Method and system for an enhanced network and customer premise equipment personal directory

• US 6,658,455 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1999
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weinman, Joseph Bernard Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiley, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUOC H
• Application Number:
  US09/475,289
• Time in Patent Office: 1,433 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/201, 709/202, 709/218, 709/223, 379/88, 370/218, 707/10, 707/4, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/40 for the management of medical equipment or devices, e.g. scheduling maintenance or upgrades
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 80/00 ICT specially adapted for facilitating communication between medical practitioners or patients, e.g. for collaborative diagnosis, therapy or health monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4555 Directories for electronic mail or instant messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4557 Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Method and system for providing a personal network directory comprises terminal apparatus including a processor, memory and a keyboard for communicating with a network server. The network server may maintain a personal network directory for a telecommunications subscriber of called and calling party telephone numbers to/from the subscriber and identification of applications software which may be periodically updated. The subscriber may access the personal directory for a telephone number from a dumb telephone more quickly and easily than a shared directory assistance operator by dialing a special unique sequence of digits after a shared number such as 411 or (area code) 555-1212 or by dialing a unique character string for their personal directory. If the user has an intelligent telephone, the subscriber may via a communications protocol access and download one or more telephone numbers or programs at a time consistent with a personal rule-base associated with the directory in network or terminal memory.

Claims

1. A network method for maintaining a personal directory by a subscriber in a network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a communication at a service operator from a calling party, the communication requesting called party information;

determining whether one of the calling party or the called party is a personal directory service subscriber; and

if the calling or called party is a personal directory service subscriber, the network accessing a rule-base for the subscriber said rule-base containing a plurality of rules for controlling the requested information, said rule-base further capable of identification of a plurality of applications software packages contained within a terminal apparatus of said subscriber and for obtaining storage in said personal directory updates for said software application packages, said rule-base authorizing one of either (1) downloading the requested called party information into a personal directory of a communications device of said subscriber, said downloading comprising checking a rule-base for the subscriber and if there is a rule match, appending the personal directory based on at least one of the plurality of rules in the rule-base or (2) storing said requested called party information in a network personal directory.

2. A network method for maintaining a personal network directory by a subscriber of a personal network directory service in a network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a communication at a service operator from the subscriber of the personal directory service, the communication requesting information, wherein the requested information comprises at least one of a plurality of phone numbers, physical addresses, e-mail addresses, URLs, operating systems, games, applications and executable programs;

locating the requested information from a master storage device;

forwarding the requested information to a personal directory list located in one of a personal directory of a communications device of the subscriber or in the subscriber'"'"'s personal network directory, the subscriber'"'"'s personal network directory having a personal directory rule-base for the subscriber, said rule-base for controlling flow of the located information into the subscriber'"'"'s personal network directory;

checking the personal directory rule-base for the subscriber, said rule-base containing a plurality of rules for controlling the requested information and if there is a rule match, appending the personal network directory based on at least one of the plurality of rules in the personal network directory rule-base; and

downloading the located information into the subscriber'"'"'s personal network directory, the located information comprising at least one of the plurality of phone numbers, physical addresses, e-mail addresses, URLs, operating systems, games, applications and executable programs.

3. A network method for maintaining a personal network directory by a subscriber of a personal network directory service in a network, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a communication at a service operator from the subscriber of the personal directory service, the communication requesting information, wherein the requested information comprises at least one of a plurality of phone numbers, physical addresses, e-mail addresses, URLs, operating systems, games, applications and executable programs;

locating the requested information from a master storage device;

forwarding the requested information to a personal directory list located in one of a personal directory of a communications device of the subscriber or in the subscriber'"'"'s personal network directory, the subscriber'"'"'s personal network directory having a personal directory rule-base for the subscriber, said rule-base for controlling flow of the located information into the subscriber'"'"'s personal network directory;

checking the personal directory rule-base for the subscriber, said rule-base containing a plurality of rules for controlling the requested information and if there is a rule match, appending the personal network directory based on at least one of the plurality of rules in the personal network directory rule-base; and

downloading the located information comprising at least one of the plurality of phone numbers, physical addresses, e-mail addresses, URLs, operating systems, games, applications and executable programs into at least one of the subscriber'"'"'s personal network directory or into the subscriber'"'"'s communications device via a communications protocol established between the service operator and the subscriber'"'"'s communications device, said device for storing and executing at least one of the plurality of phone numbers, physical addresses, e-mail addresses, URLs, operating systems, games, applications and executable programs.