US 2004/0071273 A1Published application

Computer telephony integration

AssigneeBritish Telecommunications public limited company

InventorLaurence J Booton

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Abstract

In a CTI system an incoming call is alerted to the called user's list of users who have expressed a primary level of interest in that called user's incoming calls, and the call is routed by the PBX to a Voicemail system if, for example the call is not answered within a predetermined time. The Voicemail system plays an announcement inviting the caller to key “one” to have the call re-presented, and if that digit is keyed by the caller, the Voicemail system makes a call to a predetermined extension of the PBX. The PBX recognises, e.g. by using call ID or DNIS, that the call received on that extension is a re-presented call, and alerts the called user's list of users who have expressed a secondary level of interest, with or without alerting the “primary” list users. A tertiary list of users who have expressed a tertiary level of interest in that called user's incoming calls may be used in the event that the call is routed to the Voicemail system for a second time and the caller again keys “one”.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method of operating a computer telephony integration (CTI) system comprising a switch and a CTI controller therefor, voice messaging apparatus connected to the switch, and a plurality of user workstations, each workstation comprising a computer connected to the CTI controller and a telephone connected to the switch, the method comprising the steps of:—

storing, for each user of the system, a respective first user-associated list of users who have assigned a first level of interest in the telephony status of that user, herein referred to as that user's first community of interest, and a respective second user-associated list of users who have assigned a second level of interest in the telephony status of that user, herein referred to as that user's second community of interest;
responding to receipt at the switch of an incoming call, referred to herein as an original incoming call, by retrieving from signalling data of that original incoming call a called user identity, referred to herein as the original called user identity, and by starting a countdown timer from a predetermined value;
sending an incoming call message from the CTI controller to the respective computers of those members of that original called user's first community of interest who are currently logged on to the CTI controller;
responding to receipt of the incoming call message at those respective computers by generating an alert;
in the event that the countdown timer reaches zero, routing that original incoming call to the voice messaging apparatus and sending a change icon message to those respective computers to change the respective generated alerts;
responding to receipt at the voice messaging apparatus of that routed original incoming call and of predetermined dialled data from the caller by making a related call from the voice messaging apparatus to a predetermined called user identity of the switch;
recognising that a call received at the switch is such a related call by virtue of the presence of that predetermined called user identity in the signalling data of that received call;
identifying the original incoming call to which that received call is so related, and, therefore, the original called user identity;
and
sending an incoming call message from the CTI controller to the respective computers of those members of that called user's secondary community of interest who are currently logged on to the CTI controller.

7 more elements

A computer telephony integration (CTI) system comprising a switch and a CTI controller therefor, voice messaging apparatus connected to the switch, and a plurality of user workstations, each workstation comprising a computer connected to the CTI controller and a telephone connected to the switch, the system comprising:—

means for storing, for each user of the system, a respective first user-associated list of users who have assigned a first level of interest in the telephony status of that user, herein referred to as that user's first community of interest, and a respective second user-associated list of users who have assigned a second level of interest in the telephony status of that user, herein referred to as that user's second community of interest;
means for responding to receipt at the switch of an incoming call, referred to herein as an original incoming call, by retrieving from signalling data of that original incoming call a called user identity, referred to herein as the original called user identity, and by starting a countdown timer from a predetermined value;
means for sending an incoming call message from the CTI controller to the respective computers of those members of that original called user's first community of interest who are currently logged on to the CTI controller;
means for responding to receipt of the incoming call message at those respective computers by generating an alert;
means responsive to the countdown timer reaching zero for routing that original incoming call to the voice messaging apparatus and for sending a change icon message to those respective computers to change the respective generated alerts;
means for responding to receipt at the voice messaging apparatus of that routed original incoming call and of predetermined dialled data from the caller by making a related call from the voice messaging apparatus to a predetermined called user identity of the switch;
means for recognising that a call received at the switch is such a related call by virtue of the presence of that predetermined called user identity in the signalling data of that received call;
means for identifying the original incoming call to which that received call is so related, and, therefore, the original called user identity;
and
means for sending an incoming call message from the CTI controller to the respective computers of those members of that called user's secondary community of interest who are currently logged on to the CTI controller.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/469,352Filed 28 Aug 2003
Priority: EP 01302781.826 Mar 2001
Published: 15 Apr 2004
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H04M 3/533
Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages , i.e. mailbox systems: voice mail systems
H04M 3/42323
In private branch exchanges: pBX's with CTI arrangements
H04M 3/465
Arrangements for calling a number of substations in a predetermined sequence until an answer is obtained: arrangements for simultaneously calling…
H04M 3/42059
Calling party identification service: making use of the calling party identifier