is a user interface to a broadband communication system providing packetized telephone service and other media services. The BRG can provide greeting and message features. A greeting may instruct a caller to select a name or extension which is associated with a party the caller is attempting to reach. Also, a message, played after the greeting, may further instruct the caller.

Responding to a call with a prompt and routing the call to a phone selected in response to the prompt

In an internet telephony system, toll-free service and the calls that are accepted and paid for can be specified by the IP telephony system user to be limited according to the calling party's identity, time of day, day of week or other criteria. Data that is used to screen or filter incoming calls is programmed into a call manager by the IP telephone system user's broadband residential gateway. Using such a system the user can carefully screen calls that are paid for and more closely control telecommunications service costs. More generally, the user has the ability to store predefined call handling criteria, which may be executed by the broadband residential gateway and/or the call manager.

Personal IP toll-free number

A method and apparatus for providing multiple telephone lines using a single directory number. A method and apparatus for associating multiple directory numbers with multiple telephone lines. A broadband residential gateway (BRG) is a user interface to a broadband communication system providing packetized telephone service and other media services. The BRG has multiple ports, and each port is connected to one or more telephones. The multiple ports may be mapped to a single directory number, or the multiple ports may be mapped to multiple directory numbers. The BRG can provide greeting and message features. A greeting may instruct a caller to select a port which is associated with a party the caller is attempting to reach. Also, a message, played after the greeting, may further instruct the caller.

Responding to IP call with a prompt to select an extension and routing packets to IP phone at selected extension

Surveillance of IP telephony may be performed through the use of conventional telephone equipment, according to principles of the invention while preventing giving indication to the monitored phone by alerting the user of the monitoring phone to such surveillance use prior to pick up by an agent for engagement of the monitoring phone in response to the alert. Such alerts may assume many forms such as ringing, visual indicators, data readouts, activating ancillary equipment, various flags, etc. This alert prior to surveillance is distinct from alerts used for normal non-surveillance calls, which the monitoring phone is capable of receiving.

IP voice call surveillance through use of non-dedicated IP phone with signal alert provided to indicate content of incoming call prior to an answer as being a monitored call

A method of billing a variable bit rate communication between a first terminal and a distant terminal to a broadband subscriber permits changing billing parameters during a call in real time in response to user inputs including user requested changes in quality of service, changes in data rate and changes in preferred service provider. A variable bit rate communication to be billed has a variable quality of service related to the degree of utilization of a plurality of different networks. The billing method comprises the steps of i.) receiving user identification data at a first terminal and data representing a required bit rate and a default quality of service selected by the user, ii.) verifying the user identification data to be associated with the broadband service subscriber, iii.) determining least cost alternative network resources available for achieving the communication at the user selected default quality of service and the required bit rate, iv.) determining cost data associated with the network resources, v.) outputting to the user a least cost for the communication according to their selected default quality of service and alternative least cost network resources, vi.) coupling the first terminal and the distant terminal via the least cost determined network resources at the default quality of service and the required bit rate responsive to user authorization and vii.) billing for the communication at the default quality of service and according to the required bit rate after the termination of the communication.

Method for billing IP broadband subscribers

Communication information transmitted in the broadband communication system may be in a packet format and secured using encryption techniques, for example encryption software, including a means for providing an initial security key and updated security keys to the various pieces of communication equipment located throughout the broadband communication system. When communication equipment, for example a gateway, is first registered with, for example, an IP central station, the IP central station assigns an initial encryption key to the gateway that is assigned and retained by a server, for example a call manager server, and the gateway (e.g., broadband residential gateway). This initial encryption key may be used to establish a secure two way communication between two pieces of communication equipment as an originating point communication equipment and a terminating point communication equipment.

Protected IP telephony calls using encryption

Personal control of address assignment and greeting options for multiple BRG ports

A broadband communication system including an Internet Protocol Telephony Network and public switched telephone network, including apparatus and methods for placing a call on hold in a way that significantly reduces the amount of network bandwidth utilized by the call while the call is on hold. When a call is placed on hold, embodiments of the architecture of the telephony network of the present invention allows the network to essentially 'forget' about the call placed on hold. In other words, a call that is on hold may require very little, or even zero, bandwidth within the telephony network. Accordingly, the total necessary bandwidth capacity of the telephony network may be smaller than it would be if calls on hold were to consume precious network bandwidth as is found in existing telephony systems.

Growing community of inventors

Bridgewater, NJ, United States of America

Fen-Chung Kung