Ad ringer

• US 20050286691A1
• Filed: 08/29/2005
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Taylor, William Scott, Massengill, David E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,292,683 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/114.03
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/14 Delay circuits; Timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42017 Customized ring-back tones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

A method and system are provided for playing an advertisement to a telephone subscriber prior to call completion in a telecommunications network. A subscriber telephone line is provisioned to provide an advertisement. A switch in the telecommunications network detects an off-hook condition at the subscriber'"'"'s telephone and interprets the digits of the telephone number of a called party dialed by the subscriber. The switch then retrieves an advertisement and plays the advertisement to the subscriber instead of generating a ringing tone prior to call completion. The switch may also play the advertisement instead of a dial tone. The advertisement may be stored in an advertisement module in the switch or in a network component in the telecommunications network. The period for playing the advertisement may be extended by delaying call processing at the network component. Once the advertisement begins playing, the subscriber may terminate the advertisement by depressing a key on a telephone keypad. The switches and network components in the telecommunications network may be advanced intelligent network (AIN) components.

Claims

1. A method of modifying audio associated with call origination, the method comprising:

detecting that a subscriber is attempting to establish a call from a subscriber station through a network and has entered at least one input associated with selecting a destination station to dial;

forming at least one information signal prior to completion of the call, the at least one information signal comprising non-standard audio; and

conveying the non-standard audio to the subscriber, wherein the non-standard audio to the subscriber is different from normally-generated audio that is conveyed to the subscriber during call processing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein conveying the non-standard audio to the subscriber comprises conveying the non-standard audio outside of a time interval corresponding to a condition starting with the network determining that the subscriber station is off-hook and ending with the network determining that the subscriber station has at least started to transmit destination station dial information and wherein a dial tone is a normally-generated network signal during the time interval corresponding to the condition starting with the network determining that the subscriber station is off-hook and ending with the network determining that the subscriber station has at least started to transmit destination station dial information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether to form the at least one information signal based at least upon an indication of whether the subscriber should receive non-standard audio.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether to form the at least one information signal based at least upon an indication of whether the subscriber should receive non-standard audio comprises determining the presence of a tag associated with the subscriber, the presence of the tag indicating conveyance of the non-standard audio.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether to form the at least one information signal based at least upon an indication of whether the subscriber should receive non-standard audio comprises determining the absence of a tag associated with the subscriber, the absence of the tag indicating conveyance of the normally-generated audio.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising delaying call processing during the conveyance of the non-standard audio to the subscriber.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein forming at least one information signal prior to completion of the call comprises forming the at least one information signal to replace a ringing tone normally conveyed to the subscriber during call processing.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein forming at least one information signal prior to completion of the call comprises forming an advertisement for conveyance to the subscriber.

9. A system for modifying audio associated with call origination in a telecommunications network, the system comprising:

means for detecting that a subscriber is attempting to establish a call from a subscriber station through a network and has entered at least one input associated with selecting a destination station to dial;

means for forming at least one information signal prior to completion of the call, the at least one information signal comprising non-standard audio; and

means for conveying the non-standard audio to the subscriber, wherein the non-standard audio to the subscriber is different from normally-generated audio that is conveyed to the subscriber during call processing.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for conveying the non-standard audio to the subscriber comprises means for conveying the non-standard audio outside of a time interval corresponding to a condition starting with the network determining that the subscriber station is off-hook and ending with the network determining that the subscriber station has at least started to transmit destination station dial information and wherein a dial tone is a normally-generated network signal during the time interval corresponding to the condition starting with the network determining that the subscriber station is off-hook and ending with the network determining that the subscriber station has at least started to transmit destination station dial information.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising means for determining whether to form the at least one information signal based at least upon an indication of whether the subscriber should receive non-standard audio.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for determining whether to form the at least one information signal based at least upon an indication of whether the subscriber should receive non-standard audio comprises means for determining the presence of a tag associated with the subscriber, the presence of the tag indicating conveyance of the non-standard audio.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for determining whether to form the at least one information signal based at least upon an indication of whether the subscriber should receive non-standard audio comprises means for determining the absence of a tag associated with the subscriber, the absence of the tag indicating conveyance of the normally-generated audio.

14. The system of claim 9 further comprising means for delaying call processing during the conveyance of the non-standard audio to the subscriber.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for forming at least one information signal prior to completion of the call comprises means for forming the at least one information signal to replace a ringing tone normally conveyed to the subscriber during call processing.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for forming at least one information signal prior to completion of the call comprises means for forming an advertisement for conveyance to the subscriber.