Data communication system for supplementing telephone calls

• US 7,164,756 B1
• Filed: 02/18/2003
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Satapathy, Durga Prasad
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier; Gerald
• Application Number:
  US10/368,526
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• Field of Search: 379/91.1, 379/93.02, 379/93.03, 379/93.23, 379/93.01
• US Class Current: 379/93.03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/08 specially adapted for optional reception of entertainment or informative matter

Abstract

A telephone device coupled to the public switched telephone network is utilized by a user to participate in a telephone call between the user and a second party. A data store is provided for storing one or more personal data elements configurable on behalf of the user, the personal data elements being stored according to respective pointers. The data store corresponds to a respective user telephone number. A data interface controller retrieves a particular personal data element in response to a control signal. A control signal generator generates the control signal during the telephone call according to a respective pointer corresponding to the particular personal data element. A data transmitter is coupled to the data interface controller for transmitting the particular personal data element retrieved by the data interface controller to be communicated to the second party.

Claims

1. A data communication system comprising:

a public switched telephone network;

a telephone device coupled to said public switched telephone network and utilized by a user to participate in a telephone call between said user and a second party;

a data store contained within said public switched telephone network for storing one or more personal data elements configurable on behalf of said user, said personal data elements stored according to respective pointers, and said data store corresponding to a respective user telephone number;

a data interface controller contained within said public switched telephone network for retrieving a particular personal data element in response to a user-initiated manual control signal;

a control signal generator for generating said control signal during said telephone call according to a respective pointer corresponding to said particular personal data element; and

a data transmitter coupled to said data interface controller for remotely transmitting said particular personal data element retrieved by said data interface controller to said second party.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said control signal generator is comprised of a DTMF tone generator coupled to a keypad of said telephone device.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein said respective pointer is comprised of a predetermined DTMF tone sequence.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said data interface controller includes an audio processor for recording spoken messages for configuring said personal data elements.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said personal data elements include at least one pre-recorded spoken message, wherein said data interface controller includes an audio processor for playing back an audio signal in response to said pre-recorded spoken message, and wherein said data transmitter includes a coupler for inserting said audio signal into said telephone call to be heard by said second party.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said data interface controller includes a connection to a computer data network for receiving data files to configure said personal data elements.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said personal data elements include at least an alphanumeric text message, wherein said data interface controller includes a text to speech converter for generating an audio signal in response to said text message, and wherein said data transmitter includes a coupler for inserting said audio signal into said telephone call to be heard by said second party.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising keep-alive means for maintaining said telephone call after said user hangs up said telephone device until transmission of said particular personal data element to said second party is completed.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein said data transmitter is comprised of an e-mail client for incorporating said particular personal data element into an e-mail message and forwarding said e-mail message to an e-mail server.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said data store further includes a plurality of recipient e-mail addresses, including an e-mail address of said second party.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said data interface controller is responsive to said user for configuring said recipient e-mail addresses.

12. The system of claim 10 further comprising an address selector responsive to a caller ID signal of said second party to automatically select said e-mail address of said second party in response to a telephone number corresponding to said second party.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein said e-mail message is forwarded to said user as a reminder to forward said particular personal data element to said second party.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein said data interface controller retrieves a plurality of said particular personal data elements in response to a plurality of said control signals, and wherein said plurality of said particular personal data elements are transmitted sequentially in response to a further control signal.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein said data interface controller further includes an authenticator for authenticating said user during said telephone call and for transmitting said particular personal data element only after a successful authentication of said user by said authenticator.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein said data interface controller generates audio prompts in a data retrieval menu in response to said control signals.

17. A method for communicating data during a telephone call between a user and a second party, said method comprising the steps of:

said user configuring an electronic data store containing a plurality of personal data elements, said personal data elements stored according to respective pointers, said data store being contained within a public switched telephone network and said data store corresponding to a respective user telephone number;

establishing said telephone call between said user and said second party;

coupling a user-initiated manual control signal to a data controller during said telephone call for identifying a pointer to a particular personal data element that said user desires to communicate to said second party said data controller being contained within said public switched telephone network;

said data controller retrieving said particular personal data element from said data store; and

remotely transmitting said particular personal data element from said data controller to said second party.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said control signal is comprised of a sequence of DTMF tones generated by a telephone device used by said user in said telephone call.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said respective pointer is comprised of a predetermined DTMF tone sequence.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein said configuring step is comprised of recording spoken messages for respective personal data elements.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said transmitting step is comprised of playing back a recorded spoken message corresponding to said particular personal data element identified by said control signal.

22. The method of claim 17 wherein said data controller is coupled to a computer data network and wherein said configuring step is comprised of sending said personal data elements from a remote node in said computer data network to said data store via said data controller.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said personal data elements include at least an alphanumeric text message and wherein said transmitting step is comprised of generating an audio signal in a text to speech converter in response to said text message.

24. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of maintaining said telephone call after said user hangs up a telephone device used by said user in said telephone call until transmission of said particular personal data element to said second party is completed.

25. The method of claim 17 wherein said transmitting step is comprised of incorporating said particular personal data element into an e-mail message and forwarding said e-mail message to an e-mail server.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said data store further includes a plurality of recipient e-mail addresses including an e-mail address of said second party.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein said data controller is responsive to said user for configuring said recipient e-mail addresses.

28. The method of claim 25 further comprising the step of selecting said e-mail address of said second party in response to a caller ID signal of said second party generated in response to a telephone number corresponding to said second party when said telephone call is established.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein said e-mail message is forwarded to said user as a reminder to forward said particular personal data element to said second party.

30. The method of claim 17 wherein said user generates a plurality of control signals identifying a plurality of pointers to respective personal data elements, wherein said data controller retrieves a plurality of said personal data elements in response to said plurality of control signals, and wherein said plurality of said personal data elements are transmitted sequentially in response to a further control signal.

31. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of authenticating said user during said telephone call and transmitting said particular personal data element only after a successful authentication of said user.

32. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of generating audio prompts in a data retrieval menu in response to said control signals.

33. A subscriber service within a telephone network, said service supplied in connection with an associated subscriber telephone number to provide an automatic transfer of a predetermined item of information to a participant in a telephone call other than the subscriber, said service comprising:

a configurable data store contained within said telephone network for storing said predetermined item of information; and

a control system contained within said telephone network for interacting with a user

     1) to define said predetermined item of information during a configuration phase of said service before said telephone call is established, and

     2) to detect control signals manually generated by said user during a usage phase of said service to initiate relaying of said predetermined item of information to said participant from said data store.

34. The subscriber service of claim 33 wherein said predetermined item of information is relayed by playing an audio signal within said telephone call.

35. The subscriber service of claim 34 wherein said control system relays at least a portion of said audio signal to said participant after said user has left said telephone call.

36. The subscriber service of claim 33 wherein said predetermined item of information is relayed within an e-mail message forwarded to said participant.