User mapped authorization codes for central office feature services

摘要

The present invention allows for programmability of feature activation buttons on a telephone with authorization codes downloaded from a central office. In this aspect, a central office includes a conventional feature authorization database for verifying the pre-authorized feature services applicable to particular telephone lines serviced by that central office, and a feature authorization data download module including a database of authorization codes necessary to activate and/or deactivate any applicable central office feature services. Authorization codes are downloaded from the database to the telephone to allow one-touch type activation and/or deactivation of relevant central office feature services. In another aspect, the present invention associates central office feature services with individual authorized users rather than only with telephone lines to allow portability of central office feature services from telephone line to telephone line as a user travels away from their base telephone line. In this aspect, a central office includes a user mapped feature service database. If authorized to utilize the requested feature service, the central office queries the user mapped feature service database and allocates appropriate feature service resources as necessary to provide the authorized user at their present telephone line with the requested central office feature service(s). In some embodiment, the activation of the authorized central office feature services may be timed for use on a telephone line such that they expire after a predetermined time, after the completion of the present telephone call, etc. <IMAGE>