Call preview system

• US 8,831,191 B1
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Inventors: Vendrow, Vlad
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu, Binh
• Application Number:
  US13/930,661
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142.01, 379/142.05, 379/142.09, 379/142.06, 379/142.14, 379/142.17, 379/88.11, 379/88.19, 379/88.21, 379/88.23, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 455/416
• US Class Current: 379/142.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2038 Call context notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/654 Pre, in or post-call message
• 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 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

A caller may initiate a phone call to a device. A call preview system may send a preview message in conjunction with the phone call. The preview message may contain preview information that identifies the caller. The call preview system may use a text or media messaging service to send the preview message. Callers can manage their own preview information relieving each user from continuously updating contact information in personal contact directories. The call preview system may use different schemes for initiating phone calls. In one example, the call preview system may initiate or forward phone calls in conjunction with sending the preview message. In another example, the call preview system may delay calling a phone number or delay forwarding the phone call until a message is received acknowledging the preview message or accepting the phone call.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a computing device, a phone call directed to a receiving device;

identifying, by the computing device, preview information associated with the phone call, wherein the preview information tracks a thread of previous phone calls and messages sent to the receiving device;

sending, by the computing device, the preview information to the receiving device in a preview message in response to detecting the phone call;

sending, by the computing device, the phone call and the preview message contemporaneously to the receiving device; and

connecting, by the computing device, the phone call to the receiving device in response to receiving a response message back from the receiving device indicating acceptance of the phone call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the preview message comprises a short messaging service (SMS) message or multimedia messaging service (MMS) message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the preview information comprises text data identifying an identity of a user placing the phone call.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the preview information comprises audio, image, and/or video data identifying an identity of a user placing the phone call.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing a file containing the preview information, wherein the file is configurable by a user placing the phone call; and

loading the preview information from the file into the preview message in response to detecting the phone call.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

storing configuration information in the file, wherein the configuration information is selectively modified by the user; and

loading different types of the preview information into the preview message based on the configuration information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the configuration information identifies the different types of the preview information to send to different phone numbers.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the configuration information identifies the different types of the preview information to load into the preview message for different time periods.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the phone call over a phone network from a calling device;

forwarding the phone call over the phone network to the receiving device; and

sending the preview message as a text or media message over a separate data network to the receiving device in response to receiving the phone call over the phone network from the transmitting device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the phone call from a calling device;

storing the preview information in the calling device;

sending the preview message from the calling device in response to detecting initiation of the phone call from the calling device.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting entry of a phone number into a calling device, wherein the phone number is for the receiving device;

detecting selection of an input on the calling device for calling the phone number; and

sending the preview message from the calling device to the receiving device in response to the selection of the input.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the response message is automatically sent by the receiving device upon successful receipt of the preview message.

13. An apparatus, comprising:

logic circuitry configured to;

detect a phone call initiated by a calling device and directed to a receiving device;

generate a preview message identifying a user of the calling device in response to detecting the phone call, wherein the preview message also tracks a thread of previous phone calls and messages sent from the calling device to the receiving device;

send the preview message to the receiving device using a text or data service of a communication network contemporaneously with sending the phone call to the receiving device; and

complete the phone call to the receiving device based on a reply text or data message received back from the receiving device in response to the preview message.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the phone call comprises a cellular phone call and the preview message comprises a short messaging service (SMS) message or multimedia messaging service (MMS) message.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the logic circuitry comprises a server.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the logic circuitry operates on the calling device.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the logic circuitry is further configured to:

store preview information editable by the user; and

load at least some of the preview information into the preview message.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the logic circuitry is further configured to:

store configuration data editable by the user; and

load different types of the preview information into the preview message based on the configuration data.

19. A computer-implemented method for previewing phone calls, the method comprising:

detecting a phone number for a receiving device;

identifying preview information associated with a calling device, wherein the preview information identifies a user of the calling device and tracks a thread of previous phone calls and messages sent from the calling device to the receiving device;

loading the preview information into a preview message;

sending the preview message to the receiving device; and

using the phone number to call the receiving device contemporaneously with sending the preview message to the receiving device.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

sending the preview message over a text messaging service or media messaging service; and

calling the receiving device over a separate telephone service.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the preview information is configured to be displayed on a screen of the receiving device.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

identifying a phone number called by the calling device, wherein the phone number called by the calling device is different from the phone number for the receiving device; and

loading the phone number called by the calling device in the preview message.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

identifying a phone number for the calling device;

identifying text data identifying the user;

loading the phone number for the calling device and the text data identifying the user into the preview message.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the preview information only identifies unanswered voice calls and text messages from the calling device.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising loading different types of the preview information into the preview message based on the phone number for the receiving device.

26. The method of claim 19, further comprising loading different types of the preview information into the preview message based on a time of day.

27. The method of claim 19, further comprising completing a phone connection with the receiving device based on a reply text or data message received back from the receiving device in response to the preview message.