Telephone status notification system

• US 7,778,396 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2006
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Advertising Incorporated (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vardi, Joseph, Vigiser, Joseph, Vardi, Arie, Goldfinger, Yair
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US11/430,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20060233324A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,561 Days
• Field of Search: 379/209.01, 379/88.17, 379/93.21, 379/201.07, 379/202.01, 379/221.15, 379/913, 379/88.11, 379/88.12, 379/88.13, 379/88.14, 379/88.26, 348/485, 370/260, 455/419, 712/20
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/82 Line monitoring circuits for call progress or status discrimination for detecting caller identity H04M1/573
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/90 Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/913 Person locator or person-specific

Abstract

A telephone line status notification system including at least one telephone line having a status, a communications network, at least one communications terminal which is connectable to the communications network and which is employable by a seeking user to communicate via the communications network a status request concerning the status of the at least one telephone line, apparatus for processing the status request the apparatus for processing is connectable to the communications network for receiving the status request from the seeking user therethrough and communicating the request, and apparatus for acquiring the status of the at least one telephone line, the apparatus for acquiring is in communication with the apparatus for processing for receiving the status request therefrom, and the apparatus for acquiring is connectable to the communications network for communicating the status via the communications network.

Claims

1. A method for providing telephone line status information for at least one telephone line via a computer communications network, the method comprising:

communicating, via said computer communications network, a request concerning the status of said at least one telephone line, said status comprising one or more of a physical in use status and a logical in use status;

acquiring information regarding the status of said at least one telephone line without calling said at least one telephone line; and

communicating, via said computer communications network, said information regarding said status of said at least one telephone line.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said communicating, via said computer communications network, a request comprises communicating a unique identification associated with said at least one telephone line.

3. A method according to claim 2 and further comprising identifying a network address associated with said unique identification.

4. A method according to claim 1 and further comprising:

receiving a call-back request from at least one first communications terminal connected to said computer communication network at a second communications terminal connected to said at least one telephone line; and

initiating a call-back to said at least one first communications terminal from said second communications terminal via said at least one telephone line.

5. A method according to claim 4 wherein said initiating comprises initiating once at least one of a telephone line status of said at least one first communications terminal and a telephone line status of said second communications terminal has been determined.

6. A method according to claim 1 and further comprising:

receiving a conferencing request from at least one first communications terminal connected to said computer communication network at a second communications terminal connected to said at least one telephone line; and

initiating a conference call between said at least one first communications terminal and said second communications terminal.

7. A method according to claim 1 wherein said acquiring comprises checking said request for an authorization.

8. A telephone line status notification system, operative to provide telephone line status information for at least one telephone line via a computer communication network, comprising:

at least one communications terminal which is connectable to said computer communications network and which is employable to communicate via said computer communications network a request concerning status of said at least one telephone line, said status comprising one or more of a physical in use status and a logical in use status;

apparatus for processing said request wherein said apparatus for processing is connectable to said computer communications network for receiving said request and communicating said request; and

apparatus for acquiring information regarding said status of said at least one telephone line without calling said at least one telephone line, wherein said apparatus for acquiring is in communication with said apparatus for processing for receiving said request therefrom, and wherein said apparatus for acquiring is connectable to said computer communications network for communicating said status via said computer communications network.

9. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 8 wherein said request comprises a unique identification associated with said at least one telephone line.

10. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 9 and further comprising apparatus for identifying a network address associated with said unique identification.

11. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 8 and further comprising at least one server which is connectable to said computer communications network.

12. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 11 wherein either of said apparatus for acquiring and said apparatus for processing is resident in said at least one server.

13. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 8 wherein said apparatus for processing is resident in said at least one communications terminal.

14. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 8 and further comprising a communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line.

15. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 14 wherein said apparatus for acquiring is resident in said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line.

16. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 15 and wherein said status is communicated to said apparatus for acquiring via said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line.

17. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 14 and further comprising a cellular telephone in communication with said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line.

18. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 14 wherein said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line is a cellular telephone.

19. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 14 wherein said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line is adapted to receive a call-back request from said at least one communications terminal and to initiate a call to said at least one communications terminal via said at least one telephone line.

20. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 19 wherein:

said at least one communications terminal has a telephone line status; and

said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line is further adapted to initiate said call to said at least one communications terminal once said telephone line status of said at least one communications terminal has been determined.

21. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 19 wherein:

said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line has a telephone line status; and

said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line is further adapted to initiate said call to said at least one communications terminal once said telephone line status of said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line has been determined.

22. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 19 wherein:

said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line has a telephone line status;

said at least one communications terminal has a telephone line status; and

said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line is further adapted to initiate said call to said at least one communications terminal once at least one of said telephone line status of said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line and said telephone line status of said at least one communications terminal has been determined.

23. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 8 and further comprising a telephone connectable to said at least one telephone line.

24. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 23 wherein said apparatus for acquiring is resident in said telephone.

25. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 8 wherein said at least one telephone line is part of a PABX system, and wherein said status is communicated to a user not regularly connected to said PABX system.

26. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 8 and further comprising a cellular telephone in communication with said at least one communications terminal.

27. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 26 wherein said cellular telephone is adapted to communicate using one of IP protocols and non-IP protocols.

28. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 8 wherein said at least one communications terminal is a cellular telephone.

29. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 8 and further comprising apparatus for conferencing connectable to said computer communications network and adapted to receive a conferencing request from said at least one communications terminal and to initiate a conference call between said at least one communications terminal and a communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line.

30. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 29 wherein said apparatus for conferencing is further adapted to first initiate a call to said at least one communications terminal and telephonically receive from said at least one communications terminal at least one of a telephone number of said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line and an identifier associated with a telephone number of said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line.

31. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 30 wherein:

said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line has a telephone line status; and

said apparatus for conferencing is further adapted to initiate said conference call once said telephone line status of said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line has been determined.

32. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 30 wherein:

said at least one communications terminal has a telephone line status; and

said apparatus for conferencing is further adapted to initiate said conference call once said telephone line status of said at least one communications terminal has been determined.

33. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 30 wherein:

said at least one communications terminal has a telephone line status;

said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line has a telephone line status; and

said apparatus for conferencing is further adapted to initiate said conference call once at least one of said telephone line status of said at least one communications terminal and said telephone line status of said communications terminal connectable to said at least one telephone line has been determined.

34. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 8 wherein said apparatus for acquiring maintains at least one telephone number associated with said at least one telephone line.

35. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 8 and wherein at least one of said apparatus for acquiring and said apparatus for processing comprises apparatus for checking said request for an authorization.

36. A telephone line status notification system according to claim 8 wherein said computer communications network is the Internet.