Abstract: A video enable answering machine having many new features including customized video announcement messages, caller ID based video announcement messages, and time based video announcement messages.

Abstract: A call management system includes a local telephone circuit, a first telephone set, a second telephone set, and a telephony device. The first telephone set, the second telephone set, and the telephony device, each coupled to the local telephone circuit. The telephony device includes an off-hook monitor that detects an off-hook state on the local telephone circuit, and a command processor which recognizes a voice command signal transmitted from either the first telephone set or the second telephone set. A method for telephone call management is also disclosed.

Abstract: Presented is a telephone calling party announcement system which stores telephone numbers and associated voice messages provided by a user. When an incoming telephone call occurs, and a telephone number of a calling party matches a stored telephone number, an associated stored voice message is played back. Calling party information is provided by Caller ID information transmitted between a first and a second ring signal. If a stored telephone number matches the telephone number portion of the Caller ID information, a stored voice message associated with the telephone number is played back between (or in place of) subsequent ring signals. The stored voice message is typically the name of the calling party, and in this case the name of the calling party is announced between ring signals. A first embodiment includes a voice message unit which receives, stores, and plays back voice messages provided by the user.

Abstract: A method is provided for preventing the transmission of unsolicited phone calls. The telephone number corresponding to the source of the phone call is first compared with a reject list and with an approved list to determine whether the call should be transmitted to the user. If the telephone number corresponding to the source of the phone call is not on either list, a registration procedure is carried out. Upon being successfully registered, the phone call is transmitted to the user and the source is added to the approved list.

Abstract: The communication device provides the capability to automatically convert between voice and text messages. This communication device enables the calling party to input a message in voice mode, then activate the communication device to automatically convert the message into a text message format for transmission to the called party. The communication device can display the content of the text message prior to transmission or can retrieve the message from its memory and play the message back to the calling party in an audio mode. The communication device automatically initiates the outgoing call and, since the message is transmitted in a text mode to the called party, the destination can be a computer system or output to a printer. This feature therefore enables hands free operation for E-Mail.

Abstract: A technique for preventing voice announcements in a group call is provided. A VM tone begins a voice announcement of a voice mail system. Parties that cause the VM tone to be transmitted are not added to the group call. This approach guarantees that no voice announcements will be added to the group call. With this approach, all subscribers are allowed to use voice mail systems, but the subscribers currently forwarding messages to voice mail will not be connected to group calls.

Abstract: A telephony call center has agent workstations having telephones connected to station-side ports of a telephone switching apparatus adapted to receive and switch conventional telephone calls to the telephones, and also computer platforms connected on a local area network (LAN). A processor also connected on the LAN has a wide area network (WAN) port and is adapted to receive and distribute computer-simulated telephone calls from the WAN to computer platforms at the agent stations. At individual agent stations the telephone and computer platform is connected by a Telephone Application Programming Interface (TAPI)-compliant bridge. Status of calls of both types at agent workstations is communicated to a network-level router by the processor having a WAN connection, which may also receive computer-simulated calls. The router may then make routing decisions based on agent status relative to both kinds of calls.

Abstract: A communications controller is provided for empowering the user of a communications device, such as a telephone or other device, to assume control over incoming communications. Each caller is identified by unique identification information as information associated with an incoming communication. The user selects one of a plurality of different priority levels for a particular caller. The user also selects block time intervals for each priority to indicate times during which calls will not be passed to user's communications device or other appropriate action is to be taken. When that particular caller places a call to the user, the user's communication controller determines the caller's identification information and recalls the priority and corresponding blocking time interval for that particular caller. The call is accordingly passed to the communication device or blocked.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for providing delivery confirmation of message deliveries made in a telephone network. In a network of the present invention, subscriber-specific information is maintained to determine whether a subscriber has a message delivery service available that allows delivery of subscriber-specific messages. Upon delivery of confirmation of the availability of a subscriber message delivery service, a confirmation addressed to a subscriber is routed to the message delivery service on the basis of the subscriber-specific information. This and other aspects of the method of the present invention reduce extra network traffic that cannot be charged, and reduces the complications associated with other telephone network systems that require information to be provided by pushbutton dial to the system.

Abstract: The invention is a telephone answering device that permits the number of rings before the call is answered, and the speaker volume, to be programmed to vary depending on the time of day and day of the week, or to be set at desired levels for specific lengths of time. The device contains a timer 19 and a microcomputer 10, said microcomputer 10 having a programmable ring register 23 and a programmable speaker register 24. A program ring button 25, a program speaker button 26, a time ring button 27, a time speaker button 28, a plus button 29, and a minus button 30 located on a control module 14 enable the user to access programmable ring register 23 and programmable speaker register 24, to set the number of rings before answering and the speaker volume. Incoming telephone calls are handled by a ring detector circuit 13 and microcomputer 10. When the number of cumulative ring signals matches the appropriate programmed setting, the incoming call is sent to an answering apparatus 18.

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 for controlling subscription services delivered to a user by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) coupled to an Automated Intelligent Network (AIN) telephone system with at least one central office switching system. An intelligent peripheral subsystem is connected to the central office switching system, via a call connection channel. The intelligent peripheral subsystem providing at least one auxiliary call processing capability via the call connection channel and provides a telephony speaker authentication method for selectively authorizing updates to user subscription services types provided by the ISP, wherein each of the subscription services types include one or more service options.

Abstract: A Central Office voicemail system permits a customer to monitor incoming calls and decide whether or not he wishes to take the call. When a call is made to a called party (customer) and the called party does not answer the phone the call is transferred to voicemail in the usual way. Additionally, a special ringing tone is applied automatically by the Central Office to the called party line. This has the effect of alerting the called party to the fact that the caller has been transferred to voicemail. The called party can then monitor the message being left simply by lifting his phone and, if he wants to talk to the caller, he simply carries out a hookswitch flash. Alternatively, with a specially adapted terminal, the called party does not even have to lift the phone to monitor the message because the special ringing tone causes his terminal to go automatically into off-hook hands-free mode.

Abstract: A voice messaging system and method includes a voice recorder/playback device to store a plurality of voice messages associated with a respective plurality of incoming calls. A receiver receives call related information associated with each of the respective plurality of incoming calls. A controller is provided to organize the plurality of voice messages for playback by the voice recorder/playback device based on pre-stored groupings of expected call related information irrespective of an order in which voice messages are stored. In one aspect the pre-stored groupings relate to various priority levels for playback sequencing. In another aspect the pre-stored groupings relate to a specific voice mailbox or bin to receive the voice message. In yet another aspect, voice recognition techniques may be utilized to query the voice messaging system, either locally or remotely, for voice messages grouped in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

Abstract: An integrated message center operates on telecommunications equipment, having a display and a processor, to consolidate messages of different types for viewing and manipulation by a user. The telecommunications equipment receives notification messages corresponding to pending messages of different types and determines the message type of the pending messages. The integrated message center associates a message type indicator with each of the received notification messages based on the determined message type and displays on the display a portion of the received notification messages and the associated message type indicators as entries in a single selectable list. The user can select one of the pending messages for retrieval based on the entries in the single selectable list. In response to user selection, the integrated message center retrieves the selected pending message for viewing and manipulation by the user.

Abstract: In an environment of competitive local and interexchange carriers, offering number portability between local carriers serving a common region and between switches serving that region, each local carrier accesses a regional database to determine the identity of the carrier and switch serving a local customer. In addition, interexchange carriers access a national database to determine the identity of the carrier and switch serving the customer specified by the number dialed by an originating customer. For customers requiring high reliability service, alternate carriers can be used to serve such customers in case the primary carrier is unavailable; the databases identify these alternate carriers. Advantageously, this arrangement allows a high degree of freedom of movement of customers between carriers and geographic relocation without requiring a number change.

Abstract: A method system, interface and server for establishing a communications call by selecting a B party (6) using an interactive device (16) connected to a public network (10,12), sending called address data for the B party (6) and calling address data for an A party (4) to a communications platform (18) of the public network (10,12), and establishing a call between the A and B parties (4,6) over the public network (10,12) using the communications platform (18) and the called and calling address data. The called address data can be accessed from the public network, and may reside on a server of a messaging network, such as the Internet.

Abstract: A telephone system including improved automated routing of telephone calls based upon caller ID data. If caller ID data is received, it is used as a search key to search a routing table listing extensions normally called by one or more persons identified by their caller IDs. If a match is found, the call is automatically transferred to the extension or voice mail box listed in the routing table. In some embodiments, the caller is given options to block the automatic routing or block recording of a voice mail message in favor of transfer to a caller specified extension or to an attendant. Also disclosed is improved voice mail wherein a digital signal processor scans data to be recorded in a voice mail message to find DTMF tones or DTMF mimics in the voice data and removes them from the recording so that no false DTMF commands will be recognized during playback by any DTMF detector which is active during the playback.

Abstract: An artificial intelligence system includes a telephone interface coupled to a telephone network which is capable of connecting with a caller, a debit card processing unit coupled to the telephone interface for verifying that the caller has one of a plurality of predetermined telephone debit cards which are capable of accessing only the one or more telephone numbers assigned to the telephone interface, and an artificial intelligence (A/I) engine including a natural language processor, the A/I engine being adaptable upon instruction by the caller to engage in colloquy with the caller in a voice of one of a plurality of known personalities.

Abstract: An Internet Call Waiting Device (ICW) detects a Call Waiting signal even when a modem is currently using the phone line. Upon sensing the Call Waiting signal, the internet Call Waiting device alerts the user using one or more flashing lights and/or generating audible signals that the user can hear. If the user has a Call Waiting-Caller ID service the caller's name and number are also displayed if it is available from the phone company. After being notified, the user can choose to ignore the call or take the call by picking up a telephone. If the user picks up the telephone, the ICW signals the central office to put the first modem connection on hold. A connection is then made with the second call. When the second call is completed and the user hangs up the telephone for the second call, the ICW signals the central office to reconnect the first modem call. The ICW includes a signal detector for detecting a Call Waiting or Call Waiting-Caller ID signal on the phone line.