Patent · US Expired

Call coverage arrangement

US4436962A · kind A · utility

53Cited by
2References
38Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMar 30, 1982
Grant dateMar 13, 1984
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 30, 2002

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04M3/546
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A call coverage arrangement in a telephone system. Any station served by the system may be assigned to a call coverage group as a principal station. A coverage group includes the identities of a plurality of call covering stations for the principal station and an indication of the order of preference of the covering stations. Call coverage criteria are stored for principal stations specifying circumstances under which calls intended for the principal stations are redirected to coverage. A covered call is redirected sequentially to each of the covering stations in a coverage group in the order of preference until the call is answered or abandoned. The coverage criteria include options based on both the state of a principal's station (active, busy, idle, etc.) and the class of an incoming call (internal, external, priority). Principal stations are equipped with a "send all calls" button. The button may be operated while a call is arriving to redirect the call without waiting for automatic coverage to take effect. To give a caller control over the disposition of a call scheduled for coverage, the caller is alerted at the time a coverage criterion is satisified that the call is schedul…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.