Personal Control of Address Assignments & Greeting Options for Multiple BRG Ports

• US 20090310600A1
• Filed: 06/09/2009
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitel Networks Incorporated (Mitel Networks Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Spencer C., Sankalia, Anish, Kung, Fen-Chung, Russell, Jesse E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,514,846 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1036 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1094 Inter-user-equipment sessions transfer or sharing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/543 Call deflection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0066 Details of access arrangements to the networks where the access arrangement is a PSTN/ISDN access H04M7/122

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing multiple telephone lines using a single directory number. A method and apparatus for associating multiple directory numbers with multiple telephone lines. A broadband residential gateway (BRG) is a user interface to a broadband communication system providing packetized telephone service and other media services. The BRG has multiple ports, and each port is connected to one or more telephones. The multiple ports may be mapped to a single directory number, or the multiple ports may be mapped to multiple directory numbers. The BRG can provide greeting and message features. A greeting may instruct a caller to select a port which is associated with a party the caller is attempting to reach. Also, a message, played after the greeting, may further instruct the caller.

Claims

1. A broadband residential gateway located at a customer premises and connected to an Internet Protocol based packet network supporting Internet Protocol telephony service, said broadband residential gateway comprising:

multiple ports identified by at least one designation element,

at least one end user device connected to each port,

a transceiver, and

a processing unit, wherein said processing unit provides a greeting and routes a signal received by said transceiver from said Internet Protocol based packet network to one of said multiple ports selected by an end user using said greeting.

4. The broadband residential gateway of claim 1, wherein said processing unit provides a message after said greeting.

5. The broadband residential gateway of claim 4, wherein said greeting and said message are customized.

6. The broadband residential gateway of claim 4, wherein said broadband residential gateway stores multiple greetings and messages and said processing unit selectively provides said greeting and message from said multiple greetings and messages.

7. The broadband residential gateway of claim 1, wherein said at least one end user device provides a distinct alert.

8. The broadband residential gateway of claim 7, wherein said distinct alert is a distinctive ring.

12. The broadband residential gateway of claim 1, wherein said at least one end user device includes one or more POTS telephones or Internet Protocol telephones or digital telephones.

13. The broadband residential gateway of claim 1, wherein said designation element is a directory number.

2-3. -3. (canceled)

9-11. -11. (canceled)

14. A broadband residential gateway located at a customer premises and connected to an Internet Protocol based packet network supporting Internet Protocol telephony service, said broadband residential gateway comprising:

multiple ports identified by multiple designations with at least one end user device connected to each port,

a processing unit which provides a greeting and, upon receiving a signal including one of said multiple designations from said Internet Protocol based packet networks, said processing unit routes said signal to one of said multiple ports depending on a port selected by an end user using said greeting, and

a transceiver.

17. The broadband residential gateway of claim 14, wherein said processing unit provides a message after said one of said multiple ports is selected.

18. The broadband residential gateway of claim 17, wherein said greeting and said message are customized.

19. The broadband residential gateway of claim 17, wherein said broadband residential gateway stores multiple greetings and messages and said processing unit selectively provides said greeting and message from multiple greetings and messages.

20. The broadband residential gateway of claim 14, wherein said at least one end user device provides a distinct alert.

21. The broadband residential gateway of claim 20, wherein said distinct alert is a distinctive ring.

25. The broadband residential gateway of claim 14, wherein said at least one end user device includes one or more POTS telephones or Internet Protocol telephones or digital telephones.

26. The broadband residential gateway of claim 14 wherein said designation is a directory number.

15-16. -16. (canceled)

22-24. -24. (canceled)

27-43. -43. (canceled)