METHOD FOR PROVISIONING A TERMINAL DEVICE IN A MULTI-USER SETTING

• US 20080069323A1
• Filed: 09/20/2006
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: PEARSON, LARRY B., WALTER, EDWARD
• Granted Patent: US 8,498,393 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/111
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP

Abstract

A method for provisioning a terminal device in a multi-user setting is disclosed. An apparatus that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a terminal device having a provisioning element that selectively establishes a telephony usage profile for each of a plurality of users sharing the terminal device. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising a provisioning element that selectively establishes a telephony usage profile for each of a plurality of users sharing the terminal device.

2. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the telephony usage profile of each user comprises settings selected from at least one among a group of telephony features, and wherein said telephony usage profile of each user determines operations of the terminal device.

3. The terminal device of claim 2, wherein a select one of the plurality of users of the terminal device is an administrator and a remainder of said plurality of users is each a limited user, wherein the administrator establishes one or more administrative settings in the telephony usage profile of each of the plurality of users, and wherein each limited user is prevented from modifying said one or more administrative settings.

4. The terminal device of claim 3, wherein the one or more administrative settings apply a constraint to a portion of the telephony features available to each of the plurality of users.

5. The terminal device of claim 4, wherein each limited user establishes in its corresponding telephony usage profile service preferences bound by one or more constraints set forth by the one or more administrative settings.

6. The terminal device of claim 2, wherein the group of telephony features comprise operational features for establishing a ring tone, establishing an operating period for receiving and initiating communications with other communication devices, limiting a duration of communications with other communication devices, disabling long-distance communications, blocking incoming communications of one or more calling parties identified in a first screening list, blocking outgoing communications to one or more parties identified in a second screening list, establishing secure access to the terminal device, establishing a contact book, enabling at least one among voice, voicemail, email, Short Message System (SMS) message, Instant Message (IM), and paging communications.

7. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the terminal device comprises at least one among a wireless communication device, and a wireline communication device.

8. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the terminal device comprises a communication device operating according to at least one among a circuit-switched standard and a packet-switched standard, wherein the communication device comprises one among a portable communication device, and a substantially immobile communication device, wherein the circuit-switched standard comprises at least one among a cellular telephony standard, and a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) standard, and wherein the packet-switched standard comprises at least one among a Voice over IP (VoIP) standard, and a video IP telephony standard.

9. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the terminal device comprises a master terminal device associated with a plurality of slave terminal devices each having a corresponding slave provisioning element and each belonging to one of said plurality of users, and wherein each of the plurality of slave terminal devices operates according to its corresponding telephony usage profile.

10. The terminal device of claim 9, wherein the provisioning element operates in the master terminal device, and wherein said provisioning element presents a first setup sequence to an administrator to establish one or more administrative settings in the telephony usage profile of each of the slave terminal devices.

11. The terminal device of claim 10, wherein the slave provisioning element of each slave terminal device presents to a limited user assigned to said slave terminal device a second setup sequence to establish in its corresponding telephony usage profile service preferences bound by one or more constraints set forth by the one or more administrative settings.

12. The terminal device of claim 9, wherein each of the plurality of slave terminals is assigned a corresponding distinct ring tone according to its corresponding telephony usage profile.

13. The terminal device of claim 1, wherein the provisioning element presents a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for establishing the telephony usage profile of each user.

14. A computer-readable storage medium in a terminal device, comprising computer instructions for establishing a telephony usage profile for each of a plurality of users sharing the terminal device as directed in part by an administrator.

15. The storage medium of claim 14, wherein the telephony usage profile of each user comprises settings selected from at least one among a group of telephony features, and wherein the storage medium comprises computer instructions for:

presenting a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for establishing the telephony usage profile of each user; and

managing operations of the terminal device according to the telephony usage profile of each user.

16. The storage medium of claim 15, wherein a select one of the plurality of users of the terminal device is the administrator and a remainder of said plurality of users is each a limited user, wherein the storage medium comprises computer instructions for:

establishing one or more administrative settings in the telephony usage profile of each of the plurality of users as directed by the administrator; and

preventing each limited user from modifying said one or more administrative settings.

17. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the one or more administrative settings apply a constraint to a portion of the telephony features available to each of the plurality of users.

18. The storage medium of claim 16, comprising computer instructions for establishing in a limited user'"'"'s telephony usage profile service preferences bound by one or more constraints set forth by the one or more administrative settings.

19. A method, comprising selectively establishing a telephony usage profile for each of a plurality of users sharing a terminal device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the terminal device comprises a master terminal device associated with a plurality of slave terminal devices each belonging to one of said plurality of users, and wherein each of the plurality of slave terminal devices operates according to its corresponding telephony usage profile.