Apparatus and method for providing a user with one telephone number that rings phones on heterogeneous systems worldwide

US5815562A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Siemens Business Communication Systems, Inc. · US

Inventors

• David C. Iglehart · Austin, US
• Leland Lester · Austin, US
• Roger Bjork · Round Rock, US
• Vedat M. Bilgutay · Round Rock, US
• Andrzej Koscinski · Mountain View, US
• Lee G. Rosenbaum · Portland, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 12, 1996
• Grant date: Sep 29, 1998
• Expiry date: Nov 12, 2016

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04M3/56
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A server allows a worldwide telephone number associated with a local telephone to be shared by one or more remote telephones. A call placed to the worldwide telephone number rings at the local telephone and at least one of the remote telephones. The server stores a set of telephone numbers to be associated with a worldwide telephone number serviced by the switch to which the local telephone is connected. The server receives notification of a telephone call from a calling telephone to the worldwide telephone number The server retrieves the set of telephone numbers associated with that worldwide telephone number, and places calls to telephone numbers in the set through the switch. The server then causes a connection to be made between the local telephone or the remote telephone, depending on which telephone goes off hook first, to the calling telephone. In one embodiment of the present invention, the server causes the connection to be made by causing the switch to make a conference call connection between the calling telephone and the remote telephone.