System and method for generating CID/CIDCW information with a user inputted message

• US 6,192,116 B1
• Filed: 08/31/1998
• Issued: 02/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Mayak, Barbara
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US09/144,327
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 379/127, 379/210, 379/215
• US Class Current: 379/142.08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• 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 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 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/428 Arrangements for placing incoming calls on hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53316 Messaging centre selected by message originator

Abstract

A system and method for generating caller ID or caller ID-call waiting (CID or CIDCW) information with a user inputted message. In the present system and method, a central office receives a user inputted message and a destination number from a caller'"'"'s phone, attaches the user inputted message to either the CID or CIDCW information of the caller to produce a destination message, and transmits the destination message to a display of a phone corresponding to the destination number. In this way, the caller'"'"'s specially inputted message is displayed with the CID/CIDCW information on a display of the call receiving party.

Claims

1. A method for attaching a user inputted message to caller ID or caller ID-call waiting (CID or CIDCW) information, comprising the steps of:

receiving a notification signal from a first phone indicating a user inputted message will be sent;

sending an acknowledgment signal to the first phone in response to the notification signal;

receiving the user inputted message from the first phone;

receiving a destination number from the first phone;

attaching the user inputted message to either CID or CIDCW information associated with the first phone to produce a destination message; and

sending the destination message to a second phone identified by the destination number.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination number represents a phone number.

3. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

manually inputting a user'"'"'s message through a keypad of the first phone;

modulating the user inputted message from said manually inputting step; and

transmitting the modulated user inputted message and the destination number to a central office so that the central office receives the user inputted message and the destination number.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said step of transmitting the modulated user inputted message includes:

pressing a send button on the first phone; and

transmitting simultaneously the modulated user inputted message and the destination number to the central office when the send button is pressed.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein in said modulating step, the user inputted message is modulated using a frequency shift keying (FSK) modulator.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving a destination number step receives the destination number represented in Dual Tone Modulated Frequency (DTMF) tone.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

displaying the destination message on a display of the second phone.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said attaching step further includes:

determining whether a second phone corresponding to the destination number is currently in use.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said attaching step further includes:

attaching the user inputted message to the CIDCW information if the second phone is currently in use; and

attaching the user inputted message to the CID information if the second phone is not currently in use.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the CID information includes at least one of a name and a phone number corresponding to the first phone, and the CIDCW information includes a call waiting signal and at least one of the name and phone number corresponding to the first phone.

11. A system for attaching a user inputted message to caller ID or caller ID-call waiting (CID or CIDCW) information, comprising:

a central office for receiving a notification signal from a first phone indicating a user inputted message will be sent, sending an acknowledgment signal to the first phone in response to the notification signal, receiving the user inputted message from the first phone, receiving a destination number from the first phone, attaching the user inputted message to either CID or CIDCW information associated with the first phone to produce a destination message, and sending the destination message to a second phone identified by the destination number.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the destination number represents a phone number.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

the first phone for entering the user inputted message and the destination number.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the first phone includes:

an input unit for inputting the user'"'"'s message and the destination number; and

a modulator for modulating the user inputted message from the input unit for transmission.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the modulator is a frequency shift keying (FSK) modulator.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the first phone includes a button for simultaneously transmitting the user inputted message and the destination number to the central office when the button is pressed.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the first phone transmits to the central office the destination number represented in Dual Tone Modulated Frequency (DTMF) tone.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the destination number represents a phone number of a second phone.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the second phone includes a display for displaying the destination message transmitted from the central office.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein when the central office receives the user inputted message and the destination number, the central office determines whether a second phone corresponding to the destination number is currently in use.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the central office attaches the user inputted message to the CIDCW information if the second phone is currently in use, and attaches the user inputted message to the CID information if the second phone is not currently in use.

22. The system of claim 11, wherein the CID information includes at least one of a name and a phone number corresponding to the first phone, and the CIDCW information includes a call waiting signal and at least one of the name and phone number corresponding to the first phone.