WO2001076199A1

WO2001076199A1 - Communications

Info

Publication number: WO2001076199A1
Application number: PCT/GB2001/001406
Authority: WO
Inventors: David John Taylor Heatley; Robert Ernest Vickers Semos
Original assignee: British Telecommunications Public Limited Company
Priority date: 2000-03-31
Filing date: 2001-03-29
Publication date: 2001-10-11
Also published as: AU4262101A

Abstract

When a mobile network delivers a call to a called user, it also sends a command signal for commanding the called user's mobile telephone to enter a predetermined menu function related to that call. For example, if the call is an SMS message, the command signal contains a numeric sequence command code, e.g. '23', and the control unit of the mobile telephone responds by treating this code as a menu shortcut and entering its Write Message function. This anticipates that the most likely next action of the called user is to create a reply message. The called user does not have to select manually the Write Message function from the Messages function of the menu.

Description

COMMUNICATIONS

The present invention relates to communications methods and apparatus, and particularly, but not exclusively, to methods of operating mobile communications networks and to mobile telephones for use with mobile communications networks, and more particularly to remote selection of a menu function of such mobile telephones.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of operating a communications network, the method comprising the steps of: sending traffic data to a called user; sending a command signal for causing a telephone associated with the called user to enter a predetermined menu function related to that traffic data.

An advantage of the present invention is that the network anticipates the calling user's most likely next action and commands the telephone to enter a corresponding menu function, without requiring any input, e.g. key presses, by the calling user. This simplifies and minimises the actions required of the user.

The present invention is particularly beneficial in mobile networks, wherein users' mobile telephones have a menu system which is navigated by key presses. The predetermined menu function may be associated with the called user's most likely next action.

There may be included the further step of responding to a request message from the called user's telephone for sending data relating to that traffic data.

The traffic data may be in the form of an SMS message, and in this event the command signal causes the telephone to enter a function for writing messages. The traffic data may be in the form of an e-mail message, and in this event the command signal causes the telephone to enter a function for writing a reply e- mail message.

The command signal may be generated in accordance with menu structure data retrieved from storage in accordance with a dialled destination number retrieved from signalling data of a corresponding call from a calling user to the called user.

Preferably, user profiles contain an identifier for telephone equipment currently registered to the user, and said menu structure data is retrieved from a mapping of menu structure data against equipment identifier by accessing that mapping in accordance with an identifier retrieved from the called user's profile.

The command signal may comprises a number sequence corresponding to a menu shortcut for said predetermined menu function. In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a communications network arranged such that when it sends traffic data to a called user it also sends a command signal for causing a telephone associated with the called user to enter a predetermined menu function related to that traffic data.

The network may be further arranged to respond to a request message from the called user's telephone by sending data relating to that traffic data.

The network may be further arranged such that when it sends the traffic data in the form of an SMS message, it generates said command signal such as to cause the telephone to enter a function for writing messages.

The network may be further arranged such that when it sends the traffic data in the form of an e-mail message, it generates said command signal such as to cause the telephone to enter a function for reply e-mail message.

Preferably, the network is arranged to generate said command signal in accordance with menu structure data retrieved from storage in accordance with a dialled destination number retrieved from signalling data of a corresponding call from a calling user to the called user.

More preferably, the network comprises a mapping of menu structure data against equipment identifier, and has user profiles containing an identifier for telephone equipment currently registered to the user, and is arranged to retrieve menu structure data by accessing that mapping in accordance with an identifier retrieved from the called user's profile.

Yet more preferably, the network is arranged to include in said command signal a number sequence corresponding to a menu shortcut for said predetermined menu function.

Specific embodiments of a mobile communications network and of a mobile telephone for use with that network will now be described by way of example with reference to the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a mobile telephone in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a mobile communications network for use with the mobile telephone of Figure 1 ; and

Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a user profile for use in the communications network of Figure 2.

In this description the following acronyms are used :-

BSS - Base Switching Subsystem

CLI - Calling Line Indication, also known as Calling Line Identity,

GPRS - General Packet Radio Service GSM - Global System for Mobile Communications (Groupe Speciale Mobile)

HLR - Home Location Register

IVR - Interactive Voice Response

LCD - Liquid Crystal Display

MSS - Mobile Switching Subsystem NSS - Network Switching Subsystem

OSS - Network Switching Subsystem

SMS - Short Message System

VLR - Visitor Location Register

In Figure 1 there is shown a mobile telephone 10 of the present invention having components including a battery 1 2, a battery voltage sensing circuit 14, a keypad 1 6, an LCD screen 1 8, an aerial 20, a receive circuit 22, a transmit circuit 24 and a control unit 26.

The control unit 26 is arranged to receive inputs from the keypad 1 6, the sensing circuit 14, and the receive circuit 22, and to provide outputs to the screen 1 8 and the transmit circuit 24. It is arranged to provide mobile telephony functions as is known in the art, such as sending and receiving calls and messages, and managing a menu, including a telephone directory, also known as a phone book, and is further arranged in accordance with the present invention to provide additional functions as described below.

The control unit 26 is arranged to respond to receipt via the receive circuit 22 of various command signals from a host GSM network (Figure 2) to enter its menu system and activate particular submenu functions, thereby enabling a user to make keyboard entries for those submenu functions without any manual selection procedure. As used herein, the terms "command signal" and "command" are equivalent.

As is known in the art, a typical menu system comprises the main menu functions: Phone Book; Messages; Call Register; Settings; Call Divert; Games; Calculator; Clock and Tones. Each main menu function has a plurality of submenu functions. For example, Phone Book includes the submenu functions Search; Add Entry; Erase; Edit; etc. : Messages includes the submenu functions Inbox; Outbox; Write Messages; etc: and Call Register includes the submenu functions Missed Calls; Received Calls; Dialled Calls; etc. Some of the submenu functions themselves have submenu functions.

Before example scenarios are described, it is appropriate to describe first the GSM network of Figure 2.

In Figure 2, there is shown a GSM network 30 constituted by four subsystems, namely. Mobile Station Subsystem (MSS) 32, Base Station Subsystem

(BSS) 34, Network and Switching Subsystem (NSS) 36 and Operation Subsystem

(OSS) 38. Global communications is achieved by interconnection of spaced apart national-based GSM networks operated by different respective network operators.

The GSM system is well known to the skilled person in the art and is described below only in high-level detail. However, should any reader require more information, he will find a number of publications on GSM, particularly, "The GSM

System for Mobile Communications" by M . Mouly and M.-B. Pautet, ISBN 2-

95071 90-0-7, published 1 992 by the authors thereof.

The MSS 32 comprises a plurality of the mobile telephones 10, and, until 100% penetration of the mobile telephone market by mobile telephones 10, there will be a plurality of conventional mobile telephones 40, i.e. those not having the additional feature of the present invention.

The BSS 34 comprises a plurality of base transceiver stations 42 and a plurality of base station controllers 44, only one which is shown. Each of the base station controllers 44 is connected to the NSS 36 and to a plurality of the base transceiver stations 42.

The NSS 36 comprises an exchange system 46 and user and terminal equipment databases 48. The exchange system 46 comprises a plurality of interconnected mobile services switching centres 50, only one which is shown, which are connected to the user and terminal equipment databases 48.

The OSS 38 comprises an operation and maintenance centre 52 which is connected, via a data network 54, to the BSS 34 and the NSS 36. The user and terminal equipment databases 58 comprise a home location register (HLR) 56, a visitor location register (VLR) 58 and an equipment identity register 60.

A Voicemail system 62 is connected to the exchange system 46 and includes an interactive voice response facility (IVR) 64 capable of generating selected announcements, and a speech to text converter 66.

The HLR 56 is a database which stores user profiles 68 (Figure 3), which contain user-specific information relevant to the provision of telecommunications services and identifying whether a given teleservice or bearer service can be provided for a user, and also containing user preferences defining how the user wishes the network to handle calls.

The VLR 58 temporarily stores subscription data for users who are normally registered with a different home GSM network and who are currently registered with the GSM network 30, i.e. under a roaming arrangement.

The user profiles 68 include a Delivery Mode field 70 containing a flag which, when set, is indicative that the GSM network had received from a mobile telephone 10 associated with the corresponding user a message addressed to a predetermined destination address and containing a unique code for notifying that network that the delivery mode for calls to that called user is to be "Message Only" mode, also referred to as restricted delivery mode. That notification message is sent either automatically by the mobile telephone when it enters low battery condition, or when the user has selected Message Only mode, e.g. from the menu. If the Delivery Mode flag is not set, the delivery mode is referred to as unrestricted delivery mode.

A mobile telephone which can send such a notification message when it enters low battery condition, and a variant mobile telephone which, when it enters low battery condition, can switch automatically, or be manually switched, between full and simplex operation, are disclosed in our co-pending European patent application number 00302738.0, filed on 31 st March 2000. It is not part of the present invention and will not be described further. It is sufficient for the purposes of the present invention to understand that a user profile 68 can be interrogated in the usual manner to ascertain how a call for that user should be processed, and that retrieval of the state of the Delivery Mode flag (field 70) is just one of the retrievable data items. The user profile 68 employed by the GSM network 30 has a universal user profile configuration. In other words, some profile fields are not relevant to certain types of mobile telephone, and in such a case the flags in those fields will be permanently in their reset state. In variants, the network is arranged to work with two or more types of user profiles, e.g. one type of profile will not have a Delivery Mode field 70, whilst another type of profile will have such a Delivery Mode field 70. Herein, the flag contained in the Delivery Mode field 70 is also referred to as the Delivery Mode flag.

The NSS 36 is arranged to respond to an incoming call having the above mentioned predetermined destination address by retrieving the message content of that incoming call. Upon recognising the retrieved message as the above mentioned unique code representative of the "Message Only" mode, the NSS 36 accesses the user profiles 68 in accordance with a source telephone number (calling line identity) retrieved from the incoming call, finds the corresponding user profile and changes its Delivery Mode flag from its reset state to its set state. The NSS 36 is arranged to respond to an incoming call having the above mentioned predetermined destination address and containing a companion unique code representative of unrestricted delivery mode to access the user profiles 68 in accordance with the source telephone number (calling line identity) retrieved from that incoming call, find the corresponding user profile and changes its Delivery Mode flag from its set state to its reset state. This latter message might be sent automatically by the mobile telephone when its battery is recharged, or when the user manually switches the mobile telephone from simplex operation to full operation.

In a first scenario, a calling user, also referred to as a caller, having a mobile telephone 1 0 originates a call and the NSS 36 responds to that originating call by accessing the user profile 68 associated with the called number, and ascertaining, inter alia, the state of the Delivery Mode flag.

If the Delivery Mode flag in that user profile is in its set state, the NSS 36 checks the user's preferences (in fields 72, 74 of the profile) and, if this service feature, i.e. receipt of a Short Message System (SMS) message whilst in "Message Only" Mode, has not been deselected by that called user, sends an announcement selection signal to the Voicemail system 62 for generating by the IVR 64 the selected announcement, "The number you have called is in Message Mode. You may speak a short message or key a text message." , and also sends to that calling mobile telephone 1 0 a first predetermined command signal.

The Short Message System technology is well known in the art and will not be described further.

The NSS 36 has also retrieved the caller's CLI and accesses the caller's profile to retrieve from an equipment identifier field 76 data indicative of the make and model of the telephone currently registered to the caller. The NSS 36 refers to a mapping table stored in the HLR 56, which maps that telephone to its menu structure type, and retrieves a type identifier. Using that type identifier, the NSS 36 now accesses the corresponding menu structure table, also stored in the HLR 56, in accordance with a Write Message identifier to retrieve a numeric sequence command code, e.g. " 23" . The NSS 36 now constructs a command signal containing that sequence and a universal command code for commanding the control unit to enter its menu system, and sends it to the caller's telephone 1 0.

The control unit 26 in the caller's telephone 10 is arranged for direct control by such a received command signal, and responds to receipt of that command signal by automatically selecting the Write Message submenu function of the Messages function. This converts the keypad 1 6 of the caller's mobile telephone 10 from numeric entry to alpha entry, in preparation for any text message that might be entered by the caller. It will be appreciated that the caller's telephone 1 0 has been commanded to enter its menu system; to select the Message function, which for that particular telephone is in second position in the main menu; and to select the Write Message function, which is in third position in the Message submenu. This is known in the art as accessing a menu function by its shortcut, but the previously known use of the shortcut has been only by user input via the key pad of the telephone. If the caller had been using a telephone having a different menu structure, the NSS 36 would have been directed by the mapping tables to the appropriate menu structure table, and would have constructed a corresponding command signal containing the universal command code and a different numeric sequence for entering the same Write Message function.

Now that the caller's mobile telephone 10 has been automatically switched into Write Message submenu function, the keypad is immediately available for the caller to use to create a text message. When he has finished creating the text message, he sends the message by selecting Options, and then Send. In a variant, the control unit 26 responds to the first key press by offering the Send function under a select soft key, so that when the caller has completed the message he sends it by means of a single press of the select soft key. In another variant, the control unit 26 the NSS 36 responds to the first key press by transmitting a code signal to the network indicating that the user has started to compose an SMS message, and the NSS 36 responds to this code signal by sending a further command signal to control the telephone to offer the Send function under the select soft key.

If the caller decides not to compose an SMS message but to speak a message instead, this is received by the IVR 64 and passed to the speech to text converter 66 to be converted into the appropriate format to be sent to the called number as an SMS message.

The NSS 36 receives the text message sent by the caller, or the text message output from the speech to text converter 66 should the caller not have availed himself of the immediate use of the Write Message submenu function and spoken a message instead, and generates an SMS message and sends that to the called number. In a variant, the NSS 36 retrieves a stored menu function identifier from a field 82 associated with SMS messages, and sends a menu function command signal in association with the SMS message. In a second scenario, a user might have changed his network number for some reason, i.e. to a new network number from a previous network number. If a caller originates a call to the previous network number, the NSS 36 accesses the user profiles in the usual manner, and retrieves a profile, referred to as the "old" profile, corresponding to that previous network number. This profile will contain a pointer to another profile, referred to as the "new" profile, corresponding to that new network number. The NSS 36 now checks the "new" profile to see that there is no prohibition on the release of that new network number, e.g. that a Restricted Number flag 78 or a Number Withheld flag 80 is not in its set state, and connects the call to the new network number. The pointer to the "new" profile constitutes a predetermined indication of the present invention, and the corresponding condition is that the called user has a new network number.

The user's "old" profile will be deleted if the network administration re- allocates the old network number to another user. This prevents two profiles existing in respect of the same network number.

In a variant, instead of using "old" and "new" profiles, the profiles have a field for current network number, and a field for previous network number, and the profiles are accessed by matching either of these fields with the dialled number, since it will be appreciated that callers will dial either the old network number or the new network number. Where a profile has been retrieved on the basis of a match between the dialled number and the number in the previous network number field, the call is connected to the called user at the new network number, and the presence of that number in the previous network number field constitutes a predetermined indication of the present invention. The network administration deletes the content of the previous network number field if the old network number is re-allocated to another user, or after a fixed period of, say, one year.

In these circumstances, in addition to automatically routing that call to the new network number, the NSS 36 first accesses the mapping tables as described above in the first scenario to retrieve a numeric sequence corresponding to Number Entry, sends an announcement selection signal to the Voicemail system 62 for generating by the IVR 64 the selected announcement, "Your call is being connected. Please note that the called party has a new number which is being sent to you" , and also generates and sends to that calling mobile telephone 1 0 a Phone Book Update command signal.

The Phone Book Update command signal contains the universal code for commanding the control unit 26 to enter its menu system, the numeric sequence " 1 3", which selects the Phone Book function followed by the Add Entry submenu function, a second code for commanding a number entry part as opposed to a name entry part, and the new network number. In variants, the control unit 26 is arranged to select automatically the number entry part of the Add Entry submenu function in response to receipt of the Phone Book Update command signal, regardless of whether it contains that second code. The control unit 26 does not immediately enter the Add Entry submenu function upon receipt of the Phone Book Update command signal, but performs a preliminary check to ascertain whether the original call had been made after selection from its Phone Book. If the original call had not been made by selection from the Phone Book, then control unit 26 will provide a display for the entry of a number as part of the Add Entry submenu function and display in the text box of that display the new network number. If the caller wishes to add this number as a new entry to his Phone Book he presses a Navigator Key whose text is now reading "OK" .

The control unit 26 responds to that manual command by sending a message to the GSM network 30 indicative of the caller's acceptance of the offer to add that new number to his Phone Book. In response, the NSS 36 sends a Add Entry command signal containing the name of the called party and a code for commanding control unit 26 to select the part of the Add Entry submenu function which displays a text box for the entry of a name, if it is not already doing so, and to display in the text box of that display the name of the called party. In a variant, the name of the called party is sent in the Phone Book Update command signal, and stored by the control unit 26 in readiness for use in this procedure.

If the caller wishes to add the offered name he presses a Navigator Key, i.e. a select soft key, whose text is now reading "OK" . Otherwise he can cancel the displayed name and enter his own text. Alternatively, he can accept the offered name and then edit it using the Edit submenu function of the Phone Book.

If the preliminary check ascertains that the original call had been made after selection from its Phone Book, the control unit 26 will know, by means of the Dialled Numbers submenu function of its Call Register function, the particular Phone Book entry, and instead of responding to the Phone Book Update command signal by switching to the Add Entry submenu function, now responds by entering the Edit submenu function of the Phone Book, automatically selecting that particular Phone Book entry and displaying the received new network number instead of the existing number of that particular Phone Book entry. The Navigator Key text will now read "OK", and the caller can accept the offered number by pressing the Navigator Key.

In a variation of this second scenario, the control unit is programmed to compare the CLI of an incoming call with the entries of the phone book (this is a known act for displaying the stored name of a matching entry) and if there is no matching entry it will send a request message to the network for a name associated with that CLI. This name can be the surname in the account details of the calling user, or it can be retrieved from a user-name field of the user's profile, if the calling user has previously supplied a name. This might be his preferred name, which might be a nickname or any other name different from the account surname.

When the called user ends the call, the control unit 26 now automatically selects the Add Entry function and enters the received data. This can be the number entry part first, followed by the name part, or the other way around. The called user can now choose to make a new entry in the same way as described above. In a third scenario, when the NSS 36 delivers an SMS message for a called user, it also sends a Write Message command signal so as to anticipate that the called user will wish to respond by composing a reply message via the key pad. The NSS 36 will have retrieved the called user's equipment type identifier from his profile, referred to the mapping to find the menu structure type, and generated the command signal comprising the appropriate shortcut numeric sequence. The control unit 26 receives that Write Message command signal and stores it in association with the received SMS message. When the user reads that SMS message, that stored associated Write Message command signal is retrieved and the command is performed, thereby offering that Write Message function under the mobile telephone's Navigator key, so that the user can enter that function with a single key action.

In a fourth scenario, the network is arranged for delivery of e-mail messages to a called user's mobile telephone, and when it sends such an e-mail message it also sends an appropriate command signal, generated in the same manner as for the third scenario, so as to anticipate that the called user will wish to respond by composing a reply e-mail message via the key pad. This command signal selects a Write E-mail function of the function menu, and is sent in an attachment to the e- mail message.

In these third and fourth scenarios, the received command signal is stored by the control unit 26, and when the called user reads the incoming traffic data, e.g. SMS message, e-mail message, the control unit 26 retrieves the stored command signal and offers the corresponding predetermined menu function under the above mentioned Navigator key. Thus, when the predetermined menu function is Reply, the user can read the received SMS message, or e-mail, and with one press of the soft key immediately enter the Reply function.

The user has control over the choice for the predetermined menu function. The default menu function is Reply and a suitable identifier for this is stored in field 82 of the profile 68, but the user can command the network to edit his user profile, and with suitable commands sent from the mobile telephone 10 the user can change the menu function to, e.g. Forward. This would be useful in situations where the user needed to forward most of his received messages rather than reply to them, and for a message that the user did want to reply to, instead of pressing the soft key, which would be offering Forward, he would press C, the cancel button, and the control unit 26 would respond to this by offering the default menu function Reply. In a variant, the control unit 26 would respond to this by offering the standard set of options, e.g. erase, reply, edit, use number, etc.

The field 82 stores the identifier for the predetermined menu function in relation to SMS messages. The profile also includes a field 84 for storing an identifier for the predetermined menu function in relation to e-mail messages, so that the user can have different automatic responses, e.g. he might choose to reply to SMS messages, but to forward his e-mail messages. Thus, when a calling user elects to send an e-mail message, when that message is received by the network, the NSS 36 checks the field 84 of the called user's profile, generates the menu function command signal according to the stored identifier, and sends the command signal with the e-mail as an attachment. The control unit 26 is arranged to examine attachments of incoming e-mails to see whether they contain any command signals, and where, as in this case, when the e-mail is downloaded to the mobile telephone 10, the control unit 26 will retrieve the command signal and store it in the same manner as for a received SMS message.

Whereas in the above described embodiment the network 30 is a GSM network, it will be appreciated that this is not a limiting factor of the present invention and that the network 30 could equally well be a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network.

Whereas in the above mentioned variant, the NSS 36 retrieves a stored menu function identifier from a field 82 associated with SMS messages, and sends a menu function command signal in association with the SMS message, in a further variant the menu function command signal is incorporated within a modified alert command message transmitted to the called user's mobile telephone to trigger its internal ringer. In this case, the mobile telephone simultaneously rings and auto- configures in accordance with the menu function command, ready for the called user to respond. The modified alert command message might include other additional information for use by the called user's mobile telephone for control of its operation or for display.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words "comprise" , "comprising" and the like are to be construed in an inclusive as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of "including, but not limited to" .

Claims

1 . A method of operating a communications network, the method comprising the steps of: sending traffic data to a called user; sending a command signal for causing a telephone associated with the called user to enter a predetermined menu function related to that traffic data.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the predetermined menu function is associated with the called user's most likely next action.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step of sending a command signal comprises the substeps of: accessing a user profile associated with the called user; and retrieving an associated identifier for that predetermined menu function.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the substep of accessing a user profile comprises accessing a user profile in accordance with the type of traffic data.

5. A method as claimed in claim 3, including the step of receiving from that user, control information for changing that associated identifier stored in that user's profile

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 , including the further step of responding to a request message from the called user's telephone for sending data relating to that traffic data.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the traffic data is in the form of an SMS message, and the command signal is for causing the telephone to enter a function for writing messages.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the traffic data is in the form of an e-mail message, and the command signal is for causing the telephone to enter a function for writing a reply e-mail message.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the command signal is sent in an attachment to the e-mail message.

5 10. A method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said command signal is generated in accordance with menu structure data retrieved from storage in accordance with a dialled destination number retrieved from signalling data of a corresponding call from a calling user to the called user.

1 0 1 1 . A method as claimed in claim 1 0, wherein user profiles contain an identifier for telephone equipment currently registered to the user, and said menu structure data is retrieved from a mapping of menu structure data against equipment identifier by accessing that mapping in accordance with an identifier retrieved from the called user's profile. 5

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 1 , wherein said command signal comprises a number sequence corresponding to a menu shortcut for said predetermined menu function.

0 1 3. A communications network arranged such that when it sends traffic data to a called user it also sends a command signal for causing a telephone associated with the called user to enter a predetermined menu function related to that traffic data.

14. A network as claimed in claim 1 3, and further arranged to respond to a 5 request message from the called user's telephone by sending data relating to that traffic data.

1 5. A network as claimed in claim 1 3, and further arranged such that for generating the command signal it accesses a user profile associated with the called 0 user; and retrieves an associated identifier for that predetermined menu function.

1 6. A network as claimed in claim 1 5, and further arranged such that when it accesses the user profile it does so in accordance with the type of traffic data.

1 7. A network as claimed in either claim 15 or claim 16, and further arranged to respond to receipt from that user of identifier change information by changing that associated identifier stored in that user's profile

1 8. A network as claimed in claim 1 3, and further arranged such that when it sends the traffic data in the form of an SMS message, it generates said command signal such as to cause the telephone to enter a function for writing messages.

1 9. A network as claimed in claim 1 3, and further arranged such that when it sends the traffic data in the form of an e-mail message, it generates said command signal such as to cause the telephone to enter a function for reply e-mail message.

20. A network as claimed in claim 1 6, and further arranged such that it sends the command signal in an attachment to the e-mail message.

21 . A network as claimed in any one of claims 1 3 to 20, and arranged to generate said command in accordance with menu structure data retrieved from storage in accordance with a dialled destination number retrieved from signalling data of a corresponding call from a calling user to the called user.

22. A network as claimed in claim 21 , comprising a mapping of menu structure data against equipment identifier, and having user profiles containing an identifier for telephone equipment currently registered to the user, and being arranged to retrieve menu structure data by accessing that mapping in accordance with an identifier retrieved from the called user's profile.

23. A network as claimed in claim 22, and arranged to include in said command signal a number sequence corresponding to a menu shortcut for said predetermined menu function.

24. A telephone comprising control means arranged to respond to receipt from a communications network of traffic data together with an associated command signal for entering a predetermined menu function related to that traffic data.

25. A telephone as claimed in claim 24, wherein the control means is arranged to store the received command signal, and to respond to receipt from a user of the telephone of a command to read the received traffic data by retrieving the stored command signal and offering that predetermined menu function for immediate selection by the user.

26. A method as claimed in claim 1 and substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.

27. A communications network as claimed in claim 1 3 and substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.

28. A telephone as claimed in claim 24 and substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.