Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

An automatic call-back device notifies a subscriber when a called party's telephone station is no longer busy. When the subscriber calls a called party and the called party's telephone station is busy, the automatic call-back device offers the subscriber call-back options for calling the subscriber when the called party's telephone station is no longer busy. If selected, the automatic call-back device monitors the called party's telephone station for an on-hook signal, for example. When the called party goes on-hook, the automatic call-back device calls the called party and the subscriber and connects the subscriber and the called party in a call. If multiple subscribers call the same called party, the automatic call-back device stores an identifier corresponding to each subscriber in a call-back list based on when each subscriber called the called party. When the called party goes on-hook, the automatic call-back device contacts the first subscriber in the call-back list (i.e., the subscriber that called first). If this subscriber cannot be reached, then the automatic call-back device calls the next subscriber in the call-back list and so on until one of the calling subscribers is connected with the called party or the call-back list is exhausted.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim