James David Shepard

US Patent:

6324277, Nov 27, 2001

Filed:

Feb 3, 1997

Appl. No.:

8/792053

Inventors:

Akinwale Ademola Akinpelu - Leonardo NJ
Promod Kumar Bhagat - Morganville NJ
Dana Lee Garoutte - Wheaton IL
Anthony Hatalla - Clinton NJ
Robert Bruce Hirsch - Whippany NJ
Ali H. Krisht - Dearborn MI
James Benford Shepard - Pickerington OH
Dorothy V. Stanley - Warrenville IL
Theodore Louis Stern - Suffern NY

Assignee:

AT&T Corp. - New York NY

International Classification:

H04M 700
H04M 300

US Classification:

379221

Abstract:

In an environment of competitive local and interexchange carriers, offering number portability between local carriers serving a common region and between switches serving that region, each local carrier accesses a regional database to determine the identity of the carrier and switch serving a local customer. In addition, interexchange carriers access a national database to determine the identity of the carrier and switch serving the customer specified by the number dialed by an originating customer. For customers requiring high reliability service, alternate carriers can be used to serve such customers in case the primary carrier is unavailable; the databases identify these alternate carriers. Advantageously, this arrangement allows a high degree of freedom of movement of customers between carriers and geographic relocation without requiring a number change.

US Patent:

56617925, Aug 26, 1997

Filed:

Mar 27, 1995

Appl. No.:

8/410585

Inventors:

Akinwale Ademola Akinpelu - Leonardo NJ
Promod Kumar Bhagat - Morganville NJ
Dana Lee Garoutte - Wheaton IL
Anthony Hatalla - Clinton NJ
Robert Bruce Hirsch - Whippany NJ
Ali H. Krisht - Ocean NJ
James Benford Shepard - Pickerington OH
Dorothy V. Stanley - Warrenville IL
Theodore Louis Stern - Suffern NY

Assignee:

AT&T - Middletown NJ

International Classification:

H04M 300

US Classification:

379221

Abstract:

In an environment of competitive local and interexchange carriers, offering number portability between local carriers-serving a common region and between switches serving that region, each local carrier accesses a regional database to determine the identify of the carrier and switch serving a local customer. In addition, interexchange carriers access a national database to determine the identity of the carrier and switch serving the customer specified by the number dialed by an originating customer. For customers requiring high reliability service, alternate carriers can be used to serve such customers in case the primary carrier is unavailable; the databases identify these alternate carriers. Advantageously, this arrangement allows a high degree of freedom of movement of customers between carriers and geographic relocation without requiring a number change.

US Patent:

54757460, Dec 12, 1995

Filed:

Aug 17, 1994

Appl. No.:

8/291316

Inventors:

Eileen O. Miller - Short Hills NJ
James B. Shepard - Pickerington OH

Assignee:

AT&T Corp. - Murray Hill NJ

International Classification:

H04M 342

US Classification:

379201

Abstract:

A telephone subscriber to a long distance telecommunication system is permitted, in accordance with this invention, to enter changes in real time utilizing a conventional Touch-tone telephone to control the routing or handling of incoming calls. A real-time update network control point (RTU NCP) is accessed by subscribers and contains input steps which controls the entry of changes by the subscriber. Upon the completion of the entry by the subscriber of the desired changes in RTU NCP, the latter causes the changes to be transmitted to the subscriber's NCP (SUB NCP) which controls the processing of incoming calls to a directory number associated with the subscriber based on subscriber data stored in the SUB NCP. The SUB NCP data corresponding to the subscriber is modified in accordance with the changes, so that incoming calls will be handled in accordance with the changed subscriber data.