A communication system providing telephony communication across combined circuit switched and packet switched networks, such as a telephone network and the Internet, which are connectable to terminals, such as telephones and computers, for selective communication therebetween. The communication system includes an authorization and account control object in the packet switched network, multiple gateways between the circuit switched and packet switched networks providing controlled connectivity between those networks, and an information retrieval object in the packet switched network, wherein the authorization and account control object maintains a substantially real time record of user accounts and usage, and the information and retrieval object provides substantially real time retrieval of selected information from the authorization and account control object. The retrieval object provides on demand to terminals which provide authentication for access to an identified account information regarding that account. The information regarding the account is substantially real time information including information with respect to communications in progress, which are chargeable to the account which has been authenticated. The authorization and account control object is preferably a unitary logical object having distributed instances thereof handling multitudinous accounts of widely separated terminals. The retrieval object provides isolation of the authorization and account control object permitting simultaneous multitasking by the authorization and account control object and the retrieval object respectively.

Network session management

A system for providing alert notifications to multiple persons or to a plurality of related geographic locations. The system stores a database of information including a plurality of communications identifiers and additional information for subscribers having those identifiers, including geographic locations and/or school/organization membership information. The system responds to commands identifying alerts to be delivered to affected geographic areas or schools/organizations, by retrieving communications identifiers in the threatened geographic location or associated with the named school/organization, establishing a communications connection using each retrieved communication identifier, and delivering the alert. Alerts may be initiated by authorized personnel via telephone or Internet interaction with the system, or may be generated automatically from data feeds such as the EMWIN system of the National Weather Service. Alerts may be delivered via telephone, pager (voice or text), e-mail, Internet, or other media.

Alert notification system

A personal assistant system uses context to intelligently make contacts and for provisioning an address book. The system can be customized by subscribers for all or specific contacts. The system uses history information to make predictions of whether calls will be successful when no preference is specified by the user.

Voice mail system with personal assistant provisioning

An Active User Registry system includes a database which is integrated with the POTS network and a packet network to exploit the outstanding strengths of both of its constituents. The Active User Registry database is a dynamic data structure of all the ways in which one or more users can be reached via some type of communication network. A key feature of the Active User Registry is the ability to broker between a subscriber's request for communications contact information corresponding to a user and the user's preferences of being reached by various communications alternatives.

Active user registry

A telephone control system (1) which enhances the accessibility of system subscribers by providing a variety of call-handling modes, and various ways of programming means by which those subscribers can tailor the system. In operation, subscribers are each assigned a telephone number (ACCESS NUMBER) which can be dialed from any location via the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). The control system determines which subscriber a call is intended for, and by referring to a database determines the method of call handling which has been preselected by that subscriber (e.g. switching a call to another telephone number). The switching function (4) may be located in the control system itself, or located in the PSTN but under the control of the control system. Hence, the ACCESS NUMBER may be used as the sole telephone number for a subscriber. Callers need not know the subscribers specific whereabouts nor the subscriber's various location-specific telephone numbers such as home, office, car phone, and so forth.

Remote access telephone control system

Disclosed is a method of utilizing a public switched telecommunications network which includes a voice messaging system (VMS) to provide a reliable and flexible notification service to deliver to designated persons a message which may be prestored or created at the time of initiating the notification. The list of persons to be notified is pre-established and permits multiple telephone numbers to be used to locate a single person or an alternate person. Pagers may be simultaneously or sequentially called requesting that the desired person call in for their message. The list of persons to be notified may be changed by the system coordinator from any DTMF telephone and the telephone numbers or pager numbers assigned to persons to be notified may be changed by such persons from any DTMF telephone. Alternatively the list may be created or changed by the coordinator using a personal computer or ASCII data type device. The system automatically reports the results of a notification session to the coordinator and automatic billing is provided. The service includes establishment of redundant data bases in different geographic locales for added reliability.

Barry Pershan

Papers

Group notification service and system