SYSTEM AND APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING CALLER IDENTIFICATION INFORMATION

• US 20100260328A1
• Filed: 04/09/2009
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Belt, David C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,724,784 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/142.40
• 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 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1285 Details of finding and selecting a gateway for a particular call

Abstract

Described herein are techniques for extracting caller identification information during a phone call and transmitting the caller identification information over a network to another device that presents the caller identification information to a user. An apparatus includes a first communication interface communicatively coupled to a telephone network and a second communication interface communicatively coupled to a communication network. The apparatus receives a phone call, extracts caller identification data, and transmits the caller identification data to another device over the communication network.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a first communication interface that communicatively couples to a telephone network to receive a phone call;

a second communication interface that communicatively couples to a communication network to communicate with a device; and

control logic communicatively coupled to the first and second communication interfaces, the control logic operable to;

transmit a first message over the communication network, the first message identifying a communication service offered by the apparatus;

receive a reply message to the first message from the device, the reply message requesting the communication service from the apparatus;

process the phone call to extract caller identification information;

generate a second message based on the caller identification information; and

transmit the second message to the device, wherein the device processes the second message to output the caller identification information to a user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication network comprises a local area network and wherein the device comprises a communication device operable to receive data from an external network.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the communication device comprises a television receiver.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second communication interface communicates with the device using an Ethernet protocol.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second communication interface comprises a wired Ethernet connection.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control logic communicates with the device using a universal plug and play communication protocol.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control logic comprises:

a caller identification decoder operable to extract the caller identification information; and

a microcontroller operable to control communication with the device.

8. A router comprising:

a first communication interface that communicatively couples to a telephone network to receive a phone call;

a second communication interface that communicatively couples to first and second communication devices;

control logic communicatively coupled to the first and second communication devices, the control logic operable to;

route traffic to the first and second communication devices;

identify whether the first communication device is configured to output caller identification information;

process the phone call to extract the caller identification information;

generate a first message based on the caller identification information if the first communication device is configured to output the caller identification information; and

transmit the first message to the first device, wherein the first device processes the first message to output the caller identification information to a user.

9. The router of claim 8, further comprising a wide area network interface operable to communicatively couple at least one of the first and second communication devices to the external network.

10. The router of claim 8, wherein the control logic is further operable to:

transmit a second message to the first and second communication devices, the second message identifying a communication service offered by the apparatus, and

receive a reply message to the second message from the first device, the reply message requesting the communication service from the router, the control logic operating to generate the first message responsive to the phone call based on the reply message.

11. The router of claim 8, wherein the first device comprises a television receiver.

12. The router of claim 11, wherein the television receiver comprises a satellite television receiver.

13. The router of claim 8, wherein the second communication interface is communicatively coupled to the first device through a wired connection.

14. The router of claim 8, wherein the second communication interface is communicatively coupled to the first device through a wireless connection.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the control logic comprises:

a caller identification decoder operable to extract the caller identification information; and

a processor operable to control communication with the first and second devices.

16. A system comprising:

a television receiver including;

a first communication interface operable to receive television programming;

a second communication interface communicatively coupled to a local area network; and

first control logic communicatively coupled to the first and second communication interfaces and a presentation device, the first control logic operable to output the television programming to the presentation device; and

an apparatus comprising;

a third communication interface that communicatively couples to a telephone network to receive a phone call;

a fourth communication interface that communicatively couples to the television receiver through the local area network;

second control logic communicatively coupled to the third and fourth communication interfaces, the control logic operable to;

transmit a first message to the television receiver, the first message identifying a communication service offered by the apparatus;

receive a reply message to the first message from the television receiver, the reply message requesting the communication service from the apparatus;

process the phone call to extract caller identification information;

generate a second message based on the caller identification information; and

transmit the second message to the television receiver;

the second communication interface operable to receive the second message and the first control logic operable to output the caller identification information for presentation by the presentation device responsive to the second message.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a router operable to communicatively couple the television receiver and the apparatus.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the apparatus comprises a router, the router including a wide area network interface operable to communicatively couple the television receiver to an external network.

19. The router of claim 16, wherein the television receiver comprises a satellite television receiver.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the second control logic comprises:

a caller identification decoder operable to extract the caller identification information; and

a microcontroller operable to control communication with the first and second devices.