Single telephone number access to multiple communications services

• US 8,175,245 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2010
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Yolab Networks LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Gross, Karen A., Galvan, Thomas J., Chib, Rupika
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Hemant
• Application Number:
  US12/694,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20100189237A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 370259-271, 370351-356, 348 1401- 1416, 709201-207, 709217-232
• US Class Current: 379/207.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42127 Systems providing several special services or facilities from groups H04M3/42008 - H04M3/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005

Abstract

A platform provides access to multiple telecommunications services via a single telephone number. These services may include, for example, voicemail services, facsimile messaging services, paging services, and outbound calling services. A guest caller may call the single phone number to speak to a subscriber, leave a voicemail message for a subscriber, leave a facsimile message for a subscriber, or place a page to a subscriber. A subscriber may call the phone number to place outbound calls. In addition, a subscriber may call the single phone number to retrieve or send facsimile messages and/or voicemail messages. A subscriber may also call the phone number to configure service options. For instance, a subscriber may select routing options and choose what services are available to guest callers.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, in a telecommunications system, a group of services that are accessible through a single phone number of a subscriber;

offering, by a processor of the telecommunications system, a first caller of the single phone number a first subset of the group of services;

offering a second caller of the single phone number a second subset of the group of services;

assigning a mode indicator to a call received from the first caller or the second caller of the single phone number, wherein the mode indicator specifies a type of service associated with the call; and

providing at least one option to the first caller or second caller based at least in part on the mode indicator assigned to the call.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the call from the first caller; and

identifying the first caller, wherein the first subset of the group of services is provided to the first caller based on the identifying of the first caller.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising receiving a personal identification number from the first caller, wherein the first caller is identified based at least in part on the personal identification number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of service associated with the call comprises at least one of a voicemail service, a fax with voice annotation service, a fax without voice annotation service, a paging service, a voicemail or fax retrieval service, or a maintenance service.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from the subscriber, an indication of which services to include in the first subset of the group of services and which services to include in the second subset of the group of services.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the call from the first caller; and

providing the first caller with a menu that lists the first subset of the group of services.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the call from the first caller; and

determining that the subscriber is on another call at a time when the call from the first caller is received.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing an announcement to the subscriber regarding the call at the time when the call from the first caller is received.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the announcement comprises a low volume audio announcement regarding the call from the first caller.

10. A system comprising:

a database configured to store a subscriber profile of a subscriber; and

a processor operatively coupled to the database and configured to;

provide a group of services that are accessible through a single phone number of the subscriber;

offer a first caller of the single phone number a first subset of the group of services;

offer a second caller of the single phone number a second subset of the group of services;

assign a mode indicator to a call received from the first caller or the second caller of the single phone number, wherein the mode indicator specifies a type of service associated with the call; and

providing at least one option to the first caller or second caller based at least in part on the mode indicator assigned to the call.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive the call from the first caller; and

identify the first caller, wherein the first subset of the group of services is provided to the first caller based on the identifying of the first caller and the subscriber profile.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a personal identification number from the first caller, and wherein the first caller is identified based at least in part on the personal identification number.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the type of service associated with the call comprises at least one of a voicemail service, a fax with voice annotation service, a fax without voice annotation service, a paging service, a voicemail or fax retrieval service, or a maintenance service.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the subscriber profile includes at least an indication of which services to include in the first subset of the group of services and which services to include in the second subset of the group of services.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive the call from the first caller; and

determine that the subscriber is on another call at a time when the call from the first caller is received.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to provide an announcement to the subscriber regarding the call at the time when the call from the first caller is received.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the announcement comprises a low volume audio announcement regarding the call from the first caller.

18. A tangible computer-readable medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising:

instructions to provide a group of services that are accessible through a single phone number of a subscriber;

instructions to offer a first caller of the single phone number a first subset of the group of services;

instructions to offer a second caller of the single phone number a second subset of the group of services;

instructions to assign a mode indicator to a call received from the first caller or the second caller of the single phone number, wherein the mode indicator specifies a type of service associated with the call; and

providing at least one option to the first caller or second caller based at least in part on the mode indicator assigned to the call.

19. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions to process a received indication from the subscriber, wherein the received indication identifies which services to include in the first subset of the group of services and which services to include in the second subset of the group of services.

20. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions to:

receive the call from the first caller;

determine that the subscriber is on another call at a time when the call from the first caller is received; and

provide an announcement to the subscriber regarding the call at the time when the call from the first caller is received, wherein the announcement comprises a low volume audio announcement regarding the call from the first caller.