Analog caller identification transmission method and apparatus

• US 6,292,549 B1
• Filed: 02/23/1999
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Altigen Communications Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Altigen Communications Incorporated
• Inventors: Liu, Leo, Lin, Tzerng-Hong, Lung, En-Kuang, Keung, Donggun
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, QUOC DUC
• Application Number:
  US09/255,359
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142, 379/157, 379/165, 379/265, 379/211, 379/212, 379/201, 379/88.11, 379/88.19, 379/88.2, 379/88.21, 379/156
• US Class Current: 379/142.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/58 Arrangements for transferring received calls from one subscriber to another; Arrangements affording interim conversations between either the calling or the called party and a third party substation line holding circuits H04M1/80

Abstract

A method for routing analog Caller ID signals includes receiving an incoming telephone call for a first telephone extension, the incoming telephone call associated with a first set of analog Caller ID signals, asserting a ringing signal to the first telephone extension, the ringing signal including the first set of analog Caller ID signals, coupling the incoming call to the first telephone extension, receiving a request to couple the incoming call from the first telephone extension to a second telephone extension, receiving a request to send the first set of analog Caller ID signals to the second telephone extension, and asserting a ringing signal to the second telephone extension, the ringing signal including the first set of analog Caller ID signals.

Claims

1. A method for routing analog Caller ID signals comprises:

receiving an incoming telephone call for a first internal telephone extension, the incoming telephone call associated with a first set of analog Caller ID signals;

asserting a ringing signal to the first internal telephone extension, the ringing signal including the first set of analog Caller ID signals;

coupling the incoming call to the first internal telephone extension;

receiving a request to couple the incoming call from the first internal telephone extension to a second internal telephone extension;

receiving a request to send the first set of analog Caller ID signals to the second internal telephone extension; and

asserting a ringing signal to the second internal telephone extension, the ringing signal including the first set of analog Caller ID signals.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first set of analog Caller ID signals comprises numbers.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the numbers are encoded with a frequency key shift.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein the first set of analog Caller ID signals is also associated with caller data; and

wherein the method also includes outputting the caller data.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

encoding the caller data into a second set of analog Caller ID signals;

wherein the ringing signal also includes the second set of analog Caller ID signals.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the ringing signal for the second telephone extension also includes a second set of analog Caller ID signals, the second set of analog Caller ID signals associated with the first telephone extension.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

after receiving the incoming telephone call for the first telephone extension, decoding the first set of analog Caller ID signals for caller data; and

before asserting the ringing signal to the second telephone extension, encoding the caller data to regenerate the first set of analog Caller ID signals.

8. A computer program product for routing analog identification data in a telephone server including a processor comprises:

code that directs the processor to detect an incoming telephone call for a first internal telephone extension, the incoming telephone call associated with a first set of identification data in an analog format;

code that directs the processor to assert a ringing signal to the first internal telephone extension, the ringing signal including the first set of identification data in the analog format;

code that directs the processor to couple the incoming call to the first internal telephone extension;

code that directs the processor to detect a request to couple the incoming call from the first internal telephone extension to a second internal telephone extension;

code that directs the processor to detect a request to transfer the first set of information data in the analog format to the second internal telephone extension; and

code that directs the processor to assert a ringing signal to the second internal telephone extension, the ringing signal including the first set of information data in the analog format,

wherein the codes are stored in a tangible media.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 further comprising code that directs the processor to output caller data;

wherein the first set of identification data in the analog format is also associated with the caller data.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 further comprising:

code that directs the processor to encode the caller data into a second set of identification data in the analog format;

wherein the ringing signal also includes the second set of identification data in the analog format.

11. The computer program product of claim 8 wherein the ringing signal for the second telephone extension also includes a second set of identification data in the analog format, the second set of analog identification data associated with the first telephone extension.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the second set of identification data in the analog format comprises alphanumeric characters.

13. The computer program product of claim 8 further comprising:

code that directs the processor to decode the first set of identification data in the analog format for caller data;

code that directs the processor to store the caller data; and

code that directs the processor to re-encodes the caller data to regenerate the first set of identification data in the analog format.

14. A telephone server including a processor for routing an analog information signal comprises:

a computer readable memory including;

code that directs the processor to detect a telephone call from an external telephone for a first internal telephone, the telephone call associated with an information signal in an analog format;

code that directs the processor to decode the information signal in the analog format for caller data;

code that directs the processor to store the caller data;

code that directs the processor to form a re-generated information signal in the analog format in response to the caller data;

code that directs the processor to provide a ringer signal to the first internal telephone, the ringer signal including the re-generated information signal in the analog format;

code that directs the processor to couple the telephone call to the first internal telephone;

code that directs the processor to detect a request to forward the telephone call from the first internal telephone to a second internal telephone;

code that directs the processor to detect a request to forward the caller data to the second internal telephone; and

code that directs the processor to assert a ringer signal to the second internal telephone, the ringer signal including the re-generated information signal in the analog format.

15. A telecommunication server of claim 14,

wherein the caller data is also associated with other caller data in the computer readable memory; and

wherein the computer readable memory also includes code that directs the processor to output the other caller data.

16. The telephone server of claim 15

wherein the code that directs the processor to output the other caller data comprises code that directs the processor to form an additional information signal in the analog format in response to the other caller data;

and

wherein the ringing signal also includes the additional information signal in the analog format.

17. The telephone server of claim 14 wherein the first internal telephone has associated telephone data;

and

the computer readable memory also includes code that directs the processor to form an additional information signal in the analog format in response to the associated telephone data;

wherein the ringer signal for the second internal telephone includes the additional information signal in the analog format.

18. The telephone server of claim 17 wherein the additional information signal in the analog format comprises characters from the class of ASCII characters.

19. The telephone server of claim 14 wherein code that directs the processor to form the re-generated information signal in the analog format is also in response to data associated with the caller data.

20. The telecommunication server of claim 14 wherein the computer readable memory also includes:

code that directs the processor to prompt a user of the first internal telephone whether the caller data should be forwarded to the second internal telephone.

21. The telecommunication server of claim 20 wherein the caller data comprises Caller ID data.