Method and apparatus for providing images for caller identification over a mobile network

• US 7,177,627 B2
• Filed: 07/17/2001
• Issued: 02/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mavenir Systems Incorporated (Mavenir Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Comverse Incorporated (Mavenir Group Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Melaku, Makonnen, Aksu, Arda, Mohan, Seshadri
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang; Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anwah; Olisa
• Application Number:
  US09/907,535
• Publication Number:
  US 20030032414A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,037 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142.04, 379/142.06, 379/142.17, 379/201.01, 379/88.01, 379/93.23, 379/93.25
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

Picture Caller Line Identification (PCLI) systems and methods are provided for enabling present and future mobile telephony systems to provide PCLI information to a called party. A PCLI system that interacts with a mobile telephony system includes a storage unit for storing PCLI information and a processor that is programmed to detect a request for a call from a caller to a called party, to retrieve PCLI information for the caller from the storage unit, and to forward the PCLI information to the called party. The processor may be further programmed to suspend completion of the call until verification of receipt of the call by the called handset to ensure that the PCLI information is available at the called party'"'"'s handset prior to completion of the call. Mobile handsets that may be used with the PCLI system discussed above are also provided. A mobile handset for operating with a PCLI system includes an input to receive an image associated with a caller and to receive notification of the call from the caller, and a display that displays the images. The handset also includes a processor that is programmed to receive the image, to receive the notification of the call from the caller, and to respond to the caller. The processor may be programmed to send the image to the display after receiving the notification of the call from the caller.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing interactive access to caller identification information associated with a caller, wherein the caller interactively enters and edits the caller identification information via the Internet;

receiving a request for a call from the caller using a subscriber handset to a called party over a first wireless communication system;

identifying the caller identification information associated with the caller;

retrieving the caller identification information associated with the caller, wherein the caller identification information includes a PCLI header and an image;

compressing the image in the caller identification information;

forwarding the PCLI header and the compressed image in the caller identification information to the called party over a second wireless communication system;

comparing the PCLI header received over the second wireless communication systems with a caller ID received over the first wireless communication system;

displaying the image to the called party if the PCLI header matches the caller ID; and

suspending the call over the first wireless communication system until a verification of receipt is received over the second wireless communication system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying includes:

sending a prompt to the caller;

receiving a response to the prompt from the caller; and

identifying the caller identification information based on the response received from the caller.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the response includes a word spoken by the caller, and wherein identifying includes using a voice recognition system to identify the response received from the caller.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein identifying includes using a voice recognition system to identify the caller based on a voice signature of the caller.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the caller is one of a plurality of registered callers for the subscriber handset, and wherein identifying includes identifying the caller from the plurality of registered callers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second communications system is a short message system implemented using a short message transport protocol.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving a request for a call includes receiving a request for a call to a mobile handset.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein receiving a request for a call includes receiving a request for a call from a mobile handset.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the caller is one of a plurality of registered callers for the subscriber handset, and wherein identifying includes identifying the caller from the plurality of registered callers.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after receiving verification of receipt of the caller identification information by the called party, completing the call.

11. A system for providing picture caller line identification (PCLI) information in a mobile telephony system, the system comprising:

at least one storage unit to store PCLI information for a plurality of users of the telephony system, wherein the PCLI information includes a PCLI header and an image; and

at least one processor coupled to the storage unit and for coupling to the telephony system, the processor being programmed to connect to a computer network, to provide the plurality of users secured interactive access to the storage unit, to enable the plurality of users to interactively enter and edit the PCLI information, detect a request for a call from a caller using a subscriber handset to a called party, wherein the call includes a caller ID associated with the handset, to determine whether the caller is a registered caller, to identify PCLI information associated with the caller, retrieve the PCLI information associated with the caller from the storage unit, to digitally compress the PCLI information, to forward the caller ID associated with the handset over a first communication system and the compressed PCLI information over a second communication system to the called party, to compare the PCLI information received over the second communication system with a caller ID received over the first communication system, to display the image to the called party if the PCLI information matches the caller ID, to receive a verification signal from the called party after receipt of the PCLI information, and to send a signal to the telephony system to send a ringing tone to the called party after receipt of the verification signal.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the system is further programmed to

send a prompt to the caller;

receive a response to the prompt from the caller; and

identify the picture caller identification information based on the response received from the caller.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the response is a word spoken by the caller, and the system further comprises a voice recognition subsystem, coupled to the at least one processor, that identifies the response received from the caller.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the voice recognition subsystem identifies the caller based on a voice signature of the caller.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the caller is one of a plurality of registered callers for the subscriber handset, and wherein the at least one processor is programmed to identify the caller from the plurality of registered callers.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the caller is one of a plurality of registered callers for the subscriber handset, and wherein the at least one processor is programmed to identify the caller from the plurality of registered callers.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the telephony system connects the call over a first communications system, and wherein the processor is further programmed to forward the PCLI information to the called party over a second communications system.

18. A system for providing picture caller line identification (PCLI) information in a mobile telephony system, the system comprising:

at least one storage unit to store PCLI information for a plurality of users of a telephony system;

means for connecting to a computer network, for providing the plurality of users secured interactive access to the storage unit, and for enabling the plurality of users to interactively enter and edit the PCLI information;

means for detecting a request for a call over a first communication system from a caller using a subscriber handset to a called party, for determining whether the caller is a subscriber to the system, for identifying the caller, for retrieving PCLI information for the caller from the at least one storage unit, for compressing the PCLI information, and for forwarding the compressed PCLI information for the caller to the called party over a second communication system;

means for comparing the PCLI information received over the second communication system with a caller ID received over the first communication;

means for displaying the compressed PCLI information to the called party if the PCLI information matches the caller ID; and

means for receiving a verification over the second communication system from the called party when the PCLI information for the caller is received by the called party, and for sending the called party a ringing tone after the verification is received.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for sending a prompt to the caller, and for receiving a response to the prompt that includes a word spoken by the caller, and wherein the means for identifying the caller includes means for identifying the caller based on the response to the prompt.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for identifying the caller based on a voice signature of the caller.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the caller is one of a plurality of registered callers for the subscriber handset, and wherein the system includes means for identifying the caller from the plurality of registered callers.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the telephony system connects the call over a first communications system, and further comprising means for forwarding the PCLI information to the called party over a second communications system.

23. A computer readable medium storing at least one program for controlling a mobile telephony system to:

store caller identification information for a plurality of users of the mobile telephony system;

provide interactive access to caller identification information from a computer network, wherein the computer network is connected to the Internet;

receive a request for a call from a caller using a subscriber handset to a called party, wherein the request includes a caller ID associated with the handset;

determine whether a caller is a registered user of the mobile telephony system;

identify caller identification information associated with the caller;

retrieve the caller identification information associated with the caller, wherein the caller identification information includes a header field and an image;

compress the image in the caller identification information;

forward the caller ID associated with the handset to the called party over a first communication system;

forward the caller identification information to the called party over a second communication system;

compare the caller identification information header field received over the second communication system with a caller ID received over the first communication system

display the image to the called party if the caller identification header field matches the caller ID

receive a verification of receipt of the image by the called party; and

send the called party a ringing tone after receiving the verification.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the program controls the system to:

send a prompt to the caller;

receive a response to the prompt from the caller; and

identify the caller identification information based on the response received from the caller.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 24, wherein the response to the prompt is a spoken word, and wherein the program controls the system to identify the word.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the program controls the system to recognize a voice signature of the caller.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the second communications system is a short message system implemented using a short message transport protocol.