Method, apparatus and computer program product for accessing a facility directory

• US 20060068767A1
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhakta, Dharmesh N., Sethuraman, Radhakrishnan, Pierre-Louis, Marc Arthur
• Granted Patent: US 7,295,838 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1083 for hotels
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/121 Details of network access arrangements or protocols

Abstract

Accessing information about a facility includes loading a program and profile for facility services in a memory associated with a user'"'"'s wireless portable device. The services have telephones connected via a local area network (“LAN”), so that a call originating on the LAN to such a telephone may be completed on the LAN without accessing a wide area telephone network (“WAN”). The program is executed on the user'"'"'s portable device so that the device operates in a facility mode. In this mode the device displays the services from the profile, so that the user can select among them and easily place telephone calls to them solely over the LAN. In one alternative, normal and local sub-modes of operation are enabled. In the normal sub-mode the portable device places calls for the selected service via the WAN and in the local sub-mode the calls are solely over the LAN.

Claims

1. A method for accessing information about local services offered by a facility, the method comprising the steps of:

loading a facility-mode program and a profile for the facility in a memory associated with a user'"'"'s portable device, wherein the profile includes a description of the local services, the services having respective telephones connected via a local area network of the facility, so that a call originating on the local area network to such a telephone may be completed on the local area network without accessing a wide area network; and

executing the program on the user'"'"'s portable device, so that the portable device is enabled to operate in a normal mode and a facility mode, wherein in the facility mode the user'"'"'s portable device displays the services from the profile, so that the user can select among the services, and the user'"'"'s portable device places a telephone call for a selected one of the service telephones solely over the local area network via a close-range, standard-protocol radio signal, and in the normal mode the user'"'"'s portable device places calls to telephones on the wide area network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the service telephones are connected via the local area network to the wide area telephone network, the wide area network including a wireless carrier network, and normal and local sub-modes of operation are enabled in the facilities mode, wherein in the normal sub-mode of operation the user'"'"'s portable device places the call to the selected service telephone via the wide area network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the facility-mode program for the user'"'"'s portable device automatically sets the user'"'"'s portable device in the facility mode, local sub-mode of operation in response to detection of a close-range, standard-protocol radio signal that indicates the local area network is within range.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the facility-mode program sets the user'"'"'s portable device in the facility mode, local sub-mode of operation in response to a manual signal from the user.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the telephones for the services have respective shortcut telephone numbers included in the profile by which the telephones are accessible on the local area network and have longer telephone numbers included in the profile by which the telephones are accessible on the wide area network, and wherein in the normal sub-mode the call is placed using the associated longer telephone number listed in the profile for the selected service and in the local sub-mode the call is placed using the associated shortcut number listed in the profile for the selected service.

6. A method for providing access to information about local services offered by a facility, the method comprising the steps of:

sending a client-based facility-mode program and a profile for the facility for loading in a memory associated with a user'"'"'s portable device, wherein the profile includes a description of the local services, the services having respective telephones connected via a local area network of the facility to a wide area telephone network, wherein the telephones for the services have respective shortcut telephone numbers by which the telephones are accessible within the local area network and have longer telephone numbers by which the telephones are accessible within the wide area network and wherein the profile includes the longer telephone numbers and the shortcut numbers for the services; and

routing a call over the local network to one of the service telephones in response to receiving a telephone number for the service from the user'"'"'s portable device, wherein the telephone number may be the shortcut number received via a close-range, standard-protocol radio signal and the telephone number may be the longer number received via the wide area network.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising the steps of:

transmitting inquiry packets to search for nearby portable devices having close-range, standard-protocol transceivers; and

querying a responding portable device to determine whether the client-based facility-mode program and profile have already been loaded into memory of the responding portable device.

8. The method of claim 6, comprising the steps of:

establishing a telephone number on the local area network for the user'"'"'s portable device;

receiving a call for the user'"'"'s portable device, wherein the call originates on the local area network from a telephone in the facility;

routing the call originating on the local area network to the user'"'"'s portable device solely via the local area network.

9. A computer program product for accessing information about local services offered by a facility, the computer program product comprising:

a profile for the facility for loading in a memory associated with a user'"'"'s portable device, wherein the profile includes a description of the local services, the services having respective telephones connected via a local area network of the facility, so that a call originating on the local area network to such a telephone may be completed on the local area network without accessing a wide area network; and

instructions for enabling the user'"'"'s portable device to operate in a normal mode and a facility mode, wherein in the facility mode the user'"'"'s portable device displays the services from the profile, so that the user can select among the services, and the user'"'"'s portable device places a telephone call for a selected one of the service telephones solely over the local area network via a close-range, standard-protocol radio signal, and in the normal mode the user'"'"'s portable device places calls to telephones on the wide area network.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the service telephones are connected via the local area network to the wide area telephone network, the wide area network including a wireless carrier network, and normal and local sub-modes of operation are enabled in the facilities mode, wherein in the normal sub-mode of operation the user'"'"'s portable device places the call to the selected service telephone via the wide area network.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the facility-mode program for the user'"'"'s portable device automatically sets the user'"'"'s portable device in the facility mode, local sub-mode of operation in response to detection of a close-range, standard-protocol radio signal that indicates the local area network is within range.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the facility-mode program sets the user'"'"'s portable device in the facility mode, local sub-mode of operation in response to a manual signal from the user.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the telephones for the services have respective shortcut telephone numbers included in the profile by which the telephones are accessible on the local area network and have longer telephone numbers included in the profile by which the telephones are accessible on the wide area network, and wherein in the normal sub-mode the call is placed using the associated longer telephone number listed in the profile for the selected service and in the local sub-mode the call is placed using the associated shortcut number listed in the profile for the selected service.

14. A computer program product for providing access to information about local services offered by a facility, the computer program product comprising:

a profile for the facility for loading in a memory associated with a user'"'"'s portable device, wherein the profile includes a description of the local services, the services having respective telephones connected via a local area network of the facility to a wide area telephone network, wherein the telephones for the services have respective shortcut telephone numbers by which the telephones are accessible within the local area network and have longer telephone numbers by which the telephones are accessible within the wide area network and wherein the profile includes the longer telephone numbers and the shortcut numbers for the services; and

instructions for routing a call over the local network to one of the service telephones in response to receiving a telephone number for the service from the user'"'"'s portable device, wherein the telephone number may be the shortcut number received via a close-range, standard-protocol radio signal and the telephone number may be the longer number received via the wide area network.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, comprising:

instructions for transmitting inquiry packets to search for nearby wireless portable devices having close-range, standard-protocol transceivers; and

instructions for querying a responding portable device to determine whether the client-based facility-mode program and profile have already been loaded into memory of the responding portable device.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, comprising:

instructions for establishing a telephone number on the local area network for the user'"'"'s portable device;

instructions for receiving a call for the user'"'"'s portable device, wherein the call originates on the local area network from a telephone in the facility;

instructions for routing the call originating on the local area network to the user'"'"'s portable device solely via the local area network.

17. A system for providing access to information about local services offered by a facility, the system comprising:

a computer system having a stored profile for the facility for sending to a user'"'"'s portable device, wherein the profile includes a description of the local services;

a local area network for the facility connected to respective telephones for the services, wherein the computer system has a client-based facility-mode program for sending to the user'"'"'s portable device to enable the user'"'"'s portable device to operate in a facility mode, wherein in the facility mode the user'"'"'s portable device displays the services from the profile, so that the user can select among the services, and the user'"'"'s portable device sends the local area network a telephone call, via a close-range, standard-protocol radio signal, for a selected one of the service telephones for routing solely over the local area network, and in the normal mode the user'"'"'s portable device places calls to telephones on a wide area network.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the service telephones are connected via the local area network to the wide area telephone network, the wide area network including a wireless carrier network, and normal and local sub-modes of operation are enabled in the facilities mode, wherein in the normal sub-mode of operation the user'"'"'s portable device places the call to the selected service telephone via the wide area network.

19. The system of claim 18, comprising a close-range, standard-protocol radio-signal gateway coupled to the local area network, wherein for the call over the local area network the user'"'"'s portable device accesses the local area network via the gateway.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the telephones for the services have respective shortcut telephone numbers included in the profile by which the telephones are accessible on the local area network and have longer telephone numbers included in the profile by which the telephones are accessible on the wide area network, and wherein in the normal sub-mode the call is placed using the associated longer telephone number listed in the profile for the selected service and in the local sub-mode the call is placed using the associated shortcut number listed in the profile for the selected service.