Abstract: A subscriber associates a ring-tone media selection based on a media genre, author, or title to a calling number. When an incoming call is detected, a particular ring-tone media selection, based on the subscriber's association, may be streamed from a central server to the subscriber's customer premises equipment and then played. Alternatively, when an incoming call is detected, a particular ring-tone selection indicator, based on the subscriber's association, may be sent from a central server to the subscriber's customer premises equipment which then plays a pre-stored ring-tone selection media associated with the indicator.

Abstract: A designated service provider of a customer having slamming protection on their account may not be changed without authorization from the customer to remove the slamming protection. When a customer's telephone company receives a request to change the customer's long distance provider and subsequently determines that the customer has slamming protection on their account, the telephone company notifies the requester that the requested change may not be provisioned due to the slamming protection. The customer's authorization to remove the slamming protection is provided by the requester in the form of an audio file that is reviewed by the telephone company. If the telephone company or an agent of the telephone company listens to the audio file and approves the request, then the customer's slamming protection is removed.

Abstract: A telecommunications system provides a telecommunications service to a calling party. The telecommunications system includes a first intelligent peripheral that receives a call from the calling party. The first intelligent peripheral interacts with the calling party and determines whether to contact a second intelligent peripheral based on the interaction with the calling party. The first intelligent peripheral establishes a call connection with the second intelligent peripheral so that the second intelligent peripheral can interact with at least one of the calling party and the first intelligent peripheral to provide the telecommunications service.

Abstract: An automobile's maintenance port is wirelessly connected (for example, via an IEEE 802.11-based connection) to a plurality of gateways/routers that forward automobile diagnostic data (such as a series of diagnostic codes) to a server. Each gateway interfaces with two networks—a first wireless network for wireless communications with an automobile and a second network to communicate with the server. The server implements computer readable program code that aids in receiving forwarded automobile diagnostic data and analyzing the data to identify malfunctions. The server sends the analyzed data or a report based on the analyzed data to a subscriber-defined location (e.g., a PC with access to the Internet). Alternatively, the server can render an indication in the automobile to inform a user that the generated report is ready for electronic retrieval.

Abstract: A method for analyzing and adjusting the performance of a speech-enabled application includes selecting a number of user utterances that were previously received by the speech-enabled application. The speech-enabled application receives such user utterances and associates each user utterance with an action-object based on one or more salient terms in the user utterance that are associated with the action-object. The method further includes associating one of a number of action-objects with each of the selected user utterances. Furthermore, for each action-object, the percentage of the utterances associated with the action-object that include at least one of the salient terms associated with the action-object is determined. If the percentage does not exceed a selected threshold, the method also includes adjusting the one or more salient terms associated with the action-object.