Patent ID: 7177405
Filing Date: 2007-02-13
Classification: H04M

Abstract:
1. A method of operating a computer telephony integration (CTI) system comprising a switch and a CTI controller therefor, voice messaging apparatus connected to the switch, and a plurality of user workstations, each workstation comprising a computer connected to the CTI controller and a telephone connected to the switch, the method comprising: storing, for each user of the system, a respective first user-associated list of users who have assigned a first level of interest in the telephony status of that user, herein referred to as that user's first community of interest, and a respective second user-associated list of users who have assigned a second level of interest in the telephony status of that user, herein referred to as that user's second community of interest; responding to receipt at the switch of an incoming call, referred to herein as an original incoming call, by retrieving from signalling data of that original incoming call a called user identity, referred to herein as the original called user identity, and by starting a timer from a first predetermined value; sending an incoming call message from the CTI controller to the respective computers of those members of that original called user's first community of interest who are currently logged on to the CTI controller; responding to receipt of the incoming call message at those respective computers by generating an alert; in the event that the timer reaches a second predetermined value, routing that original incoming call to the voice messaging apparatus and sending a change icon message to those respective computers to change the respective generated alerts; responding to receipt at the voice messaging apparatus of that routed original incoming call and of predetermined dialled data from the caller by making a related call from the voice messaging apparatus to a predetermined called user identity of the switch; recognizing that a call received at the switch is such a related call by virtue of the presence of that predetermined called user identity in the signalling data of that received call; identifying the original incoming call to which that received call is so related, and, therefore, the original called user identity; and sending an incoming call message from the CTI controller to the respective computers of those members of that called user's secondary community of interest who are currently logged on to the CTI controller.