Telephonic communications – Special services – Service profile
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-06
2003-04-01
Matar, Ahmad F. (Department: 2642)
Telephonic communications
Special services
Service profile
C379S230000, C379S265020, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06542594
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority of European Patent Application No. 98460056.9, which was filed on Dec. 10, 1998.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The field of the invention is that of automatic branch exchanges for telecommunication systems and especially but not exclusively private automatic branch exchanges or PBX.
More specifically, the invention relates to a method for the management of an automatic branch exchange.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In general, a computer interacts with a plurality of users by means of a plurality of user terminals. Typically, these terminals are distributed geographically within the premises of a firm. In general, it is possible to distinguish between two types of user terminals, namely “internal” user terminals which are directly connected to a switch and “external” user terminals, connected to the automatic branch exchange by means of a bus or a telephone network line (STN, ISDN, etc.).
In the present description, the term <<user terminal>> is understood to mean any type of telecommunication equipment placed at the disposal of users such as especially but not exclusively telephone type terminals (for example telephone sets) and computer type terminals (for example microcomputers). With a view to simplification, the expression “user terminal” is sometimes replaced by “terminal”.
Conventionally, the management of an automatic branch exchange is based solely on the notion of a user terminal. It is assumed indeed that only one terminal is assigned to each user, thus enabling the routine identification of the user with his single terminal. Thus typically, each user terminal is in a distinct office (or working area), and it is assumed that this user terminal is used by the person working in this office (or within this working area).
Conventionally, the automatic branch exchange identifies each user terminal by means of one or more identifiers, and each user terminal is assigned a physical location (or port) on an input/output plan of the automatic branch exchange. Owing to the routine identification of the user with his unique terminal, each user terminal is generally identified by a pair of user terminal identifiers of the type <<(terminal number, name of user using the terminal)>>.
Furthermore, the automatic branch exchange has a table of user terminals associating a user terminal profile with each pair of identifiers of a user terminal (namely each user terminal).
FIG. 1
shows an example of a table of terminals of this kind created with a prior art method of management of an automatic branch exchange. Each user terminal profile has a plurality of attributes assigned to the user terminal such as for example a DDI (direct dialing inward) number, a rerouting path, a ringing, a mode of programming the keypad of the user terminal, etc. The interaction between the automatic branch exchange and a given user terminal is done as a function of the profile of the user terminal of this given user terminal.
The present method of management of an automatic branch exchange therefore in no way incorporates the way in which the users, who are human persons, use the user terminals, which are physical items of equipment. Consequently, the present method of management of an automatic branch exchange has numerous drawbacks.
First of all, it is now increasingly frequent to assign to one and the same user, known as a multiple user, several user terminals such as for example a standard wired phone or a cordless phone. Now the present method of management of an automatic branch exchange is not at all suited to such multiple users since its basic principle consists of the routine identification of a single terminal with the user. Consequently, the present solution for managing the case of a multiple user consists in assigning a distinct terminal number to each of the user terminals of the multiple user and in recording these numbers separately in a user terminal table (in associating a user terminal profile with each one). This operation is fairly cumbersome since it requires the definition of a plurality of user terminal profiles, although they are highly (even entirely) similar as they pertain to one and the same user. To contact a multiple user internally (namely from a terminal managed by the automatic branch exchange), this approach implies the knowledge, by the calling party, of the numbers of the different terminals of this user. Similarly, to convey an external call (namely one made from a terminal not managed by the automatic branch exchange) to a multiple user, this approach implies the preliminary definition of an entity with a higher logic level, namely a group of user terminals (or <<group of users>> since each user terminal is in principle assigned to a distinct user) which in the present case brings together all the terminals assigned to the multiple user. Within this group of user terminals, either a group rerouting path is defined or each terminal has its own rerouting path.
Furthermore, the concept of virtual users is at present costly to implement in terms of material resources. It may be recalled that a user is said to be <<virtual>> if, despite the fact that he has no user terminal assigned to him (and therefore cannot send any call through the automatic branch exchange), he has some of the resources managed by the automatic branch exchange (for example a DDI number, a rerouting path, a voice message mailbox, etc.). As explained here above, these resources correspond to the attributes included in the user terminal profile. Consequently, to define a virtual user, it is necessary to have a user terminal profile available. Now, to have a user terminal profile available, it is imperatively necessary to have identified a user terminal (even if it does not exist in reality) with the automatic branch exchange and to have it assigned a physical port on an input/output board of the automatic branch exchange. In short, with the present method of management of an automatic branch exchange, a physical port of the board is blocked unnecessarily for each virtual user. This is all the more troublesome as the input/output boards of the automatic branch exchange form a limited physical resource. Typically, each input/output board comprises 8, 16 or 32 ports (or physical locations).
Other drawbacks again appear when several users, known as common users, use one and the same user terminal. This situation corresponds for example to the case of a user terminal <<shared>> by two users working in one and the same room. Since the attributes used to customize the operation of the terminal are assigned to the terminal itself (and not to the users of this terminal), it is currently impossible in this case, before picking up the phone, to know which potential user is the intended receiver of a call. For the same reason, it is impossible to forward a call differently depending on the common user called.
Other drawbacks also appear when a third party user, called a multi-telephonist user, receives calls at a single terminal intended for these other different users. This situation corresponds for example to the case of a telephone operator in a medical practice, who receives calls at his terminal for two different doctors (i.e. a telephonist providing a customized telephone reception service for two distinct groups of medical clients). For the above-mentioned reason (i.e. that attributes are assigned to the terminal and not to the users), it is presently impossible in this case to modify the working of the unique terminal (for example the ringing, the rerouting of the call in the absence of the operator, etc.) according to the called user.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In particular, it is an object of the invention to overcome these different drawbacks of the prior art.
More specifically, one of the goals of the present invention is to provide a method for the management of an automatic branch exchange that can be used to provide a larger number of functions (or operational modes) to the users.
It is
Avaya Technology Corp.
Knowlin Thjuan P.
Matar Ahmad F.
Volejnicek David
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