Method, system and medium for plug-and-play downloading of speed dial lists

• US 6,678,367 B1
• Filed: 08/21/2000
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P.
• Original Assignee: SBC Properties Incorporated
• Inventors: Pelletier, Karen Jeanne, Pickard, Michael Steven, Israelski, Edmond W., Liebrecht, Donald Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Deane, Jr., William J.
• Application Number:
  US09/643,113
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• Field of Search: 379/216.01, 379/218.01, 379/355.01, 379/355.02, 379/355.03, 379/355.04, 379/355.05, 379/355.06, 379/355.07, 379/201.01, 379/201.05
• US Class Current: 379/216.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/053 remote terminal provisioning, e.g. of applets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42178 by downloading data to substation equipment

Abstract

A speed dial list associated with a telephone line is received via at least one of a computer network and a telephone network. The speed dial list is stored in a database and associated with an identifier of the telephone line. An event of connecting a telephone set to the telephone line is detected. Based on the event, the telephone line to which the telephone set has been connected is identified. The speed dial list associated with the identified telephone line is retrieved. A machine-readable form of the speed dial list is communicated to the telephone set via the telephone network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a speed dial list associated with a telephone line via at least one of a computer network and a telephone network;

storing the speed dial list in a database;

associating, in the database, the speed dial list with an identifier of the telephone line;

detecting that a telephone set has been connected to the telephone line and in response to that detection;

(a) identifying the telephone line to which the telephone set has been connected;

(b) retrieving the speed dial list from the database based on said identifying; and

(c) communicating a machine-readable form of the speed dial list to the telephone set via the telephone network.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said detecting comprises receiving a telephone call automatically placed by the telephone set via the telephone line in response to the telephone set being connected to the telephone line.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said identifying the telephone line is based on at least one of a calling party number and an automatic number identification associated with the telephone call.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein said communicating is performed within the telephone call.

5. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

providing, within the telephone call, an option to download the speed dial list; and

receiving, within the telephone call, a selection of the option.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing the speed dial list in the telephone set based on the machine-readable form.

7. A method comprising:

receiving a speed dial list associated with a telephone line via at least one of a computer network and a telephone network;

storing the speed dial list in a database;

associating, in the database, the speed dial list with an identifier of the telephone line;

receiving a telephone call automatically placed by a telephone set via the telephone line in response to the telephone set being connected to the telephone line;

identifying the telephone line to which the telephone set has been connected based on at least one of a calling party number and an automatic number identification associated with the telephone call;

providing, within the telephone call, an option to download the speed dial list;

receiving, within the telephone call, a selection of the option;

retrieving the speed dial list from the database based on said identifying; and

communicating a machine-readable form of the speed dial list within the telephone call to the telephone set via the telephone network; and

storing the speed dial list in the telephone set based on the machine-readable form.

8. A system comprising:

a database; and

a processor;

(a) to receive a speed dial list associated with a telephone line via at least one of a computer network and a telephone network;

(b) to direct the database to store the speed dial list and to associate the speed dial list with an identifier of the telephone line;

(c) to detect that a telephone set has been connected to the telephone line;

(d) to identify, in response to detecting that the telephone set has been connected to the telephone line, the telephone line to which the telephone set has been connected;

(e) to retrieve the speed dial list associated with the telephone line from the database; and

(f) to communicate a machine-readable form-of-the-speed dial-list to the telephone set via the telephone network.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the processor is to detect that the telephone set has been connected to the telephone line by receiving a telephone call automatically placed by the telephone set via the telephone line in response to the telephone set being connected to the telephone line.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor is to identify the telephone line based on at least one of a calling party number and an automatic number identification associated with the telephone call.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor is to communicate the machine-readable form of the speed dial list within the telephone call.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor is further to provide, within the telephone call, an option to download the speed dial list, and to receive, within the telephone call, a selection of the option.

13. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable content to cause a computer to perform acts of:

receiving a speed dial list associated with a telephone line via at least one of a computer network and a telephone network;

storing the speed dial list in a database;

associating, in the database, the speed dial list with an identifier of the telephone line;

detecting that a telephone set has been connected to the telephone line and in response to that detection;

(a) identifying the telephone line to which the telephone set has been connected;

(b) retrieving the speed dial list from the database based on said identifying; and

(c) communicating a machine-readable form of the speed dial list to the telephone set via the telephone network.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein said detecting comprises receiving a telephone call automatically placed by the telephone set via the telephone line in response to the telephone set being connected to the telephone line.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein said identifying the telephone line is based on at least one of a calling party number and an automatic number identification associated with the telephone call.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein said communicating is performed within the telephone call.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the computer-readable content further causes the computer to perform acts of:

providing, within the telephone call, an option to download the speed dial list; and

receiving, within the telephone call, a selection of the option.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the computer-readable content further causes the computer to perform an act of:

storing the speed dial list in the telephone set based on the machine-readable form.