Personal-call and feature control system and method for controlling telephones, providing extended features for such telephones and routing of media-rich calls

• US 9,451,070 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2011
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jacek Tomasz Minko
• Original Assignee: Jacek Tomasz Minko
• Inventors: Minko, Jacek Tomasz
• Primary Examiner(s): Laekemariam, Yosef K
• Application Number:
  US13/325,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20120155620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/211.01, 379/114.29, 379/88.03, 379/88.04, 379/211.02, 379/212.01, 379/218.01, 379/88.5, 379/88.16, 379/88.17, 709/227, 709/228, 709/229
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42127 Systems providing several special services or facilities from groups H04M3/42008 - H04M3/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• 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

Abstract

A Personal-CFC system and method is described for controlling a multiplicity of telephones, for providing extended feature sets globally to all such telephones and for routing of media-rich calls between such telephones and multimedia equipment. The Personal-CFC is a software program that is easily embedded in various devices and it requires no hardware. For example, a mobile Personal-CFC system can be incorporated into a PDA or PC. The end user can use the Personal-CFC system to control other telephones, such as conference telephones, that do not belong to the end user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an incoming call from a service provider at a Personal Call and Feature Control system (Personal-CFC),

using a Personal-CFC stored User profile to automatically select a destination telephone,

enabling, by the Personal-CFC, a user to answer the incoming call using the destination telephone,

applying a user'"'"'s customized feature set to the incoming call, wherein the user'"'"'s customized feature set is different from a feature set of the destination telephone, and

connecting, through the Personal-CFC, the incoming call to the destination telephone without any interaction with the service provider, wherein

the user is able to handle the incoming call from the service provider with the destination telephone using the user'"'"'s customized feature set, and

wherein the connection between the service provider and the destination telephone through the Personal-CFC is exclusively controlled by the Personal-CFC for a duration of the incoming call from beginning to end, wherein the destination telephone does not interact with the service provider to control the connection during the duration of the incoming call.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the user'"'"'s customized feature set is used for the duration of the incoming call.

7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising:

within the duration of the incoming call and after connecting to the destination telephone, transferring, using the Personal-CFC, the incoming call to a second destination telephone without disconnecting the original incoming call from the service provider.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein the user'"'"'s customized feature set is used for the duration of the incoming call.

2. A method, comprising:

receiving an incoming call from a service provider at a Personal Call and Feature Control system (Personal-CFC),

querying an End User to select a destination telephone,

enabling, by the Personal-CFC, the End User to answer the incoming call using the destination telephone,

applying a user'"'"'s customized feature set to the incoming call, wherein the user'"'"'s customized feature set is different from a feature set of the destination telephone, and

connecting, through the Personal-CFC, the incoming call to the destination telephone without any interaction with the service provider, wherein

the user is able to handle the incoming call from the service provider with the destination telephone using the user'"'"'s customized feature set, and

wherein the connection between the service provider and the destination telephone through the Personal-CFC is exclusively controlled by the Personal-CFC for a duration of the incoming call from beginning to end, wherein the destination telephone does not interact with the service provider to control the connection during the duration of the incoming call.

3. A method, comprising:

receiving an incoming call from a service provider at a Personal Call and Feature Control system (Personal-CFC),

querying an End User to select a destination telephone and at least one other device having audio and/or video output capabilities,

enabling, by the Personal-CFC, the End User to answer the incoming call using the destination telephone,

applying a user'"'"'s customized feature set to the incoming call, wherein the user'"'"'s customized feature set is different from a feature set of the destination telephone, and

connecting, through the Personal-CFC, the incoming call to the destination telephone and the at least one other device without any interaction with the service provider, wherein

the user is able to handle the incoming call from the service provider with the destination telephone and the at least one other device using the user'"'"'s customized feature set, and

wherein the connection between the service provider and the destination telephone through the Personal-CFC is exclusively controlled by the Personal-CFC for a duration of the incoming call, wherein the destination telephone does not interact with the service provider to control the connection during the duration of the incoming call.

10. A method according to claim 3, wherein the at least one other device is another telephone.

11. A method according to claim 3, wherein the at least one other device is a computer monitor.

12. A method according to claim 3, wherein the at least one other device is a PDA screen.

13. A method according to claim 3, wherein the at least one other device is a video input device.

4. A method, comprising:

receiving a telephone address for a primary call placed by a user from a chosen telephone at a Personal Call and Feature Control System (Personal CFC),

dialing out from the Personal-CFC to the service provider using the telephone address,

applying a user'"'"'s customized feature set to the primary call, wherein the user'"'"'s customized feature set is different from a feature set of the service provider, and

connecting, through the Personal-CFC, the primary call between the service provider and the chosen telephone, wherein

the user is able to handle the primary call using the chosen telephone to the service provider using the user'"'"'s customized feature set, and

wherein the connection between the chosen telephone and the service provider through the Personal-CFC is exclusively controlled by the Personal-CFC for a duration of the primary call from beginning to end, wherein the chosen telephone does not interact with the service provider to control the connection during the duration of the primary call.

5. A method, comprising:

receiving a telephone address and an identification of a chosen telephone for an outgoing call at a Personal Call and Feature Control System (Personal CFC),

establishing a connection from the Personal CFC to the chosen telephone,

dialing out from the Personal CFC to the service provider using the telephone address,

applying a user'"'"'s customized feature set to the outgoing call, wherein the user'"'"'s customized feature set is different from a feature set of the service provider, and

connecting, through the Personal-CFC, the outgoing call between the service provider and the chosen telephone, wherein

the user is able to handle the outgoing call from the chosen telephone to the service provider using the user'"'"'s customized feature set, and

wherein the connection from the chosen telephone to the service provider through the Personal-CFC is exclusively controlled by the Personal-CFC for a duration of the outgoing call from beginning to end, wherein the chosen telephone does not interact with the service provider to control the connection during the duration of the outgoing call.

9. A method, comprising:

receiving an incoming call from a service provider at a Personal Call and Feature Control system (Personal-CFC),

querying an End User to select a destination telephone,

enabling, by the Personal-CFC, the End User to answer the incoming call using the destination telephone,

applying a user'"'"'s customized feature set to the incoming call, wherein the user'"'"'s customized feature set is different from a feature set of the destination telephone,

connecting, through the Personal-CFC, the incoming call to the destination telephone without any interaction with the service provider, wherein

the user is able to handle the incoming call from the service provider with the destination telephone using the user'"'"'s customized feature set, and

wherein the connection with the service provider through the Personal-CFC is controlled by the Personal-CFC for a duration of the incoming call from beginning to end, and

within the duration of the incoming call and after connecting to the destination telephone, transferring, using the Personal-CFC, the incoming call to a second destination telephone without disconnecting the original incoming call from the service provider, wherein the user'"'"'s customized feature set is used for the duration of the incoming call.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving an incoming call from a service provider at a Personal Call and Feature Control system (Personal-CFC),

querying an End User to select a destination telephone and at least one other device having audio and/or video output capabilities,

enabling, by the Personal-CFC, the End User to answer the incoming call using the destination telephone,

applying a user'"'"'s customized feature set to the incoming call, wherein the user'"'"'s customized feature set is different from a feature set of the destination telephone, and

connecting, through the Personal-CFC, the incoming call to the destination telephone and the at least one other device without any interaction with the service provider, wherein

the user is able to handle the incoming call from service provider with the destination telephone and the at least one other device using the user'"'"'s customized feature set, and

wherein the connection between the service provider and the destination telephone through the Personal-CFC is controlled by the Personal-CFC for a duration of the incoming call, and

wherein connecting includes splitting media types associated with the incoming call between the destination telephone and the at least one other device, such that the at least one other device handles a media type that is not handled by the destination telephone.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the media types include voice, video and data.