System and method for facilitating a custom ring in connection with a call

• US 20050175161A1
• Filed: 02/06/2004
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Knowledge Ventures LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Reynolds, Douglas F., Bangor, Aaron, Brandt, Jeffrey Lewis
• Granted Patent: US 7,616,741 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.170
• 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 1/578 associated with a synthesized vocal announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/041 Encoding the ringing signal, i.e. providing distinctive or selective ringing capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42051 where the notification is included in the ringing tone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for facilitating a custom ring in connection with a call. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, an electronic device operable to support telephonic communication. The electronic device may have a housing component at least partially defining an enclosure. A memory may be located within the enclosure and may be storing ring tone information representing a custom ring tone. The device may also have a user interface capable of receiving user inputs that could indicate, for example, a desire to place a call to a called party. In some embodiments, the device may have an output engine capable of initiating communication of the ring tone information to the called party such that a telephonic device of the called party outputs the select ring tone as an indication of the call.

Claims

1. A call indication method comprising:

recognizing a request to complete a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) call to a called party;

receiving custom ring information from a calling party of the VoIP call, the custom ring information representing a desired ring tone to be played to the called party; and

initiating delivery of the custom ring information to the called party.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) node to perform at least one of the recognizing step, the receiving step, and the initiating step.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising recognizing that a piece of customer premises equipment associated with the called party comprises specialized ring tone functionality operable to output the desired ring tone.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising delivering at least a portion of the custom ring information in VoIP packets.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising delivering the custom ring information across a wireline connection comprising a link of coaxial cable operable to carry data traffic.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a VoIP switch initiates delivery of the custom ring information to the called party.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prompting the calling party to communicate the custom ring information; and

recording the custom ring information.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising utilizing a piece of calling party CPE to perform at least one of the recognizing step, the receiving step, and the initiating step.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the custom ring information has a file format selected from the group consisting of a .WAV file, a .MIDI file, and a .AU file.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the custom ring information represents a spoken message.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein recognizing the request to complete the VoIP call occurs after receiving the custom ring information.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the custom ring information in a memory residing in a piece of calling party customer premises equipment.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the custom ring information in a memory located within a service provider network.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

recognizing caller identification information of the calling party; and

finding a location in the memory that is storing the custom ring information.

15. The method of claim1, further comprising:

recognizing another request to complete a second VoIP call to a second called party; and

determining that a second called party does not want to receive the custom ring information.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising blocking delivery of the custom ring information to the second called party.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving Caller Identification information associated with the second VoIP call; and

using the Caller Identification information to determine that the second called party does not want to receive the custom ring information.

18. A ring tone delivery system, comprising:

an interface operable to receive a calling signal that indicates a request to complete a call from a calling party to a called party; and

a network node communicatively coupled to the interface and operable to deliver packetized information representing a calling party selected ring tone to the called party.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the network node comprises a VoIP switch operable to communicatively couple to a plurality of subscribers across links comprising twisted pair wiring.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising a memory maintaining information indicating that the called party has a piece of telephonic equipment capable of outputting the calling party selected ring tone, wherein the piece of telephonic equipment is selected from a group consisting of a computer, a telephone communicatively coupled to a twisted pair network, a cordless telephone, a VoIP telephone, a cellular telephone, a fixed wireless telephone, and an 802.11(x) telephone.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the network node is further operable to deliver packetized information across a cable network.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the network node is further operable to deliver packetized information across an xDSL network.

23. The system of claim 18, further comprising a custom ring tone block list indicating that a second called party does not want to receive the calling party selected ring tone.

24. The system of claim 18, further comprising a broadband modem providing at least a portion of a link communicatively coupling the network node to a piece of telephonic equipment associated with the called party.

25. The system of claim 18, further comprising a memory maintaining information indicating an additional communication address for the called party, the additional communication address selected from the group consisting of an electronic mail address, a Plain Old Telephony Service telephone number, an Instant Messaging address, a Short Messaging Service address, an Enhanced Messaging Service address, a Multimedia Messaging Service address, and a wireless telephone number.

26. A system for facilitating a select ring tone in connection with a call, comprising:

an electronic device operable to support telephonic communication, the electronic device comprising a housing component;

a memory located within an enclosure at least partially formed by the housing component, the memory storing ring tone information representing the select ring tone;

a user interface for the electronic device operable to receive a user input indicating a desire to place a call to a called party; and

an output engine operable to initiate communication of the ring tone information to the called party such that a telephonic device of the called party outputs the select ring tone to indicate the call.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the electronic device comprises a computer.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein at least a portion of the ring tone information has a file format selected from the group consisting of a .WAV file, a .MIDI file, and a .AU file.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the memory stores additional ring tone information representing a second select ring tone, further wherein the select ring tone is associated with the called party and the second select ring tone is associated with a different party.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising an electronic address book comprising a listing for the called party and a second listing for the second party.

31. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable data to maintain information representing a calling party selected ring tone, to recognize an event trigger signaling a request to place a VoIP call from the calling party to a called party, to initiate completion of the VoIP call, and to direct delivery of the information to a telephonic device of the called party in a format that allows the telephonic device to output the calling party selected ring tone as an indication of an incoming call.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 31 having additional computer-readable data to determine if the called party desires delivery of the information.