Synchronization of client application data between pots telephone and content portal through PSTN

• US 20070127442A1
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Neil, Douglas, Roden, Barbara
• Granted Patent: US 9,049,285 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1309 Apparatus individually associated with a subscriber line, line circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13106 Microprocessor, CPU
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13109 Initializing, personal profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1336 Synchronisation

Abstract

Methods, Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) phones, and computer program products are provided for synchronizing client application data, such as names and associated telephone numbers in a phone book, between the POTS phone and a content portal through a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN). A dial-up data communication connection is established between the POTS phone and the content portal through the PSTN. A determination is made at the content portal that the POTS phone is associated with client application data in the portal database of the content portal. Client application data is synchronized between the POTS phone and the portal database in response to the determined association between the POTS phone and client application data in the portal database.

Claims

1. A method of synchronizing client application data in a Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) phone with client application data in a portal database of a content portal, the method comprising:

establishing a dial-up data communication connection between the POTS phone and the content portal through a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN);

programmatically determining at the content portal that the POTS phone is associated with client application data in the portal database of the content portal; and

programmatically synchronizing client application data between the POTS phone and the portal database in response to the determined association between the POTS phone and client application data in the portal database.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing a dial-up data communication connection between the POTS phone and the content portal through the PSTN comprises:

programmatically determining that at least some of the client application data in the POTS phone has changed; and

programmatically retrieving from a memory in the POTS phone and dialing from the POTS phone through the PSTN a telephone number associated with the content portal in response to the determination of changed client application data in the POTS phone.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the client application data is organized into an electronic phone book in the POTS phone comprises names and associated telephone numbers, and wherein programmatically determining that at least some of the client application data in the POTS phone has changed comprises determining that a name and/or telephone number entry in the phone book has been changed by a user.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein programmatically synchronizing client application data between the POTS phone and the portal database comprises communicating at least the client application data in the POTS phone that has changed to the portal database of the content portal through the PTSN.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

programmatically determining at the content portal that the POTS phone that communicated the changed client application data to the portal database is associated with a cellular phone;

establishing a data communication connection between the content portal and the cellular phone through a cellular communication network; and

programmatically communicating at least the client application data that has changed from the portal database to the cellular phone.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein programmatically communicating at least the client application data that has changed from the portal database to the cellular phone comprises synchronizing client application data between the cellular phone and the portal database.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

programmatically determining at the content portal that the POTS phone that communicated the changed client application data to the portal database is associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) phone;

establishing a data communication connection between the content portal and the IP phone through an IP network; and

programmatically communicating at least the client application data that has changed from the portal database to the IP phone.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein programmatically communicating at least the client application data from the portal database that has changed to the cellular phone comprises synchronizing client application data between the IP phone and the portal database.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

establishing a dial-up data communication connection between the POTS phone and the content portal through the PSTN is carried out after programmatically determining at the content portal that the POTS phone is associated with client application data in the portal database of the content portal, and comprises;

programmatically determining at the content portal that at least some of the client application data in the portal database has changed;

determining at the content portal that the changed client application data is associated with the POTS phone; and

programmatically dialing from the content portal a telephone number associated with the POTS phone in response to the changed client application data in the portal database; and

programmatically synchronizing client application data between the POTS phone and the portal database comprises communicating at least the client application data in the portal database that has changed to the POTS phone through the PTSN.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising synchronizing client application data in the portal database with client application data in a cellular phone through a cellular communication network and which causes at least some of the client application data in the portal database associated with the POTS phone to change, wherein change of the client application data associated with the POTS phone initiates synchronization of client application data between the portal database and the POTS phone to be carried out.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising synchronizing client application data in the portal database with client application data in an Internet Protocol (IP) phone through an IP network and which causes at least some of the client application data in the portal database associated with the POTS phone to change, wherein change of the client application data associated with the POTS phone initiates synchronization of client application data between the portal database and the POTS phone to be carried out.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing a dial-up data communication connection between the POTS phone and the content portal through the PSTN is carried out in response to expiration of a user defined time since last synchronization, occurrence of a user defined time of day, and/or occurrence of a user defined day of week and/or month.

13. A Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) phone comprising:

a modem that is configured to establish a dial-up data communication connection through a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN);

a memory comprising client application data; and

a controller that is configured to retrieve from the memory a telephone number associated with a content portal, to dial the retrieved telephone number through the modem and the PSTN to establish a dial-up data communication connection with the content portal, and to synchronize at least some of the client application data in the memory with client application data in a portal database in the content portal.

14. The POTS phone of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to determine that the client application data in the memory has changed and, responsive thereto, to dial the retrieved telephone number through the modem and the PSTN to establish a dial-up data communication connection with the content portal and to communicate at least the client application data in the memory that has changed to the portal database.

15. The POTS phone of claim 14, wherein the client application data is organized into a phone book in the memory and comprises names and associated telephone numbers, and the controller is further configured to establish the dial-up data communication connection with the content portal and to communicate at least the changed client application data in the memory to the portal database in response to determining that a name and/or telephone number entry in the phone book has been changed by a user.

16. The POTS phone of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to carry out dialing of the retrieved telephone number to establish the dial-up data communication connection with the content portal and synchronization of client application data between the memory and the portal database in response to expiration of a user defined time since last synchronization, occurrence of a user defined time of day, and/or occurrence of a user defined day of week and/or month.

17. The POTS phone of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to receive a telephone call from the content portal via the PSTN and modem, to receive client application data from the content portal, and to incorporate the received client application data with existing client application data in the memory.

18. A computer program product for synchronizing client application data in a Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) phone with client application data in a portal database of a content portal, the computer program product comprising program code embodied in a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program code comprising:

program code that is configured to initiate a dial-up data communication connection between the POTS phone and the content portal through a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN);

program code that is configured to determine at the content portal that the POTS phone is associated with client application data in the portal database of the content portal; and

program code that is configured to synchronize client application data between the POTS phone and the portal database in response to the determined association between the POTS phone and client application data in the portal database.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising program code that is configured to dial from the POTS phone a telephone number associated with the content portal and to initiate synchronization of the client application data in response to determining that at least some of the client application data in the POTS phone has changed, in response to identifying the occurrence of a user defined scheduled event, and/or in response to receipt of a synchronization command received from the user.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising program code that is configured to dial from the content portal a telephone number associated with the POTS phone and to initiate synchronization of the client application data in response to determining that at least some of the client application data in the portal database has changed and/or in response to identifying the occurrence of a user defined scheduled event.