Abstract: A communication device includes a receiving unit, a number obtaining unit, and a reminder unit. The incoming receiving unit receives an incoming call request from a caller. The number obtaining unit obtains a phone number of the caller from the incoming call request. The reminder unit includes a reminder state, and a non-reminder state which is default. The reminder unit generates a prompt to remind a callee to accept the incoming call when in the reminder state, and does not generate a prompt for the incoming call when in the non-reminder state. The reminder unit changes into the reminder state from the non-reminder state when the phone number of the caller is not listed in a phonebook of the communication device and request duration of the incoming call reaches a predetermined value.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a call setup message for a call from a calling party device to a called party device is received. At least one calling party parameter for the calling party device is determined. A user message is selected based on the at least one calling party parameter. Delivery of the user message to the calling party device is initiated in parallel with a call setup for the call from the calling party device to the called party device.

Abstract: A ringback tone is played to a calling party on a call to a called party. Identification information of the ringback tone is stored, upon receipt of a bookmark request from the calling party, for later access by the calling party to the ringback tone and/or information related to the ringback tone.

Abstract: An opt-out request in one example is received from a calling party to avoid employment of a specialized ringback tone on one or more subsequent calls from the calling party to a called party. A ringback tone call controller determines, based on the opt-out request, to provide a substitute tone to the calling party in place of the specialized ringback tone on the one or more subsequent calls from the calling party to the called party. After receiving the opt-out request on a call, the specialized ringback tone in a further example is stopped for a remainder of a ringing phase of the call. If a ringback tone service state associated with the calling party is an opt-out state, then in one example the calling party makes an opt-in request to allow use of the specialized ringback tone on one or more subsequent calls to the called party.

Abstract: An apparatus and methods are disclosed that enable a first user of a telecommunications terminal to receive, upon placing a call to a second user, a ringback signal that is based on information that is extrinsic to the telecommunications system that handles the call (i.e., information that is independent of the state of the telecommunications system). Such extrinsic information might include: entries in a user schedule (e.g., from a groupware application such as Lotus Notes® that is hosted on a server, from a personal digital assistant [PDA] calendar, etc.); environmental parameters at the first and/or second user's terminal (e.g., temperature, ambient sound pressure, ambient luminosity, etc.); physiological parameters of the first and/or second users (e.g., heart rate, respiration rate, body temperature, brain activity, etc.); stock ticker information; weather forecasts; sports scores; updated election results; and so forth.

Abstract: An alert signal of a communication device (1), such as the ring signal of a mobile phone, comprises a set of musical samples that are played by the communication device in sequence. The sequence may be randomly generated, either in response to the event causing the alert or in a set up phase. Alternatively, the user of the device can create a tune to be used as the alert signal by creating a sequence of samples. The user selects samples from a list of samples to create the sequence of samples as individual samples may appear more than once in the tune.

Abstract: Methods and systems for identifying redirected calls are provided. A particular method includes receiving a redirected call. When the redirected call is redirected from a first address, the method includes generating a first distinctive ring at a communication device. When the redirected call is not redirected from the first address, the method includes generating a second distinctive ring at the communication device.

Abstract: Methods and systems for identifying redirected calls are provided. A method may include receiving data related to a call termination request. The call termination request may indicate call redirection. The method may also include selecting one of a plurality of distinctive rings in response to the data related to the call termination request. A first distinctive ring is selected when a redirect number address associated with the call termination request does not match a specified redirect number address.

Abstract: Phone numbers of recently made, received or missed phone calls are stored (16) in a memory of a mobile telephone and associated with a distinctive alerting sound. An incoming call matching (34) one of the stored phone numbers causes the distinctive alerting sound to be sounded unless the phone number matches (26) a number prestored by the user and associated with an individual or organization known to the user.

Abstract: An indication of urgency of a call is received from a caller. The urgency indication is communicated to the called party through a distinctive notification, such as distinctive ringing. The urgency indication may be obtained from a caller via a personal agent.

Abstract: A novel communication distribution system is provided. In one form, an automatic communication distributor manages multiple queues of calls waiting to be handled by agents. When a call is transferred to an agent's workstation, the workstation provides different ringing signals to the agent based on the automatic communication distributor queue from which the call is coming. In another form, a computer-readable medium is encoded with programming instructions that are executable by a processor to differentiate between calls coming from different ACD queues, and to provide different ringing signals to a user based on that differentiation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for programming a cellular telephone with activation parameters. A cellular telephone to be programmed is connected to a computer via a communications interface. A user input device is provided to allow a user to provide programming information, including a cellular telephone type, to the computer. A visual representation of the cellular telephone type is displayed on a display monitor to allow the user to interactively verify the inputted programming information. Upon such user verification, the computer determines activation parameters and transmits the activation parameters to the cellular telephone. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, certain activation parameters are dynamically computed based on the user provided programming information. In one embodiment, the user enters a cellular telephone number to be assigned to the cellular telephone. The computer looks up a system identification associated with the cellular telephone number in a memory unit.

Abstract: In a method for remotely establishing a cellular service account for a cellular radiotelephone within a cellular system, prompts for user input of account information are generated by the cellular system and sent to the cellular radiotelephone. The cellular radiotelephone provides the prompts for user input of the account information, accepts user input of the account information, and generates a data signal within the cellular radiotelephone in response to the user input of the account information. The cellular radiotelephone sends the data signal from the cellular radiotelephone to the cellular system, and the cellular system stores the account information to establish the cellular service account.

Abstract: An information storage device for storing and outputting personal identification information. The storage device includes memory and a controller. The memory stores personal identification information and memory access control information. The memory access control information includes a first set of tones. The controller includes an input device, an output device, and a microprocessor. The microprocessor causes the output device to output the stored personal identification information in response to the input device receiving a series of tones corresponding to the first set of tones of the memory access control information. The personal identification information can include biometric identification information. In one embodiment, a security system utilizes a plurality of information storage devices for controlling unauthorized access to a resource.