Patent ID: 6134320
Filing Date: 2000-10-17
Classification: H04M

Abstract:
In a telecommunications functions management system for a telecommunications service subscriber having a plurality of telephone terminals associated with a plurality of alerters, wherein the plurality of alerters are operable at a plurality of cadences, said telephone terminals being communicatively coupled to a telecommunications network which provides an identifier of an incoming call directed to the subscriber, a method for managing alerting of the incoming call comprising the steps of:providing one or more predetermined call identifiers;associating each predetermined call identifier with one or more alerters of the plurality of alerters;correlating the incoming call identifier to a particular identifier of the one or more predetermined call identifiers;activating the one or more alerters associated with the particular identifier;associating each predetermined call identifier with one cadence of the plurality of cadences;wherein the step of activating the one or more alerters includes controlling the one or more alerters to operate at the one cadence associated with the particular identifier;providing one or more predetermined call treatment options;associating each predetermined call treatment option with one or more of the plurality of alerters;prompting, when the incoming call identifier is not available or not correlatable to any of the predetermined call identifiers, the incoming call with the predetermined call treatment options;correlating, responsive to receiving an input selection from the incoming call, the input selection to a particular call treatment of the one or more predetermined call treatment options; andactivating the one or more alerters associated with the particular call treatment.