Methods and apparatus to provide a telephone system configuration interface

• US 8,396,194 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2010
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pearson, Larry B., Brandt, Jeffrey L., Reynolds, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US12/831,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20100266109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.17
• US Class Current: 379/88.21
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/64 Automatic arrangements for answering calls; Automatic arrangements for recording messages for absent subscribers; Arrangements for recording conversations centralised dictation systems H04M11/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42238 in systems with telephone lines with multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for a telephone customer to configure telephone service for multiple users at a single location associated with the customer. The location has at least two telephones, at least two phone numbers and a voice mail box. The telephone customer is visually provided an option to assign one of the phone numbers to one of the telephones. The telephone customer is visually provided an option to assign each of the multiple users exclusive access to at least one of the telephone numbers via their account identifier. The telephone customer is visually provided the option to, for each of the multiple users, allow access or deny access via their account identifier to the voicemail box.

Claims

1. A method of enabling a telephone subscriber to configure telephone service for a plurality of users at a location associated with the telephone subscriber, the method comprising:

conveying a graphical interface to a display device associated with the telephone subscriber; and

enabling, via the graphical interface, the telephone subscriber to designate a first one of a plurality of telephone numbers assigned to the location as either exclusively assigned to a first one of the plurality of users or as shared by a subset of the plurality of users.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising enabling, via the graphical interface, the telephone subscriber to add or remove one or more of the plurality of users to or from the subset.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising, when the first one of the telephone numbers is designated as shared by the subset of the users, enabling, via the graphical interface, the telephone subscriber to configure a shared voicemail box such that a first user of the subset has access to a first private voicemail box and such that a second user of the subset has access to a second private voicemail box.

4. A method as defined in claim 3, further comprising enabling, via the graphical interface, the telephone subscriber to provide access to the first and second private voicemail boxes via first and second personal identification pin numbers.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising storing the designation of the first one of the telephone numbers as either exclusively assigned to the first user or as shared by the subset of the users in a central database.

6. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein conveying the graphical interface to the telephone subscriber comprises providing access to a portal via a network, and wherein the graphical interface is presented on a web browser associated with a device associated with the telephone subscriber.

7. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the telephone subscriber is one of the plurality of users.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the subset is to include at least two of the plurality of users.

9. A tangible machine readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform a method comprising:

conveying a graphical interface to a display device associated with the telephone subscriber; and

enabling, via the graphical interface, the telephone subscriber to designate a first one of a plurality of telephone numbers assigned to the location as either exclusively assigned to a first one of the plurality of users or as shared by a subset of the plurality of users.

10. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 9, the instructions to, when executed, cause a machine to enable, via the graphical interface, the telephone subscriber to add or remove one or more of the plurality of users to or from the subset.

11. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 9, the instructions to, when executed, cause a machine to, when the first one of the telephone numbers is designated as shared by the subset of the users, enable, via the graphical interface, the telephone subscriber to configure a shared voicemail box such that a first user of the subset has access to a first private voicemail box and such that a second user of the subset has access to a second private voicemail box.

12. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 11, the instructions to, when executed, cause a machine to enable, via the graphical interface, the telephone subscriber to provide access to the first and second private voicemail boxes via first and second personal identification pin numbers.

13. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 9, the instructions to, when executed, cause a machine to store the designation of the first one of the telephone numbers as either exclusively assigned to the first user or as shared by the subset of the users in a central database.

14. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 9, wherein conveying the graphical interface to the telephone subscriber comprises providing access to a portal via a network, and wherein the graphical interface is presented on a web browser associated with a device associated with the telephone subscriber.

15. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the telephone subscriber is one of the plurality of users.

16. A tangible machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 9, wherein the subset is to include at least two of the plurality of users.

17. A portal accessible over a network, the portal to provide a graphical interface to a telephone subscriber to enable the telephone subscriber to configure a telephone service for a plurality of users at a location associated with the telephone subscriber, the graphical interface comprising:

a first screen to enable the telephone subscriber to designate a first one of the telephone numbers as either exclusively assigned to a first one of the plurality of users or as shared by a subset of the plurality of users; and

a second screen to, when the first one of the telephone numbers is designated as shared by the subset of the plurality of users, enable the telephone subscriber to define the subset of users to share the first telephone number.

18. A portal as defined in claim 17, wherein the subset is to include at least two of the plurality of users.

19. A portal as defined in claim 17, the graphical interface further comprising a third screen to, when the first one of the telephone numbers is designated as shared by the subset of the users, enable the telephone subscriber to configure a shared voicemail box such that a first user of the subset has access to a first private voicemail box and such that a second user of the subset has access to a second private voicemail box.

20. A portal as defined in claim 17, the graphical interface further comprising a third screen to, when the first one of the telephone numbers is designated as exclusively assigned to the first one of the users, enable the telephone subscriber to assign the first one of the users to the first one of the telephone numbers.