Enhanced telephone communication methods and apparatus incorporating pager features

• US 6,188,907 B1
• Filed: 08/08/1997
• Issued: 02/13/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: NYNEX Science & Technology, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Reding, Craig, Levas, Suzi, Aartsen, Menno
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US08/907,856
• Time in Patent Office: 1,285 Days
• Field of Search: 455/459, 455/426, 455/458, 455/31.2, 455/515, 455/414, 455/556, 455/460
• US Class Current: 455/459
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/022 Paging systems personal calling arrangements or devices G08B3/1008; selective calling networks H04W84/022
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for implementing a telephone communication system incorporating pager features are described. In accordance with the present invention, when a call to a system subscriber is received, the subscriber is contacted by the telephone switch which receives the call via the use of a pager message, e.g., using a conventional pager system. If the subscriber has a pager module of the present invention, which receives the pager message directed to the subscriber inserted into an enhanced telephone of the present invention, the pager module will automatically initiate a call to the switch where the waiting call is being held or “parked”. The automatically placed call will result in a connection between the switch and called party being established over conventional telephone lines. The connection with the switch is thus established automatically in a manner that is transparent to the subscriber. After verifying the identify of the responding party, the calling and called parties are connected. A signal from the contacted switch may be used to cause the enhanced telephone used to establish the connection with the switch to ring thereby signal the receipt of a call to the telephone subscriber. Because the methods and apparatus of the present invention can be implemented using pager technology and land-line telephones, many of the cost, privacy, power consumption, and regional compatibility problems encountered when using current cellular telephones are avoided.

Claims

1. A communication method, comprising the steps of:

receiving a pager message indicative of a waiting call at a switch;

operating a telephone device to respond, without intervention by the operator of the telephone device, to the pager message by automatically dialing a telephone number of the switch; and

transmitting, to the switch, information identifying the responding party.

2. The communication method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving from the switch an acknowledgement signal; and

generating a signal indicative of an incoming call in response to the acknowledgement signal.

3. The communication method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

providing a portable pager device; and

inserting the portable pager device into a telephone device.

4. The communication method of claim 3, wherein the telephone device is a land-line telephone apparatus coupled to a public switching network.

5. The communication method of claim 3, wherein the telephone device is a cellular telephone apparatus capable of receiving and placing cellular telephone calls.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of verifying includes steps of determining whether a received PAN and UAC match an expected PAN and UAC.

6. A communication method comprising the steps of:

operating a switch to receive a call directed to a phone number corresponding to a called party;

transmitting, to the called, party a pager message indicating that a call is waiting at the switch;

operating a telephone device capable of making and receiving telephone calls to automatically respond, without action by the operator of the telephone device, to the pager message by dialing a telephone number of the switch; and

operating the switch to connect the called party to the telephone device in response to the call made by the telephone device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of:

determining, prior to transmitting the pager message, if a primary telephone associated with the called party is active.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of:

operating the switch to transmit a call acknowledgement signal to the telephone device; and

operating the telephone device to generate an audible signal indicative of a telephone call.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the telephone device is a land-line telephone device coupled to the switch by a public switching network.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

operating the switch to verify the identity of the party responding to the pager message prior to connecting the calling party to the telephone device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

billing the calling party for the call directed to the assigned phone number; and

billing the called party for the call made by the telephone device.

20. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of verifying includes steps of determining whether a received PAN and UAC match an expected PAN and UAC.

12. A portable pager device, comprising:

a connector for coupling the portable pager device to a telephone device;

a memory; and

means for initiating, without intervention by the operator of the portable pager device, a telephone dialing operation in response to a pager message,

wherein the means for initiating a telephone dialing operation include means for automatically initiating a telephone dialing operation to a switch parking a waiting telephone call, in the absence of human intervention, in response to a pager message indicative of the call waiting at the switch.

13. The portable pager device of claim 12, wherein the device further comprises a memory for storing a pager access number and the telephone number of a switch.

14. The portable pager device of claim 13, further comprising:

means for generating an audible signal indicative of an incoming call in response to an acknowledgement signal received from the switch.

15. In a system having a local central office, a paging network, and a remote central office, a method for processing a call to a portable device located outside of a range of the local central office, the method comprising:

a) parking, at the local central office, the call;

b) sending, from the local central office, to the paging network, a message including a telephone number of the parked call and an enhanced call indication;

c) paging, with the paging network, the portable device;

d) determining whether or not a pager is attached to the portable device;

e) if a pager is not attached to the portable device, indicating to a caller that placed the call, that the called party is being paged; and

f) determining whether or not the called party responds to the page within a predetermined time period.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

g) if the called party does respond to the page within the predetermined time period, connecting the caller and the called party.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein if it is determined that a pager is attached to the portable device, initiating a call, from the portable device, to the local central office.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the call initiated from the portable device to the local central office is initiated without intervention by an operator of the portable device.