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:
Sep. 29, 1998
Filed:
Nov. 12, 1996
David Iglehart, Austin, TX (US);
Leland Lester, Austin, TX (US);
Roger Bjork, Round Rock, TX (US);
Vedat Bilgutay, Austin, TX (US);
Andrzej Koscinski, Mountain View, CA (US);
Lee Rosenbaum, Boca Raton, FL (US);
Siemens Business Communication Systems, Inc., Santa Clara, CA (US);
Abstract
A server allows a worldwide telephone number associated with a local telephone to be shared by one or more remote telephones. A call placed to the worldwide telephone number rings at the local telephone and at least one of the remote telephones. The server stores a set of telephone numbers to be associated with a worldwide telephone number serviced by the switch to which the local telephone is connected. The server receives notification of a telephone call from a calling telephone to the worldwide telephone number The server retrieves the set of telephone numbers associated with that worldwide telephone number, and places calls to telephone numbers in the set through the switch. The server then causes a connection to be made between the local telephone or the remote telephone, depending on which telephone goes off hook first, to the calling telephone. In one embodiment of the present invention, the server causes the connection to be made by causing the switch to make a conference call connection between the calling telephone and the remote telephone.