Did You Know...
...that the video game, Pong, was invented by a guy who graduated at the bottom of his engineering class? Nolan Bushnell spent more time running the games at a local amusement park than he did on his studies at the University of Utah. His dreams of working for Disney's amusement empire were dashed when the company wouldn't hire him. Taking a boring job, Nolan daydreamed about electronic versions of popular games. He invented Pong, the first video game, and went on to found Atari Co.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7391855 | System and method for implementation of a called party prepayment plan A method and associated system are provided for processing data to complete a collect telephone call to a called-party that has prepaid an account to pay for the collect call. Data is received regarding a collect call from a caller to the called-party. Next it is de... | 06/24/2008 |
| 7353293 | Method for making available features for alternative connections of primary connections The invention relates to a method for creating alternative routes to primary connections, particularly to voice-over IP connections, in which the data transmission occurs in a primary network, and an alternative data transmission occurs in a, as a rule, less efficie... | 04/01/2008 |
| 7085258 | Instant messaging with voice conversation feature An instant message (IM) communication method. An IM communication method can include the steps of: detecting a voice communications identifier in an IM transmitted by a sender; responsive to detecting the voice communications identifier, displaying a selectable icon... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7082300 | Roaming virtual long distance The invention provides a system and a method for connecting an out-of-market customer to a desired telephone number. The method comprises receiving a customer validation request from a foreign market provider and, in return, providing a random or designated toll-fre... | 07/25/2006 |
| 7068772 | Economical call processing system and method, such as for providing one-number telecommunication services A system and associated method receive, from a local telecommunications network, a call from a first number, to a second number associated with an individual or subscriber. The system and method locally store at least the second number, and initiate a dial-up call t... | 06/27/2006 |
| 6980983 | Method for collective decision-making A method and a computer program product for promoting collaborative, consensus-driven decisions from a plurality of decision-making entities using electronic communications in a real-time forum. The inventive instant messaging application can be used for registering... | 12/27/2005 |
| 6963635 | Method and system for facilitating collection of subscriber past due balance A method and system for facilitating collection of past due balances. A control entity such as a call server or collections server receives a signaling message such as a SIP INVITE that seeks to set up a call between a calling party and called party. The control ent... | 11/08/2005 |
| 6885858 | System and method for operating a billing system, and billing system The invention relates to a method for operating a billing system for billing for services provided by a service provider and/or for transmissions of service data via a terminal used by a subscriber using a communication network, where the service provider is arrange... | 04/26/2005 |
| 6718025 | System and method for toll notification when placing a call A system and method for alerting wireless telephone users whether a call is a toll call. This invention provides communication subscribers with a notification when placing a toll call to either other wireless or landline subscribers. The notification may be a toll n... | 04/06/2004 |
| 6694007 | System and method for establishing long distance call connections using electronic text messages A method and system adapted to receive electronic text messages and generate connection request messages used to establish toll call connections. The system includes a call control database, customer profile database, billing database, call control node, ... | 02/17/2004 |
| 6681008 | Automated toll-free telecommunications information service and apparatus An automated toll-free telecommunications information service may be provided responsive to a user sending an E-Mail request via the Internet or by a caller dialing a toll-free telephone number and announcing a voice request. A service node interprets the... | 01/20/2004 |
| 6570973 | System and method for toll notification when placing a call A system and method for alerting wireless telephone users whether a call is a toll call. This invention provides communication subscribers with a notification when placing a toll call to either other wireless or landline subscribers. The notification may ... | 05/27/2003 |
| 6535585 | System and method for notification upon successful message delivery A method and related apparatus for delivering a message from a calling party at a calling station to a called party at a called station, the method including: in response to an unsuccessful attempt to communicate from the calling station to the called sta... | 03/18/2003 |
| 6311291 | Remote modem control and diagnostic system and method A remote modem control and testing system includes a remote diagnostic unit (RDU) and a control computer linked by telephone lines and control modems. The RDU also includes a test software modem and a reference modem. An operator of the control computer u... | 10/30/2001 |
| 6282271 | Modem protection device A device for protecting a modem against harmful telephone line signals or reversed polarity telephone line signals includes a telephone line interface couplable to a telephone line, a modem interface couplable to a modem communication port, a measurement ... | 08/28/2001 |
| 6157709 | Method and apparatus for branding delivered calls A call delivered to a called party (12, 120) is branded to identify to the called party the identity of the telecommunications carrier whose network (20) carried the call at least in part. Such branding is accomplished by triggering an announcement mechan... | 12/05/2000 |
| 6137874 | Method of using carrier information for enhanced call data processing by a telecommunications provider Disclosed is a capability for differentiated in-network or off-network call treatment (e.g., different call features or services) on a per-call basis using the value of the carrier identification code (CIC) passed from an access provider to a second carri... | 10/24/2000 |
| 6111946 | Method and system for providing answer supervision in a switched telephone network A method and system for providing answer supervision in a switched telephone network are described. The method involves monitoring signaling links in a common channel signaling system to track call progress. If a called number is determined to be suspect ... | 08/29/2000 |
| 6078659 | Apparatus and method for fast automated recovery from toll switch failure in a telephone network The present invention provides an efficient recovery mechanism when a toll switch within a telephone network is inoperative. A telephone network management operating system and a network manager determines that a toll switch is sufficiently inoperative an... | 06/20/2000 |
| 5982869 | System and method for automatically generating a routing plan for international telephony A system and method for automatically configuring routing for international telephone calls in a hierarchy of switches. The present invention provides a set of routing rules to route international telephone calls through a hierarchy of switches. The rules... | 11/09/1999 |
| 5956396 | Class-of-service automatic routing Local/toll dynamic routing integration is achieved within a telecommunications network (14) that includes at least one dynamic routing local switching system (24-1) for receiving incoming call and a plurality of toll switching systems (27-1 through 27-7) ... | 09/21/1999 |
| 5946379 | Service and information management system for a telecommunications network A system for service control and operations for a telecommunications network. In particular, an architecture and method for a service control and operations element system. The system communicates with a plurality of interconnected telecommunications netw... | 08/31/1999 |
| 5940491 | Control of telecommunications networks Apparatus and method for controlling establishment of telecommunications call connections in a telecommunications network. The network comprises a plurality of switches each with its own switching processor means, and a plurality of switching processing p... | 08/17/1999 |
| 5903638 | Telecommunications system for international call routing using traffic allocation A telecommunications system for international routing processes international calls directed to a multi-carrier country. A network control system provides the intelligence needed to weigh all of the applicable information and, based on International Traff... | 05/11/1999 |
| 5844981 | Method and system of improved routing to WATS A method and system of improved routing to WATS completes calls through a wide area telephone service using indirect routing. When a call is placed from a calling telephone station to a called telephone station, a telephone network attempts to route the c... | 12/01/1998 |
| 5828734 | Telephone interface call processing system with call selectivity For use with a public telephone network CO incorporating a vast number of terminals T1-Tn, a system CS limits and controls interface access to implement voice-digital communication for statistical processing. The system CS accommodates calls in different ... | 10/27/1998 |
| 5815559 | Method for selecting AMA records using directory numbers In an automatic message accounting (AMA) record distribution network, a method and system for sorting AMA records by using an area code or numbering plan area (NPA) data array and directory number bit maps to identify AMA records which are of interest to ... | 09/29/1998 |
| 5787150 | Method and system for automated collect call messaging Method and apparatus allow a caller to contact a called party with a collect call whether or not the called station is answered or is busy. When the caller dials a collect call access code, the call is routed to a messaging platform which collects the cal... | 07/28/1998 |
| 5754633 | Method for achieving third-number call billing A party (12, 14, 16 and 18) to a telephone call carried by a telecommunications network (10) may effect transfer of the call charges that would otherwise be billed to that party by entering a billing transfer request after the call has been set up. Upon r... | 05/19/1998 |
| 5729597 | Service and information management system for a telecommunications network A system for service control and operations for a telecommunications network. In particular, an architecture and method for a service control and operations element system. The system communicates with a plurality of interconnected telecommunications netw... | 03/17/1998 |
| 5539817 | Wide area centrex toll service with novel translation A method of providing multi-switch business group (MBG) services at each of a plurality of locations is described. The MBG services can be provided for calls made from a calling party served by an originating switch at one location to a called party serve... | 07/23/1996 |
| 5533111 | System for originating and receiving telephone calls over a virtual piped connection, and specialized customer premise equipment for use in the system Access (or egress) charges payable by an IXC to a LEC, and payable by the subscriber to the LEC for originating or terminating calls and for associated vertical call control features, are reduced or eliminated by providing a virtual piped collection that ... | 07/02/1996 |
| 5327489 | Method and apparatus for monitoring a network for customer signaling during the term of a call A network monitor and associated control system is provided to monitor a toll network for customer signaling. A multi-tone signal processor and associated control is provided such that when signaling is detected, such signaling is validated against a prov... | 07/05/1994 |
| 5272748 | Enhanced speed calling Enhanced speed calling is provided on a network basis for public access telephone stations such as coin telephones and wireless public Telepoint services stations. The system permits single digit access to voice recorded announcements regarding long dista... | 12/21/1993 |
| 5233647 | System for operating public modular telephones The systems consists of an intrinsic collaboration among a message concentrator unit, a center operating unit, several visual displays, printers, information storage devices including operating and management software, insuring that modular telephones and... | 08/03/1993 |
| 5206899 | Arrangement for outbound telecommunications A subscriber can dynamically provision, i.e., assign desired characteristics to any "target station", which is an active phone accessible to a telecommunications network. A call thereafter originated from the target station (including a pay phone or a mob... | 04/27/1993 |
| 4924510 | Telecommunications database accessing method Method and apparatus for reducing call setup time for calls to Advanced 800 customers by eliminating one database query. (Toll charges for 800 calls are paid by the called customer.) In the prior art, a call to an Advanced 800 customer required accessing ... | 05/08/1990 |
| 4756018 | Multiple access communication system having loop-check circuitry for switching intraoffice connections A multiple access communication system comprises a central station connected to an end office switching system and a remote station which serves N subscriber telephones through respective line interface circuits. The remote station provides concentration ... | 07/05/1988 |
| 4162377 | Data base auto bill calling using CCIS direct signaling A method is disclosed for automatically processing call data from a TSPS (Traffic Service Position System) over CCIS (Common Channel Interoffice Signaling) facilities to a remotely located data base system to verify the entitlement of the caller to bill t... | 07/24/1979 |
| 4115866 | Data processing network for communications switching system A toll programming system includes a plurality of processors having individual memories and sharing a common memory for controlling a toll telecommunication switching system by executing a plurality of programs divided in a first and second series. Each p... | 09/19/1978 |
