Playing one or more videos at one or more mobile phones while one or more phone calls associated with the one or more mobile phones are on hold

• US 7,269,415 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2003
• Issued: 09/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Bostrom, Kevin L., Pfleging, Gerald W., Wilkin, George Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, John J.
• Application Number:
  US10/731,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20050124290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,372 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.4, 455/414.1, 455/414.3, 455/415, 455/422.1, 455/446, 455/9, 455/517, 455/557, 455/3.01, 455/3.04, 455/3.06, 455/419, 455/420, 455/550.1, 455/432.3, 455/434, 455/452.1, 455/456.3, 455/515, 455/565, 455/566, 455/556.2, 379/215.01, 379/266.01, 379/265.02
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/50 Telephonic communication in combination with video communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4285 Notifying, informing or entertaining a held party while on hold, e.g. Music On Hold

Abstract

One or more video server components of an apparatus that play one or more videos at one or more mobile phones while one or more phone calls associated with the one or more mobile phones are on hold.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more video server components that play one or more videos at one or more mobile phones while one or more phone calls associated with the one or more mobile phones are on hold;

wherein the one or more video server components that play the one or more videos at the one or more mobile phones comprise a video server component that plays a video for a mobile phone; and

wherein the video server component sends a query message to the mobile phone for permission to send the video to the mobile phone; and

wherein the video comprises a first video and wherein the internet protocol address comprises a first internet protocol address; and

wherein the query message comprises a choice between the first video and a second video, and wherein the first video is stored at the first internet protocol address and the second video is stored at a second internet protocol address; and

wherein a user of the mobile phone employs the mobile phone to reply to the choice with a selection of the first video or the second video, and wherein the mobile phone sends the selection to the video server component; and

wherein the video server component employs the selection to connect the mobile phone to the first internet protocol address for the first video or the second internet protocol address for the second video.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an interactive server component;

wherein the one or more video server components that play the one or more videos at the one or more mobile phones while the one or more phone calls associated with the one or more mobile phones are on hold comprise a video server component that plays a video for a mobile phone while a phone call associated with the mobile phone is on hold; and

wherein the interactive server component connects with the phone call associated with the mobile phone through a voice network component; and

wherein the interactive server component places the phone call associated with the mobile phone on hold.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the phone call associated with the mobile phone comprises user information, and wherein the interactive server component searches a database with the user information to make a determination of one or more user preferences of a user of the mobile phone;

and

wherein the interactive server component passes the one or more user preferences to the video server component.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the video server component employs one or more of the one or more user preferences to determine which video of a plurality of videos to play at the mobile phone.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the video server component or the interactive server component sends a query message to the mobile phone for permission to play the video at the mobile phone.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the query message comprises an internet protocol address for connection to the video;

and

wherein the mobile phone replies to the video, server component or the interactive server component with permission to play the video, wherein the video server component connects the mobile phone to the video at the internet protocol address through a data network.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein a voice over internet protocol network comprises the voice network component and a data network, and wherein the query message comprises an internet protocol address for connection to the video;

and

wherein the mobile phone replies to the video server component or the interactive server component with permission to play the video, and wherein the video server component connects the mobile phone to the video at the internet protocol address through the voice over internet protocol network.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the interactive server component notifies the video server component to stop playing the video at the mobile phone, and wherein the interactive voice server component takes the phone call associated with the mobile phone off hold.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the query message comprises an internet protocol address for connection to the video, and wherein the mobile phone replies to the video server component with permission to play the video, and wherein the video server component connects the mobile phone with the internet protocol address to play the video at the mobile phone.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more video server components that play one or more videos at one or more mobile phones while one or more phone calls associated with the one or more mobile phones are on hold;

the apparatus further comprising an interactive server component;

wherein the one or more video server components that play the one or more videos at the one or more mobile phones while the one or more phone calls associated with the one or more mobile phones are on hold comprise a video server component that plays a video for a mobile phone while a phone call associated with the mobile phone is on hold; and

wherein the interactive server component connects with the phone call associated with the mobile phone through a voice network component; and

wherein the interactive server component places the phone call associated with the mobile phone on hold; and

wherein the interactive server component requests user information from a user of the mobile phone; and

wherein upon a receipt of the user information from the mobile phone, the interactive server component searches a database with the user information to make a determination of one or more user preferences of the user of the mobile phone; and

wherein the interactive server component passes the one or more user preferences to the video server component.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the video server component employs one or more of the one or more user preferences to determine which video of a plurality of videos to play at the mobile phone.

12. A method, comprising the step of:

instructing one or more video server components to play one or more videos at the one or more mobile phones while one or more phone calls associated with the one or more mobile phones are on hold;

wherein the one or more video server components that play the one or more videos at the one or more mobile phones comprise server component that plays a video at a mobile phone while a phone call associated with the mobile phone is on hold; and

wherein the step of instructing the one or more video server components to play the one or more videos at the one or more mobile phones while the one or more phone calls associated with the one or more mobile phones are on hold comprises the step of;

sending a query message to the mobile phone for permission to play the video at the mobile phone;

wherein the one or more videos comprise a first video and a second video, and wherein the query message comprises a choice between the first video and the second video, and wherein the first video is stored at a first internet protocol address and the second video is stored at a second internet protocol address, and

wherein the step of sending the query message to the mobile phone for permission to play the video at the mobile phone comprises the steps of;

receiving a reply from a user of the mobile phone with a selection of the first video or the second video; and

employing the selection of the first video or the second video to connect the mobile phone to the first internet protocol address for the first video or the second internet protocol address for the for the second video.

13. A method, comprising the step of:

instructing one or more video server components to play one or more videos at the one or more mobile phones while one or more phone cells associated with the one or more mobile phones are on hold;

wherein the one or more video server components that play the one or more videos at the one or more mobile phones comprise a video server component that plays a video at a mobile phone while a phone call associated with the mobile phone is on hold; and

wherein the step of instructing the one or more video server components to play the one or more videos at the one or more mobile phones while the one or more phone calls associated with the one or more mobile phones are on hold comprises the steps of;

obtaining user information of a user of the mobile phone from the phone call associated with the mobile phone; and

searching a database with the user information of the user of the mobile phone to determine one or more user preferences of the user of the mobile phone.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of searching the database with the user information of the user of the mobile phone to determine the one or more user preferences of the user of the mobile phone comprises the step of:

employing one or more of the one or more user preferences to determine which video of a plurality of videos to play at the mobile phone.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

ending a transmission of one or more of the one or more videos at one or more of the one or more mobile phones; and

taking one or more of the one or more phone calls associated with the one or more of the one or more mobile phones off hold.

16. A computer-readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing steps, comprising:

means in the computer-readable medium for instructing one or more video server components to play one or more videos at the one or more mobile phones while one or more phone calls associated with the one or more mobile phones are an hold;

wherein the one or more video server components that play the one or more videos at the one or more mobile phones comprise a video server component that plays a video at a mobile phone while a phone call associated with the mobile phone is on hold; and

wherein the step of instructing the one or more video server components to play the one or more videos at the one or more mobile phones while the one or more phone calls associated with the one or more mobile phones are on hold comprises the steps of;

obtaining user information of a user of the mobile phone from the phone call associated with the mobile phone; and

searching a database with the user information of the user of the mobile phone to determine one or more user preferences of the user of the mobile phone.

17. A system comprising:

an interactive server component that comprises means to employ user information associated with a mobile phone to search a database to determine one or more video preferences of a user of the mobile phone, wherein the interactive server component comprises means to receive a phone call associated with the mobile phone from one or more network components and means to place the phone call on hold when an intended recipient is busy; and

a video server component that comprises means to employ at least one of the one or more video preferences and means to play a video from a plurality of videos at the mobile phone based on the one or more video preferences, wherein the user selects the video via the mobile phone, and wherein the video server component employs the means to play the video at the mobile phone while the phone call associated with the mobile phone is on hold.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the video server component comprises means to send a query message to the mobile phone for permission to send the video to the mobile phone, and wherein the query message comprises an internet protocol address for connection to the video;

and

wherein the mobile phone comprises means enabling the user to reply to the video server component with permission to play the video, and wherein the video server component comprises means to connect the mobile phone with the internet protocol address to play the video at the mobile phone.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the video comprises a first video stored at a first internet protocol address;

and

wherein the video server component comprises means to send a query message to the mobile phone for permission to send the first video or a second video to the mobile phone, and wherein the query message comprises a choice between the first video stored at the first internet protocol address and the second video stored at a second internet protocol address; and

wherein the mobile phone employs means enabling the user to reply to the choice with a selection of the first video or the second video and to send the selection to the video server component; and

wherein the video server component comprises means to employ the selection to connect the mobile phone) to the first internet protocol address for the first video or the second internet protocol address for the second video.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the interactive server component comprises means to connect with the phone call associated with the mobile phone through a voice network component;

and

wherein the interactive server component comprises means to request user information from a user of the mobile phone; and

wherein the interactive server component comprises means to place the phone call associated with the mobile phone on hold; and

wherein upon a receipt of the user information from the mobile phone, the interactive server component comprises means to search the database with the user information to determine the one or more video preferences of the user of the mobile phone; and

wherein the interactive server component comprises means to pass the one or more video preferences to the video server component.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the interactive server component comprises means to connect with the phone call associated with the mobile phone through a voice network component;

and

wherein the interactive server component comprises means to place the phone call associated with the mobile phone on hold; and

wherein the phone call associated with the mobile phone comprises user information, and wherein the interactive server component comprises means to search the database with the user information to determine the one or more video preferences of the user of the mobile phone; and

wherein the interactive server component comprises means to pass the one or more video preferences to the video server component.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the interactive server component comprises means to connect with the phone call associated with the mobile phone though a voice network component;

and

wherein the interactive server component comprises means to place the phone call associated with the mobile phone on hold;

wherein the video server component comprises means to send a query message to the mobile phone for permission to play the video at the mobile phone, and wherein the query message comprises an internet protocol address for connection to the video and

wherein the mobile phone comprises means enabling the user to reply to the video server component with permission to play the video, and wherein the video server component comprises means to connect the mobile phone to the video at the internet protocol address through a data network.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the interactive server component comprises means to connect with the phone call associated with the mobile phone through a voice network component;

wherein the interactive server component comprises means to place the phone call associated with the mobile phone on hold; and

wherein the video server component comprises means to send a query message to the mobile phone for permission to play the video at the mobile phone, and wherein the query message comprises an internet protocol address for connection to the video; and

wherein a voice over internet protocol network comprises the voice network component and a data network, and wherein the mobile phone comprises means enabling the user to reply to the video server component with permission to play the video, and wherein the video server component comprises means to connect the mobile phone to the video at the internet protocol address through the voice over internet protocol network.

24. A method of placing on hold a phone call associated with a mobile phone, comprising the steps of:

searching, via an interactive server component, a database to determine one or more video preferences of a user of the mobile phone;

employing at least one of the one or more video preferences, via a video server component, to play a video from a plurality of videos selected by the user via the mobile phone to play at the mobile phone while the phone call associated with the mobile phone is on hold;

sending a query message to the mobile phone for permission to play the video at the mobile phone, wherein the query message comprises a choice between the first video and a second video, and wherein the first video is stored at a first internet protocol address and the second video is stored at a second internet protocol address;

receiving a reply from a user of the mobile phone with a selection of the first video or the second video;

employing the selection of the first video or the second video to connect the mobile phone to the first internet protocol address for the first video or the second internet protocol address for the second video;

ending a transmission of the first video or the second video at the mobile phone; and

taking the phone call associated with the mobile phone off hold when an intended recipient becomes available.

25. A method of placing on hold a phone call associated with a mobile phone, comprising the steps of:

searching, via an interactive server component a database to determine one or more video preferences of a user of the mobile phone;

employing at least one of the one or more video preferences, via a video server component, to play a video from a plurality of videos selected by the user via the mobile phone to play at the mobile phone while the phone call associated with the mobile phone is on hold;

obtaining user information of the user of the mobile phone from the phone call associated with the mobile phone;

searching a database with the user information of the user of the mobile phone to determine the one or more video preferences of the user of the mobile phone;

playing the video at the mobile phone;

ending a transmission of the video at the mobile phone; and

taking the phone call associated with the mobile phone off hold when the intended recipient becomes available.