Distinctive ring tones prompted by call urgency and context

• US 8,867,724 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2004
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gorti, Sreenivasa Rao, Mueller, Stephen Mark, Brandt, Jeffrey Lewis, Liu, Huitao
• Primary Examiner(s): AL AUBAIDI, RASHA S
• Application Number:
  US10/930,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20060045252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,703 Days
• Field of Search: 379/207.16, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 379/207.16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/578 associated with a synthesized vocal announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/041 Encoding the ringing signal, i.e. providing distinctive or selective ringing capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/048 Arrangements providing optical indication of the incoming call, e.g. flasher circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2038 Call context notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42051 where the notification is included in the ringing tone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4365 based on information specified by the calling party, e.g. priority or subject
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Devices, methods and systems for enhanced ringing features on communications terminals. Flexible user-established rules, customized in a subscriber profile database, enable the ring-tone to vary based on caller-id, caller priority, call-urgency (as determined by caller), call context and so forth. Call set-up logic applies the profile rules prior to completing the call set-up. “Buzz-tones” extend the basic distinctive ringing feature to the “silent” mode that is currently available on cell-phones, which is of particular utility to subscribers with hearing disabilities. Other kinds of alerts (audio/motion/visual) like flashing colors on a display, moving pictures and the like, and any combination of notification modes, are contemplated by alternative embodiments.

Claims

1. A method of processing call data, the method comprising:

receiving a call from a calling device to a called device at an application server;

determining, at the application server, a designation of the calling device based on caller identification information;

sending a prompt for information about urgency of the call to the calling device from the application server based on the designation so that the calling device receives a first prompt when the designation is a first designation and the calling device receives a second prompt different than the first prompt when the designation is a second designation;

receiving a response to the prompt from the calling device at the application server;

appending a code to caller identification information in a call setup message to enable a particular notification based on the designation and the response, wherein the code is decodable by the called device to enable the called device to provide one or more of an audio alert, a vibrational alert, and a visual alert; and

sending the call setup message to the called device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual alert includes an animated display that indicates urgency.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the vibrational alert comprises a particular sequence of vibrations to indicate call urgency.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the called device is a mobile communication device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the called device is a voice over internet protocol terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the designation is based on caller priority groupings.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the caller priority groupings are based on an expected frequency of calls by potential callers of each priority grouping.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the prompt for information about urgency of the call is a voice prompt to the calling device and wherein the urgency of the call is provided in response to the voice prompt.

9. A method of processing call data, the method comprising:

determining caller priority of a calling party based on profile information from a called party at an application server;

receiving input from the calling party of a call to a called device at the application server in response to a prompt presented to the calling party from the application server after the application server receives the call, the input indicating an urgency of the call from the calling party, wherein the prompt is based on the caller priority so that the calling device receives a first prompt when the caller priority is a first designation and the calling device receives a second prompt different than the first prompt when the caller priority is a second designation;

determining a notification mode based at least in part on the caller priority and the urgency; and

when the notification mode is to send a call setup message to the called device;

appending a code to caller identification information in the call setup message, wherein the code is decodable by the called device to enable the called device to provide one or more of an audio alert, a vibrational alert, and a visual alert; and

sending the call setup message to the called device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the code enables the called device to provide the audio alert, the vibrational alert, and the visual alert when the urgency indicates an emergency and the caller priority indicates a frequent caller.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the frequent caller corresponds to one of a child, a husband, and a wife.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein, when the caller priority is determined to be important, the prompt indicates to the calling party that the called party will take the call when the called party indicates that the call is important.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising forwarding the call to voicemail when the notification mode is to send the call to voicemail.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising rerouting the call to a second device associated with the called party when the notification mode is to reroute the call.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the prompt is a voice prompt.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the code enables the called device to play an audio alert when the urgency indicates low urgency and the caller priority indicates a frequent caller.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the notification mode is send the call to voicemail when the urgency indicates low urgency and the caller priority indicates a frequent caller.

18. A system comprising:

ring disposition logic to perform operations including;

receiving a call from a calling device to a called device;

determining a designation of the calling device;

sending a prompt for information about urgency of the call to the calling device based on the designation so that the calling device receives a first prompt when the designation is a first designation and the calling device receives a second prompt different than the first prompt when the designation is a second designation;

receiving a response to the prompt from the calling device;

determining a notification mode for the call based on the designation and the response; and

appending a code to caller identification information in a call setup message when the notification mode is to send the call setup message to the called device, wherein the code is decodable by the called device to enable the called device to provide one or more of an audio alert, a vibrational alert, and a visual alert; and

call setup logic to send the call setup message to the called device.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising call routing logic to select a communication terminal to which the call setup message is sent when the notification mode is to send the call setup message to a device other than the called device.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the call setup logic sends the call to voicemail when the notification mode is voicemail.