US 7,120,426 B2 · Automatic telephone service forwarding device

Abstract

An automatic telephone service forwarding device including a base or enclosure defining a socket for receiving a wireless telephone. Upon detecting the presence of the wireless telephone in the socket, the device automatically forwards telephone service for the wireless telephone to a previously-stored forwarding directory number, typically the directory number of a wireline unit located nearby. Alternatively, the automatic telephone service forwarding device may be incorporated directly into a wireless telephone. In this case, the wireless telephone includes a “forward” button and a scrollable list of forwarding telephone numbers. The automatic telephone service forwarding device may also be configured to automatically select certain forwarding directory numbers from the list in accordance with a predefined time-based profile. The automatic telephone service forwarding device may forward the telephone service by causing the wireless telephone to transmit a forwarding message to a telephone redirection device on an overhead data channel associated with a wireless communications network. Alternatively, the automatic telephone service forwarding device may forward the telephone service by placing a telephone call to the call redirection device. The call redirection device may include automatic call redirection equipment that is configured to enter forwarding instructions into a home location register for the wireless telephone by emulating a visitor location register in which the wireless telephone is attempting to register for roaming service.

Claims23

Dependent claims

An automatic telephone service forwarding device comprising:

a wireless telephone, further comprising:
a memory adapted to store a scrollable list of potential forwarding directory numbers, wherein the memory stores the scrollable list of forwarding directory numbers in a table indexing scheduling parameters in a scheduling parameter table, the scheduling parameters indicating days of the week and times of day for which a forwarding number is to be used;
a display device adapted to display a selected one of the potential forwarding directory numbers;
and
a forwarding button adapted to receive a command instructing the wireless telephone to automatically transmit a message instructing a telephone redirection device to forward telephone calls placed to a device directory number to the selected potential forwarding directory number in response to the scheduling parameters.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Automatic telephone service forwarding device

Life of this patent

Automatic telephone service forwarding device

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims23