Abstract: Systems and method for processing orders for telecommunications services are disclosed. Generally a telecommunications transaction set of an electronic data interchange standard is received, the telecommunications transaction set corresponding to a telecommunications product or service for a customer. An order for the telecommunications product or service is then generated based on processing of the telecommunications transaction set.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for providing incoming and outgoing call information in a mobile communication terminal. A display unit displays detailed incoming/outgoing call information integrated for a particular phone number. A memory stores an incoming/outgoing call list according to an incoming/outgoing event. A controller controls an operation for adding the detailed incoming/outgoing call information to an associated phone number item of the incoming/outgoing call list when the incoming/outgoing call event occurs, and controls an operation for displaying the detailed incoming/outgoing call information integrated for the particular phone number selected from among phone numbers of the incoming/outgoing call list. The detailed incoming/outgoing call information mapped to the same phone number can be viewed at one time by integrating and providing the incoming/outgoing call information.

Abstract: In one embodiment, method can include: receiving an address in a call agent, the address being associated with a call; triggering a trunk group selection algorithm in response to at least a portion of the received address, the trunk group selection algorithm providing a selection result from among a trunk group placeholder and a plurality of trunk groups; and forwarding the call to a trunk group determined by a caller-associated attribute when the selection result comprises the trunk group placeholder.

Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for alerting a participant when a topic of interest is being discussed and/or a speaker of interest is speaking during a conference call. A participant to a conference call identifies the topics and/or speakers of interest which is stored for future use along with the participant's contact information. When a participant's identified topic of interest is being discussed and/or a participant's identified speaker of interest is speaking during a conference call, the participant will be alerted to that fact, such as via the means specified in the participant's contact information.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for routing callers to agents in a contact center, along with an intelligent routing system. An exemplary method includes mapping a first portion of callers to agents according to a performance and/or pattern matching algorithm based on comparing caller data associated with the callers and agent data associated with the agents and mapping a second portion of the callers (e.g., the remaining portion callers) to agents differently than the first portion of the callers (e.g., mapping based on queue order), which may provide a control group for monitoring or analyzing the effect and/or training of the pattern matching algorithm. The first and second portion may be varied separately for each agent within the contact center.

Abstract: A telephone is provided with a port for disconnectably connecting an external information source, such as an MP3 player, to the telephone, and an on-hold function that operates while a call of the telephone is on hold and either presents to the telephone's user the information from the external source if the external source is connected, or presents to the user on-hold information from a telephone network if the external source is not connected, or presents silence at the user's option, irrespective of whether or not the external source is connected.

Abstract: Transparent caller name authentication is provided to authorized third parties by creating an Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificate chain. An owner of a registered caller name can authorize third parties to use the caller name by issuing a PKI sub-certificate to each authorized third party. An authenticated caller name displays the owner's name to the called party. Outsourcing and mobile employment is thereby facilitated, and called party confusion is reduced.

Abstract: A method for controlling establishment of a communication channel between a service provider terminal of a contact center and a service request terminal is disclosed. The method comprises responding to receipt of a request to establish the communication channel by: a) determining whether a license for a media type associated with the communication channel is allocated to the service provider terminal; b) if a license is determined to be allocated to the service provider terminal, allowing establishment of the communication channel; c) if a license is determined not to be allocated to the service provider terminal, determining availability of a license from a pool of licenses; d) if a license is determined not to be available, refusing establishment of the communication channel; and e) if a license is determined to be available, allocating the license to the service provider terminal and allowing establishment of the communication channel.

Abstract: A method is disclosed that provides the sharing of a station-mapping description with a first private-branch exchange, where the description has been initialized and maintained at a second private-branch exchange. Such a description describes a logical association between a station extension of an enterprise deskset and a telephone number of an off-premises terminal, such as a cell phone. As a result of the sharing across private-branch exchanges, an incoming call from a second employee's cell phone can be recognized, by a first employee being called, as coming from the calling second employee. This is because the incoming call is identified with the telephone extension of the calling employee's deskset terminal in spite of the call being placed from the cell phone, or other telephone number at large. This is particularly important where a large company engineers its enterprise's telecommunications system across multiple private-branch exchanges.

Abstract: Systems and methods for providing multi-homed tandem access in a communication system are disclosed. The disclosure may include a private packet network backbone exchange (PPNBE) in connection with a set of access tandems and with a call destination such as an end-user or a communications service. A set of LRNs may be homed across the set of access tandems, with each of the set of LRNs mapped to one or more TNs corresponding to the call destination. An originating party may use any of the TNs to reach the call destination. A plurality of originating calls each including one of the TNs may be received at the PPNBE from any of the access tandems and routed to the call destination. Thus, the present disclosure provides greater call capacity than available access tandem architectures as well as optimizes a maximum number of call paths to a particular call destination.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system and method for integrating telecommunications and cable networks for the purpose of providing telephone services to a cable host device over a cable network. The methods include registering a cable host device to receive telephone services, downloading telephone service software to a cable host device, cable host device sign on to the telephone services, associating a telephone with a cable host device, temporarily registering a cable host device, and activating and deactivating telephone services for a cable host device. Also described are systems for connecting telephone and cable networks to enable telephone services to be provided by cable host devices.

Abstract: An apparatus and methods are disclosed for use by organizations that have PBXs at a plurality of sites. The invention pertains to cell phone calls from an to his or her “home” private branch exchange. For example, an employee who works at the Chicago branch office might call the Chicago office's PBX to invoke a feature such as setting up call forwarding, retrieving voice mail, etc. In the illustrative embodiment, such calls might be automatically and transparently directed to another PBX when it is advantageous to do so (e.g., for the purposes of security, reducing toll charges, because of unavailability of a particular PBX, etc.) Factors that might be used to determine whether to re-direct a call and to which PBX to re-direct a call include the day and time of the call, the network that the cell phone is currently connected to, etc.

Abstract: A method and system for providing directory assistance to erroneous calls. The method and system includes an intercept system that intercepts erroneous calls and automatically routes them to a directory assistance service. The directory assistance service provides a least one advertisement and a variety of other internal and external information services to the callers using a business subscriber information service, a white page database service; a yellow pages database service; a business intelligence database service; and/or an Internet search service.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer program products for number portability with local directory number support are disclosed. According to one aspect, the subject matter herein includes a system for providing number translation with local directory number support. The system includes a communications node for receiving, from a message source, a first message that includes information identifying a subscriber. The system also includes a number translation module, operatively associated with the communications node, for determining a network address and a local directory number associated with the identified a subscriber, and for at least one of: including the network address and local directory number in the first message and forwarding the first message to a destination of the first message; and including the network address and local directory number in a second message and sending the second message to the source of the first message.

Abstract: A method and system for providing directory assistance to erroneous calls. The method and system includes an intercept system that intercepts erroneous calls and automatically routes them to a directory assistance service. The directory assistance service provides a least one advertisement and a variety of other services to the callers using a rule-based expert system service.

Abstract: A method and system for secure call Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signaling includes entering (202) dial string of a telephone number of a destination device, assigning (210, 212) the dial string to a predefined string having a total length that is greater than the dial string such that there will be at least one leading hexadecimal bit in the predefined string length that is not used when the entered dial string is converted to a hexadecimal, converting (214) the dial string to hexadecimal, reversing the order of the hexadecimal, and placing the reversed hexadecimal at the beginning of the predefined string, appending (216) “one” bits to the predefined string length indicating how many nibbles of the predefined string length are unused, if any, and appending the remaining intervening unused bits in the predefined string length to “zero” bits, and sending (226) the encoded string length.

Abstract: An embodiment of the invention includes a method for detecting fraudulent use in a conference calling system. A threshold period is received, wherein the threshold period indicates the maximum allowable time period for a participant of a conference call to enter the conference call prior to the entry of the moderator of the conference call. A monitor detects the entry of the moderator into the conference call and entry of the participants into the conference call. A waiting period is determined for one or more of the participants, wherein the waiting period represents the time period between the entry of the moderator and the entry of the participant. A processor compares the waiting period to the threshold period. If the threshold period exceeds the waiting period, the conference call is allowed to continue. In at least one embodiment, actions are performed with the processor if the waiting period exceeds the threshold period.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for providing Programmable Caller ID Screening services. One method monitors a telephone call for a call screening request for commercial, residential, and other identifiers of incoming calls. An action is taken in response to the call screening request. The action could be playing an announcement, terminating the connection, forwarding to voice mail, storing the ICLID information in a database, adding the ICLID information to a Do Not Call list, updating a subscriber's profile with the ICLID information, and/or storing the ICLID information in a subscriber's blocked communications list. The call screening request may comprise a Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency, a softkey entry, and/or a data message. Subsequent incoming calls from the calling telephone number are characterized as undesirable and are screened from alerting or otherwise establishing a communications connection to the called telephone number.

Abstract: There is provided a group communication system allowing group communication to be performed by a simple operation as well as a group ID number issuing apparatus and a call control apparatus to be applied to such a group communication system. When a user takes a group organization procedure to the group communication system, a group representative telephone number representing the group is issued. After the group representative telephone number is issued, the group representative telephone number can be used in the same manner as for calling a subscriber to call a group member to perform group communication. The group communication can be performed by limiting to a lower level subgroup, a pair of the group representative telephone number and an identifier can be used instead of the subscriber's telephone number to determine the calling partner to make a call.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing transaction data in a packet network is described. In one embodiment, at least one routed call is received. Transaction data is subsequently obtained from the at least one routed call. In turn, the transaction data is provided to an entity (e.g., a business or store) associated locally to the at least one routed call.