Caller ID messaging telecommunications services

• US 20040209604A1
• Filed: 04/18/2003
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Forsberg, Kevin, Dickens, James E., White, Isaac D. M., Urban, Blake R., Sawyer, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 7,283,625 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/415
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13091 CLI, identification of calling line
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13336 Store & forward, messaging systems email H04Q2213/13375
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/74 Identification of subscriber calling from a party-line
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for caller identification messaging are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a calling party uses a Caller ID Messaging Device that supplants the incoming calling line identification (ICLID) signal with a Caller ID Messaging Signal and transmits the Caller ID Messaging Signal to a destination communications address. An alternate embodiment provides that the calling party may use a conventional telephone to access a communications network, activate Caller ID Messaging Services, compose or retrieve a stored Caller ID Message of the Caller ID Messaging Signal, and transmit the Caller ID Messaging Signal to the destination communications address. The Caller ID Message and Caller ID Messaging Signal may include text, video, voice, and/or digital data.

Claims

1. A communications system for providing caller identification messaging, the system comprising:

a communications server communicating with a communications network for detecting an incoming communications signal on a communications link from a calling party communications device to a caller identification messaging access address;

a caller identification messaging application communicating with at least one of the communications network, the calling party communications device, and a caller identification messaging dataserver, the caller identification messaging application generating at least one of a caller identification message and a caller identification messaging signal, the caller identification messaging signal comprising a caller identification message and at least one of (i) an identifier of a calling party, (ii) an identifier of a destination communications address, and (iii) an identifier of an originating communications address; and

the caller identification messaging dataserver for storing a caller identification messaging profile, the caller identification messaging profile comprising at least one of (i) the caller identification message, (ii) the identifier of the calling party, (iii) the identifier of the originating communications address, (iv) caller identification messaging services associated with at least one of the calling party and the originating address, (v) the identifier of the destinations communications address, (vi) an identifier of a receiving party communications device, (vii) caller identification messaging services associated with at least one of the receiving party and the destinations communications address, and (viii) caller identification messaging default service parameters,

wherein the caller identification message comprises at least one of text, voice, video, and electronic data.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second communications server for communicating at least one of the caller identification message and the caller identification messaging signal to a destinations communications address, the second intelligent communications switch in communication with the receiving party communications device on a communications link.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications network comprises at least one of a public switched telephone network and a mobile switching telephone communications network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the calling party communications device comprises at least one of the following:

a caller identification messaging device,

a POTS phone,

a wireless communications device,

a mobile phone,

a wireless phone,

a WAP phone,

a satellite phone

a computer,

a modem,

a pager,

a digital music device,

a digital recording device,

a personal digital assistant,

an interactive television,

a digital signal processor, and

a Global Positioning System device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiving party communications device comprises at least one of the following:

a caller identification device,

a caller identification messaging device,

a POTS phone,

a wireless communications device,

a mobile phone,

a wireless phone,

a WAP phone,

a satellite phone

a computer,

a modem,

a pager,

a digital music device,

a digital recording device,

a personal digital assistant,

an interactive television,

a digital signal processor, and

a Global Positioning System device.

6. The system of claim 1, the communications network further comprising a world wide electronic data communications network having a caller identification messaging interface via at least one of an internet, an intranet, or an extranet.

7. The system of claim 1, the communications network further comprising an audio caller identification messaging application, the audio caller identification messaging application operable to configure a text format of the caller identification message to an audio format of the caller identification message.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the audio presentation application includes a text-to-speech application.

9. The system of claim 1, the communications network further including a speech-to-text caller identification messaging application, the speech-to-text caller identification messaging application operable to configure an audio format of the caller identification message to a text format of the caller identification message.

10. The system of claim 1, the receiving party communications device comprising a caller identification messaging device, the caller identification messaging device transmitting a response caller identification messaging signal comprising at least one of (i) a response caller identification message, (ii) an identifier of a responding party, (iii) an identifier of a response communications address, and (iv) an identifier of the second communications device.

11. The system of claim 1, the calling party caller identification messaging services providing instructions for at least one of (i) billing for communication of caller identification messaging signals over the communications network, (ii) a parameter that enables caller identification messaging including times of day and days of week, (iii) a parameter that disables caller identification messaging including times of day and days of week, (iv) a parameter to block caller identification messaging, (v) an identification and authentication parameter, (vi) a parameter to bypass the disable parameter, (vii) memory services for data stored with caller identification messaging signals, and (viii) configuration and formatting preferences for each calling party communications device communicating with the network.

12. The system of claim 1, the receiving party caller identification messaging services providing instructions for at least one of (i) billing for communication of caller identification messaging signals over the communications network, (ii) a parameter that enables caller identification messaging including times of day and days of week, (iii) a parameter that disables caller identification messaging including times of day and days of week, (iv) a parameter to block caller identification messaging, (v) a parameter for identification and authentication, (vi) a parameter to bypass the disable parameter, (vii) a memory service parameter for data stored with caller identification messaging signals, and (viii) a configuration and formatting preference for each receiving party communications device communicating with the network.

13. A communications system, comprising:

a first switch connected to a calling party communications device, the calling party communications device transceiving communications signals with a communications network to generate a caller identification messaging signal, the caller identification messaging signal comprising a caller identification message and at least one of (i) an identifier of a calling party, (ii) an identifier of a destination communications address, and (iii) an identifier of the calling party communications device;

the communications network operable to process an incoming line identification (ICLID) signal of the calling party communications device and the transmitted caller identification messaging signal and operable to transmit only the caller identification message to the receiving party communications device,

wherein the communications network comprises at least one of a public switched telephone network and a mobile switching telephone communications network.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a database of at least one blocked communications address, the blocked communications address blocking transmission of the caller identification messaging signal, wherein the communications network accesses the database of at least one blocked communications address and compares the destinations communications address with the database of at least one blocked communications address to determine whether to transmit the caller identification messaging signal to the destinations communications address.

15. A method for caller identification messaging, comprising the steps of:

processing a communications signal from a calling party communications device to a caller identification messaging access address;

associating an incoming line identification (ICLID) signal with the communications signal;

associating a caller identification messaging profile with the ICLID signal, the caller identification profile comprising at least one of (i) a caller identification message, (ii) an identifier of the calling party, (iii) an identifier of the originating communications address, (iv) caller identification messaging services associated with at least one of the calling party and the originating address, (v) an identifier of the destinations communications address, (vi) an identifier of a receiving party communications device, (vii) caller identification messaging services associated with at least one of the receiving party and the destinations communications address, and (viii) caller identification messaging default service parameters; and

generating a caller identification messaging signal using at least one of the caller identification messaging profile and of a caller identification messaging instruction supplied by the calling party, the caller identification messaging signal comprising a caller identification message and at least one of (i) the identifier of a calling party, (ii) the identifier of a destination communications address, and (iii) the identifier of an originating communications address.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting the caller identification message to the destinations communications address.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

presenting the caller identification message via the receiving party communications device.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting the caller identification messaging signal to the destinations communications address.

19. A communications method, comprising:

receiving communications signals from a calling party communications device to a communications network; and

using the communication signals to generate a caller identification messaging signal, the caller identification messaging signal comprising a caller identification message and at least one of (i) an identifier of a calling party, (ii) an identifier of a destination communications address, and (iii) an identifier of the calling party communications device,

wherein the communications network comprises at least one of a public switched telephone network and a mobile switching telephone communications network.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

transmitting at least one of the caller identification message and the caller identification messaging signal to the destinations communications address.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

querying a database for at least one of (i) acceptance of the caller identification message and (ii) presentation capabilities associated with at least one of the destination communications address and a destination communications device,

if transmission of the caller identification message is initiated, then formatting the caller identification message for presentation to the destination communications address, and transmitting the caller identification message to the destination communications address,

if transmission of the caller identification message is not initiated, then retrieving a caller identification messaging delivery failure notification and transmitting the message delivery failure notification to a communications address of the calling party communications device.