Method for monitoring voicemail calls using ADSI capable CPE

• US 6,337,898 B1
• Filed: 04/22/1997
• Issued: 01/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Gordon, Ian R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US08/844,840
• Time in Patent Office: 1,722 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/70, 379/82, 379/88.01, 379/88.09, 379/88.11, 379/88.17, 379/88.19, 379/93.18, 379/93.23, 379/93.27, 379/242, 379/243, 379/247, 379/88.13, 379/142, 379/93.25, 379/93.01, 379/93.14, 379/93.17, 379/34, 379/35, 379/38, 379/142.01, 379/373.02, 379/374.01
• US Class Current: 379/67.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/20 with means for interrupting existing connections; with means for breaking-in on conversations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2272 Subscriber line supervision circuits, e.g. call detection circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

A Central Office voicemail system permits a customer to monitor incoming calls and decide whether or not he wishes to take the call. When a call is made to a called party (customer) and the called party does not answer the phone the call is transferred to voicemail in the usual way. Additionally, a special ringing tone is applied automatically by the Central Office to the called party line. This has the effect of alerting the called party to the fact that the caller has been transferred to voicemail. The called party can then monitor the message being left simply by lifting his phone and, if he wants to talk to the caller, he simply carries out a hookswitch flash. Alternatively, with a specially adapted terminal, the called party does not even have to lift the phone to monitor the message because the special ringing tone causes his terminal to go automatically into off-hook hands-free mode.

Claims

1. A remote voicemail system comprising a central telephone switch to which are connected subscriber terminals each having hands-free capability using a hands-free speaker, the voicemail system comprising:

playback means located at the central switch for playing back pre-recorded messages relating to respective subscribers;

recording means located at the central switch for recording messages from calling parties;

means at the central switch for connecting to the playback means a call made by a calling party to a called subscriber terminal which call has not been answered by the called subscriber after a predetermined number of rings;

means for automatically switching the called subscriber terminal to off-hook hands-free mode on or after connection of the playback means to the calling party'"'"'s unanswered call; and

means for establishing a receive path from the calling party to the hands-free speaker of the called subscriber terminal when the called subscriber terminal has been switched to off-hook hands-free mode, whereby a message being recorded by the calling party is relayed automatically in real time to the called subscriber terminal.

2. A voicemail system according to claim 1 further comprising selectively operable signal means at the subscriber terminals for enabling the called subscriber selectively to establish a transmit path from the called subscriber terminal to the calling party when the called subscriber terminal is in off-hook hands-free mode.

3. A voicemail system according to claim 1, wherein the means automatically switching the called subscriber terminal to off-hook hands-free mode comprises means at the central switch for sending a special signal to the subscriber terminal and means in the called subscriber terminal for recognizing the special signal and causing the called subscriber terminal to go off-hook.

4. A voicemail system according to claim 3, wherein the special signal is a distinctive ringing signal.

5. A voicemail system according to claim 1, wherein the means for establishing a receive path comprises means at the central switch for recognizing that the called subscriber terminal has gone off-hook.

6. A voicemail system according to claim 2, wherein the means for establishing a receive path comprises means at the central switch for recognizing that the called subscriber terminal has gone off-hook.

7. A voicemail system according to claim 3, wherein the means for establishing a receive path comprises means at the central switch for recognizing that the called subscriber terminal has gone off-hook.

8. A voicemail system according to claim 2, wherein the selectively operable signal means permits selective transmission of a hookswitch flash and the central switch on receipt of the hookswitch flash causes connection of the transmit path.

9. A remote voicemail system comprising a central telephone switch to which are connected subscriber terminals configured according to the ADSI protocol and each having hands-free capability using a hands-free speaker, the voicemail system comprising:

playback means located at the central switch for playing back pre-recorded messages relating to respective subscribers;

recording means located at the central switch for recording messages from calling parties;

means at the central switch for connecting to the playback means a call made by a calling party to a called subscriber terminal which call has not been answered by the called subscriber after a predetermined time;

means at the central switch for sending a distinctive ringing signal to the called subscriber terminal after connection of the playback means to the calling party'"'"'s unanswered call;

the subscriber terminals being configured such that the called subscriber terminal responds to the distinctive ringing signal by placing the called subscriber terminal automatically in an off-hook hands-free mode;

means at the central switch recognizing that the called subscriber terminal has gone off-hook and in response to such recognition establishes a receive path from the calling party to the hands-free speaker of the called subscriber terminal but not a transmit path from the called subscriber terminal to the calling party, whereby the calling party can be heard at the called subscriber terminal as the calling party is leaving a message but the called subscriber cannot be heard by the calling party.

10. A voicemail system according to claim 9, wherein the subscriber terminals are configured such that pressing of a softkey on the called subscriber terminal by the called subscriber when the called subscriber terminal is on the off-hook hands-free mode causes a hook switch flash and wherein the central switch is configured on receipt of the hookswitch flash to establish the transmit path from the called subscriber terminal to the calling party.

11. A voicemail system according to claim 10, wherein the subscriber terminals have display screens and are configured such that a prompt appears on the display screen of the called subscriber terminal advising the called subscriber which softkey to press to establish the transmit path.

12. An interactive analog telephone subscriber terminal having a display screen, dial pad and softkeys, the interactive analog subscriber terminal having hands-free capability and being programmed such that on receipt of a standard ringing signal it remains on-hook and on receipt of a distinctive ringing signal it goes off-hook and activates the hands-free capability.

13. An interactive analog-telephone subscriber terminal according to claim 12, wherein the terminal is programmed such that on receipt of the standard ringing signal caller ID is displayed on the screen and on receipt of the distinctive ringing signal a message advising that a caller has been connected to voicemail is displayed on the screen and an instruction as to which softkey must be pressed to talk to the caller is displayed on the screen.

14. An interactive analog telephone subscriber terminal according to claim 13, wherein the terminal is programmed to go on-hook if an extension goes off-hook after the terminal has gone off-hook on receipt of the distinctive ringing signal.

15. An interactive analog telephone subscriber terminal according to claim 14, wherein the terminal is programmed:

to go on-hook if dialtone is received by the terminal after the terminal has gone off-hook on receipt of the distinctive ringing signal; and

to go on-hook a predetermined time after the terminal has gone off-hook on receipt of the distinctive ringing signal.

16. An interactive analog telephone subscriber terminal according to claim 15, wherein the terminal is programmed such that on pressing of the softkey advised by the instruction displayed on the screen a hookswitch flash is performed by the terminal and the terminal goes to a stable two party call mode.

17. An interactive terminal according to claim 16, wherein the terminal is programmed such that on pressing a Quit softkey the terminal goes on-hook.

18. An interactive analog telephone subscriber terminal according to claim 17, which supports the ADSI protocol.

19. An interactive terminal according to claim 16, which supports the ADSI protocol.

20. An interactive analog telephone subscriber terminal according to claim 13, wherein the terminal is programmed to go on-hook if dialtone is received by the terminal after the terminal has gone off-hook on receipt of the distinctive ringing signal.

21. An interactive analog telephone subscriber terminal according to claim 13, wherein the terminal is programmed to go on-hook a predetermined time after the terminal has gone off-hook on receipt of the distinctive ringing signal.

22. An interactive analog telephone subscriber terminal according to claim 13, wherein the terminal is programmed such that on pressing of the Take Call softkey a hookswitch flash is performed by the terminal and the terminal goes to a stable two party call mode.

23. An interactive terminal according to claim 22, which supports the ADSI protocol.

24. An interactive analog telephone subscriber terminal according to claim 13, wherein the terminal is programmed such that on pressing a Quit softkey the terminal goes on-hook.

25. An interactive terminal according to claim 24, which supports the ADSI protocol.

26. An interactive terminal according to claim 25, which supports the ADSI protocol.

27. An interactive terminal according to claim 13, which supports the ADSI protocol.

28. An interactive analog telephone subscriber terminal according to claim 12, wherein the terminal is programmed to go on-hook if dialtone is received by the terminal after the terminal has gone off-hook on receipt of the distinctive ringing signal.

29. An interactive analog telephone subscriber terminal according to claim 12, wherein the terminal is programmed to go on-hook a predetermined time after the terminal has gone off-hook on receipt of the distinctive ringing signal.

30. An interactive terminal according to claim 12, which supports the ADSI protocol.

31. An interactive analog telephone subscriber terminal according to claim 12, wherein the terminal is programmed to go on-hook if an extension goes off-hook after the terminal has gone off-hook on receipt of the distinctive ringing signal.

32. A method implemented by a telephone service provider for permitting a called subscriber having a subscriber terminal with hands-free capability and a hands-free speaker to monitor a message being left in a remote voice mailbox of the called subscriber, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an incoming call that is initiated by a caller for the subscriber;

connecting the incoming call to the subscriber terminal;

if the called subscriber does not answer the incoming call after a predetermined number of rings, forwarding the call to a central voicemail system;

playing a recorded message from the central voicemail system to the caller;

switching the called subscriber terminal to off-hook hands-free mode on or after beginning of playing the recorded message;

establishing a receive path from the calling party to the hands-free speaker of the called subscriber terminal when the called subscriber terminal has been switched to off-hook hands-free mode; and

recording in the voicemail system a message generated by the caller, which message is relayed automatically in real time to the called subscriber terminal.