Method for auditory differentiation of forwarded phone calls

• US 7,120,240 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2002
• Issued: 10/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Perez, Gail, Edge, Brandi, Carter, Rolanda
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Bing Q.
• Application Number:
  US10/228,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20040042603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: 379/211.02, 379/211.01, 379/373.02, 379/215.01, 379/211.03, 379/211.04, 379/207.16, 379/374.01, 379/374.02, 379/375.01, 379/418
• US Class Current: 379/211.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• 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 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308

Abstract

The present invention is directed to the auditory differentiation among forwarded phone calls within a phone network, and in particular an advanced intelligent phone network. Unique distinctive forwarded ring alerts and distinctive forwarded call waiting alerts are assigned to selected subscriber phone numbers in the phone network. Upon the forwarding of one or more of these subscriber phone numbers to a target phone number within the telephone network, auditory differentiation between the forwarded phone numbers and the target phone number can be achieved by a customer.

Claims

1. A method for the auditory differentiation of forwarded phone calls in a phone network, the method comprising:

selecting a plurality of subscriber phone numbers in the phone network;

assigning a distinctive forwarded ring alert to each of the selected plurality of subscriber phone numbers, the distinctive forwarded ring alert identifying a call to the assigned subscriber phone number that is forwarded to a target phone number;

forwarding calls of two or more of the selected plurality of subscriber phone numbers to the target phone number in the phone network; and

announcing the distinctive forwarded ring alert assigned to the forwarded selected subscriber phone number at a target phone of the target subscriber phone number upon initiation of a call to one of the forwarded selected subscriber phone numbers such that the distinctive ring alert differentiates the call from another distinctive ring alert of another call forwarded from another selected subscriber phone number to the target subscriber phone number.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the target phone number comprises a target ring alert, and the method further comprises:

comparing the target ring alert to the forwarded ring alert of each forwarded subscriber phone number; and

adjusting each forwarded ring alert as necessary to ensure auditory differentiation between each forwarded ring alert and the target ring alert.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising logging each selected subscriber phone number and assigned forwarded ring alert to a database accessible by the telephone network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of logging each subscriber phone number and forwarded ring alert is executed by a customer through a telephone connected to the telephone network.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the step of logging each subscriber phone number and forwarded ring alert is executed by a customer through a computer linked to the database.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the computer is linked to the database through a computer internet.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a distinctive forwarded call waiting alert to each one of the selected plurality of subscriber phone numbers; and

announcing the distinctive forwarded call waiting alert assigned to the forwarded selected subscriber phone number at the target phone upon initiation of a call to the forwarded selected subscriber phone number such that the distinctive call waiting alert differentiates the call from another distinctive call waiting alert to another forwarded selected subscriber phone number of the target phone.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephone network is a packet-switched telephone network.

9. A storage medium on which is encoded instructions for performing:

selecting a first subscriber and a second subscriber in a communications network, the first subscriber comprising at least one first subscriber communications address and the second subscriber comprising at least one second subscriber communications address;

assigning a distinctive forwarded first subscriber ring alert for the first subscriber;

assigning a distinctive forwarded second subscriber ring alert for the second subscriber;

forwarding a call to the first subscriber to a target phone number;

forwarding another call to the second subscriber to the target phone number;

announcing the distinctive forwarded first subscriber ring alert at a target phone associated with the target phone number, the distinctive forwarded first subscriber ring alert announced upon initiation of the call to the first subscriber such that the distinctive forwarded first subscriber ring alert identifies the call for the first subscriber; and

announcing the distinctive forwarded second subscriber ring alert at the target phone associated with the target phone number, the distinctive forwarded second subscriber ring alert announced upon initiation of the other call to the second subscriber such that the distinctive forwarded second subscriber ring alert identifies the other call for the second subscriber.

10. The storage medium of claim 9, on which is encoded further instructions for performing:

assigning a first unique forwarded call waiting alert to each communications address of the first subscriber;

assigning a second unique forwarded call waiting alert to each communications address of the second subscriber;

announcing the first unique forwarded call waiting alert via the target phone upon initiation of the call to the forwarded communications address of the first subscriber such that the first unique call waiting alert differentiates the call for the first subscriber during an off-hook state of the target phone; and

announcing the second unique forwarded call waiting alert via the target phone upon initiation of the call to the forwarded communications address of the second subscriber such that the second unique call waiting alert differentiates the call for the second subscriber during an off-hook state of the target phone.