Toll-saver feature implemented by a switching system

摘要

The "send-all-calls" (SAC) feature (126) of a telephony switch (102) is used to implement a toll-saver-like feature for users of a messaging system (100). A user (114-116) can activate the toll-saver-like feature either on the switching system or on the messaging system. If it is activated on the messaging system, whenever the messaging system stores (400) a new message for the user, it sends (406) a SAC feature activation feature access code (FAC) for the user to the switch, and whenever the messaging system ceases to store (500) any new messages for the user, it sends (508) a SAC feature deactivation FAC for the user to the switch. If the toll-saver-like feature is activated on the switch, the messaging system sends (900) conventional message-waiting indication (MWI) activation and deactivation signals instead of the SAC feature FACs. The switch responds to the SAC feature activation FAC or the MWI activation signal by activating (908) the SAC feature, so that upon receiving (700) a call for the user, the switch uses the SAC feature to immediately send (704) the call to coverage at the messaging system. The switch responds to the SAC feature deactivation FAC or the MWI deactivation signal by deactivating (910) the SAC feature, so that upon receiving a call for the user, the switch rings (706) the user's phone and sends (708) the unanswered call to coverage at the messaging system only after a time interval that gives the caller a chance to hang up the call before it is answered by the messaging system. To find out whether he or she has any new messages, the user does not call the central number for the messaging system but rather calls his or her own phone number from a remote phone. If the user is not immediately connected to the messaging system, the user has no new messages, and can hang up the call before it is answered. If the user is immediately connected to the messaging system, the user has new messages, and can now conventionally remotely log into his or her message mailbox to retrieve them.