Methods and apparatus to provide a call-associated content service

• US 8,090,840 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2007
• Issued: 01/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jackson, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): MCLEOD, MARSHALL M
• Application Number:
  US11/767,180
• Publication Number:
  US 20080317000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/219, 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4025 where none of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. downloading a file in a parallel FTP session, initiating an email or combinational services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Methods and apparatus to provide a call-associated content service to voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) devices are disclosed. An example method comprises receiving a message comprising a uniform resource identifier (URI) and a call dialog parameter at a content mediator, the call dialog parameter associated with a first communication session between a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) endpoint and a destination, establishing a second communication session from the mediator to the destination based on the URI and the call dialog parameter, receiving content associated with the first communication session via the second communication session, and providing the content to the VoIP endpoint.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a content mediator, a message comprising a uniform resource identifier and a call dialog parameter, the call dialog parameter associated with a first communication session between a voice over Internet protocol endpoint and a destination;

establishing a second communication session from the mediator to the destination based on the uniform resource identifier and the call dialog parameter;

receiving content at the mediator associated with the first communication session via the second communication session; and

providing the content from the mediator to the voice over Internet protocol endpoint during the first communication session.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein providing the content to the voice over Internet protocol endpoint further comprises establishing a third communication session between the content mediator and the voice over Internet protocol endpoint to provide the content to the voice over Internet protocol endpoint.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the third communication session comprises a hyper-text transfer protocol communication session.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first communication session comprises a voice over Internet protocol communication session, and the second communication session comprises a web-services communication session.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising sending a second message to the destination to establish the second communication session, the second message comprising the call dialog parameter, wherein the destination is to use the call dialog parameter to identify the content associated with the first communication session.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first communication session is directed to a first server at the destination, and the second communication session is directed to a second server at the destination.

7. A method as defined in claim 6, wherein the second server is to provide web based content based on the first communication session.

8. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the call dialog parameter comprises at least one of a call identification number, a called telephone number, an Internet protocol address, or a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier.

9. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein the destination comprises an interactive voice response system.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a session initiation protocol interface to receive a message comprising a uniform resource identifier and a call dialog parameter, the call dialog parameter associated with a first communication session between a voice over Internet protocol endpoint and a destination;

an associated content agent to establish a second communication session to the destination based on the uniform resource identifier and the call dialog parameter, and to receive content associated with the first communication session via the second communication session; and

a hyper-text transfer protocol interface to provide the content to the voice over Internet protocol endpoint.

11. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising a web-services client to receive the content.

12. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, further comprising:

a content checker to verify the received content; and

a content database to store the received content.

13. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the associated content agent is to establish a third communication session to the voice over Internet protocol endpoint to provide the content to the voice over Internet protocol endpoint.

14. An apparatus as defined in claim 13, wherein the third communication session comprises a hyper-text transfer protocol communication session.

15. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the first communication session comprises a voice over Internet protocol communication session, and the second communication session comprises a web-services communication session.

16. An apparatus as defined in claim 10, wherein the SIP interface is to send a second message to the destination to establish the second communication session, the second message comprising the call dialog parameter, and wherein the destination is to use the call dialog parameter to identify the content associated with the first communication session.

17. A tangible article of manufacture storing machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to at least:

receive, at a content mediator, a message comprising a uniform resource identifier and a call dialog parameter, the call dialog parameter associated with a first communication session between a voice over Internet protocol endpoint and a destination;

establish a second communication session from the mediator to the destination based on the uniform resource identifier and the call dialog parameter;

receive content associated with the first communication session via the second communication session; and

provide the content to the voice over Internet protocol endpoint.

18. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 17, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to establish a third communication session between the content mediator and the voice over Internet protocol endpoint to provide the content to the voice over Internet protocol endpoint.

19. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 18, wherein the third communication session comprises a hyper-text transfer protocol communication session.

20. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 17, wherein the first communication session comprises a voice over Internet protocol communication session, and the second communication session comprises a web-services communication session.

21. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 17, wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to send a second message to the destination to establish the second communication session, the second message comprising the call dialog parameter, wherein the destination is to use the call dialog parameter to identify the content associated with the first communication session.

22. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 17, wherein the first communication session is directed to a first server at the destination, and wherein the machine readable instructions, when executed, cause the machine to direct the second communication session to a second server at the destination.

23. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 22, wherein the second server is to provide web based content based on the first communication session.

24. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 17, wherein the call dialog parameter comprises at least one of a call identification number, a called telephone number, an Internet protocol address, or a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier.