Graphical user interface workstation

• US 5,309,509 A
• Filed: 07/27/1992
• Issued: 05/03/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T, Inc.
• Inventors: Cocklin, Sherri L., Orlofsky, Thomas P., van der Heyde, Tanya T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US07/920,089
• Time in Patent Office: 645 Days
• Field of Search: 379/156, 379/157, 379/165, 379/166, 379/94, 379/112, 379/113, 379/201, 379/207, 379/354, 379/355
• US Class Current: 379/165
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 9/005 with subscriber controlled access to an exchange line

Abstract

A graphical user interface workstation for use with a manager controller to control and implement changes to telephone sets of customer key telephone systems served by a telephone switching system. The workstation records high resolution graphical representations of each telephone set of a customer key telephone system and enables a customer user to select and display a recorded high resolution graphical representation of each telephone set of the customer user key telephone system. The workstation is interactive with the customer user and enables the customer user to selectively enter telephone lines, features and directory numbers changes into key button locations of a displayed telephone set graphical representation. User entered key button changes are converted into program instructions and transmitted to the manager controller to control the telephone switching system to assign the selected key button telephone lines, features and directory numbers entered onto the displayed key telephone set representations to corresponding telephone sets of the customer key telephone system.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface workstation interconnected with a manager controller for controlling and implementing the assignment of changes to telephone sets of customer key telephone systems served by a telephone switching system wherein said graphical user interface workstation comprises

means for recording graphical representations of each telephone set of a customer key telephone system, and

means coupled with said recording means and interactive with a user for selecting and displaying ones of the recorded graphical telephone set representations and for enabling the user to selectively enter changes of telephone parameters controllable by said telephone switching system onto said displayed recorded graphical telephone set representations and convert the entered changes of the telephone parameters into program instructions transmitted to the manager controller for use in controlling the telephone switching system to assign the selected telephone parameter changes entered onto the displayed telephone set representations to corresponding telephone sets of the customer key telephone system.

2. The graphical user interface workstation set forth in claim 1 wherein said recording means comprises

means for receiving and recording a plurality of binary bit map files each embodying a high resolution graphical representation of a telephone set of the customer key telephone system.

3. The graphical user interface workstation set forth in claim 2 wherein said selecting, displaying and enabling means comprises

means interactive with the user and coupled with said recording means for enabling the user to select and display one of said recorded binary bit map files corresponding with a telephone set of the customer key telephone system.

4. The graphical user interface workstation set forth in claim 1 wherein said selecting, displaying and enabling means comprises

means for enabling the user to select telephone parameters available for use with the customer key telephone system and to selectively enter the selected telephone parameters at key button locations set forth on the displayed telephone set representation.

5. The graphical user interface workstation set forth in claim 4 wherein said selecting, displaying and enabling means comprises

means for converting the selected telephone parameters entered by the user onto the key buttons of the displayed telephone set representation into a set of program instructions required for controlling operation of the manager controller.

6. The graphical user interface workstation set forth in claim 5 wherein said selecting, displaying and enabling means comprises

means responsive to said converting means and interconnecting said workstation graphical user interface with the manager controller for transmitting said program instructions set to the manager controller for use in controlling the telephone switching system to assign the user entered key button telephone parameters to the telephone set represented by the displayed telephone set representation.

7. The graphical user interface workstation set forth in claim 4 wherein said enabling and selectively entering means comprises

input means for enabling the user to select a key button location on the displayed telephone set representation and enter a selected telephone parameter into the selected key button location.

8. The graphical user interface workstation set forth in claim 7 wherein said input means comprises

a keyboard coupled with the workstation for selecting the key button location on the displayed telephone set representation and a telephone parameter from a displayed list of telephone parameters available for use with the customer key telephone system and for enabling the user to enter the selected telephone parameter into the selected key button location.

9. The graphical user interface workstation set forth in claim 7 wherein said input means comprises

a pointing device coupled with the workstation for selecting the key button location on the displayed telephone set representation and a telephone parameter from a displayed list of telephone parameters available for use with the customer key telephone system and for enabling the user to enter the selected telephone parameter into the selected key button location.

10. The graphical user interface workstation set forth in claim 7 wherein said input means comprises

a pointing device and a keyboard device each coupled with the workstation for enabling the user to point to and select the key button location on the displayed telephone set representation and for enabling the user to type a selected telephone parameter into the selected key button location.

11. A graphical user interface workstation interconnected with a manager controller for controlling and implementing the assignment of changes to telephone sets of customer key telephone systems served by a telephone switching system wherein said workstation graphical user interface comprises

a data base for receiving and recording high resolution graphical representations of each telephone set of a customer key telephone system, and

a processor coupled with said data base and interactive with a user for selecting and displaying ones of the recorded graphical telephone set representations and for enabling the user to selectively enter telephone line, features and directory numbers onto said displayed telephone recorded graphical set representations and convert the entered telephone lines, features and directory numbers into program instructions transmitted to the manager controller for use in controlling the telephone switching system to assign the user selected telephone lines, features an directory numbers to corresponding telephone sets of the customer key telephone system.

12. The graphical user interface workstation set forth in claim 11 wherein said processor means comprises

input means connected with said processor for enabling the user of the workstation to select and display one of the recorded graphical telephone set representations and to identify a key button on said displayed telephone set representation and to enter a selected one of said telephone lines, features and directory numbers onto the identified key button location.

13. The graphical user interface workstation set forth in claim 12 wherein said input means comprises

a keyboard device coupled with said processor for identifying the key button location on the displayed telephone recorded graphical set representation and for selecting a telephone line, feature and directory number from a displayed list of telephone features and directory numbers available for use with the customer key telephone system and for enabling the user to type the selected telephone line, feature and directory number into the identified key button location on the displayed telephone set representation.

14. The graphical user interface workstation set forth in claim 12 wherein said input means comprises

a mouse device coupled with said processor for enabling the user to point to a key button location on the displayed telephone recorded graphical set representation and to select a telephone line, feature and directory number from a displayed list of telephone lines, features and directory numbers available for use with the customer key telephone system and enter the selected telephone line, feature and directory number into the key button location.

15. The graphical user interface workstation set forth in claim 12 wherein said input means comprises

a mouse device and a keyboard device coupled with said processor for enabling the user to point to and select the key button location on the displayed recorded graphical telephone set representation and for enabling the user to type a selected telephone line, feature and directory number into the selected key button location.

16. A graphical user interface workstation interconnected with a telephone manager controller for controlling and implementing the assignment of changes to telephone sets of customer key telephone systems served by a telephone switching system wherein said workstation comprises

a data base for receiving and recording a plurality of binary bit map files each embodying a high resolution graphical representation of one of the telephone sets of a customer key telephone system,

means interactive with the user and coupled with said data base for enabling the user to select and display one of said recorded binary bit map files corresponding to a telephone set of the customer key telephone system,

means for enabling the user to select a telephone line, feature and directory number available for use with the customer key telephone system and for enabling the user to select a key button location on the high resolution graphical telephone set representation and enter said selected telephone line, feature and directory number into the selected key button location,

means for converting the entered key button telephone line, feature and directory number into a set of program instructions for controlling operation of the telephone manager controller, and

means responsive to said converting means and interconnecting said workstation with the telephone manager controller for transmitting said program instructions set to the telephone manager controller for use in controlling the telephone switching system to assign the user entered key button telephone line, feature and directory number to the telephone set corresponding to the high resolution graphical telephone set representation.

17. A method of operating a graphical user interface workstation interconnected with a manager controller to control and implement the assignment of changes to telephone sets of customer key telephone systems served by a telephone switching system wherein said method comprises the steps of

selecting and displaying on a monitor of the workstation a high resolution graphical representation of a telephone set of a customer key telephone system recorded in a data base of the workstation, and

selectively entering changes of telephone parameters controllable by said telephone switching system into key button locations of the high resolution graphical telephone set representation and converting the entered key button changes into program instructions transmitted to the manager controller for controlling the telephone switching system to assign the user selected telephone parameters entered onto the high resolution graphical telephone set representation to a corresponding telephone set of the customer key telephone system.

18. The graphical user interface workstation operating method set forth in claim 17 wherein said selecting and displaying step comprises the step of

recording a plurality of binary bit map files each embodying a high resolution graphical representation of a telephone set of the customer key telephone system within the data base.

19. The graphical user interface workstation operating method set forth in claim 18 wherein said selecting and displaying steps comprise the step of

enabling a user to select and display one of said recorded binary bit map files corresponding to the telephone set of the customer key telephone system on the workstation monitor.

20. The graphical user interface workstation operating method set forth in claim 19 wherein said selectively entering and converting step comprises the step of

selecting ones of telephone lines, features and directory numbers available for use with the customer key telephone system and entering the selected telephone lines, features and directory numbers at key button locations set forth on the high resolution graphical telephone set representation.

21. The graphical user interface workstation operating method set forth in claim 20 wherein said selectively entering and converting step comprises the step of

converting the selected telephone lines, features and directory numbers entered into the key button locations of the high resolution graphical telephone set representation into a set of program instructions for controlling operation of the manager controller.

22. The graphical user interface workstation operating method set forth in claim 21 wherein said selectively entering and converting step comprises the step of

transmitting said program instructions set to the manager controller to control the telephone switching system to assign the entered key button telephone lines, features and directory numbers to the telephone set represented by the high resolution graphical telephone set representation.

23. A method of operating a graphical user interface workstation interconnected with a manager controller to control and implement the assignment of changes to telephone sets of customer key telephone systems served by a telephone switching system wherein said method comprises the steps of:

recording a plurality of binary bit map files each embodying a high resolution graphical representation of a telephone set of the customer key telephone system,

selecting and displaying one of said recorded binary bit map files corresponding to one of the telephone sets of the customer key telephone system on a monitor of the workstation,

locating a key button on the displayed telephone set representation and selecting a telephone parameter controllable by said telephone switching system from a plurality of telephone parameters available for use with the customer key telephone system,

entering the selected telephone parameter at the key button location set forth on the high resolution graphical telephone set representation,

converting the entered telephone parameter into a set of program instructions for controlling operation of the manager controller, and

transmitting said program instructions set to the manager controller to control the telephone switching system to assign the entered key button telephone parameter to the one telephone set corresponding to the high resolution graphical telephone set representation.