Enhanced extension mobility

• US 8,194,836 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2004
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaffer, Shmuel, Patel, Labhesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai N.
• Application Number:
  US10/824,180
• Publication Number:
  US 20050235158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,974 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.02, 379/168, 379/171, 379/184, 379/201.01, 379/265.01, 379/265.04, 713/184, 713/201, 370/270
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42272 whereby the subscriber registers to the terminals for personalised service provision
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4234 Remote access to features of PBX or home telephone systems-teleworking in a PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5183 Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method for enhanced extension mobility includes accessing user input indicating either a desire of a user to logon at an endpoint in a private mode according to which the endpoint supports only an extension of the user or a desire of the user to logon at the endpoint in a shared mode according to which the endpoint concurrently supports an extension of the user and one or more other extensions of one or more other users. The method includes configuring the endpoint to support only an extension of the user if the user input indicates a desire of the user to logon at the endpoint in a private mode according to which the endpoint supports only an extension of the user. The method includes configuring the endpoint to concurrently support an extension of the user and one or more other extensions of one or more other users if the user input indicates a desire of the user to logon at the endpoint in a shared mode according to which the endpoint concurrently supports an extension of the user and one or more other extensions of one or more other users.

Claims

1. A system for enhanced extension mobility, the system comprising one or more processing units collectively operable to:

access user input indicating a desire of the user to logon at a telephone in a shared mode according to which the telephone concurrently supports a telephone extension of the user and one or more other telephone extensions of one or more other users; and

in response to the user input indicating a desire of the user to logon at the telephone in a shared mode according to which the telephone concurrently supports the telephone extension of the user and one or more other telephone extensions of one or more other users, configure the telephone to concurrently support the telephone extension of the user and one or more other telephone extensions of one or more other users.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the processing units are located at the telephone.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more of the processing units are located at a server remote from the telephone.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are operable to:

prompt the user to select between a private mode and the shared mode at the telephone; and

receive a selection by the user of shared mode at the telephone, the selection providing the accessed user input.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are operable to:

prompt the user to enter the telephone extension of the user to logon at the telephone;

access the telephone extension entered by the user; and

configure the telephone to support the entered telephone extension.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more processing units are operable to:

prompt the user to enter a password to logon at the telephone;

access a password entered by the user;

determine whether the entered password is valid; and

if the entered password is valid, configure the telephone to support the entered telephone extension.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are further operable, in response to an incoming phone call for the user received at the telephone, to indicate the telephone extension of the user.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processing units are operable to display the telephone extension of the user at a display screen of the telephone to indicate the phone call for the user.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processing units are operable to audibly announce a name of the user to indicate the phone call for the user.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processing units are operable to play a ring tone corresponding to the telephone extension of the user to indicate the phone call for the user.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are further operable, in response to a request from the user to place an outgoing phone call from the telephone, to:

prompt the user to enter the telephone extension of the user prior to placing the outgoing phone call from the telephone; and

generate signaling data for communication with the outgoing phone call that identifies the entered telephone extension of the user.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are further operable to generate signaling data for communication with every outgoing phone call from the telephone according to a predetermined telephone extension.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are operable to:

access user input indicating a desire of a user to logon at the telephone in a private mode according to which the telephone supports only the telephone extension of the user, wherein the user can be concurrently logged on at multiple telephones; and

in response to the user input indicating a desire of the user to logon at the telephone in a private mode according to which the telephone supports only the telephone extension of the user, configure the telephone to support only the telephone extension of the user.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more processing units are further operable, in response to the user input indicating a desire of the user to logon at the telephone in a private mode according to which the telephone supports only the telephone extension of the user, to configure the telephone according to one or more preferences of the user.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are further operable, in response to an outgoing phone call from the telephone, to cause one or more of one or more call detail records (CDRs) and one or more billing records to be updated to indicate a calling telephone extension of the outgoing phone call from the telephone.

16. A method for enhanced extension mobility, the method comprising:

accessing user input indicating a desire of the user to logon at a telephone in a shared mode according to which the telephone concurrently supports a telephone extension of the user and one or more other telephone extensions of one or more other users; and

in response to the user input indicating a desire of the user to logon at the telephone in a shared mode according to which the telephone concurrently supports the telephone extension of the user and one or more other telephone extensions of one or more other users, configuring the telephone to concurrently support the telephone extension of the user and one or more other telephone extensions of one or more other users.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising:

prompting the user to select between a private mode and the shared mode at the telephone; and

receiving a selection by the user of shared mode at the telephone, the selection providing the accessed user input.

18. The method of claim 16, comprising:

prompting the user to enter the telephone extension of the user to logon at the telephone;

accessing the telephone extension entered by the user; and

configuring the telephone to support the entered telephone extension.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising:

prompting the user to enter a password to logon at the telephone;

accessing a password entered by the user;

determining whether the entered password is valid; and

configuring the telephone to support the entered telephone extension only if the entered password is valid.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising, in response to an incoming phone call for the user received at the telephone, indicating the telephone extension of the user.

21. The method of claim 20, comprising displaying the telephone extension of the user at a display screen of the telephone to indicate the phone call for the user.

22. The method of claim 20, comprising audibly announcing a name of the user to indicate the phone call for the user.

23. The method of claim 20, comprising playing a ring tone corresponding to the telephone extension of the user to indicate the phone call for the user.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein, in response to a request from the user to place an outgoing phone call from the telephone, the method further comprises:

prompting the user to enter the telephone extension of the user prior to placing an outgoing phone call from the telephone; and

generating signaling data for communication with the outgoing phone call that identifies the entered telephone extension of the user.

25. The method of claim 16, comprising generating signaling data for communication with every outgoing phone call from the telephone according to a predetermined telephone extension.

26. The method of claim 16, comprising:

accessing user input indicating a desire of a user to logon at the telephone in a private mode according to which the telephone supports only the telephone extension of the user, wherein the user can be concurrently logged on at multiple telephones; and

in response to the user input indicating a desire of the user to logon at the telephone in a private mode according to which the telephone supports only the telephone extension of the user, configuring the telephone to support only the telephone extension of the user.

27. The method of claim 26, comprising, in response to the user input indicating a desire of the user to logon at the telephone in a private mode according to which the telephone supports only the telephone extension of the user, configuring the telephone according to one or more preferences of the user.

28. The method of claim 16, further comprising, in response to an outgoing phone call from the telephone, causing one or more of one or more call detail records (CDRs) and one or more billing records to be updated to indicate a calling telephone extension of the outgoing phone call from the telephone.

29. A computer-readable medium encoded with logic for enhanced extension mobility, the logic when executed operable to:

access user input indicating a desire of the user to logon at a telephone in a shared mode according to which the telephone concurrently supports a telephone extension of the user and one or more other telephone extensions of one or more other users; and

in response to the user input indicating a desire of the user to logon at the telephone in a shared mode according to which the telephone concurrently supports the telephone extension of the user and one or more other telephone extensions of one or more other users, configure the telephone to concurrently support the telephone extension of the user and one or more other telephone extensions of one or more other users.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, being at least partly located at the telephone.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, being at least partly located at a server remote from the telephone.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the logic is operable to prompt the user to select between private mode and shared mode at the telephone, the selection by the user providing the user input.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the logic is operable to:

prompt the user to enter the telephone extension of the user to logon at the telephone;

access the telephone extension entered by the user; and

configure the telephone to support the entered telephone extension.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the logic is operable to:

prompt the user to enter a password to logon at the telephone;

access a password entered by the user;

determine whether the entered password is valid; and

if the entered password is valid, configure the telephone to support the entered telephone extension.

35. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the logic is further operable, in response to an incoming phone call for the user received at the telephone, to indicate the telephone extension of the user.

36. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the logic is operable to display the telephone extension of the user at a display screen of the telephone to indicate the phone call for the user.

37. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the logic is operable to audibly announce a name of the user to indicate the phone call for the user.

38. The computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the logic is operable to play a ring tone corresponding to the telephone extension of the user to indicate the phone call for the user.

39. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the logic is further operable to:

prompt the user to enter the telephone extension of the user prior to placing an outgoing phone call from the telephone; and

generate signaling data for communication with the outgoing phone call that identifies the entered telephone extension of the user.

40. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the logic is further operable to generate signaling data for communication with every outgoing phone call from the telephone according to a predetermined telephone extension.

41. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the logic is further operable to:

access user input indicating a desire of a user to logon at the telephone in a private mode according to which the telephone supports only the telephone extension of the user, wherein the user can be concurrently logged on at multiple telephones; and

in response to the user input indicating a desire of the user to logon at the telephone in a private mode according to which the telephone supports only the telephone extension of the user, configure the telephone to support only the telephone extension of the user.

42. The computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein the logic is further operable, in response to accessing the user input indicating a desire of the user to logon at the telephone in a private mode according to which the telephone supports only the telephone extension of the user, to configure the telephone according to one or more preferences of the user.

43. The computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the logic is further operable, in response to an outgoing phone call from the telephone, to cause one or more of one or more call detail records (CDRs) and one or more billing records to be updated to indicate a calling telephone extension of the outgoing phone call from the telephone.

44. A system for enhanced extension mobility, the system comprising:

means for accessing user input indicating a desire of the user to logon at in a shared mode according to which the telephone concurrently supports a telephone extension of the user and one or more other telephone extensions of one or more other users; and

in response to the user input indicating a desire of the user to logon at the telephone in a shared mode according to which the telephone concurrently supports the telephone extension of the user and one or more other telephone extensions of one or more other users, means for configuring the telephone to concurrently support the telephone extension of the user and one or more other telephone extensions of one or more other users.

45. A system for enhanced extension mobility, the system comprising one or more processing units located at a telephone and collectively operable to:

access user input indicating a desire of the user to logon at the in a shared mode according to which the telephone concurrently supports a telephone extension of the user and one or more other telephone extensions of one or more other users; and

in response to the user input indicating a desire of the user to logon at the telephone in a shared mode according to which the telephone concurrently supports the telephone extension of the user and one or more other telephone extensions of one or more other users, configure the telephone to concurrently support the telephone extension of the user and one or more other telephone extensions of one or more other users;

in response to an incoming phone call for the user received at the telephone, indicate the telephone extension of the user;

in response to a request from the user to place an outgoing phone call from the telephone;

prompt the user to enter the telephone extension of the user prior to placing an outgoing phone call from the telephone; and

generate signaling data for communication with the outgoing phone call that identifies the entered telephone extension of the user.