METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SELECTIVELY ESTABLISHING COMMUNICATION WITH ONE OF PLURAL DEVICES ASSOCIATED WITH A SINGLE TELEPHONE NUMBER
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for (and a method of) selectively establishing communication with one of plural devices associated with a single telephone number is provided. In a preferred embodiment, the system includes a wireless connect unit connected between an enterprise private branch exchange (PBX) network and a public switched telephone network. The wireless connect unit preferably serves as a gateway between the PBX and one or more remote communication devices. The remote devices can be used as standard PBX office telephones for both inbound and outbound telephone calls. Thus, features of the PBX network (e.g., voice mail, direct extension dialing, corporate calling plan, etc.) are available to the remote device even though they are not physically connected to the PBX. When the system receives an incoming call, it can route the call to an office telephone and one or more of the remote devices simultaneously or as desired by the user.
135 Citations
82 Claims
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1-60. -60. (canceled)
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61. A method of establishing telephone communication between a telephone call placed to a primary telephone number and at least one of a plurality of telephone devices, the primary telephone number being associated with a primary telephone device, the method comprising the steps of:
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storing one or more other telephone numbers associated with the primary telephone number, each of the other telephone numbers corresponding to one of the plurality of telephone devices;
detecting placement of the telephone call to the primary telephone number by detecting a change in the status of a physical connection to a telephone extension associated with the primary telephone number;
retrieving a first one of the other telephone numbers;
placing a call to the first one of the other telephone numbers; and
connecting the telephone call to one of the plurality of telephone devices associated with the first one of the other telephone numbers. - View Dependent Claims (62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67)
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68. An apparatus for providing telephone communication between a first telephone having a first telephone number and a first telephone extension of a first telephone network and a second telephone associated with a second telephone network, the apparatus comprising:
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connection means comprising a physical connection to the first telephone extension;
a connect database, said database storing connection information associating the first telephone number and extension to the second telephone and a second telephone number associated with the second telephone; and
a processor, said processor adapted to connect a first telephone call placed to the first telephone to the second telephone via the connection means based on the connection information, and said processor further adapted to provide the second telephone access to features of the first telephone network so that the second telephone operates substantially identically as the first telephone associated with first telephone network via the first telephone extension. - View Dependent Claims (69, 70, 71)
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72. An apparatus comprising:
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connection means comprising a physical connection to a physical port associated with a first communication device;
a processing unit having an internet connection for remote administration of the apparatus; and
a memory, wherein a computer program is stored in said memory for execution by said processing unit to detect and attempt to initiate communications with the first communication device via said connection means, to attempt to initiate communications with a second communication device, and to establish communications with either the first or second communication device, wherein the first communication device is part of a first communication network, the second communication device is part of a second communication network. - View Dependent Claims (73, 74, 75, 76)
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77. A system for allowing access to an enterprise communication network from a wireless device remote to the network comprising:
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a database for storing information associating the wireless device to a telephone extension of the enterprise network;
a telephony engine for determining if a telephone call was received from the wireless device; and
means for connecting the wireless device to the telephone extension via physical connection to the telephone extension so that the wireless device receives a dial tone from the enterprise network and operates substantially identically as a telephone associated with and connected to the enterprise network via the telephone extension. - View Dependent Claims (78, 79, 80, 81, 82)
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Specification