System and method for message exchange over a public-switched telephone network

• US 6,721,397 B1
• Filed: 12/20/1999
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lu, Chung-Shih
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US09/466,802
• Time in Patent Office: 1,576 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/76, 379/84, 379/88.11, 379/88.12, 379/88.13, 379/88.19, 379/88.2, 379/88.21, 379/93.23, 379/93.35, 379/114.13, 379/127.01, 379/142.08, 379/142.1, 379/207.15, 379/215.01
• US Class Current: 379/88.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/658 Means for redirecting recorded messages to other extensions or equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/651 Text message transmission triggered by call automatic reactions in messaging within packet-switching networks H04L51/02
• 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

Abstract

Telephones are able to exchange arbitrary messages over a public-witch telephone network. Messages are created and sent to a switch. The switch transfers the message to a called party telephone. The switch sends data indicative of the end of the message to the called party telephone. Computers can send messages to telephones over the PSTN in this manner as well. Messages can be sent whether the called party is using the called party telephone or otherwise unable to immediately answer the called party telephone.

Claims

1. A method for exchanging an original message between a calling party device and a called party device comprising the steps of:

(a) creating The original 1 message by a calling party using the calling party device;

(b) sending the original message to a switch;

(c) storing the original message in said switch;

(d) sending the original message created by the calling party from said switch to a called party device in a caller ID message; and

(e) displaying the original message to a called party.

2. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of increasing a value corresponding to a length of caller ID data associated with a telephone call being placed by a calling party by an amount corresponding to a length of the original message.

3. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of remotely accessing the original message.

4. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of generating the original message using a personal computer.

5. The method recited in claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

establishing a communication path between said personal computer and said switch; and

sending said original message across said communication path.

6. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of generating said message using a keypad on said calling party device.

7. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising the step of using a caller ID processor to display the original message.

8. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said calling party device is a telephone.

9. The method recited in claim 1, wherein said called party device is a telephone.

55. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the original message does not include calling party name data.

10. A system for transmitting an on an original message from a calling party to a called party, comprising the steps of:

(a) a calling party device on which the calling party creates and sends the original message;

(b) a switch for receiving the original message from said calling party device;

(c) a called party device;

(d) a message processor connected to, or incorporated in, said called parry device that receives the original message created by the calling party from said switch in a caller ID message, processes it, and displays it to the called party.

11. The system recited in claim 10, wherein said calling party device sends a handshaking message to said switch indicating that it has an original message to send to said switch and said switch sends a request to said calling party device requesting the original message be sent to said switch whereupon it is stored in a switch memory.

12. The system recited in claim 11, wherein said switch sends a second handshaking message to said called part device in response to which said called party device sends a second request to said switch for said original message, said switch sending said original message to said called party device where it is processed and displayed by said message processor.

13. The system recited in claim 12, wherein said message processor is a caller ID processor, further comprising:

a first field to store a first value corresponding to a length of the original message; and

a second field to store a value corresponding to a length of caller ID data associated with a telephone call being placed by the calling party, wherein said first value is added to said second value and stored in said second field.

14. The system recited in claim 10, wherein the called party accesses said original message remotely.

15. The system recited in claim 10, wherein said calling party device comprises a personal computer on which said original message is generated.

16. The system recited in claim 15, wherein said calling party device comprises said personal computer on which original message is generated and said personal computer comprises means for communicating with said switch through a modem to send said original message to said switch.

17. The system recited in claim 10, wherein said calling party device is a telephone.

18. The system recited in claim 10, wherein said called party device is a telephone.

19. The method recited in claim 10, wherein the original message does not include calling party name data.

20. A switch in a public-switched telephone network, comprising:

receiving means for receiving an original message from a calling party device;

a memory for storing said original message; and

sending means for sending said original message created by the calling party to a called party device in a caller ID message.

21. The switch recited in claim 20, wherein said sending means comprises:

means for sending a handshaking message to said called party device indicating it has a message for said called party.

means for receiving a request for said original message from said called party device; and

means for sending said original message to said called party device in response to said request.

22. The switch recited in claim 20, wherein said receiving means comprises:

means for acknowledging a handshake message from said calling party device indicating that said calling party device has a message to send to said called party;

mean for receiving said original message form said calling party device; and

means for storing said original message in a switch memory.

23. The switch recited in claim 20, further comprising means for adding a value indicating a length of the original message to a value indicating a length of caller ID data associated with a telephone call being placed by a calling party using the calling party device.

24. The switch recited in claim 23, wherein the original message is appended lo data corresponding to caller ID data obtained by the switch.

25. The method recited in claim 20, wherein the original message does not include calling party name data.

26. A switch for use in a telephone network comprising a memory for storing an original message received from a calling party device as a stored original message, the switch then sending the stored original message created using the calling party device to a called party device in a caller ID message, where the stored original message is displayed to a called party.

27. The switch recited in claim 26, wherein the switch obtains caller ID data corresponding to a calling party and stores the caller ID data as stored called ID data and appends the stored original message to the stored caller ID data.

28. The switch recited in claim 27, wherein the switch increases a stored length of the caller ID data by an amount corresponding to the length of the original message.

29. The switch recited in claim 26, wherein the switch uses a first protocol to receive the original message from the calling party device, and uses a second protocol to send the original message to the called party device.

30. A telephone network in which a calling party sends an original message to a called panty, comprising:

a calling party device on which the original message is created;

a switch to which the calling party device sends the original message;

a called party device for receiving the original message; and

a display device for displaying on the called party device the original message created by the calling party on the calling party device in a caller ID message.

31. The telephone network recited in claim 30, wherein said switch stores the original message in addition to caller ID data and sends the caller ID data and original message to the called party device for display to the called party.

32. The telephone network recited in claim 31, wherein the switch appends the original message to the caller ID data and stores a length value corresponding to a length of the stored caller ID data and original message.

33. The telephone network of claim 32, wherein said switch transmits said length value to the called party device, and the called party device uses the length value so transmitted to display the caller ID data and original message to the called party.

34. The telephone network of claim 30, wherein said called party device is a telephone.

35. The telephone network of claim 30, wherein said calling party is a telephone.

36. The telephone network of claim 30, wherein said calling party device comprises a personal computer.

37. The telephone network of claim 30, wherein said called party device comprises a personal computer.

38. The method recited in claim 30, wherein the original message does not include calling party name data.

39. A system for displaying an original message sent by a calling party, comprising:

a calling party telephone on which a calling party creates the original message;

a switch to receive and store the message;

a called party device to receive the message from the switch in a caller ID message and display the message created by the calling party to a called party using the called party device between a first and a second ring of the called party device.

40. The system recited in claim 39, further comprising a message length parameter for storing a length of the original message.

41. The system recited in claim 39, further comprising an end-of-message indication that is appended to the original message.

42. The system recited in claim 39, wherein the original message does not include calling party name data.

43. A system displaying an original message sent by a calling party, comprising:

a calling party telephone on which a calling par creates the original message;

a switch to receive and store the message;

a called party device to receive and the message from the switch in a caller ID message and display the message created by the calling party to a called party using the called party device between a first and a second ring of the called party device, wherein the called party device comprises a caller ID processor, and wherein the length of the message stored in a message length parameter is added to a length of a parameter length field for storing a length of the a caller ID message.

44. A method for transmitting an original message from a calling party device to a called party device on which the original message can be displayed, comprising the steps of:

(a) creating the original message on the calling party device;

(b) sending the original message to a first switch servicing the calling party device;

(c) storing the original message created on the calling party device in the first switch;

(d) sending the original message stored on the first switch to a second switch servicing the called party device;

(e) storing the original message on the second switch;

(f) sending the original message from the second switch to the called party device in a caller ID message; and

(g) displaying the original message to a called party.

45. The method recited in claim 44, further comprising the step of increasing a value corresponding to a length of caller ID data associated with a telephone call being placed by a calling party by an amount corresponding to a length of the original message.

46. The method recited in claim 44, further comprising the step of accessing the original message remotely.

47. The method recited in claim 44, further comprising the step of displaying the message on the called party device while a called party is talking on a telephone associated with the called party device.

48. The method recited in claim 44, further comprising the step of displaying the original message on the called party device while a called party is not talking on a telephone associated with the called party device.

49. A system for sending an original message from a calling party to a called party, comprising:

a calling party device an which the calling party creates and sends the original message;

a first switch serving the calling party device that receives the original message created by the calling party;

a second switch servicing the called party device that receives the original message created by the calling party from the first switch and sends the message to the called party device;

a called party device on which the original message received by the second switch is displayed to the called party; and

a message processor connected to, or incorporated in, said called party device that receives the original message from the second switch and displays it to the called party in a caller ID message.

50. The system recited in claim 49, further wherein the second switch increases a value corresponding to a length of caller ID data associated with a telephone call being placed by a calling party by an amount corresponding to a length of the original message.

51. The system recited in claim 49, wherein the called party device displays the message when the called party is using a telephone associated with the called part device.

52. The system recited in claim 49, wherein the called party device displays the message when the called party is not using a telephone associated with the called party device.

53. The system recited in claim 49, wherein the calling party device is a telephone.

54. The system recited in claim 49, wherein the calling party device is a person computer.