Method and apparatus for transmitting address changes

• US 6,373,940 B2
• Filed: 05/04/1998
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unify Inc. (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Information And Communication Networks, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Shaffer, Shmuel, Beyda, William Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BENNY QUOC
• Application Number:
  US09/073,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20010012351A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201-1-2, 379/207-1-2, 379/219, 379/220.01, 379/213.01, 379/214.01, 379/216.01, 379/355-1-3, 379/356.01, 709/206
• US Class Current: 379/355.02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/23 Reliability checks, e.g. acknowledgments or fault reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5076 Update or notification mechanisms, e.g. DynDNS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/44 Additional connecting arrangements for providing access to frequently-wanted subscribers, e.g. abbreviated dialling at the subscriber's set H04M1/27; automatic redialling H04M3/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A communication system for transmitting address changes. A communication system includes a source communication system and one or more destination communication systems, each of which is identified by a unique number or address. A memory in the source communication system maintains a record of each destination communication system that communicates with it. If the number or address of the source communication is changed, the source communication system generates a new number or address message which is transmitted to each of the destination communication systems. The destination communication systems receive the new number or address message and update a memory to reflect the new number or address of the source communication system. Those destination systems that are able to read the new number or address message and update a record of the number or address for the source communication system generate an acknowledge signal which is transmitted to the source communication system. The source communication system may transmit a human readable new number or address message to those destination communication systems that have not transmitted the acknowledge signal. The communications systems may comprise telephones, facsimile machines or computers having e-mail or IP addresses.

Claims

1. A method of updating an identifier of a source telecommunication system, comprising:

recalling from a memory an identifier of at least one destination telecommunication system that has previously been in communication with the source communication system;

automatically determining and transmitting a message to the at least one destination telecommunication system, wherein the message indicates a new identifier for the source telecommunication system and indicates an old identifier that is replaced by the new identifier; and

receiving the message at the at least one destination telecommunication system and updating a memory associated with each of the at least one destination telecommunication system with the new identifier for the source telecommunication system.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting an acknowledge signal from the at least one destination telecommunication system back to the source telecommunication system if the at least one destination telecommunication system was able to receive the message indicating a new identifier for the source telecommunication system and update a memory that stores the identifier of the source telecommunication system.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

generating a human understandable message that indicates a new identifier for the source telecommunication system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the message that indicates a new identifier is a signaling message that the at least one destination telecommunication system is programmed to recognize;

and the human understandable message is transmitted to those destination telecommunication systems that did not transmit an acknowledge signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the source telecommunication system is a telephone.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the source telecommunication system is a facsimile machine.

7. A method of updating an identifier of a source telecommunication system, comprising:

recalling from a memory an identifier of at least one destination telecommunication system that has previously been in communication with the source telecommunication system;

automatically determining and transmitting a message to the at least one destination telecommunication system that indicates a new identifier for the source telecommunication system; and

receiving the message at the at least one destination telecommunication system and updating a memory associated with each of the at least one destination telecommunication system with the new identifier for the source telecommunication system;

wherein the source telecommunication system is a telephone.

8. A method of updating an identifier of a source telecommunication system, comprising:

recalling from a memory an identifier of at least one destination telecommunication system that has previously been in communication with the source telecommunication system;

automatically determining and transmitting a message to the at least one destination telecommunication system that indicates a new identifier for the source telecommunication system; and

receiving the message at the at least one destination telecommunication system and updating a memory associated with each of the at least one destination telecommunication system with the new identifier for the source telecommunication system;

wherein the source telecommunication system is a facsimile machine.

9. A telecommunication system including a source telecommunication device that is identified by a unique identifier and at least one destination telecommunication device, each such destination device being identified by a unique identifier, comprising:

a memory associated with the source telecommunication device that stores an identifier of at least one destination telecommunication device that has previously communicated with the source telecommunication device;

a processor coupled to the source telecommunication device that is programmed to recall the identifier of the at least one destination telecommunication device that has previously communicated with the source telecommunication device, the processor being further programmed to generate a message indicating a new identifier for the source telecommunication device and indicating an old identifier for the source telecommunication device and to transmit the message to each destination telecommunication device; and

a processor coupled to each destination telecommunication device that receives the message and updates a memory that stores said new identifier for the source telecommunication device.

10. The communication system of claim 9, wherein the source telecommunication device and the at least one destination telecommunication device are telephones.

11. The telecommunication system of claim 9, wherein the source telecommunication device and the at least one destination telecommunication device are facsimile machines.

12. A method of updating an identifier of a source communication system, comprising:

recalling from a memory an identifier of at least one destination communication system that has previously been in communication with the source communication system, at least one of which destination systems is outside a local area network;

transmitting a message to the at least one destination communication system that indicates a new identifier that is for use in contacting a person associated with the source communication system; and

receiving the message at the at least one destination communication system and updating a memory associated with each of the destination communication systems with the new identifier for the source communication system.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting an acknowledge signal from the at least one destination communication system back to the source communication system if the at least one destination communication system was able to receive the message indicating a new identifier for the source communication system and update a memory that stores the identifier of the source communication system.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

generating a human readable message that indicates a new identifier for the source communication system.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the human readable message is transmitted to those destination communication systems that did not transmit an acknowledge signal.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one destination communication system includes at least one telephone or facsimile machine, and the new identifier includes a telephone number.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one destination communication system includes at least one computer system, and the new identifier includes an e-mail address.

18. A telecommunication system including a source telecommunication device that is identified by an identifier and at least one destination telecommunication device, each such destination device being identified by a unique identifier, comprising:

a memory associated with the source telecommunication device that stores an identifier of the at least one destination telecommunication device that has previously communicated with the source telecommunication device; and

a processor coupled to the source telecommunication device that is programmed to recall the identifier of the at least one destination telecommunication device that has previously communicated with the source telecommunication device, the processing being further programmed to generate a message indicating a new identifier for the source telecommunication device and to transmit the message to each destination telecommunication device, wherein the new identifier for the source telecommunication device is a telephone number and the at least one destination telecommunication device includes a telephone or facsimile machine; and

a processor coupled to each destination telecommunication device that receives the message and updates a memory that stores said new identifier for the source telecommunication device.

19. The telecommunication system of claim 18, wherein the source telecommunication device and the at least one destination telecommunication device are telephones, and the source telecommunication device is identified by a unique identifier.

20. The telecommunication system of claim 18, wherein the source telecommunication device and the at least one destination telecommunication device are facsimile machines, and the source telecommunication device is identified by a unique identifier.

21. The telecommunication system of claim 18, wherein the memory associated with the source telecommunication device includes a speed dial memory.

22. The telecommunication system of claim 18, wherein the memory associated with the source telecommunication device includes a database of telecommunication devices that have previously initiated communication with the source telecommunication device.

23. A communication device, hereinafter referred to as the source communication device, wherein the source communication device is capable of communication with one or more other communication devices that have memories and processors, the source communication device comprising:

a memory that stores an identifier of each of at least one communication device that has previously communicated with the source communication device;

the at least one communication device that has previously communicated with the source communication device hereinafter referred to as the at least one destination communication device; and

a processor coupled to the source communication device, wherein the processor is programmed to recall the identifier of the at least one destination communication device, and the processor is further programmed to determine a message indicating a new identifier for the source communication device and to transmit the message to the at least one destination communication device;

wherein the at least one destination communication device includes at least one telephone or facsimile machine, and a processor of a destination communication device that receives the message updates a memory of that destination communication device previously storing an old identifier for the source communication device to store the new identifier.

24. The source communication device of claim 23, wherein the new identifier for the source communication device is a new telephone number for the source communication device that has replaced an old telephone number for the source communication device.

25. The source communication device of claim 23, wherein the message also indicates an old identifier for the source communication device.

26. The source communication device of claim 23, wherein the memory that stores an identifier of each of at least one communication device that has previously communicated with the source communication device includes a speed dial memory.

27. The source communication device of claim 23, wherein the memory that stores an identifier of each of at least one communication device that has previously communicated with the sorce communication device includes a database of communication devices that have previously initiated communication with the source communication device.

28. The source communication device of claim 23, wherein processor is further programmed to receive an acknowledgement signal from the at least one telehpone or facsimile machine, and, for a telephone or facsimile machine from which the acknowledgment signal is not received, to generate and send to that telephone or facsimile machine a human understandable message that indicates the new identifier for the source communication system.

29. The source communication device of claim 28, wherein processor is further programmed to, for a telephone or facsimile machine from which the acknowledgment signal is received, to generate and send to that telephone or facsimile machine a human understandable message indicating that that telephone or facsimile machine has been updated with new information.

30. A communication system device, hereinafter referred to as the destination communication device, wherein the destination communication device is capable of communication with another communication device, hereinafter referred to as the source communication device, the destination communication device comprising:

a memory that stores identifiers for communication devices, including an identifier for the source communication device, the identifier for the source communication device being for use in contacting the source communication device; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is programmed to receive a message that indicates a new identifier for the source communication device, and to update the memory based on the message to store the new identifier for the source communication device without requiring human data entry of the new identifier for the source communication device, wherein the message was generated not due to any attempt by the destination communication device to contact the source communication device using an old identifier for the source communication device;

wherein the new identifier for the source communication device is a telephone number for the source communication device, and the destination communication device is a telephone or facsimile machine.

31. The destination communication device of claim 30, wherein the memory is a speed dial memory.

32. The destination communication device of claim 30, wherein the memory is a database that stores identifiers for communication devices that have been contacted by the destination communication device.

33. The destination communication device of claim 30, wherein the memory is a database that stored identifiers for communication devices that have initiated contact with the destination communication device.

34. The destination communication device of claim 30, wherein the new identifier for the source communication device is received from the source communication device.