SINGLE TELEPHONE NUMBER ACCESS TO MULTIPLE COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES

• US 20100189237A1
• Filed: 01/27/2010
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Global LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: GROSS, Karen A., GALVAN, Thomas J., CHIB, Rupika
• Granted Patent: US 8,175,245 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/201.10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42127 Systems providing several special services or facilities from groups H04M3/42008 - H04M3/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005

Abstract

A platform provides access to multiple telecommunications services via a single telephone number. These services may include, for example, voicemail services, facsimile messaging services, paging services, and outbound calling services. A guest caller may call the single phone number to speak to a subscriber, leave a voicemail message for a subscriber, leave a facsimile message for a subscriber, or place a page to a subscriber. A subscriber may call the phone number to place outbound calls. In addition, a subscriber may call the single phone number to retrieve or send facsimile messages and/or voicemail messages. A subscriber may also call the phone number to configure service options. For instance, a subscriber may select routing options and choose what services are available to guest callers.

Claims

1. In a telecommunications system, a method comprising the steps of:

providing a group of services that are accessible through a single phone number of a subscriber;

offering a first caller at the single phone number for a first subset of the group of services; and

offering a second caller of the single phone number a second subset of the services.

2-109. -109. (canceled)