U.S. patent application number 10/404760 was filed with the patent office on 2003-11-27 for preliminary communication identification.
Invention is credited to Bryde, Melanie, Richardson, Scott Charles.
Application Number | 20030219107 10/404760 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 23617113 |
Filed Date | 2003-11-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030219107 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Richardson, Scott Charles ;
et al. |
November 27, 2003 |
Preliminary communication identification
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for preliminary communication
identification and caller ID text messaging is disclosed. The
systems receive text entry from a caller for a short text message
to be sent in conjunction with the incoming call signal. The text
message is updated between rings. The system is suitable for
communicating the text message of the received incoming signal
without indicating reception of the received signal to the
caller.
Inventors: |
Richardson, Scott Charles;
(Vermillion, SD) ; Bryde, Melanie; (Brookings,
SD) |
Correspondence
Address: |
GATEWAY, INC.
ATTN: SCOTT CHARLES RICHARDSON
610 GATEWAY DRIVE
MAIL DROP Y-04
N. SIOUX CITY
SD
57049
US
|
Family ID: |
23617113 |
Appl. No.: |
10/404760 |
Filed: |
April 1, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10404760 |
Apr 1, 2003 |
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09408640 |
Sep 30, 1999 |
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6542587 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
379/93.23 ;
348/14.08 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 12/1813 20130101;
H04L 69/329 20130101; H04M 1/576 20130101; H04L 67/14 20130101;
H04M 3/42042 20130101; H04M 2242/22 20130101; H04M 3/42059
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
379/93.23 ;
348/14.08 |
International
Class: |
H04N 007/14; H04M
011/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An apparatus for preliminary communication identification,
comprising: a receiver for receiving a signal from a remote source,
wherein the signal includes at least one of video conferencing
data, digital data, and analog data; a network connection for at
least one of receiving and transmitting the signal from the remote
source over a network connection, wherein the network connection
includes at least one of a local area network (LAN), wide area
network (WAN), Internet, Internet service provider (ISP), World
Wide Web, telephone line, satellite system, and wireless system;
and a communicator for communicating the received signal; wherein
the communicator is suitable for communicating the received signal
without indicating reception of the received signal to the remote
source; and wherein the signal includes either an image of a second
user utilizing the remote source or a text message by the second
user so as to enable a first user utilizing the apparatus to view
the remote second user or receive said text message.
2. The apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein a first user
utilizing the apparatus may decide whether to interact with the
signal based upon the communication of the signal including an
image of a remote second user.
3. The apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the receiver
determines a common mode of operation to enable a connection
between a host and the remote source.
4. The apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the signal is
standardized.
5. The apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein the receiver
optimizes a connection between the host system and the remote
source.
6. The apparatus as described in claim 1, further comprising a
network connection for at least one of receiving and transmitting
the signal from the remote source over a network connection.
7. The apparatus as described in claim 1, further comprising a
router for routing the signal.
8. The apparatus as described in claim 9, wherein router routes the
signal based upon at least one of user input, type of signal, and
data contained in the signal.
9. A method for preliminary communication messaging or
identification, the method comprising: accepting a text message
entered by a calling party; receiving, over a network connection, a
signal associated with an incoming call from the calling party to a
call recipient, wherein the signal is standardized and includes the
text message in conjunction with signaling data for at least one of
video conferencing data, digital data, and analog data; and
communicating the text message of the received signal by the host
system, wherein the text message is communicated by displaying the
text message for the call recipient; wherein the received signal is
displayed on the host system for the call recipient without
indicating reception of the received signal to the calling party;
and wherein a first user may decide whether to interact with the
calling party via the signal based upon the customized message
included in the text message.
10. The method as described in claim 9, wherein the text message is
in short block caller ID messaging format.
11. The method as described in claim 10, wherein the short block
caller ID messaging format comprises blocks of ten or fewer
alphanumeric characters.
12. The method as described in claim 9, further comprising:
accepting an input from the call recipient indicating a return
message to be sent to the calling party.
13. The method as described in claim 12, wherein the return message
is created by the calling after receiving the signal associated
with the incoming call.
14. The method as described in claim 10, wherein the text message
includes a customized message associated with either the calling
party or a topic of the call.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation in part of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 09/408,640 filed on Sep. 30, 1999, and
incorporates the same herein in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention generally relates to the field of
communication, and particularly to preliminary communication
identification and messaging.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] With the increase of marketers utilizing direct
communications, such as telemarketers, devices capable of
identifying an incoming communication to enable a user to determine
whether to accept a communication have become increasingly more
popular. Previous methods of identification rely on specific
information embedded in the signal to display information related
to that call. For example, in a traditional "caller id" method a
second signal is embedded in the first signal to display where the
call originated and the originating caller's number. In another
method, the data must be embedded within the signal to display the
relevant identification data. There are numerous problems with
these methods. First, the signal does not actually identify the
originating caller, rather the signal identifies the source.
Therefore, a user receiving a call cannot be certain as to who is
actually calling them. Second, additional information must be
embedded in the signal to even provide this information. Therefore,
it would be useful to provide a method for preliminary
communication identification wherein an embedded signal is not
needed to identify the originating user and the actual user is
identified, not simply where the call originated.
[0004] Typically, in a system of communication between a remote
source and a local host, a connection is established before the
transmission of data. For example, a connection may be initiated by
a remote source transmitting a signal. The signal is received by
the host after which the remote source and the host determine a
common mode of operation. Determining a common mode of operation
may include the process known as handshaking and negotiating
protocols. After determining a common mode of operation, both the
remote source and the host send signals, thereby actively
communicating from the host to the remote source. Even if an
identification system is utilized, both systems are already in
contact. It is at this point, once both the remote source and the
local host are aware of the connection that the communication of
data is begun so as to enable identification data to be displayed.
The signal may include caller identification information such as
the originating source of the call and number to enable a user to
determine whether to accept the call. Utilizing this method, a
caller determines whether to accept the call based upon additional
information contained in the data that identifies only the source
of the call, and not the actual caller. Furthermore, the host is in
contact with the remote source before identification data has been
utilized so as to indicate to the remote source the reception of
the signal by the host.
[0005] Additionally, technological advances have made possible the
utilization of video images along with audio data for communication
between two or more parties. Video conferencing equipment, video
phones, and the like allow users to actually see the person as they
communicate. The numerous benefits of these systems are readily
apparent. However, as such systems become more common place,
traditional methods of identification of the initiating party may
prove inadequate. A user is unable to determine the actual identity
of the initiating party without allowing the initiating party to
know of the reception of the communication. Therefore, it may also
prove useful to provide a system and method for preliminary
communication identification wherein the signal is capable of being
communicated without indicating to the remote source that the
signal is being received.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention is directed to an apparatus and method
for preliminary communication identification. The apparatus for
preliminary communication identification includes a receiver for
receiving a signal from a remote source and a communicator for
communicating the received signal. The communicator is capable of
communicating the received signal without indicating reception of
the received signal to the remote source. The signal may include an
image of a second user utilizing the remote source so as to enable
a first user utilizing the apparatus to view the remote second
user.
[0007] The present invention is further directed to a method for
preliminary communication identification, which includes receiving
a signal by a host system from a remote source and communicating
the signal by the host. The signal may communicated without
indicating reception of the signal by the host to the remote
source.
[0008] In an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus and
method may utilize the signal to preliminarily identify a
communication. For example, instead of requiring the use of
embedded data in a signal to display identification information,
the actual signal may be communicated so a user may determine
whether to accept the communication. In this way, a viewer may
determine the actual content of a communication and not just the
source of the communication. In another embodiment of the present
invention, a standardized signal may be utilized for preliminary
communication identification.
[0009] It is to be understood that both the forgoing general
description and the following detailed description are exemplary
and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as
claimed. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and
constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of
the invention and together with the general description, serve to
explain the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The numerous advantages of the present invention may be
better understood by those skilled in the art by reference to the
accompanying figures in which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a flow diagram depicting a presently preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram depicting an exemplary embodiment
of the present invention wherein preliminary communication
identification of a remote source is enabled before indicating to
the remote source that the signal has been received;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram depicting an exemplary embodiment
of the present invention wherein preliminary communication
identification of a remote source is enabled by utilizing a
standardized signal;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram depicting an exemplary embodiment
of the present invention wherein preliminary communication
identification of a remote source is enabled by utilizing the
content of the transmitted signal;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram depicting an exemplary embodiment
of the present invention wherein preliminary communication
identification of a remote source is enabled without a
determination of a common mode of operation;
[0016] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram depicting an exemplary embodiment
of the present invention wherein a common mode of operation is
determined as an initial part of a preliminary communication
identification;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a block diagram depicting a network of video
conferencing devices operable to employ to present invention;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an information handling system
operable to embody the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a method for using a caller ID
window of the receiving telephone to display a brief text
message.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] Reference will now be made in detail to the presently
preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
[0021] Referring generally now to FIGS. 1 through 8, exemplary
embodiments of the present invention for preliminary communication
identification will be discussed. Preliminary communication
identification is generally achieved between a host system and a
remote source. In an exemplary embodiment, the host system and a
remote source may include a video phone, video conferencing system,
information handling system, convergence system, set-top box,
digital information appliance, communication device, etc. A signal
communicated between the host and remote source may include digital
and analog data in any combination or standard as may be utilized
by a person of ordinary skill in the art. Communication between the
host and remote source may be accomplished over a network, which
may include a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN),
Internet, Internet service provider (ISP), World Wide Web,
telephone line, satellite such as a digital satellite system (DSS),
wireless such as a personal communication system (PCS) or any other
network or combination of networks capable of communication between
two or more devices that may be apparent to a person of ordinary
skill in the art. It is understood that the specific order, or
hierarchy, disclosed is an example. Based upon design preferences,
it is understood that the specific order, or hierarchy, can be
rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present
invention. The attached method claims present elements of the
various steps in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited to
the specific order or hierarchy presented.
[0022] Referring now to FIG. 1, a presently preferred embodiment of
preliminary communication identification 100 is shown. A user
utilizing a host system including a video conferencing interface
may receive a call 102. In response to the received call, a
representation of the caller, such as a video thumbnail of the
caller, may be displayed on the host system 104. Some embodiments
of the invention use the caller ID window (e.g., LCD display) of
the receiving telephone to display a brief text message identifying
the caller or the topic of the call.
[0023] While the representation is displayed, an equivalent of a
"ring" signal on a conventional telephone system may be displayed,
such as a "call-in-progress" status indicator, which may be sent to
the remote source to indicate the status of the call 106. The user
of the host system may then determine the identity of the remote
source by utilizing an actual image of the source 108. The call
recipient may elect to answer the call, in which case a two-way
video conferencing session between the remote source and the user
may begin 110. Alternatively, if the user elects not to answer the
call 112, the calling party may be treated in a "call-not-answered"
mode, such as continuing ring tones or forwarding to voice mail
114.
[0024] Referring now to FIGS. 2 through 7, exemplary methods of
utilizing the present invention are shown. A variety of methods may
be utilized to provide preliminary communication identification of
a remote source before indicating reception of the signal by the
host system. It is anticipated that by a person of ordinary skill
in the art may utilize a variety of combinations and differing
orders of steps in practicing the present invention and not depart
from the spirit and scope thereof. The following embodiments are
shown to describe examples as may be desirable in exemplary
instances.
[0025] Referring now to FIG. 2, an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention is shown. The method 200 of preliminary
communication identification is initiated by the transmittal of a
signal by a remote source 202. A host receives the signal 204 and
communicates the signal 206. For example, this signal may be
communicated as an image of the user in a video conferencing
system, shown in a window of an information handling system, a
screen overlay, etc. A user may then determine whether to respond
to the signal 208. If the user decides not to respond to the
signal, the signal may be routed to a messaging device 210, such as
an answering machine, recording device, etc. Additionally, an
automatic system may be employed wherein the signal is routed based
upon the type of signal being sent, such as video, audio, etc. or
any other data contained in the signal. If the user decides to
begin interaction with the signal, the remote source and host may
then determine a common mode of operation 212, such as by
negotiating protocols and connection rates. At this point, the user
is ready to interact with the remote source 214 through the host.
In this example, the user may determine whether to initiate
interaction before the remote source is aware that a connection has
been established. Indication to the remote source by the host may
be accomplished at different points in the connection process,
depending on the requirements of the connection.
[0026] The present invention provides a variety of different
methods of accomplishing preliminary communication identification
before indicating to a remote source that the signal is being
received. As shown in FIG. 3, an exemplary method of preliminary
communication identification 300 may utilize a standardized signal
from a remote source 302. After the host receives the standardized
signal 304, the host may communicate the standardized signal 306 to
a user. A standardized signal may include a signal that operates at
a predetermined speed and/or protocol so as to enable communication
without negotiating a connection. This way, the user may decide to
respond to the signal 308, such as by viewing the contents of the
signal. If the user decides not to respond to the signal, the
signal may be routed to a messaging device 310. However, if the
user decides to respond to the signal, the user may then decide
whether to optimize the connection 312. For example, the
standardized signal may not operate at the optimum settings at
which the remote source may connect to the host. By optimizing the
connection, the host and the remote source may interact in a
maximized manner. After the remote source and the host determine a
common mode of operation 314, the user may interact with the signal
315. By utilizing this example, the remote source is not aware that
the signal is being received until after the user makes a
determination of whether to accept the communication. This method
may be preferable when various connection speeds and protocols may
be utilized by a connection between a host and a remote source,
such as over a modem connection.
[0027] Additionally, in some instances the signal itself may be
utilized directly for preliminary communication identification.
Referring now to FIG. 4, an exemplary method 400 for preliminary
communication identification is shown wherein the communication is
a video conferencing signal. A remote source initiates contact with
a host 402 at which time, the remote host sends a signal containing
video conferencing data 404. The host then communicates the signal
without sending an acknowledging signal 406. In this way, a user
may determine whether to accept the communication signal 408
without indicating to the remote source that the signal is being
received. Furthermore, by using the actual video conferencing
signal, a user may determine the actual identity of the user of the
remote source, instead of just determining where it originated. In
this example, if the user decides to accept the signal, the host
may send a signal indicating the reception of the signal 410 so as
to initiate communication between the parties 412.
[0028] Referring now to FIG. 5, yet another exemplary method 500
for preliminary communication identification is shown wherein a
determination of a common mode of operation is not needed. It may
be preferable to directly utilize data from a remote host for
preliminary communication identification when there is no need to
negotiate a connection between the host and a remote source. For
example, such as when the remote source and the host are connected
over the Internet, local area network (LAN), wide area network
(WAN), etc. A remote source may initiate contact and send a signal
502. When the host system receives the signal, the signal is
communicated 506 to a user without indicating to the remote source
the reception of the signal. Therefore, a user may determine
whether to accept the signal 508 and send a received signal 510 to
begin communication between the host and the remote source 512. The
user may alternately decide not to accept the signal wherein no
reply is given to the remote source. In this way, a user may
identify a remote source yet the remote source may not determine
whether the signal was preliminarily communicated.
[0029] As shown in FIG. 6, in some instances, it may be necessary
to first determine a common mode of operation before preliminary
communication may be achieved. In this method 600, a signal is
first transmitted from a remote source 602 and received by the host
604. The host and the remote source then determine a common mode of
operation 606, which may include connection speeds, protocols, etc.
After the common mode of operation is established, the host
communicates the signal 608 without sending a response signal to
the remote source. A user may then determine whether to respond to
the signal 610 and initiate interaction with the remote source 612
or route the signal to a message device 614. In this embodiment,
even though a connection has been established, the signal from the
remote source may be first communicated to the user by a host
before initiating full contact with the remote source. Therefore,
even though a connection has been established, the host has not
indicated to the remote user that the signal is being received. For
example, in a video conferencing network, an example of which is
shown in FIG. 1, a host and a remote source may first determine a
common mode of operation, such as negotiating connection speeds,
protocols, etc. Once the connection is established the signal from
the remote source may be communicated to the user so the user may
view the originator of the video conferencing session. If the user
wishes to respond to the signal, the user may then return video
data so the remote source may then view the user. However, a user
may wish to route the signal to a messaging device so as to respond
to the remote source at a later time. In this example, it is only
after the user of the host system has determined to accept the
communication, by viewing the user of the remote source, that
answering data was sent to the remote source to indicate reception
of the signal.
[0030] Referring now to FIG. 7, a block diagram of an exemplary
network system capable of being utilized for video conferencing is
shown. In this embodiment, a host 702 and remote source 704
communicate over a network 706. The network may include Internet,
network service provider, local area network (LAN), wide area
network (WAN), telephone, etc. Typically, a host suitable for being
utilized for video conferencing will include an input device 708
and an output device 714 for communicating with the remote source
704. An input device 708 may include a video-input device 710 for
transmitting video data and an audio input device 712 for
transmitting audio data. An output device 714 may include a video
display device 716 for displaying video data and an audio
communication device 718 for communicating audio data received from
the remote source 704. Similarly, a remote source 704 may include
an input device 720 including video 722 and audio 724 input devices
and an output device 726 including video 728 and audio 730
communication devices.
[0031] Referring now to FIG. 8, a block diagram of an exemplary
information handling system 800 operable to employ the present
invention is shown. In this embodiment, processor 802, system
controller 812, cache 814, and data-path chip 818 are each coupled
to host bus 810. Processor 802 is a microprocessor such as a
486-type chip, a Pentium.RTM., Pentium II.RTM., Pentium III.RTM. or
other suitable microprocessor. Cache 814 provides high-speed
local-memory data (in one embodiment, for example, 512 KB of data)
for processor 802, and is controlled by system controller 812,
which loads cache 814 with data that is expected to be used soon
after the data is placed in cache 812 (i.e., in the near future).
Main memory 816 is coupled between system controller 814 and
data-path chip 818, and in one embodiment, provides random-access
memory of between 16 MB and 128 MB of data. In one embodiment, main
memory 816 is provided on SIMMS (Single In-line Memory Modules),
while in another embodiment, main memory 816 is provided on DIMMs
(Dual In-line Memory Modules), each of which plugs into suitable
sockets provided on a motherboard holding many of the other
components shown in FIG. 8. Main memory 816 includes standard DRAM
(Dynamic Random-Access Memory), EDO (Extended Data Out) DRAM, SDRAM
(Synchronous DRAM), or other suitable memory technology. System
controller 812 controls PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) bus
820, a local bus for system 800 that provides a high-speed data
path between processor 802 and various peripheral devices, such as
video, disk, network, etc. System controller 812 to assist in
routing data between main memory 816, host bus 810, and PCI bus 820
also controls data-path chip 818.
[0032] In one embodiment, PCI bus 820 provides a 32-bit-wide data
path that runs at 33 MHZ. In another embodiment, PCI bus 820
provides a 64-bit-wide data path that runs at 33 MHZ. In yet other
embodiments, PCI bus 820 provides 32-bit-wide or 64-bit-wide data
paths that runs at higher speeds. In one embodiment, PCI bus 820
provides connectivity to I/O bridge 822, graphics controller 827,
and one or more PCI connectors 821, each of which accepts a
standard PCI card. In another embodiment, a television tuner 823 is
included for viewing television signals. In yet another embodiment,
I/O bridge 822 and graphics controller 827 are each integrated on
the motherboard along with system controller 812, in order to avoid
a board-connector-board signal-crossing interface and thus provide
better speed and reliability. In the embodiment shown, graphics
controller 827 is coupled to a video memory 828 (that includes
memory such as DRAM, EDO DRAM, SDRAM, or VRAM (Video Random-Access
Memory)), and drives VGA (Video Graphics Adaptor) port 829. VGA
port 829 can connect to VGA-type or SVGA (Super VGA)-type displays.
Other input/output (I/O) cards having a PCI interface can be
plugged into PCI connectors 821.
[0033] In one embodiment, I/O bridge 822 is a chip that provides
connection and control to one or more independent IDE connectors
824-825, to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port 826, and to ISA
(Industry Standard Architecture) bus 830. In this embodiment, IDE
connector 824 provides connectivity for up to two standard IDE-type
devices such as hard disk drives, CDROM (Compact Disk-Read-Only
Memory) drives, DVD (Digital Video Disk) drives, or TBU
(Tape-Backup Unit) devices. In one similar embodiment, two IDE
connectors 824 are provided, and each provide the EIDE (Enhanced
IDE) architecture. In the embodiment shown, SCSI (Small Computer
System Interface) connector 825 provides connectivity for up to
seven or fifteen SCSI-type devices (depending on the version of
SCSI supported by the embodiment). In one embodiment, I/O bridge
822 provides ISA bus 830 having one or more ISA connectors 831 (in
one embodiment, three connectors are provided). In one embodiment,
ISA bus 1030 is coupled to I/O controller 852, which in turn
provides connections to two serial ports 854 and 855, parallel port
856, and FDD (Floppy-Disk Drive) connector 857. In one embodiment,
FDD connector 857 is connected to FDD 858 that receives removable
media (floppy diskette) 859 on which are stored data and/or program
code 860. In one such embodiment, program code 860 includes code
that controls programmable system 800 to perform the method
described below. In another such embodiment, serial port 854 is
connectable to a computer network such as the Internet, and such
network has program code 860 that controls programmable system 800
to perform the method described below. In one embodiment, ISA bus
830 is connected to buffer 832, which is connected to X bus 840,
which provides connections to real-time clock 842, keyboard/mouse
controller 844 and keyboard BIOS ROM (Basic Input/Output System
Read-Only Memory) 1045, and to system BIOS ROM 846.
[0034] FIG. 8 shows one exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, however other bus structures and memory arrangements are
specifically contemplated.
[0035] In one embodiment, I/O bridge 822 is a chip that provides
connection and control to one or more independent IDE connectors
824-825, to a USB (Universal Serial Bus) port 826, and to ISA
(Industry Standard Architecture) bus 830. In this embodiment, IDE
connector 824 provides connectivity for up to two standard IDE-type
devices such as hard disk drives or CDROM (Compact Disk-Read-Only
Memory) drives and similarly IDE connector 825 provides
connectivity for up to two IDE-type devices. In one such
embodiment, IDE connectors 824 and 825 each provide the EIDE
(Enhanced IDE) architecture. In one embodiment, I/O bridge 822
provides ISA bus 830 having one or more ISA connectors 831 (in one
embodiment, three connectors are provided). In one embodiment, ISA
bus 830 is coupled to I/O controller 852, which in turn provides
connections to two serial ports 854 and 855, parallel port 856, and
FDD (Floppy-Disk Drive) connector 857. In one embodiment, ISA bus
830 is connected to buffer 832, which is connected to X bus 840,
which provides connections to real-time clock 842, keyboard/mouse
controller 844 and keyboard BIOS ROM (Basic Input/Output System
Read-Only Memory) 845, and to system BIOS ROM 846.
[0036] FIG. 9 depicts embodiments of the invention using the caller
ID window of the receiving telephone to display a brief text
message identifying the caller or the topic of the call. A display
means for use in this embodiment for the caller ID window may be an
LCD display, a CRT screen, an active matrix display, or other like
type of visual display device communicatively coupled to the
telephone. An exemplary environment for embodiments of the
invention is a network connection--e.g., a telephone voice
link--via the public switched telecommunication network (PSTN)
using protocols which include the Signaling System 7 (SS7)
protocol. The invention may be practiced via wireless systems as
well as PSTN landlines. Information concerning Caller ID, ISDN, SS7
and other communications protocols may be found in the text
entitled "Digital Telephony" by John Bellamy (John Wiley &
Sons, Inc., 1991), which is incorporated herein by reference in its
entirety. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,038,305 to McAllister, et
al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,251 to Clark, et al. generally involve
aspects of Caller ID signaling and the PSTN, each of which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 9, an embodiment of preliminary
communication identification 900 is shown. In step 901 a caller
enters, and the system accepts entry of, a text message to be
transmitted to a user in conjunction with an incoming call alert
ring signal for the host system telephone. The message may be
entered using the keypad of the caller's telephone, or using an
alphanumeric keypad for entry of such messages connected to the
caller's telephone line. The text message is sent in conjunction
with signaling data for the incoming telephone call--for example,
as a ring signal--wherein the incoming telephone call may be in the
form of video conferencing data, digital data, and analog data. The
text message may be transmitted in accordance with the SS7 protocol
to the host system telephone. Typical with the SS7 protocol, the
caller ID information (CID info) is transmitted using FSK modem
tones sent in between the first and second telephone rings only.
The text message entered by a user is sent in lieu of CID
information between the first and second rings, and in some
embodiments, in short block caller ID messaging format between the
third and fourth rings and additional rings. That is, a variant of
SS7 may be implemented to update the CID info between each ring,
thus sending short blocks of a message (e.g., ten characters at a
time), until the called party picks up the phone and goes off-hook
to answer the call. The message may be repeated if it is sent in
its entirety before the call recipient goes off-hook or otherwise
acts on the message. A further variant of SS7 makes these features
available to multi-line trunk calling systems, e.g., telemarketing
call centers. In this embodiment, all callers from the trunk
system--or alternatively, predefined subgroups of the trunk system
callers--send the same message, e.g., a marketing message
identifying the topic of the call to the called party.
[0038] In step 902 the telephone call is placed and the entered
text message is sent in conjunction with a calling signal. The
called party, that is, a user utilizing a host system telephone,
receives a call at step 902. In response to the received call, a
text message from the caller may be displayed on the host system
903. While the message is displayed, an equivalent of a "ring"
signal on a conventional telephone system may be displayed, such as
a "call-in-progress" status indicator, which may be sent to the
remote source to indicate the status of the call. In step 904 the
user of the host system--that is, the called party or call
recipient--may then determine the topic of the call and/or the
identity of the remote source by utilizing the transmitted text
message from the caller. The call recipient may elect to answer the
call in step 907, in which case a two-way telephone link, or a
two-way video conferencing session, between the remote source and
the user begins.
[0039] If, in step 904, the user elects not to answer the call, the
calling party may be treated in a "call-not-answered" mode in step
905. Step 905 can entail the called party entering a predefined key
from the keypad of their telephone to provide a predefined return
message to the caller. The predefined return message may be a text
message or a voice message which is recorded or computer generated.
The recording or computer generation of the return message may take
place before the call is received (several alternatives can be
created), or while the call recipient is deciding whether to answer
the incoming telephone call. The predefined return message may be a
message such as: "please remove my name from your calling list;"
"this phone line does not accept unsolicited telephone calls;" "you
phone call has been rejected;" "please call back at a later time;"
or other like type of return message. The return message may be
transmitted back from the call recipient to the calling party
without ever having the call recipient go off-hook. For example,
the incoming call may come in when the call recipient is on the
line with another call, and the call recipient can send a return
message back to the calling party while the call recipient remains
on the line with the other call. Whether or not a return message is
provided back to the caller in step 905, the method proceeds to
step 906 for either: 1) continuing ring tones; 2) go on-hook and
hang-up; or 3) forwarding the incoming call to voicemail in step
906.
[0040] The text messages which may be sent in accordance with the
embodiment depicted in FIG. 9 can include the caller's name or
relationship to the called party. The text messages. The message is
displayed between "rings" associated with the incoming telephone
call. For example, the caller ID window can be used to display the
message, "dad calling about the basketball game." Some caller ID
windows are limited to a predefined number of characters, for
example, 10 alphanumeric characters. When using such devices, the
caller would most likely provide an abbreviated message, preferably
(but not required) in blocks of text no larger than the called
party's caller ID window (e.g., 10 characters). For example, the
above message--"dad calling about the basketball game"--could be
sent in two blocks separated by incoming rings as: (ring) "dad
callng" (ring) "re bb game" (ring). This translates to "dad calling
regarding basketball game," roughly the same message as above,
except abbreviated to fit into two blocks of ten characters. The
message may be most well received if it is sent in the form of a
customized message associated with either the calling party (e.g.,
"dad") or a topic proposed for conversation in the call (e.g.,
"basket ball game" or, as below, "sale $2999").
[0041] For telemarketers or other unknown calling parties--that is,
calling parties other than friends and family having a close
personal relationship--the message preferably should tend to be
more self explanatory. For example, a company may wish to use
caller ID text messaging to send a brief sales message. Such a
message is displayed in the LCD window, by providing additional
words between each ring. For example: (ring) "Plasma tv" (ring)
"sale $2999" (ring) "Gateway." The short messages intended to fit
within a caller ID display window (e.g., less than 10 characters
long) is referred to herein as "short block caller ID messaging
format." In this way, the called party would be provided with some
idea of the topic of the incoming call before answering the
telephone. In this example, before answering the telephone the
called party would most likely understand that the incoming call
pertains to Gateway.RTM. Inc's sale of plasma televisions for the
price of $2999. Such messages are very useful to companies engaged
in telephone sales since, presumably, only interested called
parties will answer the telephone call based on the content of the
message.
[0042] In an alternative embodiment which supports the sending of
longer text messages (e.g., 100 characters or more), the call
recipient's telephone allows the call recipient to scroll back and
forth through the message while remaining on-hook. To perform the
scrolling, either a pair of standard phone pad keys are used (e.g.,
the * and # keys), or a pair of specialized arrow keys can be
provided on the telephone handset or near the caller ID display.
Alternatively, a telephone having a larger CID window can be used,
thus eliminating the need to scroll back and forth, except for
messages larger than the display window.
[0043] Although the invention has been described with a certain
degree of particularity, it should be recognized that elements
thereof may be altered by persons skilled in the art without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. One of the
embodiments of the invention can be implemented as sets of
instructions resident in the main memory 816 of one or more
information handling systems configured generally as described in
FIG. 8. Until required by the information handling system, the set
of instructions may be stored in another readable memory device.
For example in a hard disk drive or in a removable memory such as
an optical disk for utilization in a CD-ROM drive, a floppy disk
for utilization in a floppy disk drive, a floptical disk for
utilization in a floptical drive, or a personal computer memory
card for utilization in a personal computer card slot. Further, the
set of instructions can be stored in the memory of another
information handling system and transmitted over a local area
network or a wide area network, such as the Internet, when desired
by the user. Additionally, the instructions may be transmitted over
a network in the form of an applet that is interpreted or compiled
after transmission to the computer system rather than prior to
transmission. One skilled in the art would appreciate that the
physical storage of the sets of instructions or applets physically
changes the medium upon which it is stored electrically,
magnetically, chemically, physically, optically or holographically
so that the medium carries computer readable information.
[0044] It is believed that preliminary communication identification
of the present invention and many of its attendant advantages will
be understood by the forgoing description. It is also believed that
it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form,
construction and arrangement of the components thereof without
departing from the scope and spirit of the invention or without
sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form herein before
described being merely an explanatory embodiment thereof. It is the
intention of the following claims to encompass and include such
changes.
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