Telephone system with scheduled handling of calls

A control system for connection to a telephone network for processing telephone calls from a caller to a user, wherein said telephone calls are to a telephone number normally accessible via a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), said controller receiving said telephone calls with no need for said callers to provide a special access code, the control system comprising:

• input/output means for connection to the telephone network to input and output telephone calls;
• a memory;
• and
• electronic processing means for directing the flow of input and output telephone calls via said input/output means, said electronic processing means including means for:
• a) processing calls to the system directed to a specific user in a selected one of at least two commanded call handling modes, one such commanded call handling modes including forwarding a call to a forwarding number stored in said memory, and another one such commanded call handling modes including providing a message center for the caller to leave a message for the user, and
• b) storing a sequence of scheduled command mode changes and corresponding times for each such command mode change to automatically change the commanded forwarding modes at the commanded times.

A control system for connection to a telephone network for processing telephone calls from a caller to a user, wherein said telephone calls are to a telephone number normally accessible via a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), said control system receiving said telephone calls with no need for the caller to provide a special access code, the control system comprising:

• input/output means for connection to the telephone network to input and output telephone calls;
• a memory;
• and
• electronic processing means for directing the flow of input and output calls via said input/output means, said electronic processing means including means for:
• a) processing calls to the system directed to a specific user in a selected one of at least two commanded call handling modes, one such commanded call handling modes including forwarding a call to a forwarding number stored in said memory, and another one of such commanded call handling modes including transmitting a page to the user, and
• b) responding to said user entering a timer command and a corresponding time interval command to change a presently commanded forwarding mode for said commanded interval to another commanded forwarding mode.

A control system for connection to a telephone network, said control system comprising:

• (a) communication means for connection to communication facilities of said network for processing telephone calls via said facilities;
• (b) control means for controllably routing a call placed to one telephone network address to another telephone address of said network;
• (c) memory means for storing signals including signals representative of telephone network addresses;
• and
• (d) electronic processing means for processing a telephone call received via said communication means, said processing means including a plurality of call processing modes, wherein the electronic processing means responds, in one mode, to an incoming call with a prompt indicating to the caller that said incoming call can be routed to any one of a plurality of locations, each location having a telephone network address represented in said memory means and, responsive to the caller transmitting a command identifying one of said locations, causing said control means to route said incoming call to the telephone network address corresponding to said one of said locations identified by said caller, and wherein incoming calls are handled differently depending upon the call processing mode currently commanded and further including a schedule mode, wherein said electronic processing means responds to a stored sequence comprising a plurality of call processing mode changes and corresponding times for each such call processing mode change in said stored sequence to automatically change to the commanded call processing mode at the commanded times.

A control system for connection to a telephone network, said control system comprising:

• (a) communication means for connection to communication facilities of said network for processing telephone calls via said facilities;
• (b) control means for controllably routing a call placed to one telephone network address to another telephone address of said network;
• (c) memory means for storing signals including signals representative of telephone network addresses;
• and
• (d) electronic processing means for processing a telephone call received via said communication means, said processing means having a plurality of call processing modes, including a call branching mode, wherein the electronic processing means responds to an incoming call with a prompt indicating to the caller that said incoming call can be routed to any one of a plurality of locations, each location having a telephone network address represented in said memory means and, responsive to the caller transmitting a command identifying one of said locations, causing said control means to route said incoming call to the telephone network address corresponding to said one of said locations identified by said caller, said processing means also including a timer mode, wherein said electronic processing means responds to said user entering a timer command to change to the presently commanded mode for said commanded interval, thereafter reverting to another mode.

A control system for connection to a telephone network, said control system comprising:

• (a) communication means for connection to communication facilities of said network for processing telephone calls via said facilities;
• (b) control means for controllably routing a call placed to one telephone network address to another telephone address of said network;
• (c) memory means for storing signals including signals representative of telephone network addresses;
• and
• (d) electronic processing means for processing a telephone call received via said communication means for a user, said processing means having a plurality of call processing modes, including a call forwarding mode, wherein the electronic processing means responds to an incoming call with a prompt indicating to the caller that said incoming call is being routed to said user, said user having a current telephone network address represented in said memory means and causing said control means to route said incoming call to the current telephone network address, said processing means also including a timer mode, wherein said electronic processing means responds to said user entering a timer command to change to the current telephone network address for said commanded interval, thereafter reverting to another telephone network address.

A method of receiving and processing incoming telephone calls to a telephone control system, said method comprising:

• (a) storing in a memory electronic signals including signals representative of telephone network addresses;
• (b) processing an incoming telephone call from a caller, including communicating information to the caller indicating that said incoming call can be routed to any one of at least two telephone network addresses, sensing the transmission by the caller of a command corresponding to the desired telephone network address and, responsive thereto, routing said incoming call to the telephone network address corresponding to the command transmitted by said caller;
• and
• (c) handling incoming calls differently depending upon the state of a call processing mode currently commanded and, in a schedule mode, responding to a stored sequence comprising a plurality of call processing mode changes and corresponding times for each such call processing mode change in said stored sequence to automatically change to the commanded call processing mode at the commanded time.

A method of receiving and processing incoming telephone calls to a telephone control system, wherein said telephone calls are to telephone network addresses normally accessible via a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), said method receiving and processing said telephone calls with no need for a caller to provide a special access code, said method comprising:

• (a) storing in a memory electronic signals including signals
• representative of telephone network addresses;
• b) processing an incoming telephone call from said caller directed to a user in one of a plurality of commanded call processing modes;
• and
• (c) handling incoming calls differently depending upon the state of the call processing mode currently commanded and, in a schedule mode, responding to a stored sequence comprising a plurality of call processing mode changes and corresponding times for each such call processing mode change in said stored sequence to automatically change to the commanded call processing mode at the commanded time.

A method of receiving and processing incoming telephone calls to a telephone control system, wherein said telephone calls are to telephone network addresses normally accessible via a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), said method receiving and processing said telephone calls with no need for a caller to provide a special access code, said method comprising:

• (a) storing in a memory electronic signals including signals representative of telephone network addresses;
• (b) in at least one mode of operation, processing an incoming telephone call from said caller, including communicating information to said caller indicating that said incoming call can be routed to any one of at least two telephone network addresses, sensing the transmission by the caller of a command corresponding to the desired telephone network address and, responsive thereto, routing said incoming call to the telephone network address corresponding to the command transmitted by said caller;
• and
• (c) in a timer mode, responding to said user entering a timer command mode and a corresponding time interval command to change to a presently commanded mode for said commanded interval, thereafter reverting to another mode.

A method of receiving and processing incoming telephone calls to a telephone control system, wherein said telephone calls are to telephone network addresses normally accessible via a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), said method receiving and processing said telephone calls with no need for a caller to provide a special access code, said method comprising:

• (a) storing in a memory electronic signals including signals representative of telephone network addresses;
• (b) in at least one mode of operation, processing an incoming telephone call from said caller directed to a user by routing said incoming call to a previously stored telephone network address for said user;
• and
• (c) in a timer mode, responding to said user entering a timer command mode and a corresponding time interval command to change to a presently commanded mode for said commanded interval, thereafter reverting to another mode.