METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING CALLER IDENTIFICATION BASED RESPONSES IN A COMPUTER TELEPHONY ENVIRONMENT

• US 20030067908A1
• Filed: 09/25/1996
• Published: 04/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Straight Path IP Group, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Net2Phone, Inc. (IDT Corporation)
• Inventors: MATTAWAY, SHANE D., STRICKLAND, CRAIG B., HUTTON, GLENN W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,149,208 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0083 Formatting with frames or packets; Protocol or part of protocol for error control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4547 for personal communications, i.e. using a personal identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4555 Directories for electronic mail or instant messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5076 Update or notification mechanisms, e.g. DynDNS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/168 specially adapted for link layer protocols, e.g. asynchronous transfer mode [ATM], synchronous optical network [SONET] or point-to-point protocol [PPP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 : adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 : Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 : Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 : User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 : with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 : for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 : Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 : Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 : Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0075 : Details of addressing, directories or routing tables

Abstract

A utility for enabling real-time, point-to-point communications over computer networks between users having dynamically assigned Internet Protocol addresses includes the ability to identify incoming communications, and, based on the identity of the incoming communication, selectively responding. In one embodiment, an information profile contained within an incoming signal is compared to a plurality of information profiles contained within the personal directory of a user, and, if a match occurs, the notification signal associated with the matched profile is generated. In an alternative embodiment, the information profile contained within the incoming communication includes an identifier of a notification signal which is used to select from a number of predefined notification signals resident within the user'"'"'s private directory.

Claims

1. A method of selectively alerting a user of an incoming communication over a computer network comprising the steps of:

A. receiving an information profile identifying the source of the incoming communication; and

B. responding to the incoming communication in accordance with the identity of the source.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step B comprises:

B.1 generating a notification signal based on the identity of the source.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein step B.1 further comprises:

B.1.1 associating a notification signal with selected of a plurality of information profiles.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein step B.1 further comprises:

B.1.2 comparing the information profile identifying the source with the plurality of information profiles.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein step B.1 further comprises:

B.1.3 generating the notification signal associated with one of the plurality of selected information profiles if said one information profile matches the information dentifying the source of the incoming communication.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein step B.1 further comprises:

B.1.4 associating at least one of a plurality of notification signals with at least one of the plurality of information profiles.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein step B.1 further comprises:

B.1.1 comparing a notification signal identifier contained in the information profile identifying the source of the incoming communication with a plurality of notification signal identifiers.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein step B.1 further comprises:

B.1.2 generating the notification signal associated with one of the plurality of notification signal identifiers if said one notification signal identifier matches the notification signal identifier contained within the information profile identifying the source.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein the notification signal comprises an audio signal.

10. The method of claim 2 wherein the notification signal comprises a graphic image signal.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein the notification signal comprises a haptic sensor signal.

12. A computer program product for use with a computer system operatively couple to a computer network, the computer program product comprises a computer useable medium having embodied therein program code means comprising:

A. program code means for receiving an incoming communication over the computer network, the incoming communication containing an information profile identifying the source of thee incoming communication; and

B. program code means, responsive to the information profile, for selectively notifying a user of the incoming communication in accordance with the identity of source.

13. The computer program product of claim 12 wherein the program code means for notifying comprises:

program code means for generating a notification signal based on the identity of the source.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the program code means for generating further comprises:

program code means for associating a notification signal with selected of a plurality of information profiles.

15. A computer program product of claim 14 wherein the program code means for generating further comprises:

program code means for comparing the information profile identifying the source with the plurality of information profiles.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the program code means for generating further comprises:

program code means for generating the notification signal associated with one of the selected plurality of information profiles if said one information profile matches the information profile identifying the source of the incoming communication.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the program code means for generating further comprises:

program code means for associating at least one of a plurality of notification signals with at least one of the plurality of information profiles.

18. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the program code means for generating further comprises:

program codes for comparing a notification signal identifier contained within the information profile identifying the source of the incoming communication with a plurality of notification signal identifiers.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the program code means for generating further comprises:

program code means for generating the notification signal associated with one of the plurality of notification signal identifiers if said one notification signal identifier matches the notification signal identifier contained within the information profile identifying the source of the incoming communication.

20. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the notification signal comprises an audio signal.

21. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the notification signal comprises an graphic image signal.

22. The computer program product of claim 13 wherein the notification signal comprises a haptic sensor signal.