Using call establishment signaling to request data

• US 6,944,479 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Limont, David P., Andaker, Kristian L. M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US10/179,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20040204030A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• Field of Search: 455/11.1, 455/560, 455/7, 455/502, 455/422.1, 709/204, 379/218.01
• US Class Current: 455/560
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• 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

Abstract

A mobile computer system requests data by requesting the establishment of a voice connection to a voice server, such as, for example, by selecting a telephone number. The mobile computer system provides an identifier (e.g. caller identification information) that identifies the mobile computer system and a called number that represents data of interest to the mobile computer system. After receiving the identifier and the called number, the voice server may deny the request for establishment of the voice connection. The voice server identifies the data of interest, which may be stored at the voice server or at a data server associated with the voice server, based on the called number. The identifier is mapped to a data address associated with the mobile computer system and the data of interest is sent to the data address. The mobile computer system receives the data of interest over a data connection.

Claims

1. In a mobile computer system that can request the establishment of voice connections over a voice channel and can receive data over a data channel, a method for requesting data, comprising the following:

an act of issuing a request to establish a voice connection to a voice server;

an act of providing an identifier that identifies the mobile computer system;

an act of requesting data available at a specific IP address by providing a called number to the voice server at the same time the voice connection is established with the voice server, the called number corresponding to the data of interest that is available at the specific IP address; and

an act of receiving the data of interest over a data connection.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein an act of issuing a request to establish a voice connection to a voice server comprises the following:

an act of selecting a telephone number.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein an act of issuing a request to establish a voice connection to a voice server comprises the following:

an act of issuing commands that cause a Session Initiation Protocol invite to be sent.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein an act of issuing a request to establish a voice connection to a voice server comprises the following:

an act of issuing a request to establish a voice connection to a wireless network.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of providing an identifier that identifies the mobile computer system comprises the following:

an act of providing caller identification information that identifies the mobile computer system.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the act of providing caller identification information that identifies the mobile computer system comprises the following:

an act of providing an MSISDN number associated with the mobile computer system.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of providing a called number to the voice server comprises the following:

an act of implicitly providing the called number by selecting a telephone number the voice server utilizes to receive incoming telephone calls.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of providing a called number to the voice server comprises the following:

an act of providing call setup information.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of providing a called number to the voice server comprises the following:

an act of issuing commands to cause Session Initiation Protocol to provide the called number.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of providing a called number to the voice server comprises the following:

an act of including a called number within the request to establish the voice connection.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of receiving the data of interest over a data connection comprises the following:

an act of receiving data of interest at an address associated with the mobile computer system.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of receiving the data of interest over a data connection comprises the following:

an act of receiving data of interest from a data server associated with the voice server.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

an act of receiving an indication that the request to establish a voice connection was denied.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the act of receiving an indication that the request to establish a voice connection was denied comprises the following:

an act of a Session Initiation Protocol termination message causing an indication to the mobile computer system that the request to establish a voice connection was terminated.

15. In a mobile computer system that can request the establishment of voice connections over a voice channel and can receive data over a data channel, a method for requesting data, comprising the following:

a step for indicating that the mobile computer system is requesting data of interest that is available at a specific IP address by providing user input comprising a called number to a voice server, and without requiring additional input, so as to thereby reduce input required from a user of the mobile computer system; and

an act of receiving the data of interest that is available at the IP address over a data connection in response to providing the called number to the voice server.

16. In a voice server that can receive requests to establish a voice connection over a voice channel and that can cause data to be sent over a data connection, a method for identifying data, comprising the following:

an act of receiving a request from a mobile computer system to establish a voice connection;

an act of receiving an identifier that identifies the mobile computer system to the voice server;

an act of identifying a called number that was provided by the mobile computer system with the request to establish a voice connection, wherein the called number corresponds to data of interest that is available at a specific IP address that is associated with the called number; and

an act of identifying the data of interest at the specific IP address in response to identifying the called number and thereafter providing the data of interest to the mobile computer system based on the called number.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the act of receiving a request from a mobile computer system to establish a voice connection comprises the following:

an act of a receiving a Session Initiation Protocol invite for a voice connection.

18. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the act of receiving a request from a mobile computer system to establish a voice connection comprises the following:

an act of a receiving a request to establish a voice connection that originated at a wireless network.

19. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the act of receiving an identifier that identifies the mobile computer system to the voice server comprises the following:

an act of receiving caller identification information.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the act of receiving calling identification information comprises the following:

an act of receiving an MSISDN number associated with the mobile computer system.

21. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the act of identifying a called number that was provided by the mobile computer system comprises the following:

an act of identifying a called number that was included in call setup information.

22. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the act of identifying a called number that was provided by the mobile computer system comprises the following:

an act of identifying a called number by receiving a request to establish a voice connection at the only telephone number used by the voice server to receive incoming telephone calls.

23. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the act of identifying a called a number that was provided by the mobile computer system comprises the following:

an act of including the called number in the request to establish the voice connection.

24. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the act of identifying data of interest to the mobile computer system based on the called number comprises the following:

an act of corresponding the called number to data stored at a data server.

25. The method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

an act of causing the data of interest to the mobile computer system to be sent to the mobile computer system.

26. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein the act of causing the data of interest to the mobile computer system to be sent to the mobile computer system comprises the following:

an act of mapping the received identifier to a data address associated with the mobile computer system.

27. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein the act of causing the data of interest to the mobile computer system to be sent to the mobile computer system comprises the following:

an act of causing a data server to send the data of interest.

28. The method as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

an act of denying the request to establish the voice connection.

29. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein the act of denying the request to establish the voice connection comprises the following:

an act of sending a Session Initiation Protocol termination message.

30. In a voice server that can receive requests to establish a voice connection over a voice channel and that can cause data to be sent over a data connection, a method for identifying data, comprising the following:

a step for receiving an indication that a mobile computer system is requesting data of interest;

an act of identifying a called number that was provided by the mobile computer system with the request for data, wherein the called number is associated with a specific IP address containing the data of interest; and

an act of identifying the data of interest at the specific IP address in response to identifying the called number and thereafter providing the data of interest to the mobile computer system based on the called number.

31. A computer program product for use in a mobile computer system that can request the establishment of voice connections over a voice channel, and can receive data over a data channel, the computer program product for implementing a method for requesting data, the computer program product comprising the following:

one or more computer-readable media carrying computer-executable instructions, that when executed at the mobile computer system, cause the mobile computer system to perform the method, including;

issuing a request to establish a voice connection to a voice server;

providing an identifier that identifies the mobile computer system;

requesting data available at a specific IP address by providing a called number to the voice server at the same time the voice connection is established with the voice server, the called number corresponding to the data of interest that is available at the specific IP address; and

receiving the data of interest over a data connection.

32. The computer program product as recited claim 31, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include physical storage media.

33. The computer program product as recited claim 31, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include system memory.

34. A computer program product for implementing in a voice server that can receive requests to establish a voice connection over a voice channel and that can cause data to be sent over a data connection, the computer program product for implementing a method for identifying data, the computer program product comprising the following:

one or more computer-readable media carrying computer-executable instructions, that when executed at the voice server, cause the voice server to perform the method, including;

receiving a request from a mobile computer system to establish a voice connection;

receiving an identifier that identifies the mobile computer system to the voice server;

identifying a called number that was provided by the mobile computer system with the request to establish a voice connection, wherein the called number corresponds to data of interest that is available at a specific IP address that is associated with the called number; and

identifying the data of interest at the specific IP address in response to identifying the called number and thereafter providing the data of interest to the mobile computer system based on the called number.

35. The computer program product as recited claim 34, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include physical storage media.

36. The computer program product as recited claim 34, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include system memory.

37. In a mobile computer system that can request the establishment of voice connections over a voice channel and can receive data over a data channel, a method for requesting data, comprising the following:

an act of requesting establishment of a voice connection to a voice server, and at the same time

the mobile computer system automatically providing an identifier to the voice server that is associated with the mobile computer system and that is used to determine a specific IP address having data of interest that is associated with the mobile computer system, such that a user of the mobile computer system does not need to enter this identifier independently and subsequent to initiation a request to establish the voice connection; and

an act of receiving the data of interest that is available at the specific IP address in response to providing the identifier identifying the mobile computer system, and without providing additional input, so as to thereby reduce input required from a user of the mobile computer system to access the data of interest available at the specific IP address from the mobile computer system.

38. In a voice server that can receive requests to establish a voice connection over a voice channel and that can cause data to be sent over a data connection, a method for identifying data, comprising the following:

an act of receiving an identifier from a mobile computer system during the establishment of a voice connection between the mobile computer system and the voice server, wherein the identifier is associated with the mobile computer system and corresponds to a specific IP data address having data of interest for a user of the mobile computer system;

an act of identifying the data of interest based on the identifier; and

an act of causing the data of interest to be sent to the mobile computer system.