Patents Assigned to Embarq Holdings Company LLC
  • Patent number: 8077841
    Abstract: A system and method for sending an outbound greeting. User input is received specifying a recipient, a date, and a time for delivery of the outbound greeting. The outbound greeting is received. The outbound greeting is stored for future delivery. A call is initiated to the recipient in response to the date and the time specified by the user input being met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventors: David Emerson, David E. Rondeau, Gary Lafreniere
  • Patent number: 8068450
    Abstract: A system and method for enabling users of wireless devices to increase wireless communication bandwidth may include a server in communication with multiple wireless access points. The server may execute software configured to enable a wireless device to communicate with multiple wireless access points of a network during a communications session. The software, in response to determining that the wireless device attempts to communicate with a wireless access point of the network, determines whether the user of the wireless device has a subscription to communicate with multiple wireless access points to aggregate bandwidth from the wireless access points, and enables the wireless device to access the network and communicate with the wireless access points if the user has the subscription agreement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventor: Steven E. Kozisek
  • Patent number: 8068425
    Abstract: A method of determining the state of a path in a network includes measuring at a node of the network a rate of throughput over an interval for at least a portion of the path and determining at the node of the network a derivation associated with a characteristic of the frames communicated over at least the portion of the path. The method also includes determining a state of congestion of the path in response to the measured rate of throughput and the determined associated derivation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventor: Michael Bugenhagen
  • Patent number: 8064391
    Abstract: A system for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device including a wireless router in communication with the wireless device for transmitting and receiving RF signals between the wireless router and the wireless device, the wireless router configured to determine network performance information of the wireless network; concatenate the network performance information into data packets; a packet network switch in communication with the wireless router for communicating the data packets between the wireless router and the packet network switch; and a network management device in communication with the packet network switch for instructing the packet network switch to route the data packets to the wireless router based on the network performance information to optimize the network performance to the wireless device. A method for monitoring and optimizing network performance to a wireless device is also included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventors: Steven E. Kozisek, Carl M. Coppage, Robert J. Morrill
  • Patent number: 8064881
    Abstract: A system and method for providing wireless services. One or more wireless identifiers are stored in an authentication space of a server associated with a wireless service provider. The authentication space is associated with an enterprise. A remote client is granted access to the authentication space to allow the enterprise to manage services associated with the one or more wireless identifiers. Managed service options associated with the one or more identifiers are selected. The managed service options are selected in response to receiving data from the remote client.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventor: Michael K. Bugenhagen
  • Patent number: 8064926
    Abstract: A method and device for controlling the operability of a transmitter on a mobile communications device by determining if the mobile communications device is located proximate to an operator's seat of a vehicle. A condition parameter of the mobile communications device may be determined. The transmitter on the mobile communications device may be disabled in response to the mobile communications device being located proximate to an operator's seat of a vehicle and further in response to the determined condition parameter. The transmitter on the mobile communications device may be enabled, in response to determining that the mobile communications device is not located in a restricted location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 22, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventors: Jamie Christopher Howarter, Charles Michael Lesher, Jeffrey Sweeney, Robert J. Morrill, Heather Hull
  • Patent number: 8059803
    Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for the automated routing and processing of telecommunication service orders. A system and method in accordance with the present invention may further prioritize the analysis and processing of telecommunication service orders, identify and classify past due telecommunication service orders for analysis and processing, and manage the order of completion of components of a telecommunication service order. A system and process in accordance with the present invention receives a service order and parses it to find messages on the service order that are included on a message table. Analysis rules provide actions to be taken with a service order based on the messages found in the service order.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventors: Harold Lester McDougal, Stan Neidecker, Michael A. Gregory
  • Patent number: 8059559
    Abstract: A system and method for monitoring user traffic. An observance window is established for a time period associated with the CIR burst refresh rate. Incoming bits are measured to determine if the CIR plus CBS rate is exceeded. A determination is made whether there is a threshold crossing during the observance window. A flag state is set indicating a user device is out of conformance in response to determining there is a threshold crossing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventor: Michael Bugenhagen
  • Patent number: 8045692
    Abstract: A system for determining whether to request additional telephone number resources for a telecommunications carrier. The system may include a first database operated by a telecommunications carrier and configured to store data indicative of telephone number usage of telephone numbers assigned to the telecommunications carrier. A computing device may be in communication with a second database via a network, the second database may contain telephone number usage information associated with multiple telecommunications carriers. The computing device may execute software to query the first and second databases to retrieve information associated with the telecommunications carrier (i) to determine current utilization of telephone numbers of a rate center and (ii) to determine months to exhaust of telephone numbers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventor: Justin F. Schultz
  • Patent number: 8046011
    Abstract: A computing system configured to receive an SMS message generated by a wireless device and include an indicia of an address, such as a telephone number, associated with a destination wireline device (e.g., telephone). The computing system may be configured to access a database located on a network and to store parameters defining type and usage of blocks of address identifiers (e.g., NPA-NXX block of telephone numbers). The computing system may further be configured to determine whether type and usage parameters associated with the destination wireline device are within a block of address identifiers defined to share communications between wireless and wireline networks. The computing system may further route the SMS message to the destination wireline device in response to determining that the type and usage parameters enable sharing between wireless and wireline networks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventors: Blaine E. Smith, Rachel S. Downtain, Robert J. Morrill
  • Patent number: 8040811
    Abstract: A system and method for collecting network performance information from a packet network. The method may include requesting network performance information from network communications devices on a packet network, collecting the network performance information from the network communications devices, where the network performance information is indicative of communications of real-time content and non-real-time content, and storing the network performance information in a configuration distinguishing the network performance information indicative of communications of real-time content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: EMBARQ Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen K. Edwards, Robert J. Morrill, Michael K. Bugenhagen
  • Patent number: 8041012
    Abstract: A system for voice-activated dialing including means for initiating a call through a first connection between a user's phone and a switch at a central office; responsive to the first connection, means for initiating a second connection over the implicit trunk between the switch and a voice over internet protocol gateway; responsive to the second connection, means for initiating a third connection between the voice over internet protocol gateway and a voice-activated dialing platform; responsive to a keyword sent from the user's phone to the voice-activated dialing platform, means for disconnecting the implicit trunk and signaling the switch to connect to the voice-activated dialing platform over the explicit trunk; and responsive to a dialed number sent from the user's phone to the voice-activated dialing platform, means for handing the call off from the internet protocol gateway to the switch at the central office to process through call the implicit trunk.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventors: David W. Reece, Roger T. Trueman, John Zeigler
  • Patent number: 8041299
    Abstract: In order to enable several wearable devices to communicate with several communication devices over a range of types of networks simultaneously, the illustrative embodiments provide a communication base system and method of using that communication base system. The communication base system includes several network-side transceivers in which each transceiver is configured to communicate with a communication device, a set of user-side transceivers in which each transceiver is configured to communicate with a headset, and a communication path to provide communications between a network-side adapter and a user-side adapter. A processing unit coupled to the communication path is configured to process instructions, where the instructions enable communication between the headset and the communication device without the headset being associated with the communication device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventors: Erik Geldbach, Kelsyn Donel Rooks, Sr., Shane M. Smith, Mark Wilmoth
  • Patent number: 8023884
    Abstract: A user is provided with the ability to request the re-transmission of a content selection that is determined to not be locally stored, while the same content is currently being broadcasted. A system and method for replaying content is provided, where a receiver (e.g., car radio) initially receives a command from a user to replay a content selection. A determination may be made as to whether the content selection is locally stored. If it is determined that the content selection is not locally stored, a request is re-communicated for the content selection to be communicated from a service provider. The requested content selection may be received and/or played.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventors: Jamie Christopher Howarter, Douglas Bruce Ceballos, Richard G. Bradford
  • Patent number: 8023431
    Abstract: Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) concentrating systems and other equipment from various manufacturers may be tracked and monitored with a single DSL tracking tool. The DSL tracking tool functions as part of a system of computing devices and databases with various user interfaces. The DSL tracking tool can perform analyses and generate reports about DSL devices, DSL sites, DSL concentrating systems, and routers to aid service providers in provisioning and maintaining DSL equipment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventors: Michael H. Fleenor, William Joyner, Juanita Rhodes, Teri Williamson, Ronald Clark, Sangeetha Bagavathy, Amy H. Combs, Todd Mallory
  • Patent number: 8024007
    Abstract: A system and method for projecting information from a phone. User preferences are received for projection. The user preferences indicate information associated with one or more types of communications. A communication is received. A determination is made whether the received communication is one of the one or more types of communications associated with the user preferences. The indicated information associated with the received communication is projected in response to the determination. The indicated information being projected by a projector integrated with the phone onto a display surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventors: Mike A. Roberts, Shekhar Gupta
  • Patent number: 8022885
    Abstract: A system for re-aligning an antenna communicating signals point-to-point. The system may include a first antenna, a second antenna configured to communicate a communications signal with the first antenna using point-to-point communications, and a position controller coupled to the first antenna and configured to re-align the first antenna with respect to the second antenna in response to determining a misalignment of the antenna.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventors: Clinton J. Smoyer, Shane M. Smith
  • Patent number: 8023628
    Abstract: A system and method for auditing telephone number records of a telecommunications company. The process may include querying at least one database managed by a telecommunications carrier to obtain first data records associated with telephone numbers owned by the telecommunications carrier. A database external from the telecommunications company may be queried to obtain second data records associated with telephone numbers owned by the telecommunications carrier. At least one parameter of the first and second data records may be compared and, a subset of data records of the first and second data records that have discrepancies with the at least one parameter may be determined. A report including the subset of data records may be generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventor: Justin F. Schultz
  • Patent number: 8014341
    Abstract: Methods and an intermediary device are disclosed for sending a civic address and other information from the intermediary device to an apparatus associated with a predefined number (such as Public Safety Answering Point). The civic address may include a street number, street name, street type, and postal mailing code, all of which may be associated with a wireless calling access line assigned to the intermediary device. A calling mechanism (e.g., a telephone) operating in an off-hook state initiates a communication with the apparatus. The intermediary device may enter the off-hook state in response to the calling mechanism entering the off-hook state. The intermediary device can continue to operate in the off-hook state so as to send the civic address to the apparatus (e.g., a PSAP) even if the calling mechanism switches to an on-hook state prior to the civic address being sent to the apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventor: Amar Nath Ray
  • Patent number: 8010086
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention include a method for providing a user with a location of a caller associated with a voicemail message. In one embodiment, the method includes identifying the caller associated with the voicemail message. The method determines the location of the caller and associates the location with the voicemail message left by the caller. The method provides the location of the caller associated with the voicemail message to the recipient of the voicemail message.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2011
    Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company, LLC
    Inventor: Shekhar Gupta