TTY enhancement of busy condition prompt

• US 7,158,617 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SBC Technology Resources, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Technology Resources, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brandt, Jeffrey L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo; Stella
• Application Number:
  US10/742,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20040179655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 379/52, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 379/93.15, 379/88.05, 379/88.06, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/209.01, 379/210.01
• US Class Current: 379/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed for providing an indication of the busy condition to a calling party on a telecommunications system. The calling party may be the user of a text telephone device such as a TTY device. When a called party'"'"'s line is busy, the method and system send a text message to the calling party that indicates that the called party'"'"'s line is busy.

Claims

1. A method for providing an indication of a busy condition to a user on a communications system, wherein the communication system includes a called line, the method comprising:

determining if the called line is busy without receiving a busy signal;

if the called line is busy, sending a text message and a voice message to the user to indicate to the user that the called line is busy, wherein the text message is formatted for receipt by a TTY device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the voice message occurs after sending the text message.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the voice message occurs before sending the text message.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the voice message occurs at the same time the text message is sent.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the voice message is sent in response to a determined telecommunications service.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the telecommunications service comprises a prompted automatic callback service.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein sending the text message comprises sending signals to be interpreted by the TTY device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the signals comprise Baudot code signals.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the signals comprise ASCII code signals.

10. A busy signal identification system for providing an indication of a busy condition to a user on a communications system, wherein the communication system includes a called line, the system comprising:

an application connectable with the communication system, wherein the application determines if the called line is busy without receipt of a busy signal;

wherein, if the called line is busy, the application sends a text message to a TTY device and a voice message to the user to indicate to the user that a called line is busy.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the voice message is sent after the text message is sent.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the voice message is sent before the text message is sent.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the voice message is sent at the same time the text message is sent.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the voice message is sent to correspond to a determined telecommunications service.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the telecommunications service comprises a prompted automatic callback service.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the text message is sent by sending signals to be interpreted by the TTY device.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the signals comprise Baudot code signals.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the signals comprise ASCII code signals.