Dynamic tone-administration

US5329582A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• AT&T Bell Laboratories · US

Inventors

• Frank J. Bogart · Boulder, US
• Bruce D. Butterfield · Broomfield, US
• David Chavez · Northglenn, US
• Henry C. Dittmer · Westminster, US
• Frederick R. Fix · Arvada, US
• Larry J. Hardouin · Westminster, US
• Nancy K. Schmidt · Broomfield, US
• Linda L. Thomson · Westminster, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 31, 1991
• Grant date: Jul 12, 1994
• Expiry date: Oct 31, 2011

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04Q2213/13542
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Tone treatment given to callers by an originating switching system (10) during dialing may be customized in a call-processing arrangement (200) that uses stored definitions of syntax (320, 350) and grammar (400, 410) of the network numbering plan. The syntax definitions include definitions (312) of individual symbol strings and their associated tones (336), if any. Associations of tones with symbol strings are administratively reprogrammable to change the specified tone treatment. Following dialing and identification (340) of an individual symbol string, a caller is immediately fed back (906) the string's associated tone, if any. A caller is thus immediately advised during dialing of successful or unsuccessful input of a valid symbol string, and is selectively prompted for input of another string. Caller-perceivable feedback signals other than tones may be used with equal effect.