System and Method for Facilitating a Custom Ring in Connection with a Call

• US 20120300918A1
• Filed: 08/07/2012
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2004
• 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: Reynolds, Douglas F., Bangor, Aaron, Brandt, Jeffrey Lewis
• Granted Patent: US 8,472,591 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/207.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/578 associated with a synthesized vocal announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/041 Encoding the ringing signal, i.e. providing distinctive or selective ringing capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42051 where the notification is included in the ringing tone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for providing a custom ring tone in connection with a call. In a particular embodiment, a method includes receiving, at a communication system, an indication to provide a customized ring tone associated with a call to a callee device. The method further includes delivering at least a portion of the customized ring tone to the callee device from the communication system when the callee device is determined to be operable to output the customized ring tone.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a communication system, an indication to provide a customized ring tone associated with a call to a callee device; and

delivering at least a portion of the customized ring tone to the callee device from the communication system responsive to determining that the callee device is operable to output the customized ring tone.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the customized ring tone is delivered to the callee device in response to the indication.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the callee device includes a specialized customer premise device configured to output the customized ring tone.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least the portion of the customized ring tone is included in a message delivered to the callee device prior to the call being answered.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the customized ring tone comprises a spoken message.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, from a caller device associated with the call, custom ring tone information associated with the customized ring tone.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the customized ring tone is delivered to the callee device in a format associated with the callee device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the callee device authorized delivery of one or more customized ring tones associated with one or more calls initiated from a caller device.

9. A system comprising:

an interface configured to receive an indication to provide a customized ring tone associated with a call to a callee device; and

a computing platform configured to deliver at least a portion of the customized ring tone to the callee device from the computing platform in response to determining that the callee device is operable to output the customized ring tone.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the computing platform is further configured to receive custom ring tone information associated with the customized ring tone from a caller device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the indication is received from the caller device and includes the custom ring tone information.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the computing platform is further configured to determine whether the callee device is operable to accept the customized ring tone.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising a memory accessible to the computing platform, the memory configured to store an entry that indicates at least one device that is operable to block the customized ring tone.

14. The system of claim 9, further comprising a memory accessible to the computing platform, the memory configured to store an entry that indicates at least one device that is authorized to initiate delivery of one or more customized ring tones to the callee device.

15. The system of claim 9, further comprising a memory accessible to the computing platform, wherein the memory is configured to store one or more customized ring tones.

16. The system of claim 9, further comprising a memory accessible to the computing platform, wherein the memory is configured to store the customized ring tone.

17. A method comprising:

initiating, at a first communication device, a call to a second communication device; and

in response to initiation of the call, providing at least a portion of a customized ring tone to the second communication device in response to determining that the second communication device is operable to output the customized ring tone.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising including customized ring tone information in a data packet associated with the call, wherein the customized ring tone information is associated with the at least the portion of the customized ring tone.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising prompting for a selection of custom ring tone information associated with an entry in an address book associated with the first communication device, the entry identifying the second communication device.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving, at the first communication device, a selection of the customized ring tone via a user interface.