Busy lamp field system for remote telephones and method for the same

• US 8,457,292 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2010
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tecom Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Tecom Company Limited
• Inventors: Lo, Che-Sheng
• Primary Examiner(s): Islam, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pope, Kharye
• Application Number:
  US12/962,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20120148039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 379/216.01, 379/258, 379/297, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/357
• US Class Current: 379/207.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2478 Telephone terminals specially adapted for non-voice services, e.g. email, internet access centralized arrangements where telephones services are combined H04M7/0024; for recording text messages H04M3/5322; for accessing Internet H04M3/4938
• 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 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity

Abstract

A busy lamp field (BLF) system for remote telephones and a method for the same are disclosed. The busy lamp field system for remote telephones mainly has a plurality of switchboard systems and a XML server interconnected via the internet. Each switchboard system has a PBX and at least a telephone. Each telephone is connected to the XML server via internet and periodically uploads local phone status. The BLF key of each telephone is set to associate with a corresponding specific remote telephone by a subscriber of each telephone. Each telephone periodically retrieves the phone status of the corresponding remote telephone from the XML server displayed on the BLF key of the local telephone. Thus, a subscriber monitors status of a remote telephone and dials out via each PBX in addition to extension telephone of the local switchboard system.

Claims

1. A busy lamp field system for remote telephones, comprising:

a plurality of switchboard systems, each switchboard system comprising;

a private branch exchange (PBX) connected to the internet; and

at least a telephone connected to the private branch exchange, the telephone housing having at least a busy lamp field (BLF) key set to associate with corresponding phone number of a remote telephone, wherein the remote telephone is a telephone of another switchboard system;

an extensible markup language (XML) server connected to each switchboard system via the internet and having an up-to-time table used for storing phone status of each telephone in each switchboard system;

wherein each telephone is connected, directly without being through the PBX, to the XML server via the internet and periodically uploads to and stores local phone status in the up-to-time table, and each telephone retrieves the phone status of the remote telephone corresponding to the BLF key from the up-to-time table and displays the phone status via the BLF key, and

wherein a phone number corresponding to the remote telephone is set to associate with the BLF key of the telephone and when the BLF key is pressed and the remote telephone is on idle status, the telephone autodials to the remote telephone.

2. The busy lamp field system for remote telephones of claim 1, wherein the private branch exchange is a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Private Branch Exchange (IP PBX), the telephone is an IP phone, wherein the telephones is directly connected to the internet for accessing to the up-to-time table in the XML servers.

3. The busy lamp field system for remote telephones of claim 1, wherein each switchboard system further comprises a VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Gateway, the private branch exchange is electrically connected to the VoIP Gateway for connecting to the internet, the telephone is connected to the internet via the private branch exchange and the VoIP Gateway for accessing to the up-to-time table in the XML servers.

4. A method for remote telephones having busy lamp field used among a plurality of switchboard systems, wherein each switchboard system respectively having at least a telephone, the method for remote telephones having busy lamp field comprising:

a) setting a busy lamp field (BLF) key of the telephone set to associate with corresponding phone number of a remote telephone, wherein the remote telephone is a telephone in another switchboard system;

b) connecting each telephone directly, without being through the PBX, to an extensible markup language (XML) server via the internet, wherein a phone number corresponding to the remote telephone is set to associate with the BLF key of the telephone and when the BLF key is ressed and the remote tele shone is on idle status the tele shone autodials to the remote telephone;

c) retrieving the phone status of the remote telephone in the XML server periodically; and

d) displaying phone status of the remote telephone via the BLF key of the telephone.

5. The method for remote telephones having busy lamp field of claim 4, wherein in the step d, if the BLF key is off, the remote telephone is on idle status, if the BLF key is flashing, the remote telephone has a coming call, and if the BLF key is on, the remote telephone is busy.

6. The method for remote telephones having busy lamp field of claim 4, wherein the XML server has an up-to-time table and the retrieves the phone status of the remote telephone in the up-to-time table in the step c.

7. The method for remote telephones having busy lamp field of claim 6, wherein the step b further comprises:

e) uploading periodically local phone status to the XML server by each telephone; and

f) storing phone status in the up-to-time table.