Single telephone number access to multiple communications services

• US 6,870,909 B2
• Filed: 10/07/1999
• Issued: 03/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: MCI Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Galvan, Thomas J., Chib, Rupika, Gross, Karen A.
• Primary Examiner(s): WEAVER, SCOTT LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US09/413,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20020172333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,993 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.19, 379/88.2, 379/88.21, 379/88.22, 379/90.01, 379/142, 379/201, 379/214, 379/216, 379/265, 379/355, 379/88.17, 379/142.01, 379/201.01, 379/210.01, 379/214.01, 379/216.01, 379/265.02, 379/355.01
• US Class Current: 379/88.22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42127 Systems providing several special services or facilities from groups H04M3/42008 - H04M3/58
• 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

Abstract

A platform provides access to multiple telecommunications services via a single telephone number. These services may include, for example, voicemail services, facsimile messaging services, paging services, and outbound calling services. A guest caller may call the single phone number to speak to a subscriber, leave a voicemail message for a subscriber, leave a facsimile message for a subscriber, or place a page to a subscriber. A subscriber may call the phone number to place outbound calls. In addition, a subscriber may call the single phone number to retrieve or send facsimile messages and/or voicemail messages. A subscriber may also call the phone number to configure service options. For instance, a subscriber may select routing options and choose what services are available to guest callers.

Claims

1. In a telecommunications system, a method comprising the steps of:

retrieving, by a subscriber via a single phone number service, a voicemail message from a voice mailbox;

updating over the Internet a subscriber profile associated with the single phone number service, by a subscriber via a web server;

calling the phone number to retrieve the voicemail message from the voice mailbox;

attaching an automatic number identifier (ANI) associated with a phone number of the party that left the voicemail message to the voicemail message; and

selectively calling the party that left the voicemail message, by an automatic callback service for calling a party that left the voicemail message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of initiating the selectively calling the party that left the voicemail message in response to a caller pressing a specified button on a keypad of a phone of the caller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the attaching step is performed transparently relative to a caller that calls the phone number to retrieve the voicemail message.

4. A telecommunications system for providing a single phone number service, comprising:

an automated call distributor (ACD) configured to receive a call from a switch network;

a voicemail/faxmail platform (VFP) configured to answer the call from the ACD, the VFP providing to a subscriber via the single phone number service retrieval of a voicemail message from a voice mailbox and an automatic callback service for calling a party that left the voicemail message; and

a web server for allowing the subscriber to update over the Internet a subscriber profile associated with the single phone number service,

wherein the VFP is configured to attach an automatic number identifier (ANI) associated with a phone number of the party that left the voicemail message to the voicemail message and to selectively initiate calling of the party that left the voicemail message.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the VFP initiates calling the party that left the voicemail message in response to a caller pressing a specified button on a keypad of a phone of the caller.

6. A method for providing voicemail services via a single number incorporating subscriber profile information comprising:

receiving via the Internet, from a subscriber, profile update information associated with a voicemail service;

receiving a call, at a single number, from a guest caller to the subscriber;

recording, with the voicemail service, a voicemail message from the guest caller;

determining the automatic number identifier (ANI) of the guest caller;

storing the ANI of the guest caller and associating it with the voicemail message from the guest caller;

receiving a call, at the single number, from the subscriber; and

selectively calling the ANI associated with the voicemail message from the guest caller.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising initiating the selectively calling the ANI associated with the voicemail message from the guest caller in response to receiving a signal corresponding to the pressing of a button on a phone keypad.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining of the ANI of the guest caller is performed transparently relative to the guest caller.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the selectively calling the ANI associated with the voicemail message from the guest caller is based on the profile information.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the determining the automatic number identifier of the guest caller is based on the profile information.

11. A system for providing voicemail services via a single number incorporating subscriber profile information, comprising:

means for receiving via the Internet, from a subscriber, profile update information associated with a voicemail service;

means for receiving a call, at a single number, from the guest caller to the subscriber;

means for recording, with the voicemail service, a voicemail message from the guest caller;

means for determining the automatic number identifier (ANI) of the guest caller;

means for storing the ANI of the guest caller and associating it with the voicemail message from the guest caller;

means for receiving a call, at the single number, from the subscriber; and

means for selectively calling the ANI associated with the voicemail message from the guest caller.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising means for initiating the selectively calling the ANI associated with the voicemail message from the guest caller in response to receiving a signal corresponding to the pressing of a button on a phone keypad.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for determining of the ANI of the guest caller operates transparently relative to the guest caller.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for selectively calling the ANI associated with the voicemail message from the guest caller is based on the profile information.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for determining the automatic number identifier of the guest caller is based on the profile information.