Method and system for providing computer-network related information about a calling party

• US 6,067,546 A
• Filed: 02/24/1999
• Issued: 05/23/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rakuten, Inc. (Rakuten Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ameritech Corp. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lund, Arnold M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Ruay Lian
• Application Number:
  US09/256,985
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-10, 707/100-104, 707/200-206, 370/352, 370/389, 370/392, 379/142, 379/221, 379/266, 395/200.31, 713/200, 713/201
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/247 Telephone sets including user guidance or feature selection means facilitating their use user interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/56 Arrangements for indicating or recording the called number at the calling subscriber's set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• 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 3/4228 in networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4365 based on information specified by the calling party, e.g. priority or subject
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13039 Asymmetrical two-way transmission, e.g. ADSL, HDSL
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13091 CLI, identification of calling line
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13096 Digital apparatus individually associated with a subscriber line, digital line circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13103 Memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13166 Fault prevention
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13167 Redundant apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13204 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13209 ISDN
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13345 : Intelligent networks, SCP
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 : LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13546 : Intelligent Peripheral
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 : Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 : Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

A method and system for providing computer-network related information about a calling party. First, the called party receives a telephone number of a calling party. The called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment (CPE) or elements in a telephone network then use the telephone number to index a database, which contains combinations of telephone numbers and computer-network addresses. Once the calling party'"'"'s computer-network address is retrieved, calling-party-customized information present at the computer-network location specified by the computer-network address can be sent to and displayed on the called party'"'"'s CPE. Also, the calling party'"'"'s telephone number can be sent to an application in the computer network, causing the calling-party-customized information to be automatically displayed on the called party'"'"'s CPE.

Claims

1. A method for displaying calling-party-customized information on a called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment, the method comprising:

(a) querying a database in a telephone network with a calling party'"'"'s telephone number to obtain a computer-network address of a computer-network location storing calling-party-customized information;

(b) transmitting the computer-network address to the called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment;

(c) retrieving, with the called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment, the calling-party-customized information from the computer-network location associated with the computer-network address transmitted in (b); and

(d) displaying the calling-party-customized information on the called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-network address comprises a Universal Resource Locator and the calling-party-customized information comprises a World Wide Web page.

3. A method for displaying calling-party-customized information on a called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment, the method comprising:

(a) querying a database in a computer network with a calling party'"'"'s telephone number to obtain a computer-network address of a computer-network location storing calling-party-customized information;

(b) transmitting the computer-network address to the called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment;

(c) retrieving, with the called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment, the calling-party-customized information from the computer-network location associated with the computer-network address transmitted in (b); and

(d) displaying the calling-party-customized information on the called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the computer-network address comprises a Universal Resource Locator, the computer network comprises the Internet, and the calling-party-customized information comprises a World Wide Web page.

5. A method for displaying calling-party-customized information on a called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment, the method comprising:

(a) transmitting a calling party'"'"'s telephone number to a called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment;

(b) querying a database in the called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment with the calling party'"'"'s telephone number to obtain a computer-network address of a computer-network location storing calling-party-customized information;

(c) retrieving, with the called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment, the calling-party-customized information from the computer-network location associated with the computer-network address obtained in (b); and

(d) displaying the calling-party-customized information on the called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the computer-network address comprises a Universal Resource Locator and the calling-party-customized information comprises a World Wide Web page.

7. A method for displaying calling-party-customized information on a called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment, the method comprising:

(a) transmitting a calling party'"'"'s telephone number to a called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment;

(b) transmitting the calling party'"'"'s telephone number from the called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment to an application on a computer network;

(c) transmitting calling-party-customized information from a location in the computer network associated with the calling party'"'"'s telephone number to the called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment; and

(d) displaying the calling-party-customized information on the called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the computer network comprises the Internet and the calling-party-customized information comprises a World Wide Web page.

9. A system for displaying calling-party-customized information on a called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment, the system comprising:

a computer network comprising a network location storing calling-party-customized information, the network location being associated with a computer-network address;

a database correlating a calling party'"'"'s telephone number with the computer-network address of the computer-network location storing the calling-party-customized information;

means for querying the database with a calling party'"'"'s telephone number to obtain the computer-network address of the computer-network location storing the calling-party-customized information;

means for transmitting the computer-network address from the database to a called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment; and

a called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment operative to retrieve and display calling-party-customized information in response to receiving the computer-network address from the means for transmitting.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein computer-network address comprises a Universal Resource Locator, the computer-network comprises the Internet, and the calling-party-customized information comprises a World Wide Web page.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the database is located in a telephone network.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the database is located in the computer network.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the database is located in the Internet.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the database is located in the called party'"'"'s customer premises equipment.