A method and apparatus to provide access to a dispatch system is disclosed. A communications manager (40) grants an exclusive system talker privilege to one remote unit (10) in the system at a time. After a remote unit (10) requests and is designated as the exclusive system talker, no other remote unit (20, 22) may transmit for a first pre-determined amount of time. After the first pre-determined time has elapsed, any other remote unit (20, 22) may request the exclusive system talker privilege and become the exclusive system talker. The exclusive system talker privilege is revoked by the communications manager (40) to any remote unit who retains the exclusive system talker privilege for more than a second pre-determined amount of time. The exclusive system talker privilege is also revoked upon the release of a push-to-talk button on a remote unit (10). Furthermore, a base station (44) in communication with a remote unit (10) designated as the exclusive system talker will generate a surrogate relinquishment request to the communications manager (40) if the exclusive system talker travels outside the coverage area of the system, loses power, or is destroyed.

Method and apparatus for access regulation and system protection of a dispatch system

A personal number communications system assigns a personal number to each subscriber, and receives from each subscriber communication routing information in the form of one or more hierarchical lists of destinations based on the time of day and day of the week. The hierarchy and composition of the lists may be changed or may be overridden to direct selected communications to a specific destination. The system receives communications directed to a subscriber's personal number and identifies the source of the communication. The identification may be made through calling line identification, through a personalized list of callers, or through source identification. The system selects a first destination for the communication from the hierarchical list. At the first destination, the system announces the identified source of the communication and requests disposition information as to the acceptance, formal rejection or passive rejection, such as a no answer, of the communication. If accepted, the system routes the communication to the first destination. If rejected, the system routes the communication to the default destination selected by the subscriber. If there is a passive rejection, the system requests communication disposition information from the next destination in the destination list according to the hierarchy selected by the subscriber. The system continues to request communicatioin disposition information from each sequential destination on the destination list until the communication is accepted or until the last destination on the destination list is reached, at which point the communication is routed to the last destination.

Personal number communications system

A method and apparatus for routing calls for a subscriber based on the identification of the calling party or the originating line. Generally, the present invention operates to identify a calling party or originating line and then select a routing list based on this identification. Once a routing list has been selected, the call will be routed to the destination in the routing list. More specifically, when a call is received, an inquiry is made regarding the identity of the calling party or calling line. If the identification can be determined, then an attempt to retrieve a routing list associated with this identification is made. If a routing list has been provided for the identified party or line, the routing list will be retrieved. If a routing list has not been provided for the identified party or line, a default routing list will be selected for routing the call.

Method and Apparatus for Routing Calls Based on the Identification of the Calling Party or Calling Line

A server located at a first location for recording and managing communications for transcription generated at a second location. Clients contact the server to store communications for transcription. The client is given the option to create a user configurable profile that defines user identification data and recording options for that client. The user identification data includes a user identification number and an audible user identification which is associated with each user identification number. The communications are recorded based on the recording options in the user configurable profile. Exemplary recording options include file integrity and audio archiving. The server also provides the user with the ability to withhold a recording for completion at a later time.

Method and apparatus for recording and managing communications for transcription

A telephone subscriber placing a telephone call through a telecommunications network ( 10 ) to a telephone line carrying an existing call may interrupt that call by entering an interrupt code to the network. Upon receipt of the code, the network verifies whether the interrupt code is valid by consulting a data base ( 21 ) that cross-references interrupt codes to corresponding lines. If the code is valid for the line carrying the existing call, the network then interrupts the existing call.

Method for interrupting a telephone call after receiving a busy signal

The circuit enables an existing call to be interrupted without being cancelled. This is of particular significance for subscribers connected via their telephone sets to a dictating machine or a teaching machine for some length of time. According to another aspect the same interruption facilities are provided for interrupting a call to another subscriber after the call has lasted a predetermined, minimum time.

Woller Horst

Papers

Arrangement for enabling an existing call to be temporarily interrupted