Caller information display methods and systems

• US 7,496,189 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2002
• Issued: 02/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Clarisse, Olivier B., Westergren, Bruce, Collet, Pascal
• Primary Examiner(s): Addy, Thjuan K
• Application Number:
  US10/166,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20030228010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,451 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142.01, 379/142.08, 37914202-14207, 379/207.15, 379/76, 379/88.2, 379/215.01, 379/142.13, 379/88.19, 379/67.1, 379/201.4, 379/376.01, 379/142.17, 379/88.11, 455/412.2, 455/90.1, 455/466, 455/550.1, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/207.15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier

Abstract

Methods and systems in a telecommunications network for dynamically providing calling party information to a called party from a calling party. A transfer of calling party information can be initiated from the calling party to the called party utilizing a caller identification mechanism in communication with one or more customer premise equipment devices associated with the telecommunications network. Thereafter, the calling party information can be dynamically displayed for the called party via the caller identification mechanism on a display screen of the customer premise equipment device, thereby permitting the called party to take action regarding the calling party information independent of prior or current telecommunications activities. The calling party information can be stored in a memory location for later retrieval by the called party if the called party does not immediately respond to the transfer of calling party information from the calling party to the called party. The calling party information can also be retrieved from the memory location of the customer premise equipment device, in response to a user input by the called party.

Claims

1. A method in a public switched telephone network for dynamically providing calling party information to a called party from a calling party during a call from the calling party to the called party, wherein the called party is a user of a first customer premise equipment (CPE) device and the calling party is a user of a second CPE device, said method comprising the steps of:

prompting the calling party for calling party information, wherein the calling party information comprises a message for the user of the first CPE device from the user of the second CPE device;

receiving said calling party information from said calling party through a text message, voice message, or symbol;

initiating a transfer of said calling party information, from said calling party to the second customer premise equipment device of said called party through employment of a caller identification mechanism of said public switched telephone network, wherein the caller identification mechanism comprises a type I or type II caller identification mechanism;

dynamically displaying said calling party information for said called party via said caller identification mechanism on said second customer premise equipment device, thereby permitting said called party to take action regarding said calling party information independent of prior or current public switched telephone activities.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

storing said calling party information in a memory location for later retrieval by said called party if said called party does not immediately respond to said transfer of calling party information from said calling party to said called party.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

capturing and storing said calling party information in a memory location of said at least one customer premise equipment device, in response to a user input by said called party.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of:

retrieving said calling party information from said memory location of said at least one customer premise equipment device, in response to a user input by said called party.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

encoding said calling party information prior to said transfer of calling party information from said calling party to said called party;

decoding said calling party information, in response to a user input by said called party; and

thereafter dynamically displaying said calling party information for said called party via said caller identification mechanism on said display screen of said at least one customer premise equipment device.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

converting said calling party information from voice information to text information, if said calling party information initially comprises voice information; and

thereafter dynamically displaying said text information on said display screen of said at least one customer premise equipment device, after said calling party information has been transferred from said calling party to said called party via said caller identification mechanism in communication with said at least one customer premise equipment device.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

associating a symbol with said calling party information;

displaying said symbol on said display screen of said at least one customer premise equipment device, wherein said display screen comprises an interactive touch screen display device and;

permitting said called party to retrieve said calling party information, in response to pressing said symbol displayed on said interactive touch screen display device.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said public switched telephone network comprises an IP network.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said at least one customer premise equipment device comprises a wireless communications device and said public switched telephone network comprises a wireless communications network.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein said calling party information comprises first information from said calling party, the method further comprising the steps of:

receiving a response to said first calling party information from said called party;

transferring the response from said called party to said calling party through employment of said caller identification mechanism;

receiving second calling party information from said calling party after the step of initiating the transfer of said response;

initiating a transfer of said second information from said calling party to said customer premise equipment of said called party through employment of said caller identification mechanism; and

dynamically presenting said second calling party information on said customer premise equipment device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of receiving the second information from said calling party after the step of initiating the transfer of said response comprises the step of:

receiving one or more of voice, data, and/or text information from said calling party.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of initiating the transfer of said calling party information from said calling party to the customer premise equipment device of said called party through employment of the caller identification mechanism of said public switched telephone network comprises the step of:

transferring said calling party information to the customer premise equipment device of said called party through employment of a frequency shift keying (FSK) implementation of the caller identification mechanism of said public switched telephone network.

10. A system for dynamically providing calling party information to a called party from a calling party over a public switched telephone network during a call from the calling party to the called party, wherein the called party is a user of a first customer premise equipment (CPE) device and the calling party is a user of a second CPE device, said system comprising:

a caller identification mechanism in communication with at least one customer premise equipment associated with said public switched telephone network, wherein the user of the second CPE device is prompted for said calling party information, wherein a transfer of said calling party information received from said calling party to said called party is initiated utilizing said caller identification mechanism, wherein the calling party information is received from the calling party as a text message, voice message, or symbol; and

a display module for displaying said calling party information for said called party on a display screen of said at least one customer premise equipment device, thereby permitting said called party to take action regarding said calling party information independent of prior or current telecommunications activities;

wherein the caller identification mechanism comprises a type I or type II caller identification mechanism.

11. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

a memory location for storing said calling party information, wherein said calling party information is retrievable from said memory by said called party if said called party does not immediately respond to said transfer of calling party information from said calling party to said called party.

12. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

a capture and storage module for capturing and storing said calling party information in a memory location of said at least one customer premise equipment device, in response to a user input by said called party.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said calling party information is retrievable from said memory location of said at least one customer premise equipment device, in response to a user input by said called party.

14. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

encoding module for encoding said calling party information prior to said transfer of calling party information from said calling party to said called party; and

decoding module for decoding said calling party information, in response to a user input by said called party, such that said calling party information is thereafter dynamically displayable for said called party via said caller identification mechanism on said display screen of said at least one customer premise equipment device.

15. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

converting module for converting said calling party information from voice information to text information, if said calling party information initially comprises voice information, such that said text information is thereafter dynamically displayable on said display screen of said at least one customer premise equipment device, after said calling party information has been transferred from said calling party to said called party via said caller identification mechanism.

16. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

associating module for associating a symbol with said calling party information;

display module for displaying said symbol on said display screen of said at least one customer premise equipment device, wherein said display screen comprises an interactive touch screen display device, such that said called party is permitted to retrieve said calling party information, in response to pressing said symbol displayed on said interactive touch screen display device.

22. The system of claim 10, wherein said caller identification mechanism supports an encoding of said response through employment of one or more DTMF tones.

23. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

an enhanced caller ID device (ECID) that encodes said response through employment of the one or more DTMF tones.

17. A system for dynamically providing calling party information to a called party from a calling party over a public switched telephone network during a call from the calling party to the called party, wherein the called party is a user of a first customer premise equipment (CPE) device and the calling art is a user of a second CPE device, said system comprising:

a caller identification mechanism in communication with at least one Enhanced Caller ID Device (ECID) associated with said public switched telephone network, wherein the user of the second CPE device is prompted for said calling party information, wherein a transfer of said calling party information received from said calling party to said called party is initiated utilizing said caller identification mechanism, wherein said public switched telephone network comprises a combined wireless PSTN and IP network, wherein the caller identification mechanism comprises a type I or type II caller identification mechanism, wherein the calling party information is received from the calling party as a text message, voice message, or symbol;

at least one information and signaling gateway associated with said public switched telephone network through which said calling party information is bridged;

a plurality of endpoints associated with said public switched telephone network, wherein said calling party information is dynamically exchanged; and

a display module for displaying said calling party information for said called party on a display screen of said at least one ECID, thereby permitting said called party to take action regarding said calling party information independent of prior or current telecommunications activities.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said caller identification mechanism comprises a caller ID database and an associated caller ID service, including a service database thereof.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein said display module permits a display of an indication of at least one teleconference participant from among a plurality of teleconference participants, including at least one calling party and at least one called party thereof.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein one Enhanced Caller ID Device of the at least one Enhanced Caller ID Device displays the calling party information for the called party.