Methods and apparatus for forwarding caller ID data from a call answering device utilizing a call control system

• US 7,391,857 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2000
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unify Inc. (Atos SE)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Communications Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Beyda, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elahee, M. S. Alam
• Application Number:
  US09/738,532
• Publication Number:
  US 20020076011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,748 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/84, 379/85, 379/88.11, 379/88.21, 379/88.25, 379/142.01, 379/142.04, 379/142.06, 379/142.08, 379/88.15, 379/88.19, 379/88.02, 379/209.01, 379/88.22, 379/265.13, 379/114.21, 379/215.01, 379/29.05, 379/35, 379/201.01, 379/210.01, 379/355.08, 455/412.2, 455/415, 455/514
• US Class Current: 379/210.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for forwarding Caller ID data on demand when retrieving messages from an answering device using an endpoint telecommunications device and an associated call control system (such as the central office of the calling phone, a PBX, ToL Gatekeeper, wireless carrier switch, etc.), to fully or partially automate the dialing process for remotely calling back a message sender. The invention permits the caller retrieving messages to quickly and easily return calls with little or no manual intervention, without having to create a trombone connection. The invention operates with calling endpoint telecommunication devices that are “intelligent” enough to receive, store and/or utilize Caller ID data forwarded from an answering device; as well as with not so intelligent telecommunications devices (such as many pay phones) that may lack the ability to receive, store and/or utilize forwarded Caller ID data.

Claims

1. A method for calling back a message sender from a telecommunications device, comprising:

(a) collecting Caller ID data at an answering device before said answering device answers an associated call; and

(b) transmitting said collected Caller ID data to said telecommunications device, said telecommunications device being located remotely from said answering device, wherein said telecommunications device is a call control system associated with an endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device separate from said call control system, said transmitting occurring in response to a subsequent call in to the answering device from the endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device;

wherein said call control system utilizes said transmitted Caller ID data to complete a call to thereby directly connect said endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device to a telecommunications device associated with a particular Caller ID, without placing a trombone connection via said answering device.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said call control system is a PBX.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said call control system is a ToL Gatekeeper.

4. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said call control system is a wireless carrier system.

5. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said call control system is a central office.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said collecting Caller ID data comprises transmitting said Caller ID data to said answering device with a ring signal.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said collecting Caller ID data comprises transmitting said Caller ID data to said answering device with a call waiting signal.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said Caller ID data is transmitted to said telephone device as a digital signal.

9. A method for facilitating the dialing of a telephone number of a caller to a first phone line using a second phone line and a dialing device coupled to the second phone line, said method comprising:

(a) recording Caller ID data from callers who call a device on the first phone line before the corresponding call to said first phone line is answered; and

(b) transmitting the recorded Caller ID data to the dialing device coupled to the second phone line in response to a command, wherein the dialing device is located in a call control system remote from said first phone line and the command is given by an endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device separate from said call control system on a subsequent call;

wherein said call control system utilizes said transmitted Caller ID data to complete a call during the subsequent call to thereby directly connect said endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device to a telecommunications device associated with a particular Caller ID, without placing a trombone connection via the called device on the first phone line.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein the command is given by a telephone coupled to said call control system.

11. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said call control system is a PBX.

12. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said call control system is a ToL Gatekeeper.

13. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said call control system is a wireless carrier system.

14. A method as set forth in claim 9 wherein said call control system is a central office.

15. An apparatus coupled to a first phone line for facilitating the dialing of a telephone number on a second phone line using a dialing device coupled to the second phone line, said apparatus comprising:

(a) Caller ID data recording means associated with a first device for recording Caller ID data from callers who call the first phone line before a call to said first phone line is answered; and

(b) interface means for transmitting the recorded Caller ID data to the dialing device coupled to the second phone line in response to a command, during a subsequent call, from a remote device separate from the dialing device, wherein the dialing device is located in a call control system remote from the first phone line;

wherein said call control system utilizes said transmitted Caller ID data to complete a call to thereby directly connect said remote device to a telecommunications device associated with a particular Caller ID, without placing a trombone connection via the called first device on the first phone line.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said command is given by a telephone coupled to said call control system.

17. Apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein said call control system is a PBX.

18. Apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein said call control system is a ToL Gatekeeper.

19. Apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein said call control system is a wireless carrier system.

20. Apparatus as set forth in claim 15 wherein said call control system is a central office.

21. Apparatus for calling back a message sender from a telephone communication device located remotely with respect to a call answering device, comprising:

(a) memory for collecting Caller ID data at said answering device before said answering device answers the call; and

(b) means for transmitting said collected Caller ID data to said remotely located telecommunications device in response to a call in from a separate endpoint message retrieval communication device, wherein said telecommunications device is a call control system and said endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device is remote from the call control system;

wherein said call control system utilizes said transmitted Caller ID data to complete a call to thereby directly connect said endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device to a telecommunications device associated with a particular Caller ID, without placing a trombone connection via said answering device.

22. Apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said call control system is a PBX.

23. Apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said call control system is a ToL Gatekeeper.

24. Apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said call control system is a wireless carrier system.

25. Apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein said call control system is a central office.

26. A method in accordance with claim 21, wherein said collecting Caller ID data comprises transmitting said Caller ID data to said answering device with a ring signal.

27. A method in accordance with claim 21, wherein said collecting Caller ID data comprises transmitting said Caller ID data to said answering device with a call waiting signal.

28. A method in accordance with claim 21, wherein said Caller ID data is transmitted to said telephone device as a digital signal.

29. A method for remotely retrieving Caller ID data stored by an answering device at a first location using a telecommunications device located at a second location, to enable a call to be placed to a telephone number associated with said Caller ID data, comprising:

(a) transmitting the Caller ID data stored by said answering device from said first location to said telecommunications device at said second location on demand from a call in by an endpoint telecommunications device; and

(b) completing the call to the telephone number associated with the transmitted Caller ID data directly via said telecommunications device utilizing said telecommunications device, rather than said answering device, without placing a trombone connection through said answering device, to place the call to said telephone number, wherein said telecommunications device is a call control system separate from said endpoint telecommunications device;

wherein said Caller ID data is collected at said answering device before said answering device answers the call.

30. A method as set forth in claim 29 wherein said call control system is a PBX.

31. A method as set forth in claim 29 wherein said call control system is a ToL Gatekeeper.

32. A method as set forth in claim 29 wherein said call control system is a wireless carrier system.

33. A method as set forth in claim 29 wherein said call control system is a central office.

34. A method for calling back a message sender from a telecommunication device located remotely with respect to a call answering device, comprising:

(a) collecting Caller ID data at said answering device before said answering device answers said call; and

(b) transmitting said collected Caller ID data to said remotely located telecommunications device, wherein said telecommunications device is a call control system associated with a separate endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device and in response to a subsequent call from the endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device;

wherein said collecting Caller ID data comprises transmitting said Caller ID data to said answering device with a ring signal;

wherein said call control system utilizes said transmitted Caller ID data to complete a call from said endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device to thereby directly connect said endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device to a telecommunications device associated with a particular Caller ID, without placing a trombone connection via said answering device.

35. An apparatus for calling back a message sender from a telephone communication device located remotely with respect to a call answering device, comprising:

(a) memory for collecting Caller ID data at said answering device before said call answering device answers said call; and

(b) means for transmitting said collected Caller ID data to said remotely located telecommunications device, wherein said telecommunications device is a call control system other than and separate from an endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device and in response to a call from said endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device;

wherein said collecting Caller ID data comprises transmitting said Caller ID data to said answering device with a ring signal;

wherein said call control system utilizes said transmitted Caller ID data to complete a call from the endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device to thereby directly connect said endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device to a telecommunications device associated with a particular Caller ID, without placing a trombone connection via said answering device.

36. A method for calling back a message sender from a telecommunication device located remotely with respect to a call answering device, comprising:

(a) collecting Caller ID data at said answering device prior to said answering device answering the call; and

(b) transmitting said collected Caller ID data to said remotely located telecommunications device, wherein said telecommunications device is a call control system other than and separate from an endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device and in response to a call from said endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device;

wherein said collecting comprises collecting said caller ID data via a caller ID service;

wherein said call control system utilizes said transmitted Caller ID data to complete a call from said endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device to thereby directly connect said endpoint message retrieval telecommunications device to a telecommunications device associated with a particular Caller ID. without placing a trombone connection via said answering device.