The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 10, 1994
Filed:
May. 10, 1991
Gary J Grimes, Thornton, CO (US);
Lawrence J Haas, Broomfield, CO (US);
AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ (US);
Abstract
A communications switching system such as a PBX, central office switch and the like, responds to an incoming call to a called party by signaling a paging device as well as some other communications device having communications capability different from that of the paging device. In the disclosed embodiment, which pertains to a private branch exchange (PBX), this other communications device is one which provides two-way voice communications. Advantageously, the paging device may also be provided with the capability of signalling the communications system that the called party will shortly answer the call via a communications device possessing two-way voice communications. Upon receipt of this pager-transmitted signal, the communications system, if desired, can be provided with the ability to provide an announcement to the calling party of the called party's intent to answer the call. Once the called party reaches any voice communications device connected to the system, the incoming call is redirected to that device upon the called party providing a predetermined identification to the communications system.