Method and apparatus for selectively establishing communication with one of plural devices associated with a single telephone number

• US 7,440,561 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2007
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Ascendent Telecommunications Incorporated (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Forte, Stephen P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Harry S
• Application Number:
  US11/842,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20080032716A1
• Time in Patent Office: 427 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 379/201.02, 379/201.12, 379/207.02, 379/211.03, 379/211.04, 379/219, 379/220.01, 379/221.01, 379/231, 379/232, 379/211.02, 455/414.1, 455/445, 455/461, 455/462, 455/463, 455/554.1, 455/555, 455/560
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/465 Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/009 in systems involving PBX or KTS networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/16 WPBX [Wireless Private Branch Exchange]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A system for (and a method of) selectively establishing communication with one of plural devices associated with a single telephone number is provided. In a preferred embodiment, the system includes a wireless connect unit connected between an enterprise private branch exchange (PBX) network and a public switched telephone network. The wireless connect unit preferably serves as a gateway between the PBX and one or more remote communication devices. The remote devices can be used as standard PBX office telephones for both inbound and outbound telephone calls. Thus, features of the PBX network (e.g., voice mail, direct extension dialing, corporate calling plan, etc.) are available to the remote device even though they are not physically connected to the PBX. When the system receives an incoming call, it can route the call to an office telephone and one or more of the remote devices simultaneously or as desired by the user.

Claims

1. A method of establishing telephone communication between a telephone call placed to a primary telephone number and at least one of a plurality of telephone devices, the primary telephone number being associated with a primary telephone device, the method comprising the steps of:

storing one or more other telephone numbers associated with the primary telephone number, each of the other telephone numbers corresponding to one of the plurality of telephone devices;

detecting placement of the telephone call to the primary telephone number by detecting a change in the status of a physical connection to a telephone extension associated with the primary telephone number;

retrieving a first one of the other telephone numbers;

placing a call to the first one of the other telephone numbers; and

connecting the telephone call to one of the plurality of telephone devices associated with the first one of the other telephone numbers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting step comprises detecting ringing of the primary telephone.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting step comprises detecting a voltage change at the physical connection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary telephone is part of a first telephone network, the at least one of the plurality of telephone devices is part of a second telephone network remote to the first telephone network and the second telephone network is a commercial wireless carrier network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the plurality of telephone devices comprises a cellular telephone and the method further comprises the step of transmitting a message to the cellular telephone inquiring whether the telephone call is to be accepted, the message being played to the cellular telephone upon detection that the cellular telephone has been taken off hook.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the call to the first one of the other telephone numbers and the call to the primary telephone occur substantially simultaneously with each other.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said connecting step comprises bridging a first port of the first telephone network to a second port of the second telephone network.

8. An apparatus for providing telephone communication between a first telephone having a first telephone number and a first telephone extension of a first telephone network and a second telephone associated with a second telephone network, the apparatus comprising:

connection means comprising a physical connection to the first telephone extension;

a connect database, said database storing connection information associating the first telephone number and extension to the second telephone and a second telephone number associated with the second telephone; and

a processor, said processor adapted to connect a first telephone call placed to the first telephone to the second telephone via the connection means based on the connection information, and said processor further adapted to provide the second telephone access to features of the first telephone network so that the second telephone operates substantially identically as the first telephone associated with first telephone network via the first telephone extension.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first telephone network is an enterprise private branch exchange coupled to a property management system and said processor further comprises a property management system interface for exchanging information between the property management system and said database.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said connection information is retrieved from said property management system prior to being stored in said database.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first telephone network is an enterprise private branch exchange coupled to an accounting system and said processor further comprises a billing interface for exchanging information between the accounting system and said database.

12. An apparatus comprising:

connection means comprising a physical connection to a physical port associated with a first communication device;

a processing unit having an internet connection for remote administration of the apparatus; and

a memory, wherein a computer program is stored in said memory for execution by said processing unit to detect and attempt to initiate communications with the first communication device via said connection means, to attempt to initiate communications with a second communication device, and to establish communications with either the first or second communication device,

wherein the first communication device is part of a first communication network, the second communication device is part of a second communication network.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first communication device is a telephone and the first communication network is a private branch exchange.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second communication device is a cellular telephone and the second communication network is a commercial cellular telephone network.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second communication device is a personal digital assistant.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the second communication device is a digital PCS cellular telephone.

17. A system for allowing access to an enterprise communication network from a wireless device remote to the network comprising:

a database for storing information associating the wireless device to a telephone extension of the enterprise network;

a telephony engine for determining if a telephone call was received from the wireless device; and

means for connecting the wireless device to the telephone extension via a physical connection to the telephone extension so that the wireless device receives a dial tone from the enterprise network and operates substantially identically as a telephone associated with and connected to the enterprise network via the telephone extension.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the wireless device is a wireless telephone.

19. The system of claim 17, where the telephony engine receives the telephone call from a public switched telephone network connection and determines if the received call originated from the wireless device.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the database stores a telephone number of the wireless device.

21. The system of claim 20, where the telephony engine obtains automatic number identification (ANI) information from the telephone call, compares the obtained automatic number identification information to the stored telephone number, and determines if the obtained automatic number identification information matches the telephone number of the wireless device.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the telephony engine connects the wireless device to the telephone extension by a bridging operation.