Patent ID: 8184796
Filing Date: 2012-05-22
Classification: H04M

Abstract:
1. A private communications network comprising: a plurality of communications devices at private communications network stations, at least one of said plurality of communications devices being a digital telephone; a group membership registry listing aliases registered for said plurality of communications devices and comprising at least one group of a plurality of said aliases, each of the aliases within a group of aliases being different than other aliases in that group, each alias of the aliases comprising a plurality of numerical digits, a selected wildcard in a dialed number being treated as a “don't care” for dialing such that all communications devices with aliases that comprise a string of numerical digits that match the dialed number preceding the wildcard are identified as group members within one of the at least one group of aliases, said wildcard being a non-numerical symbol key substituted for one or more digits of the dialed number used for initiating a call; and at least one communications server monitoring said plurality of communications devices for inclusion of the wildcard in the dialed number used for initiating the call and responsive to encountering said wildcard by providing a group feature for the call, the group feature involving the communications devices having aliases within the one of the at least one group of aliases in the call.