Method and apparatus for providing personalized telephone subscriber features at remote locations

• US 4,899,373 A
• Filed: 11/28/1986
• Issued: 02/06/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1986
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T, Inc.), Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: McGaw, Stephen A., Lee, Chinmei C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Thomas W.
• Application Number:
  US07/935,812
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 379/36, 379/91, 379/144, 379/207, 379/201, 379/211, 379/216, 379/357
• US Class Current: 379/201.05
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/382 using authorisation codes or passwords
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42272 whereby the subscriber registers to the terminals for personalised service provision
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4234 Remote access to features of PBX or home telephone systems-teleworking in a PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13513 UPT - personal as opposed to terminal mobility, inc. number portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13515 authentication, authorisation - fraud prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13547 subscriber, e.g. profile, database, database access
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/005 Personal communication services, e.g. provisions for portability of subscriber numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/54525 Features introduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/903 Password

Abstract

Personalized telephone features are made available to subscribers away from their home base. A nationally accessible data base system stores feature data in association with personal identification numbers. A subscriber wishing to use personalized features while away from the home base dials a special code from a station connected to any exchange which has access to the data base and presents the personal identification number. The corresponding feature data is retrieved from the data base and stored in the exchange in association with the station from which the request was initiated and telephone service will be rendered in that exchange with the subscriber'"'"'s personalized telephone features. A temporary office arrangement may be established in which the personalized features will be immediately available on incoming and outgoing calls for a period of time specified by the subscriber. In one embodiment the feature data is stored on a credit card and transmitted to the exchange by a card reader. The feature data is stored in the exchange and the features are made available to the subscriber without having to access a data base.

Claims

1. A method of providing a set of previously subscribed personalized telephone features to a subscriber using a station terminal connected to a local exchange not equipped with said set of features for said station terminal, comprising the steps of:

a. receiving from said subscriber at said station terminal a code representing a request for the use of said features at said local exchange and a personal identification number identifying the subscriber;

b. retrieving from a data base feature data defining said set of previously subscribed features identified by said received personal identification number;

c. recording said retrieved feature data defining said set of previously subscribed features in said local exchange in association with said station terminal;

d. thereafter receiving from said subscriber at said local exchange call data defining a call; and

e. providing telephone service to said station terminal in said local exchange by interpreting said received call associated data in said local exchange in accordance with said feature data defining said previously subscribed features recorded in said local exchange.

2. A method of providing personalized telephone features to a subscriber from any station of a plurality of independent telephone exchanges comprising the steps of:

a. storing personal subscriber identification numbers in a data base accessible from all of said exchanges and storing feature data defining a set of predefined personalized telephone features in areas of said data base corresponding to said personal identification numbers;

b. receiving from said subscriber at a station connected to one of said exchanges other than a station assigned to the subscriber, a code representing a request to use said feature data in said one exchange and one of said personal identification numbers;

c. accessing said data base from said one exchange and retrieving from an area of said data base corresponding to said received personal identification number feature data defining the predefined set of personalized telephone features corresponding to said one received personal identification number;

d. recording said retrieved feature data in said one exchange in association with said connected station;

e. thereafter, receiving call originating data defining a call from said connected station at said one exchange; and

f. providing telephone service to said connected station in said one exchange by interpreting said call originating data in accordance with said feature data recorded in said one exchange.

3. The method in accordance with claim 2 wherein said method further comprises the step of disabling further use of said feature data recorded in said one exchange in response to a call termination by said subscriber.

4. The method in accordance with claim 2 further comprising:

receiving from said connected station data defining time; and

providing telephone service in accordance with said feature data recorded in said exchange for a period of time defined by said data defining time.

5. A method of providing personalized presubscribed telephone features to a subscriber in a telecommunication system comprising a plurality of local exchanges having terminals connected thereto and a data base accessible from said plurality of exchanges for storing personalized feature data, comprising the steps of:

a. receiving at one of said local exchanges from a subscriber at a selected one of said terminals a code representing a request to use said telephone features in said one exchange for future use by said subscriber;

b. receiving a personal identification number identifying a subscriber, at said one exchange from said one terminal;

c. accessing said data base from said one exchange with said personal identification number and retrieving from said data base at a location corresponding to said personal identification number feature data associated with said personal identification number defining presubscribed features of said identified subscriber;

d. storing said feature data retrieved from said data base in said one local exchange in association with said one terminal;

e. thereafter, receiving at said one exchange call signaling information from said one terminal defining a call; and

f. interpreting said received call signaling information in accordance with said feature data stored in association with said one terminal to provide personalized service defined by said feature data stored in association with said one terminal.

6. The method in accordance with claim 5 and further comprising the step of disabling further use of said feature data stored in said one exchange in response to a call termination signal from said one terminal.

7. The method in accordance with claim 6 in a telecommunication system wherein said retrieved data is stored in memory, and further comprising the step of recording data indicating whether presubscribed feature data is present in said memory, examining said recorded data in response to a subsequent request for service from said one terminal and providing service features to said terminal defined by said retrieved data stored in said memory if said recorded data indicates that presubscribed feature data is present in said memory.

8. The method in accordance with claim 5 in a telecommunication system wherein said retrieved data is stored in memory and wherein said local exchange comprises timing means and the method further comprises the step of receiving from said one terminal data defining a time period and the step of preventing provision of service in accordance with said stored data in response to a subsequent request for service received after expiration of said time period.

9. The method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said feature data stored in said one local exchange comprises abbreviated dialing data and said method comprises the step of responding to call signaling associated with said one terminal defining an abbreviated dialing code and the step of completing a call to a directory number defined in said stored data in association with said abbreviated dialing code.

10. A data base system for use with a telephone exchange, said telephone exchange having telephone terminals connected thereto and having assigned telephone subscribers and equipped to complete telephone calls in response to external stimuli initiated from said terminals, said data base system comprising:

storage means having a plurality of data storage areas corresponding to subscriber personal identification numbers, said storage areas for storing feature data defining presubscribed telephone features for subscribers not assigned to said telephone exchange, and

means for connecting to said telephone exchange and responsive to signals from said exchange defining a personal identification number provided to said exchange by one of said subscribers not assigned to said exchange to retrieve from an area of said storage means corresponding to said personal identification number of said one subscriber and to transmit to said exchange feature data defining presubscribed features to be used in said exchange for completing telephone calls for said one subscriber.

11. A data base system in accordance with claim 10 wherein said feature data defining presubscribed telephone features includes a plurality of speed dialing numbers for each of said subscribers and telephone directory numbers corresponding to said speed dialing numbers.

12. A local telephone exchange comprising first connecting means for connecting to a plurality of telephone terminals, memory means for storing feature data associated with individual telephone terminals, second connecting means for connecting to a data base system and control means responsive to personal identification information received via said first connecting means from one of said telelphone terminals identifying a subscriber and a predetermined code representing a request to use personalized features at said exchange for transmitting said received personal identification information via said second connecting means to a data base system and responsive the receipt of feature data corresponding to said personal identification information from a data base system via said data base connection means to record said received feature data in said memory means in association with said one terminal and further responsive to subsequently received calling signals from said one telephone terminal to interpret said received calling signals in accordance with said feature data stored in association with said one telephone terminal to control said local exchange to provide telephone services in accordance with presubscribed features.

13. A telephone system for serving telephone subscribers comprising:

a local exchange having a plurality of terminals connected thereto and assigned to certain of said subscribers;

a data base system connected to said local exchange for storing subscriber feature data defining presubscribed telephone features in areas of said data base system corresponding to personal identification numbers of individual subscribers, and response to data retrieval signals from said local exchange identifying a subscriber to retrieve and transmit to said local exchange feature data defining presubscribed features for said identified subscriber;

said local exchange comprising memory means for storing in association with each of said terminals feature data defining features assigned to said terminals, and processor means responsive to a predetermined code representing a request to use personalized features at said local exchange and a personal identification number identifying a subscriber, received from one of said terminals, to transmit to said data base said data retrieval signals and said received personal identification number and to store in said memory means, in association with said one of said terminals, feature data transmitted from said data base, and further responsive to the receipt of calling signals from said one terminal to interpret said calling signals in accordance with said feature data stored in said memory in association with said one terminal for providing telephone service in said local exchange.

14. The telephone system in accordance with claim 13 wherein said local exchange further comprises clock means for generating timing signals and said processor means is responsive to signals defining a time period received from said one of said terminals and said timing signals to provide call handling service defined by said feature data stored in said memory means only for the period of time defined by said signals defining a period of time.

15. The local exchange in accordance with claim 13 wherein said received feature data includes speed dialing indicia and corresponding directory numbers and said processor means is responsive to said calling signals for controlling said local exchange to extend calls to said directory numbers.

16. The telephone system in accordance with claim 13, wherein said subscriber feature data includes a code identifying a long distance carrier previously selected by said identified subscriber and wherein said processor means is further responsive to said calling signals from said one terminal to provide telephone service by means of said identified long distance carrier.

17. A method of providing personalized communication services in a system comprising a plurality of local exchanges and a data base for supplying call feature data, comprising the steps of:

receiving at one of said local exchanges from a calling station served by said one local exchange a code representing a request for personalized communication services at said one local exchange and a personal identification number identifying a subscriber;

retrieving from said data base in response to said code feature data identified by said personal identification number and defining said personalized communication services;

recording said feature data defining said personalized communication services in said one local exchange in association with said station; and

thereafter providing telephone service to said station in said one exchange by interpreting in said one exchange call data defining calls pertaining to said one station in accordance with said feature data recorded in said one exchange.