# US 9,438,742 B2 · Family branch exchange

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- Number: US 9,438,742 B2
- Document ID: US9438742B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/102,781
- Filed: 2011-05-06
- Published: 2011-12-29
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2010-06-24
- Assignees: Xcast Labs, Inc.
- Applicants: Vladimir Smelyansky
- Inventors: Vladimir Smelyansky
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9438742B2

## CPC

- H04M 7/0069: {comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals}
- H04M 3/02: Calling substations, e.g. by ringing (selective calling H04Q)
- H04M 3/4365: {based on information specified by the calling party, e.g. priority or subject}
- H04L 12/2838: {Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths (adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24)}
- H04M 3/42314: {in private branch exchanges}
- H04M 3/533: Voice mail systems
- H04M 2250/66: user interface aspects for indicating selection options for a communication line
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

A Family Branch Exchange (FBX) overcomes limitations of conventional residential telephone technology to inexpensively provide more useful and advanced residential telephone services. For example, a method of providing automatic call forwarding comprises receiving, at a service provider system connected to a telephone network and optionally to a data network, a call including dialing information indicating a person to whom the call is to be placed, retrieving, at the service provider system, destination information for the indicated person, and forwarding, from the service provider system, the call to at least one destination indicated by the destination information.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of providing support services comprising:
receiving, at a service provider system connected to a data network and to a telephone network, an access to voicemail from a user at user premises;
checking, at the service provider system, the statuses of all voicemail boxes associated with the user premises to determine a number of new voicemail messages in each voicemail box;
automatically building, at the service provider system, a single voice message indicating which voicemail boxes of all voicemail boxes associated with the user premises have new messages; and
playing, from the service provider system to the user, the voice message indicating which voicemail boxes have new messages.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the automatically built single voicemail message further indicates a presence, absence, and number of new, old, and saved messages in each voicemail box.

### Claim 3

A computer program product for providing support services comprising:
a non-transitory computer readable medium; computer program instructions, recorded on the non-transitory computer readable medium, executable by a processor, for performing the steps of:
receiving, at a service provider system connected to a data network and to a telephone network, an access to voicemail from a user at user premises;
checking, at the service provider system, the statuses of all voicemail boxes associated with the user premises to determine a number of new voicemail messages in each voicemail box;
automatically building, at the service provider system, a single voice message indicating which voicemail boxes of all voicemail boxes associated with the user premises have new messages; and
playing, from the service provider system to the user, the voice message indicating which voicemail boxes have new messages.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the automatically built single voicemail message further indicates a presence, absence, and number of new, old, and saved messages in each voicemail box.

### Claim 5

A system for providing support services comprising:
a service provider system connected to a data network and to a telephone network operable to:
receive an access to voicemail from a user at user premises;
check the statuses of all voicemail boxes associated with the user premises to determine a number of new voicemail messages in each voicemail box;
automatically build a single voice message indicating which voicemail boxes of all voicemail boxes associated with the user premises have new messages; and
play to the user the voice message indicating which voicemail boxes have new messages.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The system of claim 5, wherein the automatically built single voicemail message further indicates a presence, absence, and number of new, old, and saved messages in each voicemail box.