U.S. patent application number 13/771711 was filed with the patent office on 2014-08-21 for method and apparatus for providing trusted caller id services.
This patent application is currently assigned to VONAGE NETWORK LLC. The applicant listed for this patent is VONAGE NETWORK LLC. Invention is credited to BARUCH STERMAN.
Application Number | 20140233715 13/771711 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 51351160 |
Filed Date | 2014-08-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140233715 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
STERMAN; BARUCH |
August 21, 2014 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING TRUSTED CALLER ID SERVICES
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for providing trusted caller
identification services between a first entity and a second entity
are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method for validating
an identity of a first entity to the second entity may include
registering the first entity with a trust authority, wherein
registering the first entity includes authenticating the identity
of the first entity, and associating the unique code with a caller
ID name (CNAM) of the first entity, receiving an identifier in
association with a call request, determining that the identifier is
correlated with the unique code, and providing to the second entity
the CNAM together with an indication of validity.
Inventors: |
STERMAN; BARUCH; (EFRAT,
IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
VONAGE NETWORK LLC |
Holmdel |
NJ |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
VONAGE NETWORK LLC
Holmdel
NJ
|
Family ID: |
51351160 |
Appl. No.: |
13/771711 |
Filed: |
February 20, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
379/142.05 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M 3/42042 20130101;
H04M 2203/6009 20130101; H04M 2203/6045 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
379/142.05 |
International
Class: |
H04M 3/42 20060101
H04M003/42 |
Claims
1. A method of providing trusted caller identification services
between a first entity and a second entity comprising: (a)
registering the first entity with a trust authority, wherein
registering the first entity includes authenticating the identity
of the first entity, and associating a unique code with a caller ID
name (CNAM) of the first entity; (b) receiving an identifier
included with a call request; (c) determining that the identifier
is correlated with the unique code; and (d) providing to the second
entity the CNAM together with an indication of validity.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique code is different than
a phone number, a CNAM, a network connection identifier, or device
specific information associated with the first entity.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique code can be derived
from the identifier.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is the same as the
unique code.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the unique code is included in a
certificate supplied to the first entity by the trust authority,
and wherein the certificate is stored on a device associated with
the first entity.
6. (canceled)
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique code is a user name
and password.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing an indication of
validity includes at least one of (1) augmenting the CNAM with a
reserve character, (2) playing to the second entity a reserved
audio tone, (3) sending a message to the second entity using
another communication means, and (4) playing to the second entity
an interactive voice response message, or (5) causing a device
associated with the second entity to play a special ring tone.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first entity's contact number
is used to lookup the first entity's CNAM to further verify the
validity of the first entity.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: (f) receiving a
second call request from a device associated with a third entity to
establish a call with the second entity, wherein the third entity
is not registered with the trust authority; and (g) providing to
the second entity the CNAM together without an indication of
validity.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein the trust authority is
maintained by a telephony provider that establishes the call
between the first entity and the second entity.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein the trust authority is
maintained by an entity that is not a telephony provider that
establishes the call between the first entity and the second
entity.
13. A method of providing trusted caller identification services
between a first entity and a second entity comprising: (a)
registering the second entity in a database maintained by the first
entity, wherein registering includes associating a personal code in
a secure database with one or more contact numbers associated with
the second entity; (b) receiving a call from the second entity; (c)
retrieving, from the database, the second entity's personal code;
and (d) after the call is established, providing a verification
message including the second entity's personal code to verify that
the second entity called the first entity.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second entity's personal
code is retrieved from the database using the second entity's
contact number.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the calling party's personal
code is retrieved from the database using an account number and
password supplied by the calling party.
16. A method of providing trusted caller identification services
between a first entity and a second entity comprising: (a)
registering the second entity in a database maintained by the first
entity, wherein registering includes associating a personal code in
a secure database with one or more contact numbers associated with
the second entity; (c) retrieving, from the database, the second
entity's personal code; and (b) calling the second entity; and (c)
after the call is established, providing a verification message
including the second entity's personal code to verify the identity
of the first entity.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second entity's personal
code is retrieved from the database using the second entity's
contact number.
18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second entity establishes
or updates the personal code over a secure SSL connection.
19. The method of claim 16, wherein the second entity establishes
or updates the personal code over the Web.
20. The method of claim 16, wherein the database maintained by the
first entity stores personal codes for a plurality of customers.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to
telecommunication systems and, more particularly, to a method and
apparatus for providing verification of the identification of a
first entity to a second entity.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Voice over IP (VoIP) is a technological development in the
field of telecommunications that is utilized to transmit voice
conversations over a data network using the Internet Protocol (IP).
After a user subscribes to a VoIP service, the user can
make/receive phone calls to/from other VoIP subscribers or to
public switched telephone network (PSTN) customers and access a
number of features associated with the VoIP service, such as call
waiting, three-way calling, call forwarding, voicemail service, and
the like.
[0005] Calls from a VoIP caller typically display the caller ID
information of the caller to the called party. The inventor has
observed that it is very easy for a VoIP caller to "spoof" his/her
caller ID to appear as someone they are not. Caller ID information
is often centrally maintained on the Public Switched Telephone
Network (PSTN) in a Caller Name (CNAM) database. Generally, service
providers access the CNAM database to retrieve caller ID data.
However, the CNAM request for information is based on the calling
number that is provided by the caller and, in the case of a VoIP
call, that number is freely editable by the caller without any
verification. This prevents called parties from screening calls
from unknown or undesirable callers (such as telemarketers).
[0006] Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a method and
apparatus for providing improved caller ID information in a
telecommunication system that can recognize when a caller ID is
legitimate and conveying that information to the called party.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Methods and apparatus for validating an identity of a first
entity to a second entity are provided herein. In some embodiments,
a method for validating an identity of a first entity to a second
entity may include registering the first entity with a trust
authority, wherein registering the first entity includes
authenticating the identity of the first entity, and associating a
unique code with a caller ID name (CNAM) of the first entity,
receiving an identifier in association with a call request,
determining that the identifier is correlated with the unique code,
and providing to the second entity the CNAM together with an
indication of validity.
[0008] In some embodiments, a method of validating an identity of a
first entity to a second entity may include registering the second
entity in a database maintained by the first entity, wherein
registering includes associating a personal code in the secure
database with one or more of the second entity's contact numbers,
receiving a call from the second entity, retrieving, from the
database, the second entity's personal code, after the call is
established, providing a verification message including the second
entity's personal code to verify that the second entity called the
first entity.
[0009] In some embodiments, a method of validating an identity of a
first entity to a second entity may include registering the second
entity in a database maintained by the first entity, wherein
registering includes associating a personal code in the secure
database with one or more of the second entity's contact numbers,
retrieving, from the database, the second entity's personal code,
calling the second entity, and after the call is established,
providing a verification message including the second entity's
personal code to verify the identity of the first entity.
[0010] Other and further embodiments of the present invention are
described below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] So that the manner in which the above recited features of
the present invention can be understood in detail, a more
particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above,
may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are
illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however,
that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of
this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of
its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective
embodiments.
[0012] FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a system for validating an
identity of a first entity to a second entity, according to one or
more embodiments;
[0013] FIG. 2 depicts a flow diagram of a method for validating an
identity of a first entity to a second entity, according to one or
more embodiments;
[0014] FIG. 3A depicts a flow diagram of a method for validating an
identity of a first entity to a second entity, according to one or
more embodiments;
[0015] FIG. 3B depicts a signaling diagram associated with the
method of FIG. 3A for validating an identity of a first entity to a
second entity, according to one or more embodiments;
[0016] FIG. 4A depicts a signaling diagram of a method of
validating an identity of a first entity to a second entity for an
outbound call without the use of a third party trusted authority,
according to one or more embodiments;
[0017] FIG. 4B depicts a signaling diagram of a method of
validating an identity of a first entity to a second entity for an
inbound call without the use of a third party trusted authority,
according to one or more embodiments; and
[0018] FIG. 5 depicts a computer system that can be utilized in
various embodiments of the present invention, according to one or
more embodiments.
[0019] While the method and apparatus for providing verification of
the identification of a first entity to a second entity is
described herein by way of example for several embodiments and
illustrative drawings, those skilled in the art will recognize that
method and apparatus for providing support for an Internet-based
service is not limited to the embodiments or drawings described. It
should be understood, that the drawings and detailed description
thereto are not intended to limit embodiments to the particular
form disclosed. Rather, the intention is to cover all
modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the
spirit and scope of method and apparatus for providing verification
of the identification of a first entity to a second entity as
defined by the appended claims. Any headings used herein are for
organizational purposes only and are not meant to limit the scope
of the description or the claims. As used herein, the word "may" is
used in a permissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to),
rather than the mandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly,
the words "include", "including", and "includes" mean including,
but not limited to.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] Embodiments of the present invention comprise methods and
apparatus for validating an identity of a first entity to a second
entity. Embodiments of the present invention advantageously improve
upon the Caller ID feature, particularly with respect to Voice over
Internet Protocol (VoIP) service providers. Specifically, due to
the nature of VoIP, it is easy to spoof the Caller ID (based on the
FROM field of a SIP header). Embodiments of the present invention
include validation methods and apparatus that will notify a VoIP
subscriber that the calling party is a trusted entity. Those
skilled in the art will appreciate that embodiments of the present
invention can also be used with non-VoIP telephony providers and
subscribers. Embodiments of the present invention are described
below with respect to FIGS. 1-5.
[0021] Some portions of the detailed description which follow are
presented in terms of operations on binary digital signals stored
within a memory of a specific apparatus or special purpose
computing device or platform. In the context of this particular
specification, the term specific apparatus or the like includes a
general purpose computer once it is programmed to perform
particular functions pursuant to instructions from program
software. In this context, operations or processing involve
physical manipulation of physical quantities. Typically, although
not necessarily, such quantities may take the form of electrical or
magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined,
compared or otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at
times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to such
signals as bits, data, values, elements, symbols, characters,
terms, numbers, numerals or the like. It should be understood,
however, that all of these or similar terms are to be associated
with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient
labels. Unless specifically stated otherwise, as apparent from the
following discussion, it is appreciated that throughout this
specification discussions utilizing terms such as "processing,"
"computing," "calculating," "determining" or the like refer to
actions or processes of a specific apparatus, such as a special
purpose computer or a similar special purpose electronic computing
device. In the context of this specification, therefore, a special
purpose computer or a similar special purpose electronic computing
device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals,
typically represented as physical electronic or magnetic quantities
within memories, registers, or other information storage devices,
transmission devices, or display devices of the special purpose
computer or similar special purpose electronic computing
device.
[0022] FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a system 100 for
validating an identity of a first entity to a second entity,
according to one or more embodiments. The system 100 comprises a
first entity 102, a second entity 104, and a trust authority server
106, communicatively coupled to each of the first entity 102 and
second entity 104 via one or more networks 108. The first entity
102 may be a business entity that includes a plurality of telephony
devices, computers, and video conferencing devices associated with
the business entity, or operating on behalf of the business entity.
In some embodiments, the trust authority server 106 is maintained
by a telephony service provider (e.g., such as a VoIP service
provider). In some embodiments, the trust authority server 106 may
be maintained, or otherwise associated with, the first entity 102.
The second entity as used here may be a standard telephony service
subscriber, such as an individual user accessing telephony service
via a mobile device, a computer, a TV, etc.
[0023] The network 108 may be one or more networks such as an
Internet Protocol (IP) network or a public switched telephone
network (PSTN) used to connect the first entity 102, the second
entity 104 and/or the trust authority 106 together.
[0024] The trust authority 106 comprises a CPU 122, support
circuits 124, and a memory 126. The CPU 122 may comprise one or
more commercially available microprocessors or microcontrollers
that facilitate data processing and storage. The various support
circuits 124 facilitate the operation of the CPU 122 and include
one or more clock circuits, power supplies, cache, input/output
circuits, displays, and the like. The memory 126 includes at least
one of Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), disk
drive storage, optical storage, removable storage and/or the like.
In some embodiments, the memory 126 may include an operating system
128, a registration module 130, a caller interface module 132, a
verification database 134, and a notification module 136.
[0025] The operating system 128 generally manages various computer
resources (e.g., network resources, file processors, and/or the
like). The operating system 128 is configured to execute operations
on one or more hardware and/or software modules, such as Network
Interface Cards (NICs), hard disks, virtualization layers,
firewalls and/or the like. Examples of the operating system 128 may
include, but are not limited to, Linux, Mac OSX, BSD, Unix,
Microsoft Windows, and the like.
[0026] The registration module 130 is used to register the first
entity with the trust authority as a trusted entity, and to provide
the first entity with a unique code that identifies callers/devices
associated with the first entity as trusted entities. The operation
of the registration module 130 is discussed below with respect to
FIGS. 2 and 3 in more detail. In some embodiments, the caller
interface module 132 may be used to accept the unique code from the
first entity 102 when the first entity 102 attempts to establish a
call to the second entity 104. In some embodiments, the caller
interface module 132 may be an Interactive voice response (IVR)
system to accept the unique code from the first entity 102. The
accepted unique code may then be used as a lookup key to
verification DB 134 to determine if the first entity 102 is stored
in the verification DB 134 as a trusted entity. Once the first
entity 102 is validated as a trusted entity, the trust authority
106 notifies the second entity 104 (i.e., the called party) using
notification module 136 that the calling party (i.e., the first
entity) has been validated and is a trusted entity. The
notification module may notify the second entity that the first
entity is a trusted entity by (1) augmenting the caller ID name
(CNAM) with a reserve character (such as a "*" symbol or other type
of character(s)) indicating a validated identity of the first
entity, (2) signaling the device associated with the second entity
to play a reserved audio tone, (3) sending a message to the second
entity using another communication means, (4) using an interactive
voice response (IVR) system to play a message, or (5) causing the
device associated with the second entity to play a special ring
tone.
[0027] FIG. 2 depicts a flow diagram of a method 200 for validating
an identity of a first entity to a second entity. The method 200
starts at 202 and proceeds to 204. At 204, the first entity 102
registers with a trust authority 106, for example, using
registration module 130. In some embodiments, the act of the first
entity 102 registering with the trust authority 106 may include
authenticating the identity of the first entity (206). For example,
in some exemplary embodiments, a first entity (such as a bank, an
insurance company, individual, etc.) may want to register its
identity with the trust authority. The first entity's identity may
be manually or automatically verified through any conventional ways
available. For example, the first entity may contact the trust
authority and the trust authority may request certain information
to verify the identity of the business entity.
[0028] Once the first entity's identity is authenticated, at 208
the trust authority may associate the first entity with the unique
code and a caller ID name (CNAM). For example, the trust authority
may supply the first entity with a unique code for identifying the
first entity as the trusted entity, or the first entity may
select/create a unique code. Since a phone number and other types
of device specific information may be spoofed, in some embodiments
consistent with the present invention the unique code is not a
phone number, a CNAM, a network connection identifier, or device
specific information associated with the first entity. In some
embodiments, the unique code may be a username and/or password
provided to the first entity. In some embodiments, a certificate
may be supplied to the first entity that includes unique
indentifying information. When the first entity attempts to call
another party, the first entity would first verify their identity
using the supplied certificate or information from the certificate.
The unique code and a caller ID name (CNAM), as well as other
information associated with the first entity, may be stored in a
verification database maintained by the trust authority. The
verification database may be indexed by the unique code, which is
used as a lookup key to determine if the calling party is a trusted
entity.
[0029] After the registration process is complete, the method 200
proceeds to 212 where a call request from a device associated with
the first entity to establish a call with a second entity (i.e.,
the called party) is received and processed by the caller interface
134 of the trust authority 106. An identifier may be received in
association with the call request that identifies the first entity
to the trust authority. At 212, the trust authority determines that
the identifier is correlated with the unique code associated with
the first entity. In some embodiments, the unique code can be
derived from the identifier. In other embodiments, the identifier
is the same as the unique code. In some embodiments, the first
entity's contact number may also be used to lookup the first
entity's CNAM to further verify the identity of the first
entity.
[0030] After the identifier is correlated with the unique code
associated with the first entity, at 214 the trust authority may
provide to the second entity the CNAM of the first entity together
with an indication of validity of the identity of the first entity.
Providing the second entity an indication of validity of the
identity of the first entity may include (1) augmenting the caller
ID name (CNAM) with a reserve character indicating a validated
identity of the first entity, (2) signaling the device associated
with the second entity to play a reserved audio tone, (3) sending a
message to the second entity using another communication means, (4)
using an interactive voice response (IVR) system to play a message,
or (5) causing the device associated with the second to play a
special ring tone. For example, the CNAM may be modified to include
one or more reserve characters (such as the "*" character) that
would indicate to the second entity that the calling party has been
verify by a trusted third party. In some embodiments, a picture or
graphic of a certification/validation symbol may be displayed on
the display of the second entity device that would indicate to the
second entity that the calling party has been verify by a trusted
third party. The method 200 ends at 216.
[0031] FIG. 3A depicts a flow diagram of a method 300 for
validating an identity of a first entity to a second entity. The
method 300 starts at 302 and proceeds to 304. At 304, the first
entity 102 registers with a trust authority 106, for example, using
registration module 130. In some embodiments, the act of the first
entity 102 registering with the trust authority 106 may include
authenticating the identity of the first entity such that the first
entity is a trusted entity (306). For example, in some exemplary
embodiments, a first entity (such as a bank, an insurance company,
individual, etc.) may want to register its identity with the trust
authority. The first entity's identity may be manually or
automatically verified through any conventional ways available. For
example, the first entity may contact the trust authority and the
trust authority may request certain information to verify the
identity of the business entity.
[0032] Once the first entity's identity is authenticated, at 308
the trust authority may supply the first entity with a unique code
for identifying the first entity as the trusted entity. Since a
phone number and other types of device specific information may be
spoofed, in embodiments consistent with the present invention the
unique code is different from a phone number or other device
specific information associated with the third party. In some
embodiments, the unique code may be a username and/or password
provided to the first entity. In some embodiments, a certificate
may be supplied to the first entity that includes unique
indentifying information. When the caller attempts to call another
party, the caller would first verify their identity using the
supplied certificate or information from the certificate. The
registration process 304 finishes at 310, where the first entity is
associated with the unique code and a caller ID name (CNAM) to
display on a device associated with the second entity in the
verification database maintained by the trust authority. The
verification database may be indexed by the unique code, which is
used as a lookup key to determine if the calling party is a trusted
entity.
[0033] After the registration process is complete, the method 300
proceeds to 312 where a call request from a device associated with
the first entity to establish a call with a second entity (i.e.,
the called party) is received and processed by the caller interface
134 of the trust authority 106. The trust authority obtains the
unique code from the first entity at 314. In some embodiments, the
trust authority prompts the first entity for the unique code to
obtain the unique code from the first entity to validate the
identity of the first entity. In other embodiments, the unique code
is included within the call request from the first entity. For
example, in some embodiments, the unique code is included in a
certificate supplied to the first entity by the trust authority.
The certificate may be stored on one or more devices associated
with the first entity.
[0034] After the unique code is obtained, the identity of the first
entity is validated using the unique code as a lookup key in the
verification database at 316. In some embodiments, any person
associated with the first entity that possesses the unique code for
the first entity, may initiate a call request to the second entity
and input the unique code which validates them as a trusted entity
(e.g. from a payphone or other public device in addition to private
devices associated with the first entity).
[0035] Once the calling party is validated in the verification
database, the second entity is notified that the first entity is a
trusted entity at 318. Notifying the second entity that the first
entity is the trusted entity may include (1) augmenting the caller
ID name (CNAM) with a reserve character indicating a validated
identity of the first entity, (2) signaling the device associated
with the second entity to play a reserved audio tone, (3) sending a
message to the second entity using another communication means, (4)
using an interactive voice response (IVR) system to play a message,
or (5) causing the device associated with the second to play a
special ring tone. For example, the CNAM may be modified to include
one or more reserve characters (such as the "*" character) that
would indicate to the second entity that the calling party has been
verify by a trusted third party. In some embodiments, a picture or
graphic of a certification/validation symbol may be displayed on
the display of the second entity device that would indicate to the
second entity that the calling party has been verify by a trusted
third party. The method 300 ends at 320.
[0036] In some embodiments, call requests may be received from
untrusted entities (e.g., entities not registered with the trusted
authority or those that provided invalid unique codes). The second
entity would be notified by the trusted authority that the calling
party is untrusted. For example, the lack of a special reserved
character (e.g., the "*" character) appended to the CNAM, or a
voice/SMS message indicating the caller has not been verified would
alert the second entity.
[0037] FIG. 3B depicts a signaling diagram associated with the
method 300 of FIG. 3A for validating an identity of a first entity
to a second entity, according to one or more embodiments.
Specifically, FIG. 3B shows a first entity 102 initially
registering with the trust authority 106 via call interface 132.
Reference numbers in FIG. 3B correspond to elements described in
FIGS. 1 and 3A above.
[0038] FIGS. 4A and 4B depict a signaling diagram of a method of
validating an identity of a first entity to a second entity for an
outbound call and inbound call, respectively, without the use of a
third party trusted authority, according to one or more
embodiments. Specifically, Bank A's customer, for example, may want
to ensure that the entity they are calling is really Bank A. To
accomplish this without the use of a third party authentication
service such as the trusted authority discussed above, Bank A may
maintain a secure database and caller interface that its customers
may be able to register with. With respect to FIG. 4A, the first
entity 402 may maintain a secure DB 408 and a call interface 406
that validates its identity to a second entity 404 (e.g., a
customer). The second entity would contact the first entity and
register themselves in the secure DB 408 at 410. At 412, the second
entity would create, or be provided with, a personal code that
would be stored in secure DB 408 in association with one or more of
the second entity's contact numbers. In some embodiments, the
secure database maintained by the first entity stores personal
codes for a plurality of customers. In some embodiments, the second
entity establishes or updates the personal code over a secure SSL
connection over the Web.
[0039] When the second entity calls the first entity via call
interface 406 at 414, the first entity would request the second
entity's personal code from the secure DB at 416. In some
embodiments, the second entity's personal code may be retrieved
from the secure database using the second entity's contact number.
In other embodiments, the second entity's personal code may be
retrieved from the secure database using an account number and
password supplied by the calling party. At 418, the personal code
would be provided to the call interface 406 by the secure DB 408.
At 420, after the call is established, the call interface 406 would
play a verification message including the second entity's personal
code to verify that the second entity called the first entity.
[0040] In embodiments associated with FIG. 4B, if the first entity
desires to initiate a call to the second entity, the call interface
406 may first request the personal code of the second entity from
secure DB 408 at 430. At 432, if the second entity is registered in
secure DB 408, the secure DB will provide the call interface 406
with the second entity's personal code. The call interface 406 will
then initiate a call with the second entity at 434. At 436, after
the call is established, the call interface 406 will play/send a
verification message including the second entity's personal code,
or otherwise provide the personal code to the second entity, to
verify the identity of the first entity. In some embodiments, the
verification message would also include the name of the first
entity.
[0041] The embodiments of the present invention may be embodied as
methods, apparatus, electronic devices, and/or computer program
products. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention may
be embodied in hardware and/or in software (including firmware,
resident software, micro-code, and the like), which may be
generally referred to herein as a "circuit" or "module".
Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer
program product on a computer-usable or computer-readable storage
medium having computer-usable or computer-readable program code
embodied in the medium for use by or in connection with an
instruction execution system. In the context of this document, a
computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that
can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the
program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution
system, apparatus, or device. These computer program instructions
may also be stored in a computer-usable or computer-readable memory
that may direct a computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the
instructions stored in the computer usable or computer-readable
memory produce an article of manufacture including instructions
that implement the function specified in the flowchart and/or block
diagram block or blocks.
[0042] Computer program code for carrying out operations of the
present invention may be written in an object oriented programming
language, such as Java.RTM., Smalltalk or C++, and the like.
However, the computer program code for carrying out operations of
the present invention may also be written in conventional
procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming
language and/or any other lower level assembler languages. It will
be further appreciated that the functionality of any or all of the
program modules may also be implemented using discrete hardware
components, one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits
(ASICs), or programmed Digital Signal Processors or
microcontrollers.
[0043] The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has
been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the
illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or
to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many
modifications and variations are possible in view of the above
teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to
best explain the principles of the present disclosure and its
practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art
to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various
modifications as may be suited to the particular use
contemplated.
[0044] FIG. 5 depicts a computer system 500 that can be utilized in
various embodiments of the present invention to implement the
computer and/or the display, according to one or more
embodiments.
[0045] Various embodiments of method and apparatus for
transitioning between a plurality of pages on a display device, as
described herein, may be executed on one or more computer systems,
which may interact with various other devices. One such computer
system is computer system 500 illustrated by FIG. 5, which may in
various embodiments implement any of the elements or functionality
illustrated in FIGS. 1-4B. In various embodiments, computer system
500 may be configured to implement methods described above. The
computer system 500 may be used to implement any other system,
device, element, functionality or method of the above-described
embodiments. In the illustrated embodiments, computer system 500
may be configured to implement methods 200 and 300 as
processor-executable executable program instructions 522 (e.g.,
program instructions executable by processor(s) 510) in various
embodiments.
[0046] In the illustrated embodiment, computer system 500 includes
one or more processors 510a-510n coupled to a system memory 520 via
an input/output (I/O) interface 530. Computer system 500 further
includes a network interface 540 coupled to I/O interface 530, and
one or more input/output devices 550, such as cursor control device
560, keyboard 570, and display(s) 580. In various embodiments, any
of the components may be utilized by the system to receive user
input described above. In various embodiments, a user interface may
be generated and displayed on display 580. In some cases, it is
contemplated that embodiments may be implemented using a single
instance of computer system 500, while in other embodiments
multiple such systems, or multiple nodes making up computer system
500, may be configured to host different portions or instances of
various embodiments. For example, in one embodiment some elements
may be implemented via one or more nodes of computer system 500
that are distinct from those nodes implementing other elements. In
another example, multiple nodes may implement computer system 500
in a distributed manner.
[0047] In different embodiments, computer system 500 may be any of
various types of devices, including, but not limited to, personal
computer systems, mainframe computer systems, handheld computers,
workstations, network computers, application servers, storage
devices, a peripheral devices such as a switch, modem, router, or
in general any type of computing or electronic device.
[0048] In various embodiments, computer system 500 may be a
uniprocessor system including one processor 510, or a
multiprocessor system including several processors 510 (e.g., two,
four, eight, or another suitable number). Processors 510 may be any
suitable processor capable of executing instructions. For example,
in various embodiments processors 510 may be general-purpose or
embedded processors implementing any of a variety of instruction
set architectures (ISAs). In multiprocessor systems, each of
processors 510 may commonly, but not necessarily, implement the
same ISA.
[0049] System memory 520 may be configured to store program
instructions 522 and/or data 532 accessible by processor 510. In
various embodiments, system memory 520 may be implemented using any
suitable memory technology, such as static random access memory
(SRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), nonvolatile/Flash-type
memory, or any other type of memory. In the illustrated embodiment,
program instructions and data implementing any of the elements of
the embodiments described above may be stored within system memory
520. In other embodiments, program instructions and/or data may be
received, sent or stored upon different types of
computer-accessible media or on similar media separate from system
memory 520 or computer system 500.
[0050] In one embodiment, I/O interface 530 may be configured to
coordinate I/O traffic between processor 510, system memory 520,
and any peripheral devices in the device, including network
interface 540 or other peripheral interfaces, such as input/output
devices 550. In some embodiments, I/O interface 530 may perform any
necessary protocol, timing or other data transformations to convert
data signals from one component (e.g., system memory 520) into a
format suitable for use by another component (e.g., processor 510).
In some embodiments, I/O interface 530 may include support for
devices attached through various types of peripheral buses, such as
a variant of the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus
standard or the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard, for example.
In some embodiments, the function of I/O interface 530 may be split
into two or more separate components, such as a north bridge and a
south bridge, for example. Also, in some embodiments some or all of
the functionality of I/O interface 530, such as an interface to
system memory 520, may be incorporated directly into processor
510.
[0051] Network interface 540 may be configured to allow data to be
exchanged between computer system 500 and other devices attached to
a network (e.g., network 590), such as one or more external systems
or between nodes of computer system 500. In various embodiments,
network 590 may include one or more networks including but not
limited to Local Area Networks (LANs) (e.g., an Ethernet or
corporate network), Wide Area Networks (WANs) (e.g., the Internet),
wireless data networks, some other electronic data network, or some
combination thereof. In various embodiments, network interface 540
may support communication via wired or wireless general data
networks, such as any suitable type of Ethernet network, for
example; via telecommunications/telephony networks such as analog
voice networks or digital fiber communications networks; via
storage area networks such as Fibre Channel SANs, or via any other
suitable type of network and/or protocol.
[0052] Input/output devices 550 may, in some embodiments, include
one or more display terminals, keyboards, keypads, touchpads,
scanning devices, voice or optical recognition devices, or any
other devices suitable for entering or accessing data by one or
more computer systems 500. Multiple input/output devices 550 may be
present in computer system 500 or may be distributed on various
nodes of computer system 500. In some embodiments, similar
input/output devices may be separate from computer system 500 and
may interact with one or more nodes of computer system 500 through
a wired or wireless connection, such as over network interface
540.
[0053] In some embodiments, the illustrated computer system may
implement any of the methods described above, such as the methods
illustrated by the flowcharts of FIG. 2-4. In other embodiments,
different elements and data may be included.
[0054] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that computer
system 500 is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the
scope of embodiments. In particular, the computer system and
devices may include any combination of hardware or software that
can perform the indicated functions of various embodiments,
including computers, network devices, Internet appliances, PDAs,
wireless phones, pagers, and the like. Computer system 500 may also
be connected to other devices that are not illustrated, or instead
may operate as a stand-alone system. In addition, the functionality
provided by the illustrated components may in some embodiments be
combined in fewer components or distributed in additional
components. Similarly, in some embodiments, the functionality of
some of the illustrated components may not be provided and/or other
additional functionality may be available.
[0055] Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that, while
various items are illustrated as being stored in memory or on
storage while being used, these items or portions of them may be
transferred between memory and other storage devices for purposes
of memory management and data integrity. Alternatively, in other
embodiments some or all of the software components may execute in
memory on another device and communicate with the illustrated
computer system via inter-computer communication. Some or all of
the system components or data structures may also be stored (e.g.,
as instructions or structured data) on a computer-accessible medium
or a portable article to be read by an appropriate drive, various
examples of which are described above. In some embodiments,
instructions stored on a computer-accessible medium separate from
computer system 500 may be transmitted to computer system 500 via
transmission media or signals such as electrical, electromagnetic,
or digital signals, conveyed via a communication medium such as a
network and/or a wireless link. Various embodiments may further
include receiving, sending or storing instructions and/or data
implemented in accordance with the foregoing description upon a
computer-accessible medium or via a communication medium. In
general, a computer-accessible medium may include a storage medium
or memory medium such as magnetic or optical media, e.g., disk or
DVD/CD-ROM, volatile or non-volatile media such as RAM (e.g.,
SDRAM, DDR, RDRAM, SRAM, and the like), ROM, and the like.
[0056] The methods described herein may be implemented in software,
hardware, or a combination thereof, in different embodiments. In
addition, the order of methods may be changed, and various elements
may be added, reordered, combined, omitted or otherwise modified.
All examples described herein are presented in a non-limiting
manner. Various modifications and changes may be made as would be
obvious to a person skilled in the art having benefit of this
disclosure. Realizations in accordance with embodiments have been
described in the context of particular embodiments. These
embodiments are meant to be illustrative and not limiting. Many
variations, modifications, additions, and improvements are
possible. Accordingly, plural instances may be provided for
components described herein as a single instance. Boundaries
between various components, operations and data stores are somewhat
arbitrary, and particular operations are illustrated in the context
of specific illustrative configurations. Other allocations of
functionality are envisioned and may fall within the scope of
claims that follow. Finally, structures and functionality presented
as discrete components in the example configurations may be
implemented as a combined structure or component. These and other
variations, modifications, additions, and improvements may fall
within the scope of embodiments as defined in the claims that
follow.
[0057] While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the
present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention
may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and
the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.
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