Communication system for a closed-user group
First Claim
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1. A method for configuring a membership of a group of users of a telecommunications network comprising the steps of:
- receiving from a network end-user data indicative of a time frame within which the group will be in existence and entering said data onto a storage device accessible to a node of the network;
receiving enrollment information from one or more network end users who desire to become members of the group; and
storing said enrollment information to facilitate the node in providing a mnemonic dialing service among members of the group.
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Abstract
A node configured for use in a telecommunications network. The node is programmable via an end-user-accessible interface to provide a mnemonic dialing service. The mnemonic dialing service allows members of a group to communicate with each other.
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Citations
60 Claims
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1. A method for configuring a membership of a group of users of a telecommunications network comprising the steps of:
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receiving from a network end-user data indicative of a time frame within which the group will be in existence and entering said data onto a storage device accessible to a node of the network; receiving enrollment information from one or more network end users who desire to become members of the group; and storing said enrollment information to facilitate the node in providing a mnemonic dialing service among members of the group. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. A method for automatic conference calling comprising the steps of:
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storing a configuration of a group of users of a telecommunications network in a memory of a node internal to the network, the node'"'"'s stored group configuration of the group of users being accessible to members of the group of users and persisting beyond a single telephone call connected among the members of the group of users; at the node, receiving a signal from an end-user device of an initiating member of the group of users; without human supervision, sending from said node a supervisory signal to appropriate end-user devices of the remaining members of the group of users, and establishing a communication path to two or more of said devices of said remaining members of the group of users when said devices respond to said supervisory signals.
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4. A method for establishing a conference call, comprising the steps of:
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on detecting initiation of a telephone call, referencing a database to determine whether the initiating telephone line is a member of a closed-user group, the closed user group including at least three telephone lines of a telecommunications system; and automatically, and without further human intervention, establishing a conference call among the initiating telephone line and one or more members of the closed-user group by issuing supervisory signals directed to other member lines of the closed-user group as selected by the reference to the database and establishing a communication path interconnecting member devices of the closed-user group that respond to said supervisory signals.
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5. A method of operating a communications network, comprising:
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detecting a signal from a wireless telephone set, the detected signal including an identification number of the wireless telephone set; determining a pre-defined group network into which the identification number is to be enrolled as a member; transmitting the identification number to the communications network to enroll the identification number into said predefined group network, said group network being a group of telephone sets having reciprocal mnemonic dialing access to each other.
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6. A telecommunication network, comprising:
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a node configured for use in said telecommunications network, the node being programmable to provide a mnemonic dialing service among members of a group; and an enrollment unit configured to automatically detect an identification number of a telephone, and to issue programming signals to the node to enroll the telephone into the mnemonic dialing group. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8)
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9. A method for connecting a telephone call, comprising:
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consulting a group membership database to determine group membership of an initiator of the call, the group membership as stored in the group membership database having been configured by a member subscriber of the group via a subscriber-accessible interface, the group membership database being available to members of the group to identify the group'"'"'s member lines; and connecting the call between the line at which the call is initiated and one or more member lines of the group. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49)
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50. A node of a telephone network, comprising:
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a subscriber-accessible user interface to a database, the interface enabling a subscriber to configure the membership attributes of a group, a group membership database reflecting the membership of the group being generally accessible to members of the group for reciprocal use; a call connector, for activation on recognition of a call initiated by a member of the group, and configured to receive a mnemonic indication of a group member and to connect the call between the initiator of the call and the indicated member based on the indication. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60)
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Specification