Method and System for Providing Enhanced Call Waiting

• US 20080212754A1
• Filed: 05/13/2008
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Book, Nancy Ann, Crockett, Susanne Marie, Hardzinski, Mary Louise, Bossemeyer, Robert Wesley, Harrington, Claude Lee, McBlain, Thomas Joseph, Maciejewski, James T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,126,132 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/142.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/578 associated with a synthesized vocal announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4288 Notifying a called subscriber of an incoming call during an ongoing call, e.g. Call Waiting

Abstract

A system and method for providing information about a calling party to a called party is disclosed. Generally, a network element obtains information about a calling party when a telephone line of a called party is busy. The network element notifies the called party that the calling party is attempting to contact the called party and transmits an audible version of the information about the calling party to the called party without receiving an input from the called party.

Claims

1. A method for providing information about a calling party to a called party, the method comprising:

obtaining information about the calling party when a communication device of the called party is unavailable; and

automatically transmitting an audible version of the information to the called party after the called party is notified that the calling party is attempting to contact the called party.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining information about the calling party comprises obtaining an identity of the calling party.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining information about the calling party comprises obtaining an identity of the calling party and a telephone number of the calling party.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the called party that the calling party is attempting to contact the called party.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein notifying the called party comprises transmitting an audible call waiting indicator to the called party.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically transmitting an audible version of the information comprises transmitting an audible version of an identity of the calling party to the called party.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein automatically transmitting an audible version of the information comprises transmitting an audible version of an identity of the calling party and a telephone number of the calling party to the called party.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the communication device of the called party is unavailable prior to obtaining information about the calling party.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

connecting the called party and the calling party in response to receipt of an instruction from the called party.

10. A computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions for providing information about a calling party to a called party, the set of instructions to direct a processor to perform acts of:

obtaining information about the calling party when a communication device of the called party is unavailable; and

automatically transmitting an audible version of the information to the called party after the called party is notified that the calling party is attempting to contact the called party.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising a set of instruction to direct a processor to perform acts of:

notifying the called party that the calling party is attempting to contact the called party.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising a set of instructions to direct a processor to perform acts of:

determining whether the communication device of the called party is unavailable prior to obtaining information about the calling party.

13. A network element for providing information about a calling party to a called party, the network element comprising:

a text-to-speech module operative to perform text to speech conversions to create audible representations of text;

wherein the network element is operative to;

obtain information about the calling party;

convert the obtained information into an audible representation using the text-to-speech module; and

automatically transmit an audible version of the information to the called party after the called party is notified that the calling party is attempting to contact the called party.

14. The network element of claim 13, wherein the network element is further operative to transmit at least one call waiting tone to the called party before transmitting the audible version of the information to the called party.

15. The network element of claim 13, wherein the obtained information about the calling party comprises a telephone number.

16. The network element of claim 13, wherein the obtained information about the calling party comprises a name.

17. The network element of claim 13, wherein the network element is further operative to determine whether the called party'"'"'s communication device is unavailable.

18. The network element of claim 13, wherein the network element obtains the information about the calling party from a data storage element.

19. The network element of claim 18, wherein the data storage element comprises a database associating telephone numbers with calling telephone stations.

20. The network element of claim 13, wherein the network element is further operative to connect a call between the calling party and the called party after transmitting the audible version of the information to the called party.