Patents by Inventor Dirk S. Henson

Dirk S. Henson 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: 8619961
    Abstract: A self-provisioning telephony service includes assigning a toll-free telephone number to a customer account for a customer of a telecommunications provider, distributing the toll-free telephone number and an access number to the customer along with an invitation to provision a toll-free telephone number service, and receiving, at a local exchange carrier switch, a call from the customer. The access number is identified by the local exchange carrier switch for the call in response to performing a call number translation. The telephony service also includes accessing, by a server, the toll-free telephone number identified for the customer account and generating a provisioning order that includes a customer telephone number from the customer account and the toll-free telephone number. The telephony service further includes transmitting the provisioning order to a service control server, the service control server activating the toll-free telephone number for the customer account.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Gerald A. Starling, Dirk S. Henson, Ken A. Loveless, Jeffrey Broadus
  • Publication number: 20120288078
    Abstract: A self-provisioning telephony service includes assigning a toll-free telephone number to a customer account for a customer of a telecommunications provider, distributing the toll-free telephone number and an access number to the customer along with an invitation to provision a toll-free telephone number service, and receiving, at a local exchange carrier switch, a call from the customer. The access number is identified by the local exchange carrier switch for the call in response to performing a call number translation. The telephony service also includes accessing, by a server, the toll-free telephone number identified for the customer account and generating a provisioning order that includes a customer telephone number from the customer account and the toll-free telephone number. The telephony service further includes transmitting the provisioning order to a service control server, the service control server activating the toll-free telephone number for the customer account.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 23, 2012
    Publication date: November 15, 2012
    Applicant: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventors: Gerald A. Starling, Dirk S. Henson, Ken A. Loveless, Jeffrey Broadus
  • Patent number: 8229095
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and storage mediums for implementing self-provisioning telephony services are provided. A method includes storing an access number at a service control server that services a local exchange carrier switch. The method also includes assigning a toll-free number to a customer account and distributing the toll-free number and access number to the corresponding customer. The method further includes receiving, at the local exchange carrier switch, a call from a customer, the call identified as the access number. The method also includes routing the call to a server and, absent human intervention, the server accessing the toll-free number identified for the customer account and generating a provisioning order that includes a customer telephone number from the customer account and the toll-free number. The method also includes transmitting the provisioning order to the service control server, the service control server activating the toll-free number for the customer account.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2012
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Gerald A. Starling, Dirk S. Henson, Ken A. Loveless, Jeffrey Broadus
  • Publication number: 20100067675
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and storage mediums for implementing self-provisioning telephony services are provided. A method includes storing an access number at a service control server that services a local exchange carrier switch. The method also includes assigning a toll-free number to a customer account and distributing the toll-free number and access number to the corresponding customer. The method further includes receiving, at the local exchange carrier switch, a call from a customer, the call identified as the access number. The method also includes routing the call to a server and, absent human intervention, the server accessing the toll-free number identified for the customer account and generating a provisioning order that includes a customer telephone number from the customer account and the toll-free number. The method also includes transmitting the provisioning order to the service control server, the service control server activating the toll-free number for the customer account.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2009
    Publication date: March 18, 2010
    Applicant: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I, L.P.
    Inventors: Gerald A. Starling, Dirk S. Henson, Ken A. Loveless, Jeffrey Broadus
  • Patent number: 7643627
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments relate to methods, systems, and storage mediums for providing self-provisioning telephony services. The method includes receiving a request for the self-provisioning telephony services from a caller of a telecommunications service provider. The method also includes prompting the caller to provide information for facilitating implementation of the self-provisioning telephony services. The method further includes implementing the self-provisioning telephony services, without human intervention from a telecommunications service provider, in response to information received as a result of the prompting. The self-provisioning telephony services include activating an account for a new telephone number, modifying an account for an existing telephone number, retrieving a forgotten personal identification number, and canceling an account for an existing telephone number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2010
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property, I,L.P.
    Inventors: Gerald A. Starling, Dirk S. Henson, Ken A. Loveless, Jeffrey Broadus
  • Patent number: 6606377
    Abstract: A method and system are provided for analyzing and preparing optimum telephone services calling plans. An optimum calling plan analysis engine analyzes wireline local and long distance and wireless call use during a given period of time for selected wireline and wireless telephone services. Based on a number of factors, including the type, duration, time, day, location, etc. of calls made by the subscriber, the calling plan engine calculates the cost of a number of different calling plans to which the subscriber may change in order to offer a cost savings to the subscriber. After the calling plan engine calculates and identifies alternative calling plans that meet the subscriber's calling patterns and save costs to the subscriber, the subscriber is notified of the alternative calling plans.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2003
    Assignee: BellSouth Intellectual Property Corporation
    Inventors: John P. Ruckart, Mike Pacifico, Dirk S. Henson, Ray Rauba, Allan J. Lenio
  • Publication number: 20020196919
    Abstract: A method and system are provided for analyzing and preparing optimum telephone services calling plans. An optimum calling plan analysis engine analyzes wireline local and long distance and wireless call use during a given period of time for selected wireline and wireless telephone services. Based on a number of factors, including the type, duration, time, day, location, etc. of calls made by the subscriber, the calling plan engine calculates the cost of a number of different calling plans to which the subscriber may change in order to offer a cost savings to the subscriber. After the calling plan engine calculates and identifies alternative calling plans that meet the subscriber's calling patterns and save costs to the subscriber, the subscriber is notified of the alternative calling plans.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2001
    Publication date: December 26, 2002
    Applicant: BellSouth Intellectual Property Corporation
    Inventors: John P. Ruckart, Mike Pacifico, Dirk S. Henson, Ray Rauba, Allan J. Lenio