Abstract: A telephone network arranged to give a telephone call placed to a called party's personal telephone number a particular call treatment that is selected as a function of the particular one of a plurality of predefined areas in which the called party is determined to be located, each of the plurality of predefined areas having at least two telephone stations with different telephone numbers located therein. The location of the called party is determined from the location of a two-way pager associated with the called party as detected by a paging antenna, e.g., tower, of a conventional two- way paging system that was not necessarily installed for use in completing telephone calls. For each personal telephone number, a table is stored associating a call treatment with one or more of the areas. The particular call treatment associated with an area is applied to calls to the personal telephone number when he is within that area.

Abstract: A communications system is designed to prevent premature termination of the sequencing process for sequencing calls by a) disabling voice mail features for all calls in the sequence, except for the last call in such sequence and b) insuring that the sequencing subscriber is available to personally answer the sequencing call at each telephone number in the sequence to which such sequencing call is completed.

Abstract: A communications system is designed to allow an end-user device that is coupled to a telephone set to receive activation codes that are transmitted thereto by a switch of such communications system when the telephone set is in an on-hook position. The communications system may initiate the transmission of the activation codes to the end-user device. Alternatively, the end-user device may poll the communications system to receive the activation codes therefrom. The end-user device may invoke a communications service in real time by transmitting to the communications system activation codes stored in its memory via an SVD channel modem while another SVD channel is being used for another communication service.

Abstract: A system and method of using two-way paging to establish communications with a mobile party having a Personal Telephone Number. The mobile party uses the two-way pager to transmit call control parameters which are used by the telephone network to route calls directed to the party's PTN. The mobile party may also use the pager to transmit subsequent routing parameters which are used by the network to reroute calls which have been previously routed. The subsequent routing of a call may be performed at any time following a previous routing, even after the call has received answer supervision.

Abstract: A method and system for reducing background noise during a telephone call. When a caller begins dialing a telephone number, the system receives an ambient noise level measured near the caller's telephone. The system then computes an inverse noise waveform, which corresponds to the received ambient noise level. The inverse noise waveform is then transmitted along the same telephone line used by the completed call. The inverse noise waveform reduces the ambient background noise from the caller's location for the duration of the telephone call.

Abstract: The present invention provides a centralized messaging service method and apparatus in which a message is sent to each of a subscriber's messaging services. When a sending party wishes to leave a message for a receiving party, the sending party activates his/her user device and enters the access number for the centralized message service. The centralized message service receives the communication signals from the sending party which include a receiving party identifier and the message to be sent. The centralized message service then retrieves profile information from a database corresponding to the messaging services of the receiving party based on the receiving party identifier entered by the sending party. The centralized message service then forwards the message to a portion of the receiving party's messaging services based on the profile information retrieved from the database.

Abstract: Apparatus for linking multiple baseband telephone lines to provide broadband communication. The apparatus includes a broadband port, a plurality of baseband ports, and a controller. The broadband port provides connection to a broadband device or broadband communication line. The baseband ports provide connection to baseband communication lines. The controller integrates baseband data streams accepted at the baseband ports into a broadband data stream for transmission at the broadband port, and/or demultiplexes a broadband data stream received at the broadband port into baseband streams for transmission at the baseband ports. The baseband data include message data corresponding to the message data of the broadband stream, and control data describing an interrelationship among the message data, for controlling integrating of the baseband message data. The invention allows an individual to use multiple plain old telephone service (POTS) lines in combination to emulate the capability of a broadband line.

Abstract: An intelligent call forwarding system for routing incoming calls to at least one of a plurality of alternate communication devices when a called party cellular communication device installed in a vehicle is unavailable to directly receive the call. The system includes a plurality of cell sites disposed at predetermined geographical locations for providing cellular communication service to the called party cellular communication device. An active cell site that provides cellular communication service to the called party cellular communication device is stored in a memory device. Each cell site is related to at least one alternate communication device that is nearest in geographical location thereto.

Abstract: An easy to use (easy-reach) dialing system that connects a calling party with a called party based on data received over a first communication channel and a second communication channel. A calling party calls an easy-reach device and sends data to the easy-reach device over a second communication channel. The easy-reach device calls the called party based on data received over the second communication channel and connects the calling party with the called party.

Abstract: A called party is alerted to the presence of a voice call on the Internet (110) by a page that is automatically transmitted to the called party's pager (120) upon initiation of the call by a calling party from his terminal (101) running Internet voice communications software and equipped with a microphone (102) and speaker (103). The page is transmitted in response to a message sent by a service provider (115) on the Internet, which receives from the calling party's terminal on the Internet, information for identifying the called party's pager. The called party, upon receiving the page, connects to the called party on the Internet through his home terminal (105) that is running that same voice communications software and is also equipped with a microphone (106) and speaker (107), or through any such similarly equipped portable or fixed terminal (125) at any location from which the Internet can be accessed.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for establishing a local area network (LAN) using a channel stripper, a LAN controller and a cable television cable that couples peripheral devices to the LAN controller. The channel stripper removes signals from one or more selected channels from a cable television signal path. The channels form a signal path between the LAN controller and peripheral devices connected to the LAN. The remaining channels provide a digital cable television signal. Both the LAN channels and the digital cable television channels are combined onto a common coaxial cable. The cable stripper may be a multiplexer/demultiplexer or a notch filter. Alternately, the channel stripper can assign frequency channels outside the frequency bandwidth of to the LAN and maintain the cable television signals as received. The LAN controller can create additional communications channels by using Time Division Multiple Access protocols to assign time slots to each of the peripheral devices that are coupled to the LAN.

Abstract: In order to minimize the number of transmitters from which a page is transmitted in a Personal Reach System in which a subscriber is paged to alert him or her of a waiting telephone call, the subscriber's last known location, the time at her or she was located there, and the elapsed time since being located there, are used to determine an outer perimeter of the geographic area in which the subscriber is likely to be presently located. A page is then transmitted to the subscriber from those transmitters which cover that geographic area. If the elapsed time is more than a predetermined threshold, during which period the subscriber could have traveled anywhere, a nationwide page, rather than a localized page, is transmitted.

Abstract: The invention provides methods and apparatuses for the automatic selection of a telecommunications service provider, for example, an inter-exchange or intra-exchange service provider, from a number of available telecommunications service providers, for a call from a calling station to a called station so that the toll charge for the call is minimized. Specifically, the selection of the least-cost telecommunications service provider is based on an analysis of (a) the estimated duration of the call which is determined in a variety of ways, including using historical call data of the calling station, and (b) telecommunications service provider toll rates and, in particular, current telecommunications service provider discount calling plans. Based on the result of the analysis, the calling station is connected to the selected least-cost telecommunications service provider network so that the toll charge for the particular call is minimized.

Abstract: A web messaging system allows a subscriber to receive messages from a wide variety of multimedia sources. If a caller attempts to contact a subscriber but the subscriber is unavailable, the system will record the message in digital format, generate a web page and password, and send a web page identification and password to the subscriber via a paging medium. The subscriber can then access the web page, enter the password, and retrieve the message.

Abstract: A radar detector is equipped with a positional tracking system, such as a global positioning satellite (GPS) system which can track the location of the vehicle in which the detector is located, and a processor enabling the detector to “learn” about the location of sources of false alarms. The learned information is stored in a “false alarm” database. When an alarm is detected, a comparison in made between the present location in the vehicle and stored information indicative of known locations at which false alarms have previously occurred. If the comparison is positive, the alarm is disabled, or the user is otherwise alerted to the fact that the alarm is likely to be false. If desired, a signal strength profile, frequency band of the energy causing the alarm, and/or time of day information can also be used to distinguish false from real alarms.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a demultiplexer/multiplexer and a local area network (LAN) controller that use an installed cable television cable to establish and control a home LAN. One or more channels of the cable are separated and blocked from the cable television signal path. The blocked channels form a signal path between the LAN controller and peripheral devices connected to the home LAN. The LAN controller is programmable to include a set of heuristics and corresponding instructions for monitoring and operating the peripheral devices. The LAN controller monitors the peripheral devices and provides status messages based on states of the peripheral devices. The LAN controller also receives and executes commands to operate the peripheral devices.

Abstract: An apparatus and method provide a database in a pager that contains menus that may be displayed on a pager display. A paging service sends a page including an identification to the pager. The pager receives the identification, retrieves a menu from the pager database and displays the menu. The pager responds to the page based on a selection selected from the displayed menu.

Abstract: The invention is an apparatus and method for updating a communications network from one or more user communications devices. The invention uses the electronic scheduling or other time-based features within a communications device to control and/or initiate transmission of information between the communications device and the communications network. Information from one or more communications devices is updated to the communications network in response to time-based components in the information entries corresponding to a timing device associated with the respective communications device. Also, once the network has received this updated information, comparisons of related information entries are initiated to detect discrepancies therebetween. In this manner, user submitted time and geographic location information is compared with similar information automatically retrieved by the communications network using conventional and future network communications technology.

Abstract: A call routing system routes an incoming telephone call to a desired party based upon at least one of a plurality of conditions of at least one general purpose electronic device associated with the desired party. The call routing system includes a receiver, a processor, a selector and a routing device. The receiver receives the telephone call of the desired party. The processor determines the state of the desired party at the location of the received telephone call based on at least one general purpose electronic device. The selector selects one of a plurality of communication devices based upon the determined condition of the at least one electronic device. The routing device routes the telephone call to the selected one of the plurality of communication devices. A method for routing telephone calls is also described.

Abstract: A system and method of using two-way paging to establish communications with a mobile party having a Personal Telephone Number (PTN). The mobile party uses the two-way pager to transmit call control parameters which are used by the telephone network to route calls directed to the party's PTN. The mobile party may also use the pager to transmit a location indicator which specifies the subscriber's location and informs the network of the subscriber's intention to receive calls according to a call examination procedure. To invoke the call examination procedure, the bandwidths and protocols of all possible terminating stations associated with the subscriber's location are stored in the network on a pre-provisioned basis.