Call coverage arrangement

US4873717A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• American Telephone and Telegraph Company, AT&T Bell Laboratories · US

Inventors

• Wayne A. Davidson · Valhalla, US
• John P. Ernst · Warrenville, US
• Marybeth Herkes · Aurora, US
• Ram Kuppuswami · New Providence, US
• Timothy A. Satalich · Warrenville, US
• John J. Stanaway, Jr. · Wheaton, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 14, 1988
• Grant date: Oct 10, 1989
• Expiry date: Jun 14, 2008

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04Q11/0428
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A call coverage arrangement in which coverage personnel are informed of the switch-hook status of covered terminals by way of a single two-part indicator on the coverage terminal. The two-part indicator indicates switch-hook status for any one of a number of covered terminals. The first part of the indicator identifies the covered terminal and the second part defines the switch-hook status of the identified terminal. The arrangement is flexible in providing coverage for additional terminals and in providing coverage via forwarding from any termianl, since there is no need to assign and dedicate status indicators to particular terminals.