Did You Know...
...that one person who claimed to be the inventor of the television is Russian emigre Vladimir Zworykin? In 1929 David Sarnoff, founder of RCA, asked Zworykin what it would take to develop TV for commercial use. He said: a year and a half and $100,000. In reality, it took 20 years and $50 million! Before his death in 1982 at the age of 92, Zworykin said of his invention: "The technique is wonderful. It is beyond my expectations. But the programs! I would never let my children even come close to this thing."
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8036367 | Flexible communication systems and methods A method of initiating a telecommunication session for a communication device include submitting to one or more telecommunication carriers a proposal for a telecommunication session, receiving from at least one of the one or more of telecommunication carriers a bid ... | 10/11/2011 |
| 8027453 | System and method for an online speaker patch-through Systems and methods described herein may be incorporated into a “service marketplace” system that matches users with potential information or service providers and establishes a real-time communications connection between the user and a selected information prov... | 09/27/2011 |
| 8009820 | Intelligent service management system A system manages the operations of an integrated communications provider. One aspect of the system is a work flow engine. The work flow engine decomposes the service model into sub-model components based upon whether crossing of plural networks is appropriate to pro... | 08/30/2011 |
| 7995739 | Method and apparatus for enabling international toll free calls using peering arrangements The present invention enables retailers who use toll free services provided by a VoIP network service provider to obtain peering arrangements with international and domestic VoIP carriers to originate, terminate, and bridge multiple call legs among global locations ... | 08/09/2011 |
| 7899174 | Emergency services for packet networks The present invention provides a technique for facilitating emergency services via packet networks. Emergency service providers will implement emergency proxies to ensure that proper call setup requests for emergency services are forwarded to the appropriate entitie... | 03/01/2011 |
| 7764778 | International origin dependent customized routing of calls to toll-free numbers A menu routing service routes calls made to a customer's toll-free number according to customized routing instructions, including instructions for routing calls originating in a non-domestic country. An international gateway receives a call to the toll-free number a... | 07/27/2010 |
| 7680262 | Method and apparatus for placing a long distance call based on a virtual phone number A method and apparatus for reducing the cost of long distance phone calls is disclosed. Accordingly, an originating phone network is operatively connected to a first intermediate point, and a receiving phone network is operatively connected to a second intermediate ... | 03/16/2010 |
| 7649987 | System and method for forwarding selective calls A forwarding telephone number in a programmable telephone number list associated with a called number is dialed in response to a busy or no answer signal at the called number. The programmable telephone number table may include preferred caller telephone numbers. Th... | 01/19/2010 |
| 7583796 | Apparatus and method for generating a data distribution route Re-distribution servers are installed at the branch points of a network for distributing streaming data, and route costs between two re-distribution servers are collected. Then, a distribution route tree from a source to a plurality of clients is automatically gener... | 09/01/2009 |
| 7573997 | Local routing system and method A communication network element determines a service provider's routing preference for routing communications and routes these communications from an originating connection address to a destination connection address over a network. The communication network element... | 08/11/2009 |
| 7570754 | System and method for routing calls in a telecommunications network A system and method of routing calls in a telecommunications network is provided. The method includes receiving an incoming call for the called party, determining the called party location, selecting a long distance carrier preferred by the called party for incoming... | 08/04/2009 |
| 7424106 | Routing traffic between carriers A method for routing an international call includes receiving a call and identifying a first international carrier based on an Internet protocol address associated with the call or a tunnel through which the call was received. The method also includes identifying a ... | 09/09/2008 |
| 7386111 | Method and apparatus for placing a long distance call based on a virtual phone number A method and apparatus for reducing the cost of long distance phone calls is disclosed. Accordingly, an originating phone network is operatively connected to a first intermediate point, and a receiving phone network is operatively connected to a second intermediate ... | 06/10/2008 |
| 7373541 | Alignment signal control apparatus and method for operating the same Broadly speaking, an apparatus and associated method of operation is provided for controlling alignment signal transmission in an electronic communication process. More specifically, a programmable control is provided for controlling transmission of alignment signal... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7371175 | Method and system for enhanced audio communications in an interactive environment Enhanced audio communications is provided in an interactive environment, such as a gaming environment, having multiple participants. An input audio signal, such as a speech signal, that is originated by one of the multiple participants is received. In addition, one ... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7359501 | Telephone call dialling A device for making telephone calls receives input data defining a call destination. The device generates a request message which is output to a control center, a response message then being received from the control center identifying a preferred route for routing ... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7359987 | Method and system for providing static addresses for Internet connected devices even if the underlying address is dynamic A method and system for resolving domain names of web sites with dynamic addresses. The resolution system, which may execute as part of a domain name server, receives a domain name associated with a web site. The resolution system then identifies a dynamic address n... | 04/15/2008 |
| 7330461 | Method to control data conversion in the transfer of a connection between a packet-switched and a line-switched communications network In the transfer of a connection between a packet-switched and a line-switched communications network, conversion of user data which are to be transmitted via the connection is controlled by a first gateway device disposed between the packet-switched and the line-swi... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7315615 | Automatic telephone line switch An apparatus (40) and method for switching a customer-premises telephone line (36) between a plurality of local telephone networks (35). The local telephone networks may have different electrical and operational characteristics. Using less than ... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7313231 | Methods, apparatus and computer program products for routing phone calls to a PSTN or a packet switched network based on called number A phone call is selectively routed to a public switched telephone network or to a packet switched network based on a called number to which the phone call is directed. A phone call may be made as a Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol call through, for example, the Internet... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7308267 | Wireless direct routing service A call is routed to a wireless mobile station from a wireline network while bypassing a host mobile switching center (MSC) of the mobile station when the mobile station is registered at an MSC other than the host MSC. In particular, a service control point (SCP) in ... | 12/11/2007 |
| 7295665 | Method and system for routing a communication through an alternate carrier A method and system for routing a communication through an alternate carrier. The A method includes recognizing an input number upon which a call is based, assigning primary, alternate and secondary interexchange carriers responsive to the recognizing, and sequentia... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7289623 | System and method for an online speaker patch-through A systems and methods described herein may be incorporated into a “service marketplace” system that matches users with potential information or service providers and establishes a real-time communications connection between the user and a selected information pr... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7289621 | Method and system for assignment of numbers as addresses for stations on a switched network A method, and a switched network adapted to carry out the method, and computer-readable media carrying instructions for controlling the network, to increase the utilization of the North American Numbering Plan. Numbers that otherwise would be stranded in a low growt... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7283484 | Network segmentation method A method includes obtaining first information indicative of instability of a data communication network. The method also includes isolating a first portion of a network from a second portion of the network responsive to the obtained first information. After a predet... | 10/16/2007 |
| 7274785 | System and method of manufacture for establishing local payphone calls through long distance carrier switches A method and system for establishing a local call from a payphone by a customer through long distance carrier switches. The payphone customer dials a long distance provider primary intralata carrier (PIC) code followed by a number sequence. The local call is routed ... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7269408 | Method and system of alerting callers to surcharges Method and system of alerting callers of surcharges associated with making phone calls. The method and system relating to calls made between affiliated and non-affiliated providers wherein the surcharges are fees incurred in service calls therebetween. The fees may ... | 09/11/2007 |
| 7245610 | Method for performing gate coordination on a per-call basis Gates a call between a calling party and a called party are coordinated. A timer associated with a first opened at an originating network edge device is initiated. A first gate open message is sent from the originating network edge device to the terminating network ... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7224781 | Method and system to connect consumers to information The present invention provides a method and apparatus for specifying and obtaining services through audio commands, resulting in a live conversation between a user and a selected service provider using an audio-transmission medium (the telephone). A service seeker l... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7224978 | Location blocking service from a wireless service provider Location-blocking and identity-blocking services that can be commercially offered by a service promoter, e.g., a cellular service provider or a web advertiser. In the identity-blocking service, the service promoter may disclose the current physical location of a mob... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7218722 | System and method for providing call management services in a virtual private network using voice or video over internet protocol A system and method for providing call management services in a Virtual Private Network of the present invention uses the advantages of end-to-end Internet Protocol signaling. The system and method of the present invention includes a user profile which offers both a... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7212622 | Call routing system A networking system includes telephone switches and data network gateways for routing calls either over the public telephone network or over the packet switched data network. A router examines initiated calls and selects either the telephone network or a data networ... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7212623 | Method for telecommunications service-to-service asynchronous communications using a context cache A method of communication among telephony services using an event context cache can include, in a messaging telephony service, receiving a telephony event from a node in the public switched telephony network specifying a called directory number, a calling directory ... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7209553 | Cutover method and device for telephone lines A method for implementing a cutover of a subscriber telephone line from a telephone line of a first exchange to a telephone line of a second exchange, includes the following steps: providing a controllable switch that is operative, in response to a control signal, t... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7203186 | System and device for integrating IP and analog telephone systems A system and a call forwarding manager device for providing Internet telephony to a subscriber's premises via the subscriber's Internet connection, facilitated by the subscriber's analog telephone connection. Incoming analog telephone calls are received by the call ... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7203166 | Method for providing voice-over-IP service A system and method, i.e. Voice Proxy Server (VPS) is invented for managing Voice over IP (VoIP) services between a NAT enabled private network and a public network such as the Internet. The VPS acts like the Call Agent to the nodes in the private network and it rep... | 04/10/2007 |
| 7188073 | On-line appointment system with electronic notifications Improved approaches to providing on-line appointments over a network are disclosed. The network is, for example, a global computer network such as the Internet. One of the improved approaches provides various notifications to requestors pertaining to appointments wi... | 03/06/2007 |
| 7184793 | System and method for over the air area code update Systems and methods for modifying the area code in a wireless communication device are provided that provide authorization from the carrier. The wireless communication device contains a table of valid area codes in persistent memory. The table defines the complete s... | 02/27/2007 |
| 7181225 | System and method for surveying wireless device users by location The present invention is a system and method for conducting survey using wireless devices. The system architecture of the present invention comprises a location server and a location system. The location server can receive a survey request from a subscriber, delinea... | 02/20/2007 |
| 7170987 | Customer premises equipment that can support multiple call control languages or multiple call agents Consumer premises equipment (CPE) configured to be connected with one of a selectable plurality of call agents using one of a selectable plurality of call control languages in response to user input to the telephone. In one aspect, telephone users can therefore sele... | 01/30/2007 |
