Single telephone number access to multiple communications services

• US 6,389,117 B1
• Filed: 10/07/1999
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: MCI WorldCom, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Galvan, Thomas J., Chib, Rupika, Gross, Karen A.
• Primary Examiner(s): WEAVER, SCOTT LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US09/412,503
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/88.24, 379/201, 379/214, 379/201.01, 379/201.02
• US Class Current: 379/88.23
• 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 network having a data processing system that provides multiple telecommunications service options including voicemail and faxmail for a party, a method performed by the data processing system comprising the steps of:

providing a single phone number via which the telecommunications service options for the party are accessible;

receiving a call from a caller for the party;

selectively retrieving a subscriber profile associated with the party, wherein the subscriber profile specifies the telecommunications service options that are available to the party and ordering and presentation thereof and a different ordering and presentation of the telecommunications service options available to the caller;

presenting the caller with the telecommunications service options that include call routing options and messaging options based upon and presented in the order specified in the subscriber profile; and

receiving input from the caller.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the input identifies a selection of one of the telecommunications service options by the caller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the input is a passcode.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

setting an override option that routes the call to a destination;

receiving a subsequent call for the party at the data processing system; and

routing the call to the destination.

5. A telecommunications system for providing multiple telecommunications services for a party, comprising:

an automated call processor (ACP) configured to selectively retrieve a subscriber profile associated with the party, wherein the subscriber profile specifies the services that are available to the party and ordering and presentation thereof and a different ordering and presentation of service options available to a caller that initiates a call to the party, the ACP presenting the caller that initiates a call to the party with the service options that include call routing options and messaging options based upon and presented in the order specified in the subscriber profile, the ACP being configured to receive input from the caller; and

a voicemail and faxmail platform (VFP) configured to communicate with the ACP and to provide the messaging options.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the input identifies a selection of a service option by the caller.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the input is a passcode.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the routing options include an override option that routes the call to a destination.