Intelligent ringtones

• US 20060003813A1
• Filed: 06/30/2004
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Seligmann, Doree Duncan, Moody, Taryn
• Application Number:
  US10/882,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20060003813A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/567
• 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 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/048 Arrangements providing optical indication of the incoming call, e.g. flasher circuits

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for enabling a telecommunications terminal to notify its user of the arrival of a message via an acoustic or visual signal whose properties are based on one or more attributes of the message. The illustrative embodiment sets the values of one or more properties of a ringtone (e.g., tempo, volume, pitch, rhythm, etc.) based on one or more attributes of an incoming message (e.g., who the sender of the message is, a priority associated with the message, a subject associated with the message, the semantic content of the message, the location from which the message was sent, etc.). Similarly, properties of text (e.g., font size, font style, color, dynamic behavior such as flashing, etc.) and of images (e.g., brightness, size, contrast, resolution, etc.) for notifying the user of an incoming message are set based on attributes of the message.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

(a) receiving a message at a telecommunications terminal; and

(b) determining, based on an attribute of said message, the value of a property of a musical composition;

wherein said musical composition is for notifying the user of said telecommunications terminal of the arrival of said message; and

wherein the melody of said musical composition is independent of said property.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said property is one of volume, tempo, and dynamic range.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said property is one of pitch, timbre, harmony and rhythm.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said musical composition is vocal and wherein said property is one of gender and language.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said attribute of said message is one of the sender of said message and a user category associated with the sender of said message.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said attribute of said message is one of a priority and a subject.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said attribute of said message is the semantic content of said message.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said attribute of said message is the location from which said message was sent.

9. A method comprising:

(a) receiving a message at a telecommunications terminal; and

(b) determining, based on an attribute of said message, the value of a property of an image;

wherein said image is for notifying the user of said telecommunications terminal of the arrival of said message; and

wherein the semantic content of said image is independent of said property.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said property of said image is one of hue, saturation, brightness, and contrast.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said property of said image is one of size, resolution, and position on a display.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said property of said image is at least one of:

whether said image is animated, the manner in which said image is animated, and the speed at which said image is animated.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein said attribute of said message is one of the sender of said message and a user category associated with the sender of said message.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein said attribute of said message is one of a priority and a subject.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein said attribute of said message is the semantic content of said message.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein said attribute of said message is the location from which said message was sent.

17. A method comprising:

(a) receiving a message at a telecommunications terminal; and

(b) determining, based on an attribute of said message, the value of a property of text;

wherein said text is for notifying the user of said telecommunications terminal of the arrival of said message; and

wherein the content of said text is independent of said property.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said property of said text is one of font, font style, font size, and font color.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said property of said text is one of background color and position on a display.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein said property of said text is at least one of:

whether said text is dynamic, the manner in which said text is dynamic, and the speed at which said text is dynamic.