Urgency of call indication to called party through distinctive notification

• US 6,650,746 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2000
• Issued: 11/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Grosman, Anne, Williamson, Robert A., Groen, Pieter
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Application Number:
  US09/609,295
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 379/37, 379/93.23, 379/142.01, 379/142.06, 379/142.08, 379/188, 379/196, 379/197, 379/201.01, 379/207.15, 379/207.16, 379/245, 379/246, 379/252, 379/373.01, 379/373.02, 379/373.03, 379/373.04, 379/911
• US Class Current: 379/207.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/041 Encoding the ringing signal, i.e. providing distinctive or selective ringing capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/06 the calling signal being supplied from the subscriber's line circuit
• 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 3/436 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 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/911 Distinctive ringing

Abstract

An indication of urgency of a call is received from a caller. The urgency indication is communicated to the called party through a distinctive notification, such as distinctive ringing. The urgency indication may be obtained from a caller via a personal agent.

Claims

1. A method of call handling, comprising:

receiving an indication of urgency of a call for a subscriber, said urgency determined from urgency indicators associated with one or more calling numbers within a profile for said subscriber specifying subscriber-defined special handling for calls from said calling numbers relating to destination numbers associated with said subscriber; and

responsive to said indication, where a station corresponding to an active destination number for said subscriber is on hook, sending signals for generating a distinctive notification indicative of said urgency.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said urgency indicator is automatically set based on an urgency for a voice message from the subscriber to a calling number for the call.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said distinctive notification is one or more of a distinctive ring pattern, a distinctive display pattern, and a distinctive vibration pattern.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein if said indication of urgency indicates a first level of urgency, sending signals for generating a first distinctive notification and if said indication of urgency indicates a second level of urgency, sending signals for generating a second distinctive notification different from said first distinctive notification.

5. A method of call handling, comprising:

receiving from a calling station a calling number for a call to a called number;

determining, based on the calling number, an urgency for the call from a set of calling numbers and associated urgency indicator, said urgency indicators either specified by a subscriber or, for at least one of the urgency indicators, automatically and at least temporarily set based on an urgency specified by said subscriber for a previous call to the respective calling number; and

sending signals to said called station for generating a distinctive ring indicative of the urgency.

6. A service node comprising:

means for receiving an indication of urgency of a call for a subscriber, said urgency determined from urgency indicators associated with one or more calling numbers within a profile for said subscriber specifying subscriber-defined special handling for calls from said calling numbers to destination numbers associated with said subscriber; and

means for, responsive to said indication, where a station corresponding to an active destination number for said subscriber is on hook, sending signals for generating a distinctive notification indicative of said urgency.

7. The service node of claim 6 wherein said means for sending signals for generating a distinctive notification comprise means for sending signals for generating one or more of a distinctive ring pattern, a distinctive display pattern, and a distinctive vibration pattern.

8. A computer data signal embodied in a carrier wave comprising:

an urgency level indicator from a set of urgency level indicators each having a corresponding distinctive notification, said urgency level indicator selected for a call to a subscriber based on a subscriber-defined profile for said subscriber specifying special handling for calls relating to destination numbers associated with said subscriber.

9. The computer data signal of claim 8 wherein each said distinctive notification comprises one or more of a distinctive ring pattern, a distinctive display pattern, and a distinctive vibration pattern.

10. A database storing a set of urgency level indicators for calls from any of a plurality of calling numbers, said urgency level indicators either specified by a subscriber or, for at least one of the plurality of urgency level indicators, automatically and at least temporarily set based on an urgency specified by said subscriber for a previous call to the respective calling number, wherein each urgency level indicator corresponds to a unique distinctive ringing pattern.