METHODS AND APPARATUS TO PROVIDE A NETWORK-BASED CALLER IDENTIFICATION SERVICE IN A VOICE OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL NETWORK

• US 20130155909A1
• Filed: 02/18/2013
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jackson, James, Yasrebi, Mehrad
• Granted Patent: US 9,065,905 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/259
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• 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 3/42051 where the notification is included in the ringing tone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to provide a network-based caller identification (CID) service in a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) network are disclosed. An example method comprises receiving a session initiation protocol (SIP) communication session initiation request message comprising an early-media indicator, disabling a ringtone generator, sending a SIP ringing message containing a session descriptor in response to the early-media indicator, receiving a ringtone based on the session descriptor, and presenting the ringtone to alert a user of a requested communication session.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

modifying a communication session initiation request message to add an early-media indicator in response to receiving the communication session initiation request message from a calling party;

sending the modified communication session initiation request message to a called party; and

when the called party responds with a session descriptor for a real-time protocol communication session, directing a messaging server to provide caller identification data associated with the calling party to the called party via the real-time protocol communication session.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising modifying the communication session initiation request message when the called device supports a network-based caller identification service, and refraining from modifying the message when the called device does not support the network-based caller identification service.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising sending a second communication session initiation request message to the messaging server, the second communication session initiation request message comprising the session descriptor and a feature identifier associated with a network-based caller identification service.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein adding the early-media indicator comprises adding a session initiation protocol alert-info header containing a value of early-media.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the caller identification data comprises audible data recorded by the calling party via the messaging server.

6. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the audible data comprises a spoken name.

7. A method as defined in claim 5, wherein the caller identification data is recorded while the calling party is initializing an associated messaging service account.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a memory comprising machine readable instructions; and

a processor to execute the instructions to provide a network-based caller identification service by;

modifying a communication session initiation request message to add an early-media indicator in response to receiving the communication session initiation request message from a calling party;

sending the modified communication session initiation request message to a called party; and

when the called party responds with a session descriptor for a real-time protocol communication session, directing a messaging server to provide caller identification data associated with the calling party to the called party via the real-time protocol communication session.

9. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the processor is to modify the communication session initiation request message when the called device supports a network-based caller identification service, and refrain from modifying the message when the called device does not support the network-based caller identification service.

10. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the processor is to send a second communication session initiation request message to the messaging server, the second communication session initiation request message comprising the session descriptor and a feature identifier associated with a network-based caller identification service.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the processor is to add a session initiation protocol alert-info header containing a value of early-media.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 8, wherein the processor is to provide video data recorded by the calling party via the messaging server.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the processor is to provide a spoken name as audible data.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein the processor is to record the caller identification data while the calling party is modifying an associated messaging service account.

15. A tangible machine readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform a method comprising:

modifying a communication session initiation request message to add an early-media indicator in response to receiving a communication session initiation request message from a calling party;

sending the modified communication session initiation request message to a called party; and

when the called party responds with a session descriptor for a real-time protocol communication session, directing a messaging server to provide caller identification data associated with the calling party to the called party via the real-time protocol communication session.

16. A machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the method further comprises modifying the communication session initiation request message when the called device supports a network-based caller identification service, and refraining from modifying the message when the called device does not support the network-based caller identification service.

17. A machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the method further comprises sending a second communication session initiation request message to the messaging server, the second communication session initiation request message comprising the session descriptor and a feature identifier associated with a network-based caller identification service.

18. A machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the method further comprises adding a session initiation protocol alert-info header containing a value of early-media.

19. A machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the method further comprises providing audible data recorded by the calling party via the messaging server.

20. A machine readable storage medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the method further comprises recording the caller identification data while the calling party is configuring an associated messaging service account.