Method and system for on-demand call waiting
AssigneeVerizon Laboratories Inc.
InventorDonald E. Smith
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method is provided for enabling a customer to activate a call waiting feature for a list of caller numbers specified by the user. Calls from numbers on the list generate call waiting tones if they call while the customer is talking to someone. Other callers will hear a busy signal or may be routed to voicemail. The customer can activate the feature and add numbers to, or can remove numbers from, the list by entering one or more codes and interacting with prompts from a network server to enter the numbers to be added or deleted. A method for administering the feature on the network can include administering user charges for activating and maintaining the feature and deleting a number from the list when the user receives a call from the number.
Claims15
A method for enabling an on-demand call waiting feature on a communication network, comprising:
- providing a listing of at least one number for which the feature is to be enabled;
- providing a call waiting tone to a user when a call is received from a number on the listing and the user is on a call and;
- upon the user receiving the call, automatically removing from the listing the number from which the call was received.
A system for implementing an on-demand call waiting feature on a network, comprising:
- a memory;
- a switch receiving an incoming call;
- a processor comparing the incoming call to a listing stored in the memory;
- a call waiting device to activate a tone when the processor determines a match between the incoming call and the listing;
- and
- means to automatically delete a number associated with the incoming call from the listing when the match is determined.
A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a network system to implement an on-demand call waiting feature, by:
- controlling the network to prompt a user of the network to input a number in response to the user inputting an access code;
- controlling the network to add the input number to a listing of numbers for which the feature is to be enabled when the access code is an add number code;
- controlling the network to remove the input number from the listing when the access code is a remove number code;
- controlling the network to return to prompting the user when the input number is not a last input number;
- controlling the network to provide a call waiting tone to the user when a call is received from a number on the listing and the user is on a call;
- and
- controlling the network to automatically remove from the listing the number from which the call was received.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.