TECHNIQUE FOR PROVIDING CALLER-ORIGINATED ALERT SIGNALSIN CIRCUIT-SWITCHED COMMUNICATIONS

• US 20070237320A1
• Filed: 06/12/2007
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Liu, Charles, Minborg, Per-Ake, Bloebaum, L.
• Application Number:
  US11/761,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20070237320A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/142.150
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• 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: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier

Abstract

A technique for providing caller-originated alert signals in circuit-switched communications is disclosed. According to one embodiment, the technique may be realized as a method comprising the steps of: transmitting, from a first user equipment, a request to initiate a communication session with a second user equipment; notifying the second user equipment of the communication session and an incoming caller-originated alert, the notification being transmitted via a circuit-switched channel; and causing a phonepage server to transmit, via a packet-switched channel, the caller-originated alert to the second user equipment for rendering thereon to alert a user associated with the second user equipment.

Claims

1. A method for providing caller-originated alert signals in a circuit-switched communication session, the method comprising:

transmitting, from a first user equipment, a request to initiate a communication session with a second user equipment;

notifying the second user equipment of the communication session and an incoming caller-originated alert, the notification being transmitted via a circuit-switched channel; and

causing a phonepage server to transmit, via a packet-switched channel, the caller-originated alert to the second user equipment for rendering thereon to alert a user associated with the second user equipment.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the communication session is carried on a circuit-switched network.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, from the first user equipment, an identity of the caller-originated alert to the phonepage server.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second user equipment is instructed to wait for the caller-originated alert and the phonepage server pushes the caller-originated alert to the second user equipment without any request from the second user equipment.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the phonepage server selects the caller-originated alert based on a pre-stored preference associated with the first user equipment.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the caller-originated alert is downloaded from the phonepage server to the second user equipment before being rendered thereon.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the caller-originated alert is streamed from the phonepage server to the second user equipment and the rendering of the caller-originated alert starts before it is fully downloaded.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the alert signal is customized based on one or more factors selected from a group consisting of:

an identity of the second user, a type of the communication session, and predetermined triggering events associated with the communication session.

9. A method for receiving caller-originated alert signals in a circuit-switched communication session, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first user equipment, a request to initiate a communication session from a second user equipment;

receiving, at the first user equipment, a notification of an incoming caller-originated alert associated with the communication session, the notification being transmitted via a circuit-switched channel;

retrieving, by the first user equipment, the caller-originated alert from a phonepage server via a packet-switched channel; and

rendering the caller-originated alert to alert a user associated with the first user equipment.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein at least a portion of the communication session is carried on a circuit-switched network.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the notification includes an instruction to pull the caller-originated alert from the phonepage server.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the notification includes an identity of the caller-originated alert.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the notification includes an identifier of the phonepage server.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the phonepage server selects the caller-originated alert based on a pre-stored preference associated with the first user equipment or the second user equipment.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the caller-originated alert is downloaded from the phonepage server to the first user equipment before being rendered thereon.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the caller-originated alert is streamed from the phonepage server to the first user equipment and the rendering of the caller-originated alert starts before it is fully downloaded.

17. The method according to claim 9, wherein the alert signal is customized based on one or more factors selected from a group consisting of:

an identity of the first user, a type of the communication session, and predetermined triggering events associated with the communication session.

18. A system for providing caller-originated alert signals in a circuit-switched communication session, the system comprising:

a phonepage server, a first user equipment, and a second user equipment;

the first user equipment being configured to transmit a request to initiate a communication session with the second user equipment;

the first user equipment being further configured to notify the second user equipment of the communication session and an incoming caller-originated alert, the notification being transmitted via a circuit-switched channel;

the phonepage server being configured to receive information associated with the caller-originated alert from at least one of the first user equipment and the second user equipment;

the phonepage server being further configured to transmit, via a packet-switched channel, the caller-originated alert to the second user equipment; and

the second user equipment being configured to render the caller-originated alert to alert a user associated with the second user equipment.

19. A user equipment for providing caller-originated alert signals in a circuit-switched communication session, the user equipment comprising:

a processor operatively coupled to at least one memory unit, a user interface, and a communication unit; and

the processor being configured to;

transmit a request to initiate a communication session with a second user equipment;

notify the second user equipment of the communication session and an incoming caller-originated alert, the notification being transmitted via a circuit-switched channel; and

cause a phonepage server to transmit, via a packet-switched channel, the caller-originated alert to the second user equipment for rendering thereon to alert a user associated with the second user equipment.

20. A downloadable application or module for providing caller-originated alert signals in a circuit-switched communication session, the downloadable application or module being stored on a computer-readable media executable to perform:

transmitting, from a first user equipment, a request to initiate a communication session with a second user equipment;

notifying the second user equipment of the communication session and an incoming caller-originated alert, the notification being transmitted via a circuit-switched channel; and

causing a phonepage server to transmit, via a packet-switched channel, the caller-originated alert to the second user equipment for rendering thereon to alert a user associated with the second user equipment.

21. A user equipment for providing caller-originated alert signals in a circuit-switched communication session, the user equipment comprising:

a processor operatively coupled to at least one memory unit, a user interface, and a communication unit; and

the processor being configured to;

receive a request to initiate a communication session from a second user equipment;

receive a notification of an incoming caller-originated alert associated with the communication session, the notification being transmitted via a circuit-switched channel;

retrieve the caller-originated alert from a phonepage server via a packet-switched channel; and

render the caller-originated alert.

22. A downloadable application or module for providing caller-originated alert signals in a circuit-switched communication session, the downloadable application or module being stored on a computer-readable media executable to perform:

receiving, at a first user equipment, a request to initiate a communication session from a second user equipment;

receiving, at the first user equipment, a notification of an incoming caller-originated alert associated with the communication session, the notification being transmitted via a circuit-switched channel;

retrieving, by the first user equipment, the caller-originated alert from a phonepage server via a packet-switched channel; and

rendering the caller-originated alert to alert a user associated with the first user equipment.