Method and apparatus enabling a calling telephone handset to choose a ringing indication(s) to be played and/or shown at a receiving telephone handset

Abstract

A telephone system includes a plurality of telephone terminals wherein a call that is placed from a calling telephone terminal to a receiving telephone terminal is announced by activating a standard ringing indication at the receiving telephone terminal. A data file is provided having a plurality of different ringing indications therein. These ringing indications include a plurality of sound information that are both different from each other and different from a standard ringing tone, and a plurality of different visual information. When a call is placed from a calling telephone terminal to a receiving telephone terminal, the user at the calling telephone terminal may optionally elect to announce the call at the receiving-telephone-terminal using ringing indication that is selected from the data-file, for example sound information that indicates the identity of the calling-users, and/or visual information that indicates the priority of the call.