At+t Corp.

Lucent Technologies Inc.

Kimberly A Baals

Darren A Kall

Kathleen J Chylinski

Gary C Smith

Susan L Tuttle

Edward W Boakes

Robert Mitchell

A method and system of processing a call from a calling party to a called party are provided to enable selective call waiting which involves determining whether the called party is busy on another call; receiving a password from the calling party; and providing a call waiting signal to the called party only if the password corresponds to at least one predefined password associated with the called party.

Selective call waiting

An interactive display arrangement for easily moving between menu screens in a display device at a telephone terminal is provided. Ease of movement between the menu screens for certain logical functions is facilitated by a multipurpose screen prompt having a single softkey message. This softkey message is commonly displayed in each plurality of sets of softkey messages displayed in associated menu screens, with multiple tasks being assigned to this softkey label message. Each assigned task for the softkey message is determined by each menu screen in which the softkey message is displayed. By being able to use a single screen prompt for multiple functions, simplicity and screen space in a small interactive display is conserved. Also, the user of the display is able to move easily among available menu screens in the interactive display arrangement without the need for detailed knowledge of the menu hierarchy.

Arrangement for displaying menu screens on a telephone terminal

In an interactive display for a telephone terminal, movement between menu screens is controlled by hard buttons located on the telephone terminal. Directional arrow symbols, responsive to the switching action provided by pressing the hard buttons, are selectively employed in the display space of the menu screens for providing a visual indication to a user of available previous and/or next menu screens. These arrow symbols occupy minimal space in the display screens, yet enable the user of the telephone terminal to easily determine the availability of and direction to proceed to access additional available menu selections in the interactive display.

Display for a telephone terminal

A softkey directory for use in a telephone terminal is arranged such that a user of the terminal is prevented from entering the same name identifier at more than one softkey label. The directory is further arranged such that the user of the telephone terminal also is prevented from entering a telephone number without an associated name identifier and from entering a name identifier without an associated telephone number.

Arrangement for entering information into a directory on a telephone

A telephone terminal provides display screens of information messages which are selectively arranged to be time-specific in accordance with the complexity content of the information in each message. The amount of text in an information message, the complexity of words in the message and whether any user action should follow the text presented in the message are factors used in optimizing the duration of the display screens for the messages timed specific to their content. A plurality of user selectable options for the duration of the display screens also are available. These selectable options alter the duration time of all the display screens as a set. Within each selected set the variable time accorded each display screen, in accordance with the time-specfic information messages, provides for optimum viewing of each message by a user of the telephone terminal.

Arrangement for varying the display time for messages displayable on a

A locking arrangement is provided for limiting access to certain selected menu functions on a telephone terminal is provided. Although these functions are generally located in different sections of the menu hierarchy, each may be unlocked and relocked while a user remains in the same section of the menu hierarchy containing the selected function. For accessing the function, the user enter a password while located in the same section of the menu hierarchy as the function to be accessed. Once the password is entered, direct access to the selected menu function is permitted. The locking arrangement provides for the relocking of each of the selected functions automatically by the user simply exiting the accessed selected function.

Arrangement for securing menu screens on a telephone terminal

An arrangement for increasing the available character spaces for softkey label screen prompts in a small interactive display for use in a telephone terminal is provided. In a first configuration of the arrangement, available character spaces in the interactive display are partitioned into equal adjacent character sets with each character set having an allocated number of character spaces for displaying a softkey label. The telephone terminal is configured such that available character spaces in adjacent character sets are borrowed and used by a particular character set having a softkey label for display that exceeds the allocated number of character spaces in the particular character set. In a second configuration of the arrangement, a first character set is combined with an adjacent second character set for displaying the large softkey label. With the more descriptive softkey label screen prompts, a user of the interactive display arrangement is able to move among available menu screen in the interactive display arrangement in an easily understandable manner.

Interactive display for use in a telephone terminal

In a user-interactive display-based telephone terminal, a user of the telephone terminal is provided easy access at the terminal to both local features and network-based features from a telecommunication switch. The user of the terminal reconfigures the terminal to a state wherein network based information is obtained by simply actuating any of the associated network-based keys. Similarly, the user of the telephone terminal reconfigures the terminal to a state wherein local information stored in the terminal is obtained by simply actuating an associated local key. The information selected, local or network-based, is displayed in the same location in an associated display on the terminal. The user of the terminal is therefore not provided with nor is he or she required to have knowledge of the location of a particular feature.

Apparatus and method for accessing both local and network-based features

A telephone terminal configured to provide a personalized user selectable feature which is displayed whenever the telephone terminal display is returned to an idle state from accessing other available features on the telephone terminal. Any of the available features on the telephone terminal may be designated as the personalized user selectable feature. A user may, for example, select a feature in the terminal that he or she uses the most as the personalized user selectable feature. Rapid movement to and execution of this user selectable feature from any of the other features in the telephone terminal is thus facilitated.

Selectable display for a telephone terminal

An interactive display arrangement in a telephone terminal permits direct movement between unrelated child menu screens in a menu hierarchy. The arrangement is configured such that a user may advance directly from a displayed first child menu screen to an unrelated second child menu screen in the menu hierarchy, in order to perform specific tasks at the second child menu screen. Once the tasks at the second menu screen are completed or the user elects not to perform such tasks, the arrangement permits the user to return directly to the first child menu screen. The user of the telephone terminal thus is able to easily complete specific tasks at selected menu screens in the interactive display arrangement without the need for excessive movement in the menu hierarchy.

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Matawan, NJ, United States of America

Kimberly A Baals