Personal control of address assignment and greeting options for multiple BRG ports
View Patent ↗A method and apparatus for providing multiple telephone lines using a single directory number. A method and apparatus for associating multiple directory numbers with multiple telephone lines. A broadband residential gateway (BRG) is a user interface to a broadband communication system providing packetized telephone service and other media services. The BRG has multiple ports, and each port is connected to one or more telephones. The multiple ports may be mapped to a single directory number, or the multiple ports may be mapped to multiple directory numbers. The BRG can provide greeting and message features. A greeting may instruct a caller to select a port which is associated with a party the caller is attempting to reach. Also, a message, played after the greeting, may further instruct the caller.
1. A broadband residential gateway located at a customer premises and connected to an Internet Protocol based packet network supporting Internet Protocol telephony service, said broadband residential gateway comprising:
multiple ports identified by at least one designation element,
at least one end user device connected to each port,
a transceiver,
a processing unit, wherein said processing unit provides a greeting and routes a signal received by said transceiver from said Internet Protocol based packet network to one of said multiple ports selected by an end user using said greeting,
wherein said broadband residential gateway displays or announces an identity of said one of said multiple ports selected by said end user.
2. The broadband residential gateway of claim 1 , wherein said processing unit provides a message after said greeting.
3. The broadband residential gateway of claim 2 , wherein said greeting and said message are customized.
4. The broadband residential gateway of claim 2 , wherein said broadband residential gateway stores multiple greetings and messages and said processing unit selectively provides said greeting and message from said multiple greetings and messages.
5. The broadband residential gateway of claim 1 , wherein said at least one end user device provides a distinct alert.
6. The broadband residential gateway of claim 5 , wherein said distinct alert is a distinctive ring.
7. The broadband residential gateway of claim 1 , wherein said identity includes one or more of a group comprising a name, number or tone.
8. The broadband residential gateway of claim 1 , wherein said at least one end user device includes one or more POTS telephones or Internet Protocol telephones or digital telephones.
9. The broadband residential gateway of claim 1 , wherein said designation element is a directory number.
10. A broadband residential gateway located at a customer premises and connected to an Internet Protocol based packet network supporting Internet Protocol telephony service, said broadband residential gateway comprising:
multiple ports identified by multiple designations with at least one end user device connected to each port,
a processing unit which provides a greeting and, upon receiving a signal including one of said multiple designations from said Internet Protocol based packet network, said processing unit routes said signal to one of said multiple ports depending on a port selected by an end user using said greeting, and
a transceiver,
wherein said broadband residential gateway displays or announces an identity of said one of said multiple ports selected by said end user.
11. The broadband residential gateway of claim 10 , wherein said processing unit provides a message after said one of said multiple ports is selected.
12. The broadband residential gateway of claim 11 , wherein said greeting and said message are customized.
13. The broadband residential gateway of claim 11 , wherein said broadband residential gateway stores multiple greetings and messages and said processing unit selectively provides said greeting and message from multiple greetings and messages.
14. The broadband residential gateway of claim 10 , wherein said at least one end user device provides a distinct alert.
15. The broadband residential gateway of claim 14 , wherein said distinct alert is a distinctive ring.
16. The broadband residential gateway of claim 10 , wherein said identity includes one or more of a group comprising a name, number or tone.
17. The broadband residential gateway of claim 10 , wherein said at least one end user device includes one or more POTS telephones or Internet Protocol telephones or digital telephones.
18. The broadband residential gateway of claim 10 wherein said designation is a directory number.
19. A method of associating a directory number with multiple ports on a broadband residential gateway located at a customer premises and connected to an Internet Protocol based packet network supporting Internet Protocol telephony service, said method comprising the steps of:
mapping said directory number with said multiple ports on said broadband residential gateway,
receiving an incoming call from said Internet Protocol based packet network,
providing a greeting,
selecting a port using said greeting, and
directing said incoming call to said selected port,
wherein each of said multiple ports includes a unique identity and displaying or announcing said unique identity of said selected port.
20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of:
alerting to said incoming call using a distinctive alert associated with said selected port.
21. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of:
providing a message after the greeting.
22. The method of claim 21 wherein said greeting and said message are customized.
23. The method of claim 21 further comprising the step of:
selecting said greeting and said message from multiple greetings and messages.