System and method for providing caller ID service in a multi-region cable network

• US 7,532,712 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2004
• Issued: 05/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Inc. (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pfeffer, Howard, Cannon, Matthew, Ramsdell, Scott, Gonder, Tom, Balasalle, James, Straub, Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US11/001,444
• Publication Number:
  US 20060115062A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,623 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142.01, 379/142.04, 379/142.09, 379/142.13, 379/142.14, 379/142.15, 379/142.16, 379/142.17, 379/245, 379/247, 370352-356, 709/238, 709/240, 709/245, 709231-232
• US Class Current: 379/142.17
• 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 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/63 based on the content carried by the session initiation protocol [SIP] messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8292 Charging for signaling or unsuccessful connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for providing caller ID in a multi-region cable network. Caller identifying (CID) information of an incoming VoIP call is provided to a digital telephone subscriber through a video termination device (VTD) using a path that is different from the path by which the VoIP call packets are delivered to the digital telephone subscriber. The telephone number of a digital telephone subscriber is associated with the IP address and/or MAC address of the subscriber'"'"'s VTD. The called number of the incoming VoIP call is used to select the VTD to which the CID information is delivered. A message is then sent through an out-of-band to the digital telephone subscriber'"'"'s VTD comprising the CID information for display on video display equipment. Alternatively, the VTD is DOCSIS-compliant and a message is addressed to the VTD using the IP address of the VTD DOCSIS modem.

Claims

1. A system for providing caller ID service in a multi-region cable network comprising:

a headend adapted to provide video services to subscribers, wherein the headend comprises a caller ID (CID) server;

a regional data center comprising a soft switch and a SIP proxy server, wherein the regional data center is adapted to provide digital services to the subscribers of the headend and the SIP proxy server is adapted to;

receive an invitation message from the soft switch, wherein the invitation message comprises identifying information of a calling party and identifying information of a called party; and

forward the invitation message to a CID server;

the CID server adapted to;

parse the invitation message to obtain the identifying information of the calling party and the identifying information of the called party;

create a CID message comprising the identifying information of the calling party; and

send the identifying information of the calling party over a transmission path to a video termination device of the called party for display on a video display device, and

wherein the video termination device comprises a CID client adapted to;

receive the CID message;

determine if the CID message is intended for the video termination device;

if the CID message is intended for the video termination device, then provide the identifying information of the calling party to the video termination device for display on the video display device; and

if the CID message is not intended for the video termination device, then send an error message to the CID server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein identifying information of the calling party comprises a caller telephone number.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein identifying information of the calling party comprises a caller name.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein identifying information of the calling party identifies a call as originating from a facsimile machine.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifying information of the called party comprises a called telephone number.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the multi-region cable network further comprises a central datastore comprising a first tuple comprising a subscriber telephone number and an assigned video termination device MAC address and wherein the CID server is further adapted to:

receive from the central datastore the first tuple;

receive from the video termination device a second tuple comprising a read video termination device MAC address and a video termination device IP address;

determine whether the assigned video termination device MAC address matches the read video termination device MAC address;

if the assigned video termination device MAC address matches the read video termination device MAC address, then create a third tuple comprising the subscriber telephone number and the video termination device IP address;

determine whether the identifying information of the called party matches the subscriber telephone number of the third tuple;

if the identifying information of the called party matches the subscriber telephone number of the third tuple, then address the CID message to the video termination device IP address.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the third tuple further comprises the read video termination device MAC address.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmission path conveys both video and data and the video display device is adapted to display the identifying information of the calling party and video.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the video display device is adapted to display the identifying information of the calling party.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the video termination device comprises a set top box.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the video termination device is integrated into a cable-ready video display device.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the transmission path is an in-band channel.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmission path is an out-of-band channel.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the out-of-band channel is an RF channel.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the out-of-band channel is a DOCSIS-compliant channel.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the invitation message uses the session initiation protocol.

17. A system for providing caller ID service in a multi-region cable network comprising:

a central datastore comprising a first tuple comprising a subscriber telephone number and an assigned video termination device MAC address;

a headend adapted to provide video services to subscribers;

a regional data center comprising a soft switch and a caller ID (CID) proxy server,

wherein the regional data center is adapted to provide digital services to the subscribers of the headend and the SIP proxy server is adapted to;

receive an invitation message from a soft switch, wherein the invitation message comprises identifying information of a calling party, identifying information of a called party, and a user value;

forward the invitation message to CID servers registered to the user value;

receive an “

OK”

response from a CID server with which the called party has registered; and

send a cancellation message to CID servers from which the “

OK”

response is not received; and

the CID server adapted to;

parse the invitation message;

receive from the central datastore the first tuple;

receive from the video termination device a second tuple comprising a read video termination device MAC address and a video termination device IP address;

determine whether the assigned video termination device MAC address matches the read video termination device MAC address;

if the assigned video termination device MAC address matches the read video termination device MAC address, then create a third tuple comprising the subscriber telephone number and the video termination device IP address;

determine whether the identifying information of the called party matches the subscriber telephone number of the third tuple;

if the identifying information of the called party matches the subscriber telephone number of the third tuple, then;

send the SIP proxy server the “

OK”

response message comprising an acknowledgement of the invitation message;

obtain the identifying information of the calling party from the invitation message;

create a CID message comprising the identifying information of the calling party; and

send the identifying information of the calling party over a transmission path to the IP address of the video termination device for display on a video display device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein identifying information of the calling party comprises a caller telephone number.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the identifying information of the calling party comprises a caller name.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein identifying information of the calling party identifies a call as originating from a facsimile machine.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the identifying information of the called party comprises a called telephone number.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the third tuple further comprises the read video termination device MAC address.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the video termination device comprises a CID client adapted to:

receive the CID message;

determine if the CID message is intended for the video termination device; and

if the CID message is intended for the video termination device, then provide the identifying information of the calling party to the video termination device for display on the video display device.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the CID client is further adapted to:

if the CID message is not intended for the video termination device, then send an error message to the CID server.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein the transmission path conveys both video and data and the video display device is adapted to display the identifying information of the calling party and video.

26. The system of claim 17, wherein the video display device is adapted to display the identifying information of the calling party.

27. The system of claim 17, wherein the video termination device comprises a set top box.

28. The system of claim 17, wherein the video termination device comprises a cable-ready video display device.

29. The system of claim 17 wherein the transmission path is an in-band channel.

30. The system of claim 17, wherein the transmission path is an out-of-band channel.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the out-of-band channel is an RF channel.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the out-of-band channel is a DOCSIS-compliant channel.

33. The system of claim 17, wherein the invitation message and the “

OK”

response message use the session initiation protocol.

34. A method for providing caller ID service in a multi-region cable network comprising:

receiving an invitation message from a soft switch, wherein the invitation message comprises identifying information of a calling party;

forwarding the invitation message to CID servers;

determining at a CID server whether to process the invitation message;

if the invitation message is processed, then;

creating a CID message comprising the identifying information of the calling party;

sending the identifying information of the calling party over a transmission path to a video termination device for display on a video display device;

receiving the CID message at a CID client associated within the video termination device;

determining if the CID message is intended for the video termination device;

if the CID message is intended for the video termination device, then providing the identifying information of the calling party to the video termination device for display on the video display device; and

if the CID message is not intended for the video termination device, then sending an error message to the CID server.

35. The method for providing caller ID in a multi-region cable network of claim 34, wherein the invitation message further comprises a user value and wherein forwarding the invitation message to CID servers comprises:

determining the user value in the invitation message; and

forwarding the invitation message to CID servers registered to the user value.

36. The method for providing caller ID in a multi-region cable network of claim 34, wherein the invitation message further comprises identifying information of a called party and wherein determining at the CID server whether to process the invitation message comprises:

receiving from a central datastore a first tuple, wherein the first tuple comprises a subscriber telephone number and an assigned video termination device MAC address;

receiving from a video termination device a second tuple comprising a read video termination device MAC address and a video termination device IP address;

determining whether the assigned video termination device MAC address matches the read video termination device MAC address;

if the assigned video termination device MAC address matches the read video termination device MAC address, then creating a third tuple comprising the subscriber telephone number and the video termination device IP address;

determining whether the identifying information of the called party matches the subscriber telephone number of the third tuple; and

if the identifying information of the called party matches the subscriber telephone number of the third tuple, then processing the invitation request.

37. The method for providing caller ID in a multi-region cable network of claim 36, wherein the third tuple comprises the subscriber telephone number, the read video termination device MAC address, and the video termination device IP address.

38. The method for providing caller ID in a multi-region cable network of claim 34, wherein the invitation message is forwarded by a SIP proxy server and the method further comprises:

if the called party is registered with the CID server, then sending the SIP proxy server an “

OK”

response message comprising an acknowledgement of the invitation message.

39. The method for providing caller ID in a multi-region cable network of claim 38 further comprising:

sending from the SIP proxy server a cancellation message to CID servers from which the “

OK”

response is not received.

40. The method for providing caller ID in a multi-region cable network of claim 34, wherein the CID message further comprises a destination IP address, and wherein determining if the CID message is intended for the video termination device comprises determining if the destination IP address matches the IP address of the video termination device.

41. The method for providing caller ID in a multi-region cable network of claim 34, wherein the CID message further comprises a MAC address of a destination video termination device, and wherein determining if the CID message is intended for the video termination device comprises determining if the destination MAC address matches the MAC address of the video termination device.

42. The method for providing caller ID in a multi-region cable network of claim 34, wherein the CID message further comprises a destination IP address and a MAC address of a destination video termination device, and wherein determining if the CID message is intended for the video termination device comprises determining if the destination MAC address and destination IP address match the IP and MAC address of the video termination device.

43. The method for providing caller ID in a multi-region cable network of claim 34, wherein the transmission path comprises an in-band channel.

44. The method for providing caller ID in a multi-region cable network of claim 34, wherein the transmission path comprises an out-of-band channel.

45. The method for providing caller ID in a multi-region cable network of claim 44, wherein the out-of-band channel comprises an RF channel.

46. The method for providing caller ID in a multi-region cable network of claim 44, wherein the out-of band channel comprises a DOCSIS-compliant channel.

47. The method for providing caller ID in a multi-region cable network of claim 34, wherein the video termination device comprises a set top box.

48. The method for providing caller ID in a multi-region cable network of claim 34, wherein the video termination device comprises a cable-ready video display device.

49. A system for providing caller ID service in a cable network comprising:

the cable network, wherein the cable network is adapted to convey both data and video;

a media terminal adapter (MTA) connected to the cable network, wherein the MTA comprises a subscriber telephone number associated with a subscriber, and wherein the MTA is adapted to;

receive an incoming call from a soft switch;

capture identifying information of the calling party;

create a caller ID (CID) message comprising the identifying information of the calling party;

send the caller ID message to the IP address of a video termination device associated with the subscriber via the cable network;

receive a configuration file via the cable network upon bootup, wherein the configuration file comprises a fully qualified domain name of the video termination device; and

direct the CID message to the video termination device using the fully qualified domain name of the video termination device;

wherein the video termination device comprises a DOCSIS-compliant cable modem adapted to receive IP-addressed messages via the cable network and a CID client, and wherein the CID client is adapted to;

receive the CID message;

determine if the CID message is intended for the video termination device; and

if the CID message is intended for the video termination device, then provide the identifying information of the calling party to the video termination device for display on a video display device.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein identifying information of the calling party comprises a caller telephone number.

51. The system of claim 49, wherein the identifying information of the calling party comprises a caller name.

52. The system of claim 49, wherein identifying information of the calling party identifies a call as originating from a facsimile machine.

53. The system of claim 49, wherein the CID client is further adapted to:

if the CID message is not intended for the video termination device, then discard the CID message.

54. The system of claim 49, wherein the video display device is adapted to display the identifying information of the calling party and video.

55. The system of claim 49, wherein the video display device is adapted to display the identifying information of the calling party.

56. The system of claim 49, wherein the video termination device comprises a set top box.

57. The system of claim 49, wherein the video termination device is integrated into a cable-ready video display device.

58. The system of claim 49, wherein the configuration file further comprises a list of the fully qualified domain names of video termination devices associated with the subscriber telephone number, and wherein the MTA is further adapted to direct CID messages to the video termination devices using the fully qualified domain names of the video termination devices.

59. A system for providing caller ID service in a cable network comprising:

the cable network, wherein the cable network is adapted to convey both data and video;

a video termination device (VTD) connected to the cable network, wherein the VTD comprises a CID client, a DOCSIS-compliant cable modem and a media terminal adapter (MTA), wherein the MTA comprises a subscriber telephone number associated with a subscriber, and wherein the MTA is adapted to;

receive an incoming call from a soft switch;

capture identifying information of the calling party;

create a caller ID (CID) message comprising the identifying information of the calling party; and

send the caller ID message to the CID client;

receive a configuration file via the cable network upon bootup, wherein the configuration file comprises a fully qualified domain name of the video termination device; and

direct the CID message to the video termination device using the fully qualified domain name of the video termination device; and

wherein the CID client is adapted to;

receive the CID message; and

provide the identifying information of the calling party to the video termination device for display on a video display device.

60. The system of claim 59, wherein identifying information of the calling party comprises a caller telephone number.

61. The system of claim 59, wherein the identifying information of the calling party comprises a caller name.

62. The system of claim 59, wherein identifying information of the calling party identifies a call as originating from a facsimile machine.

63. The system of claim 59, wherein the video display device is adapted to display the identifying information of the calling party and video.

64. The system of claim 59, wherein the video display device is adapted to display the identifying information of the calling party.

65. The system of claim 59, wherein the video termination device comprises a set top box.

66. The system of claim 59, wherein the video termination device is integrated into a cable-ready video display device.

67. The system of claim 59, wherein the configuration file further comprises a list of the fully qualified domain names of video termination devices associated with the subscriber telephone number, and wherein the MTA is further adapted to direct CID messages to the video termination devices using the fully qualified domain names of the video termination devices.