System and method for providing user-configured telephone service in a data network telephony system

• US 6,744,759 B1
• Filed: 09/27/1999
• Issued: 06/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Sidhu, Ikhlaq S., Schuster, Guido M., Dean, Frederick D., Bezaitis, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): CANGIALOSI, SALVATORE A
• Application Number:
  US09/405,283
• Time in Patent Office: 1,709 Days
• Field of Search: 370/260-263, 370/352-358, 370/389, 709/200, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/223, 709/227-229
• US Class Current: 370/356
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/20 hybrid systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0036 where the data service is an information service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1245 where a network other than PSTN/ISDN interconnects two PSTN/ISDN networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0033 customer-controlled

Abstract

A system and method for providing user-configured telephone service to a user of a data network telephone. The user connects a data network telephone to the data network. The data network telephone registers with a telephone connection server to have basic calling service. The user accesses a service provider server to enter feature selections. The service provider server may use a web page to query the user for feature selections The service provider server uses the user'"'"'s selections to update the user'"'"'s account and to activate the selected features.

Claims

1. A system for providing telephone service comprising:

at least one data network telephone connected to a data network operable to provide a plurality of data communication channels, the data network telephone being operable to communicate voice signals as data packets on a voice over data channel, the voice over data channel being one of the plurality of data communications channels on the data network containing packetized voice signals;

the data network telephone being operable to convert data packets communicated on the voice over data channel to voice;

the data network telephone being operable to perform a plurality of feature enhancements; and

a service provider server connected to the data network, the service provider server (i) operable to provide to a user with a web page order screen in a web browser of a workstation, the web page order screen allowing the service provider server to obtain a user-selected configuration comprising at least one feature enhancement of the data network telephone; and

(ii) to present to the user a confirming message that indicates to the user that the data network telephone is provisioned with at least one feature enhancement that the user selected.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the service provider server includes a registration function to automatically configure the data network telephone with a first configuration when the data network telephone has not been configured for service to a data network.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the service provider server includes a registration function to query a user to determine whether to configure the data network telephone with a second configuration.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the service provider server being operable to present to the user a confirming message comprises the service provider server being operable to send a confirming message to the workstation that causes the workstation to present to the user the confirming message.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the service provider server being operable to present to the user a confirming message comprises the service provider server being operable to send a confirming message to the data network telephone that causes the data network telephone to present to the user the confirming message.

4. A service provider server comprising:

a network interface for communicating over at least one data communications channel;

an accounts database for accessing a user account having a user telephone service account for using a data network telephone;

a provisioning function to provide a feature request form to a user on one of the data communications channels, the feature request form being (i) presented to the user in a web browser of a workstation (ii) and operable to receive user input to select at least one feature enhancement with which the data network telephone is to be provisioned;

a service configuration function to send a message to the data network telephone to activate the service enhancements and to present to the user a confirming message that indicates to the user that the data network telephone is provisioned with the at least one feature enhancement that the user selected.

7. The service provider of claim 4 wherein the provisioning function is accessed via an E.164 telephone number.

8. A method for providing a user selected configuration for a data network telephone comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to configure the data network telephone from the user;

presenting a user feature request form in a web browser of a workstation, the user feature request form prompting the user to select features with which the data network telephone is to be provisioned;

setting a user account in accordance with the selected features;

sending a configuration message to provision the data network telephone with the features selected; and

causing a confirming message to be presented to the user, the confirming message indicating to the user that the data network telephone is provisioned with the features selected by the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein causing a confirming message to be presented to the user comprises sending a confirming message to the workstation that causes the workstation to present to the user the confirming message.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein causing a confirming message to be presented to the user comprises sending a confirming message to the data network telephone that causes the data network telephone to present to the user the confirming message.