System and method for providing custom Caller-ID messages

• US 8,699,682 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2007
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2002
• 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: Nguyen, Hong Thi, Silver, Edward Michael, Meadows, Vernon
• Primary Examiner(s): Hashem, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US11/745,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20070206752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,534 Days
• Field of Search: 455/455, 455/415, 379/88.14, 379/88.21, 379/88.17, 379/88.2, 379/88.25, 379/142.06, 379/142.09, 379/114.03, 379/114.05, 379/114.29, 379/142.15
• US Class Current: 379/142.06
• 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 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• 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 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0016 Arrangements providing connection between exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing a message in Caller-ID information are described. In one embodiment of the present invention, an applications server, such as service control point (SCP), substitutes a message for Caller-ID information when a switch serving the called party'"'"'s line requests the Caller-ID information. An embodiment may also include an application that provides a user interface, for example, a web-enabled interface, to allow the subscriber to add or change the message.

Claims

1. A method for providing a message to a called party, comprising:

receiving the message for use in modifying calling number identification information;

updating a database, wherein updating the database occurs during a prescribed update schedule;

associating the message with a telephone number of a calling party;

after associating the message with the telephone number of the calling party, receiving a request at an application server for calling number identification information associated with the telephone number of the calling party;

querying the database for the calling number identification information;

substituting the message associated with the telephone number of the calling party for the calling number identification information at the application server during a periodic batch process using an Internet Protocol infrastructure; and

after substituting the message for the calling number identification information, providing the message in response to the request to the called party and charging the calling party for substituting the message for the calling number identification information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises an advertisement.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the message with the telephone number of the calling party comprises receiving the message in a user interface.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the user interface comprises a web-enabled user interface.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the user interface comprises a telephone-enabled user interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the application server comprises a service control point.

8. A computer program product, tangibly embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, for providing a message to a called party, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

associating the message with a telephone number of a calling party;

receiving a request at an application server for calling number identification information associated with the telephone number of the calling party, after the message is associated with the telephone number of the calling party;

querying a database for the calling number identification information;

substituting the message associated with the telephone number of the calling party for the calling number identification information at the application server during a periodic batch process using an Internet Protocol infrastructure;

providing the message to the called party in response to the request to a receiving device after substituting the message for the calling number identification information; and

charging the calling party for substituting the message for the calling number identification information.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the message comprises an advertisement.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, the operations further comprising displaying the message.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein associating the message with the telephone number of the calling party comprises receiving the message in a user interface.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the application server comprises a service control point.

13. A system for providing a message to a called party using a telecommunications network, comprising:

a calling number identification database in communication with the telecommunications network operative to associate the message with a telephone number of a calling party, wherein the calling number identification database receives message updates according to a prescribed updating schedule; and

an application server in communication with the calling number identification database operative to;

receive a request for calling number identification information associated with the telephone number of the calling party, after the message is associated with the telephone number of the calling party;

query the calling number identification database for the calling number identification information;

substitute the message associated with the telephone number of the calling party for the calling number identification information during a periodic batch process using an Internet Protocol infrastructure;

provide the message in response to the request for the calling number identification data to a receiving device after substituting the message for the calling number identification information; and

charge the calling party for substituting the message for the calling number identification information.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the calling number identification database comprises a message data store.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the message data store comprises a message attribute.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the calling number identification display device comprises a telephone.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a web server in communication with the calling number identification database; and

a user interface executing on the web server.

18. The system of claim 13, further comprising a calling number identification display device in communication with the telecommunications network.

19. A method for providing a message to a called party, comprising:

associating the message with a telephone number of a calling party when the calling party has not invoked a privacy option;

after associating the message with the telephone number of the calling party, receiving a call from the telephone number of the calling party;

receiving a request at an application server for calling number identification information associated with the telephone number of the calling party;

querying a database for the calling number identification information;

determining if the telephone number of the calling party is associated with the message;

substituting the message associated with the telephone number of the calling party for the calling number identification information at the application server during a periodic batch process using an Internet Protocol infrastructure; and

after substituting the message for the calling number identification information, providing the message to the called party in response to the request for the calling party identification information to a receiving device and charging the calling party for substituting the message for the calling number identification information.