Patents by Inventor Christopher Foard

Christopher Foard has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6882862
    Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method for using a standard private branch exchange (PBX), such as e.g., the Lucent Technologies, Inc. DEFINITY® PBX, for interfacing with a wireless (e.g., cellular, etc.) communication network and the public switched telephone network (PSTN). The system employs an adjunct controller and uses computer telephony integration (CTI) associated with a standard PBX to communicate directly with an audio switch and the PSTN. Through the use of CTI, the standard PBX also provides feedback to the caller. For example, when an inbound call arrives (i.e., from the PSTN to a radio transceiver), the adjunct controller determines whether the wireless system has available resources (i.e., an available link) to grant calls and instructs the PBX to provide an audio connection between dynamically assigned wireless links (e.g., RF channels). If no link is available, a busy signal is referred back to the PSTN, and eventually back to the originating switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2005
    Assignee: Avaya Technology Corp.
    Inventors: Shiann-An Chia, Ya-Tien Ko, Christopher Foard, William E. Corley