Patent ID: 7103164

Claim:
A method of operating a computer telephony integration (CTI) system comprising a switch and a CTI controller therefor, 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 the steps of: storing, for users of the system, respective user-associated profiles, each including a user-associated workgroup containing identities of users of the system, in whose telephony status the user associated with that workgroup is interested; responding to receipt of an incoming call at the switch by retrieving from signalling data of that incoming call a called user identity and a caller identity; retrieving from the profile corresponding to the retrieved called user identity a value for the length of time that the incoming call is to be allowed to remain unanswered before routing the call to an answering facility; starting a call-associated countdown from said value; sending incoming call details including at least said called user identity from the CTI controller to each computer at which a user, whose workgroup contains that called user identity, is currently logged on to the CTI controller, such computer being referred to hereinafter as an active computer; responding to receipt of said incoming call details at said active computers by displaying an indication that an incoming call has been received for the called user; and responding to a request, made by a user at a said active computer, for details of that incoming call, by displaying at that active computer details of that incoming call comprising the current value of said call-associated countdown and at least said caller identity, such a user being referred to hereinafter as a previewing user.