Abstract: An enterprise network is provided that includes a plurality of internal terminals 108, 112 corresponding to a plurality of subscribers and a network reconfiguration agent 212 operable to (a) determine that at least one of a requested connection to a first terminal 112-1 associated with a subscriber and a connected communication with the first terminal 112-1 will have and/or has an undesirable grade of service and (b) in response thereto, perform at least one of the following operations: (i) direct the requested connection or connected communication to a second terminal 108, 140 associated with the subscriber; and (ii) change the communication path for the requested connection or connected communication from a first communication path comprising a first network 110 but not a second network 404 to a second communication path comprising the second network 404 but not the first network 110.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed that enables detecting the spoofing of a telephone number. To validate the identity of a calling terminal, some techniques in the prior art rely on exchanging data that only the legitimate calling system and the called system know about. In contrast, the illustrative embodiment of the present invention validates the identity of the calling terminal by assessing characteristics other than the calling terminal's telephone number, such as the telephone type and the signaling protocol. By using characteristics other than telephone number to validate the identity, the data-processing system of the illustrative embodiment makes it more difficult to spoof a legitimate telephone's number.

Abstract: A telecommunications system is disclosed that enables a user to pair a desk set that is an extension of a private-branch exchange with a cell phone that is accessible via the Public Switched Telephone Network. One feature of the telecommunications system enables a call that is directed to the user's desk set to be automatically forwarded to the user's cell phone. This is advantageous to the user because it provides the illusion to the caller that the user is physically in his or her office when they are not necessarily there. A similar feature also provides the illusion when a third party initiates a call that connects the user's cell phone to a called party. Such a third party includes a computer telephony application in a telephone telemarketing center, which automatically places many outgoing telephone calls.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for routing calls over an organization's private network of private branch exchanges. In particular, when a member of the organization (e.g., an employee, etc.) places a call from his or her affiliated off-premises telecommunications terminal (e.g., cell phone, etc.), the call is automatically routed to its destination through at least a portion of the private network of private branch exchanges when doing so reduces the cost of the call. In the illustrative embodiment, the call routing is performed automatically and transparently via software on the affiliated terminals (i.e., employees' cell phones) and on the organization's private branch exchanges.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed that enable a telecommunications terminal to securely receive unsolicited content from applications that are external to the terminal. In particular, the present invention enables the terminal to control the interaction with external applications by using a secure, two-task process. In the two-task process of the present invention, the execution of the second task is based on verifying the trustworthiness of address information that is provided in the first task. This is in contrast to a one-task process, in which an untrustworthy server that provides content might hide its own address by substituting a legitimate address.

Abstract: A user interface, telephony device, and method for managing user control settings associated with a telephony device is described. The user interface displays a label array on a display device of the telephony device. The label array includes at least one row of labels, each representing a discrete function or feature associated with the telephony device. A button array is provided in the vicinity of the display device. The button array includes a corresponding row or rows of buttons, each button representing a discrete function or feature for the telephony device and corresponding to a label within the label array. One or more buttons in the button array are selectively illuminated to indicate a status of one or more functions or features associated with one or more labels in the label array.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed that enable a private branch exchange to determine that a voice mail system has answered a call, without some of the disadvantages in the prior art. The private branch exchange—or, generally-speaking, a data-processing system—infers that the voice mail system has answered a call by timing key events or by noting some of indications that are received from another system, or both. Subsequently, the private branch exchange drops the voice mail system from the call, thereby minimizing the non-enterprise voice mail system's handling of calls that are originated to an on-premises terminal.

Abstract: A method is disclosed that provides the sharing of a station-mapping description with a first private-branch exchange, where the description has been initialized and maintained at a second private-branch exchange. Such a description describes a logical association between a station extension of an enterprise deskset and a telephone number of an off-premises terminal, such as a cell phone. As a result of the sharing across private-branch exchanges, an incoming call from a second employee's cell phone can be recognized, by a first employee being called, as coming from the calling second employee. This is because the incoming call is identified with the telephone extension of the calling employee's deskset terminal in spite of the call being placed from the cell phone, or other telephone number at large. This is particularly important where a large company engineers its enterprise's telecommunications system across multiple private-branch exchanges.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are disclosed that enable an organization's enterprise-wide network to accommodate roaming wireless terminals that are affiliated with the local enterprise networks within the enterprise-wide network. In particular, the illustrative-embodiment system is capable of handling a wireless terminal such as a cellular telephone that is able to use different subscriber identity module cards, or “SIM” cards, in different geographic regions or service-provider networks. A mobility client that is part of the wireless terminal registers when it detects that a new SIM card has been installed at the wireless terminal, whereby the client provides the subscriber-specific information that the wireless terminal reads from the SIM card. The mobility client identifies itself to the server by a user identifier, such as the station extension with which the terminal is affiliated back at the home local enterprise network.

Abstract: An apparatus and methods are disclosed for use by organizations that have PBXs at a plurality of sites. The invention pertains to cell phone calls from an affiliated terminal to her “home” private branch exchange. For example, an employee who works at the Chicago branch office might call the Chicago office's PBX to invoke a feature such as setting up call forwarding, retrieving voice mail, etc. Such calls might be automatically and transparently directed to another PBX when it is advantageous to do so. In the illustrative embodiment, the need or desirability to redirect such calls to another PBX is ascertained while the caller is still in the process of entering all of the required calling information. The effect of assessing whether to redirect the call in parallel with the caller entering the information is to reduce the delays otherwise experienced by the caller when placing calls outside of the enterprise area served by the home private branch exchange.

Abstract: A method and apparatus is provided to update information within a first network (103) via a second network (102) when communication no longer exists with the first network. During operation the first network is accessed via a PSTN (108) message that is never answered by the first network. Based on the called number and caller-identification information, the first network updates its system information.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for routing calls over an organization's private network of private branch exchanges. In particular, when a member of the organization (e.g., an employee, etc.) places a call from his or her affiliated off-premises telecommunications terminal (e.g., cell phone, etc.), the call is automatically routed to its destination through at least a portion of the private network of private branch exchanges when doing so reduces the cost of the call. In the illustrative embodiment, the call routing is performed automatically and transparently via software on the affiliated terminals (i.e., employees' cell phones) and on the organization's private branch exchanges.

Abstract: A method is disclosed that enables a data-processing system, such as a private branch exchange, to detect and disconnect looping communication channels, without some of the costs, disadvantages, and limitations of techniques in the prior art. The illustrative embodiment of the present invention provides detection of looping communication channels at the point where the loop begins. By detecting at the beginning point of the loop, the illustrative embodiment has the advantage of de-allocating call resources sooner than some techniques in the prior art. This enables the call resources to be reused faster for subsequent incoming and outgoing calls. Faster reuse is advantageous because it can lower the call blocking characteristic, which is related to the probability of a new call not being set up due to lack of communication channel resources.

Abstract: A user interface, telephony device, and method for managing user control settings associated with a telephony device is described. The user interface displays a label array on a display device of the telephony device. The label array includes at least one row of labels, each representing a discrete function or feature associated with the telephony device. A button array is provided in the vicinity of the display device. The button array includes a corresponding row or rows of buttons, each button representing a discrete function or feature for the telephony device and corresponding to a label within the label array. One or more buttons in the button array are selectively illuminated to indicate a status of one or more functions or features associated with one or more labels in the label array.

Abstract: An apparatus and methods are disclosed for use by organizations that have PBXs at a plurality of sites. The invention pertains to cell phone calls from an to his or her “home” private branch exchange. For example, an employee who works at the Chicago branch office might call the Chicago office's PBX to invoke a feature such as setting up call forwarding, retrieving voice mail, etc. In the illustrative embodiment, such calls might be automatically and transparently directed to another PBX when it is advantageous to do so (e.g., for the purposes of security, reducing toll charges, because of unavailability of a particular PBX, etc.) Factors that might be used to determine whether to re-direct a call and to which PBX to re-direct a call include the day and time of the call, the network that the cell phone is currently connected to, etc.

Abstract: A telecommunications system is disclosed that enables a user to pair a desk set that is an extension of a private-branch exchange with a cell phone that is accessible via the Public Switched Telephone Network. One feature of the telecommunications system enables a call that is directed to the user's desk set to be automatically forwarded to the user's cell phone. This is advantageous to the user because it provides the illusion to the caller that the user is physically in her office when she is not necessarily there. A similar feature also provides the illusion when a third party initiates a call that connects the user's cell phone to a called party. Such a third party includes a computer-telephony integration (CTI) application in a telephone telemarketing center, which automatically places many outgoing telephone calls.

Abstract: A telecommunications system is disclosed that enables a user to pair a desk set that is an extension of a private-branch exchange with a cell phone that is accessible via the Public Switched Telephone Network. One feature of the telecommunications system enables an incoming call that is directed to the user's desk set to be automatically forwarded to the user's cell phone, while in the presence of third-party call control. This is advantageous to the user because it provides the illusion to the caller that the user is physically in his or her office when she is not necessarily there. The third-party call control can be part of a computer-telephony integration (CTI) application—for example, in a telephone telemarketing center, which handles many incoming telephone calls.

Abstract: A telecommunications system is disclosed that enables a user to pair a desk set that is an extension of a private-branch exchange with a cell phone that is accessible via the Public Switched Telephone Network. One feature of the telecommunications system enables an active call that is between the desk set and another party, to be transferred to the user's cell phone, while in the presence of third-party call control. This is advantageous because a user who is initially on a call at her desk set, but needs to get somewhere else (e.g., a meeting, the airport, home, etc.), is able to continue the call by transferring it to her cell phone. The third-party call control can be part of a computer-telephony integration (CTI) application—for example, in a telephone telemarketing center, which concurrently handles many active telephone calls.

Abstract: A method of authenticating an authorized entity via the telephone network is disclosed. A telephone call is placed from a telecommunications terminal to a server that comprises a valuable resource and that only provides the resource to authorized entities. When the terminal has already demonstrated its authorization to the server, the server indicates to the terminal that the terminal need not provide its authorization credentials. In contrast, when the terminal has not yet demonstrated its authorization to the server, the server indicates to the terminal that the terminal does need to provide its authorization credentials. The server indicates to the terminal whether or not it needs to provide its authorization credentials by deliberating waiting to establish the call with the terminal, wherein in the length of the wait is indicative of whether or not the terminal needs to provide its authorization credentials.

Abstract: A telecommunications system is disclosed that enables a user to pair a desk set that is an extension of a private-branch exchange with a cell phone that is accessible via the Public Switched Telephone Network. One feature of the telecommunications system enables a call that is directed to the user's desk set to be automatically forwarded to the user's cell phone. This is advantageous to the user because it provides the illusion to the caller that the user is physically in his or her office when they are not necessarily there. A similar feature also provides the illusion when a third party initiates a call that connects the user's cell phone to a called party. Such a third party includes a computer telephony application in a telephone telemarketing center, which automatically places many outgoing telephone calls.