Method and apparatus for updating revertive telephone numbers

• US 6,330,322 B1
• Filed: 09/14/1998
• Issued: 12/11/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Foladare, Mark Jeffrey, Goldman, Shelley B., Wang, Shaoqing Q., Westrich, Robert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BENNY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US09/153,221
• Time in Patent Office: 1,184 Days
• Field of Search: 379/210-1-2, 379/211-1-2, 379/212.01, 379/213.01, 379/202.01, 379/215.01, 379/201-1-2, 379/114-1-1
• US Class Current: 379/211.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42272 whereby the subscriber registers to the terminals for personalised service provision

Abstract

A method and apparatus is provided for updating the telephone number in a subscriber'"'"'s profile to the telephone number at the subscriber'"'"'s current location based on a revertive call. When a revertive call is received by a system from a subscriber, the subscriber'"'"'s number is identified and compared to a default number in the subscriber'"'"'s profile. The call is connected and the system checks whether the telephone number is the same as the number stored in the subscriber'"'"'s profile. If the subscriber'"'"'s number is different than the number stored in the subscriber'"'"'s profile, after the call is terminated, the system queries the subscriber as to whether the subscriber would like to have calls forwarded to his or her current telephone number for a particular length of time. If the subscriber indicates that he or she would like to have calls forwarded to his or her current telephone number for a particular period of time, the subscriber'"'"'s telephone number will be stored in the subscriber'"'"'s profile so that future pages or calls will be forwarded to that number for the prescribed period, thus obviating the need for the subscriber to constantly place revertive calls from the same location.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating communication between a calling party and a subscriber in a communications network, comprising:

receiving a call from the subscriber;

identifying a telephone number used by the subscriber in the call as the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number;

connecting the subscriber and the calling party in a call;

comparing the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number with a telephone number stored in a subscriber'"'"'s profile; and

querying the subscriber after the call has been terminated as to whether the subscriber wants the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number, if different than the telephone number stored in the subscriber'"'"'s profile, to be now stored in the subscriber'"'"'s profile.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a call from a second calling party; and

connecting the subscriber and the second calling party using the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

querying the subscriber as to how long the subscriber would like calls to be routed to the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

setting a counter based on a length of time provided by the subscriber;

decrementing the counter; and

routing calls to the telephone number stored in the subscriber'"'"'s profile, when the counter equals zero.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving step receives the subscriber'"'"'s call from a computer terminal and the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number corresponds to an IP address.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number in the subscriber'"'"'s profile.

7. An apparatus for facilitating communication between a calling party and a subscriber in a communications network, comprising:

a database;

a controller coupled to the database that receives a call from the subscriber, identifies a telephone number used by the subscriber in the call as the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number, connects the subscriber and the calling party in a call;

compares the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number with a telephone number stored in a subscriber'"'"'s profile; and

queries the subscriber after the call has been terminated as to whether the subscriber wants the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number in the database, if different than the telephone number stored in the subscriber'"'"'s profile, to be now stored in the subscriber'"'"'s profile.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller receives a call from a second calling party, and connects the subscriber and the second calling party using the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller queries the subscriber as to how long the subscriber would like calls to be routed to the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller sets a counter based on a length of time provided by the subscriber, decrements the counter, and routes calls to the telephone number stored in the subscriber'"'"'s profile, when the counter equals zero.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller receives the subscriber'"'"'s call from a computer terminal and the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number corresponds to an IP address.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller stores the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number in the subscriber'"'"'s profile.

13. An apparatus for facilitating communication between a calling party and a subscriber in a communications network, comprising:

receiving means for receiving a call from the subscriber;

identifying means for identifying a telephone number used by the subscriber in the call as the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number;

connecting means for connecting the subscriber and the calling party in a call;

comparing means for comparing the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number with a telephone number stored in a subscriber'"'"'s profile; and

querying means for querying the subscriber after the call has been terminated as to whether the subscriber wants the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number, if different than the telephone number stored in the subscriber'"'"'s profile, to be now stored in the subscriber'"'"'s profile.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the receiving means receives a call from a second calling party, and the connecting means connects the subscriber and the second calling party using the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the querying means queries the subscriber as to how long the subscriber would like calls to be routed to the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

setting means for setting a counter based on a length of time provided by the subscriber;

decrementing means for decrementing the counter; and

routing means for routing calls to the telephone number stored in the subscriber'"'"'s profile, when the counter equals zero.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the receiving means receives the subscriber'"'"'s call from a computer terminal and the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number corresponds to an IP address.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

storing means for storing the subscriber'"'"'s current telephone number in the subscriber'"'"'s profile.