Private caller ID messaging

• US 7,978,833 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2003
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Forsberg, Kevin, Dickens, James E., White, Isaac D. M., Urban, Blake R., Sawyer, Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): PATEL, HEMANT SHANTILAL
• Application Number:
  US10/418,775
• Publication Number:
  US 20040209640A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,007 Days
• Field of Search: 37914201-14218, 379/88.17, 37920101-20102, 37921002-21501, 379/88.13, 379/88.18, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 370259-271, 370351-356, 709201-203, 709206-207, 709/232, 4554121-4144, 455/415
• US Class Current: 379/142.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/022 Paging systems personal calling arrangements or devices G08B3/1008; selective calling networks H04W84/022
• 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 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for caller identification messaging are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a calling party uses a Caller ID Messaging Device that supplants the incoming calling line identification (ICLID) signal with a Caller ID Messaging Signal and transmits the Caller ID Messaging Signal to a destination communications address. An alternate embodiment provides that the calling party may use a conventional telephone to access a communications network, activate Caller ID Messaging Services, compose or retrieve a stored Caller ID Message of the Caller ID Messaging Signal, and transmit the Caller ID Messaging Signal to the destination communications address. The Caller ID Message and Caller ID Messaging Signal may include text, video, voice, and/or digital data.

Claims

1. A communications system, comprising:

a first switch connected to a calling party communications device, the calling party communications device communicating with a caller identification messaging device, the caller identification messaging device transmitting a caller identification messaging signal comprising a caller identification message and at least one of (i) an identifier of a calling party, (ii) an identifier of a destination communications address, and (iii) an identifier of the calling party communications device;

a second switch connected to a receiving party communications device; and

a communications network connecting the first switch to the second switch,

the communications network operable to determine if the receiving party communications device blocks incoming caller identification messaging;

if the receiving party communications device blocks incoming caller identification messaging then the communications network advises the calling party communications device that the receiving party communications device does not accept caller identification messaging and determines whether the calling party communications device requests an alternate communication connection and establishes the alternate communications connection;

if the receiving party communications device accepts incoming caller identification messaging, the communications network operable to process an incoming line identification (ICLID) signal and the caller identification messaging signal and operable to transmit the caller identification message to the destination communications address, the communications network further operable to establish a voice connection to the destination communications address and to transmit at least one of the caller identification messaging signal and caller identification message,

the communications network querying a database for presentation capabilities associated with the destination communications address and formatting at least one of the caller identification messaging signal and caller identification message in response to the presentation capabilities;

wherein the caller identification messaging device transmits a subsequent calling identification messaging signal after the voice connection is established between the calling party communications device and the receiving party communications device, and wherein the communications network is operable to transmit the subsequent calling identification messaging signal during the voice connection while the calling party communications device and the receiving party communications device exchange voice signals.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications network is operable to simultaneously transmit a communications signal to establish the voice connection and to transmit at least one of the caller identification messaging signal and caller identification message.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the calling party communications device comprises at least one of the following:

the caller identification messaging device,

a wireless communications device,

a mobile phone,

a wireless phone,

a WAP phone,

a satellite phone

a computer,

a modem,

a pager,

a digital music device,

a digital recording device,

a personal digital assistant,

an interactive television,

a digital signal processor, and

a Global Positioning System device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications network further comprises a world wide electronic data communications network having a caller identification messaging interface via at least one of an internet, an intranet, or an extranet.

5. The system of claim 1, the destinations communications address comprising an address of the receiving party communications device, wherein the receiving party communications device comprises at least one of the following:

a caller identification device,

a caller identification messaging device,

a wireless communications device,

a mobile phone,

a wireless phone,

a WAP phone,

a satellite phone

a computer,

a modem,

a pager,

a digital music device,

a digital recording device,

a personal digital assistant,

an interactive television,

a digital signal processor, and

a Global Positioning System device.

6. The system of claim 1, the destination communications address comprising at least one of:

a receiving party identification telephone number; and

a billing telephone number.

7. The system of claim 1, the communications network further including an audio caller identification messaging application, the audio caller identification messaging application operable to present the caller identification message as an audio communication.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the audio presentation application includes a text-to-speech application.

9. The system of claim 1, the receiving party communications device having a response caller identification messaging device, the response caller identification messaging device transmitting a response caller identification messaging signal comprising at least one of (i) a response caller identification message, (ii) an identifier of a responding party, (iii) an identifier of a response communications address, and (iv) an identifier of the receiving party communications device, wherein the response caller identification messaging device transmits the response calling identification messaging signal after the voice connection is established between the calling party communications device and the receiving party communications device and wherein the communications network is operable to transmit the response calling identification messaging signal during the voice connection.

10. A method for caller identification messaging, comprising:

processing a caller identification messaging signal in a communications network, the caller identification messaging signal comprising a caller identification message and further comprising (i) an identifier of a calling party, (ii) an identifier of a destination communications address, and (iii) an identifier of an originating communications address;

associating an incoming line identification (ICLID) signal with the caller identification messaging signal;

querying a database for (i) acceptance of the caller identification message associated with the destinations communications address and (ii) presentation capabilities associated with the destination communications address;

determining if a receiving party communications device blocks incoming caller identification messaging;

if the receiving party communications device blocks incoming caller identification messaging then advising a calling party communications device that the receiving party communications device does not accept caller identification messaging and determining whether the calling party communications device requests an alternate communication connection and establishing the alternate communications connection;

if the receiving party communications device accepts incoming caller identification messaging, formatting the caller identification messaging signal in response to the presentation capabilities;

transmitting a subsequent calling identification messaging signal after a voice connection is established between the calling party communications device and the receiving party communications device, and wherein the communications network is operable to transmit the subsequent calling identification messaging signal during the voice connection while the calling party communications device and the receiving party communications device exchange voice signals.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

if transmission of the caller identification message is initiated, then formatting the caller identification message for presentation to the destination communications address, and transmitting the caller identification message to the destination communications address; and

if transmission of the caller identification message is not initiated, then retrieving a caller identification messaging delivery failure notification and transmitting the message delivery failure notification to a communications address of the calling party communications device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

establishing the voice connection with the calling party communications device and the receiving party communications device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein formatting the caller identification message for presentation comprises substituting the caller identification message for the incoming line identification signal such that the caller identification message is transmitted to the destinations communications address instead of the incoming line identification signal.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the communications network further comprises a world wide electronic data communications network having a caller identification messaging interface via at least one of an internet, an intranet, or an extranet.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

processing a response caller identification messaging signal, the response caller identification messaging signal comprising a response caller identification message, wherein the response caller identification message comprises at least one of text, voice, video, and electronic data; and

querying a database for at least one of (i) the identifier of the calling party and (ii) the identifier of the originating communications address, to determine presentation capabilities associated with the response communications device,

if formatting of the response caller identification message is required, then formatting the response caller identification message for presentation to the response communications address, and transmitting the response caller identification message to the response communications address during the voice connection,

if formatting of the response caller identification message is not required, then transmitting the response caller identification message to the response communications address during the voice connection.

16. A method for caller identification messaging, comprising:

processing a communications signal from a calling party communications device to a caller identification messaging access address;

associating an incoming line identification (ICLID) signal with the incoming communications signal;

associating a caller identification messaging profile with the ICLID signal, the caller identification messaging profile comprising at least one of (i) a caller identification message, (ii) an identifier of the calling party, (iii) an identifier of the originating communications address, (iv) caller identification messaging services associated with at least one of the calling party and the originating address, (v) an identifier of the destinations communications address, (vi) an identifier of a receiving party communications device, (vii) caller identification messaging services associated with at least one of the receiving party and the destinations communications address, and (viii) caller identification messaging default service parameters;

determining if the receiving party communications device blocks incoming caller identification messaging;

if the receiving party communications device blocks incoming caller identification messaging then advising the calling party communications device that the receiving party communications device does not accept caller identification messaging and determining whether the calling party communications device requests an alternate communication connection and establishing the alternate communications connection;

if the receiving party communications device accepts incoming caller identification messaging, generating a caller identification messaging signal using at least one of the caller identification messaging profile and a caller identification messaging instruction supplied by the calling party, the generating including querying a database for presentation capabilities associated with the destination communications address and formatting the caller identification messaging signal in response to the presentation capabilities; and

transmitting a subsequent calling identification messaging signal after a voice connection is established between the calling party communications device and the receiving party communications device, and wherein the communications network is operable to transmit the subsequent calling identification messaging signal during the voice connection while the calling party communications device and the receiving party communications device exchange voice signals.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

transmitting at least one of the caller identification message and the caller identification messaging signal to the destinations communications address of the receiving party communications device; and

establishing a voice connection with the calling party communications device and the receiving party communications device.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

presenting the caller identification message via the receiving party communications device.