System and method of enhanced caller-ID display using a personal address book

• US 8,654,943 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2006
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pearson, Larry B., Bruening, Matthew Strand
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US11/404,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20070263853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,867 Days
• Field of Search: 379/93.23, 379/90.01, 379/93.05, 379/93.06, 379/93.08, 379/93.25, 37914201-14207, 379/142.17, 379/413.03, 455/454, 455/414.1, 455/426.1
• US Class Current: 379/93.23
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• 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 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• 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: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6137 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64753 directed to the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

In one particular embodiment, a method includes receiving at a set-top box a call signal including a caller identifier from a network, where the caller identifier includes a calling number and a billing name associated with the calling number. An alias (or display name) associated with the calling number is retrieved from a personal address book stored in a memory of the set-top box. A modified caller identifier including the calling number and the alias is provided to a display device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving at a set-top box a call signal including a caller identifier from a network, the caller identifier including a calling number;

searching a plurality of personal address books in a user-specified order until the calling number is found in a particular one of the plurality of personal address books;

retrieving an alias associated with the calling number from the particular one of the plurality of personal address books; and

transmitting a modified caller identifier including the calling number and the alias to a display device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving video data from a network when the call signal is received; and

transmitting the video data and the modified caller identifier to the display device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing calling numbers and associated alias information in a second personal address book; and

synchronizing, during a period of call inactivity, the particular one of the plurality of personal address books to the second personal address book in a memory coupled to the set-top box.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a user interface to receive user inputs to configure caller identification display options of the set-top box.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a user interface to configure the set-top box to access the plurality of personal address books in a particular order.

6. A set-top box comprising:

a memory to store one or more personal address books;

a user interface to configure the logic to access the one or more personal address books in a user-specified order; and

the logic coupled to a display device, to the memory, and to a public switched telephone network, the logic configured to;

receive a call signal including a calling number from the public switched telephone network;

search the one or more personal address books in the user-specified order for the calling number until the calling number is found in a particular personal address book;

retrieve a display name from the particular personal address book corresponding to the calling number; and

transmit the calling number and the display name to the display device.

7. The set-top box of claim 6, wherein the logic is adapted to receive video data from a network, the logic to transmit the video data to the display device.

8. The set-top box of claim 6, wherein the logic is adapted to synchronize the particular personal address book to a second personal address book.

9. The set-top box of claim 6, further comprising a network interface to couple the set-top box to a local area network, wherein the logic is adapted to send a missed call notification including the calling number and the display name to a user via the network interface.

10. The set-top box of claim 6, further comprising:

a call log to store received call information;

wherein the logic is adapted to generate a log entry in the call log, the log entry including the calling number and one of the display name and a billing name.