System and method for establishing data communication using pre-configured user data

• US 8,938,055 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2013
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metaswitch Networks Limited (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Metaswitch Networks Limited (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mairs, Chris, Drysdale, David, Crampton, Shaun, Pearl, Philip, Palmer, Felix
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAH, ANTIM G
• Application Number:
  US13/918,054
• Publication Number:
  US 20130279675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.17, 379/202.01, 379/203.01, 379/204.01, 379/205.01, 379/207.01, 379/265.09, 379/900, 379/201.01, 370/260, 370/261, 370/262, 370/352, 370/259, 455/416
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42076 where the identifier is a Uniform Resource Locator
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42119 where the identifier is a Uniform Resource Locator
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0036 where the data service is an information service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 where the data service is an electronic mail service

Abstract

Call party details of a telephone call involving first and second telephony user devices are received. The call party details include first and second identities associated with the first and second telephony user devices respectively. A client-server connection request is received from, and a client-server connection is established with, one of the user devices. A session for the communication of data to and/or from the user devices is established separately from the telephone call on the basis of the first and second identities. The receipt of pre-configured user data by the one of the user devices is enabled via the client-server connection. The pre-configured user data has been specified by a user of another of the user devices prior to the establishment of the telephone call as data for receipt by other user devices during telephone calls conducted by the user.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a communications session for communication of data with respect to at least two telephony user devices in a data communications network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server apparatus, call party details of a telephone call, the telephone call involving at least a calling party telephony user device and a called party telephony user device, said call party details including a calling party identity associated with said calling party telephony user device and a called party identity associated with said called party telephony user device;

receiving, at the server apparatus, a client-server connection request from, and establishing a client-server connection with, at least one of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device;

establishing, by the server apparatus and on the basis of said calling party identity and said called party identity received in said call party details, a separate communications session, separate from said telephone call, for the communication of data to and/or from said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device;

conducting, at the server apparatus, a check to determine whether said at least one of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device has pre-configured user data for a user of one other of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device stored locally, said pre-configured user data having been specified by said user prior to the establishment of said telephone call as data for receipt by other user devices during telephone calls conducted by said user; and

enabling, by the server apparatus, the receipt of at least a part of said pre-configured user data by said at least one of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device via said client-server connection when said check, conducted at the server apparatus, indicates that said at least one of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device does not have at least part of said pre-configured user data for said user stored locally.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said calling party identity and called party identity comprises a telephone dialing number.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said enabling is carried out in response to establishment of said separate communications session.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving said pre-configured user data; and

transmitting said received pre-configured user data to at least one of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising instructing said at least one of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device to display one or more parts of said pre-configured user data during said call.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said conducting a check comprises transmitting a query to said at least one of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device, and receiving at least one response indicating whether said at least one of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device has pre-configured user data for said user stored locally.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing pre-configured user data for a plurality of user devices in a data store accessible by the server apparatus.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said pre-configured user data comprises a plurality of data fields and said check comprises determining whether current versions of said data fields in data stored locally to said at least one of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device require updating to more recent versions.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the receipt of a subset of said pre-configured user data by said at least one of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device via said separate communications session, said subset of said pre-configured user data having been specified by said user as data for receipt by said at least one of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device during telephone calls conducted by said user.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising transmitting said pre-configured user data via said client-server connection established with said at least one of said called party telephony user device and said party telephony user device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing said session comprises receiving a further client-server connection request from, and establishing a client-server connection with, said one other of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device.

12. Server apparatus arranged to establish a communications session for communication of data with respect to at least two telephony user devices in a data communications network, the server apparatus being configured to:

receive call party details of a telephone call, the telephone call involving at least a calling party telephony user device and a called party telephony user device, said call party details including a calling party identity associated with said calling party telephony user device and a called party identity associated with said called party telephony user device;

receive a client-server connection request from, and establish a client-server connection with, at least one of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device;

establish, on the basis of said calling party identity and said called party identity received in said call party details, a separate communications session, separate from said telephone call, for the communication of data to and/or from said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device;

conduct a check to determine whether said at least one of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device has pre-configured user data for a user of one other of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device stored locally, said pre-configured user data having been specified by said user prior to the establishment of said telephone call as data for receipt by other user devices during telephone calls conducted by said user; and

enable, the receipt of at least a part of said pre-configured user data for said user by said at least one of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device via said client-server connection, when said check, conducted at said server apparatus, indicates that said at least one of said calling party telephony user device and said called party telephony user device does not have at least part of said pre-configured user data for said user stored locally.

13. A telephony user device for establishing a communications session for communication of data with respect to at least one other telephony user device in a data communications network, the telephony user device comprising a processor configured to:

transmit call party details of a telephone call to a server apparatus, the telephone call involving at least said telephony user device, said telephony user device being a first telephony user device, and a second telephony user device, said call party details including a calling party identity and a called party identity;

transmit a client-server connection request to, and establish a client-server connection with, the server apparatus;

establish, on the basis of said calling party and called party identities in said transmitted call party details, a separate communications session, separate from said telephone call, for the communication of data to and/or from said at least one other telephony user device;

establish, on the basis of said calling party and called party identities in said transmitted call party details, a separate communications session, separate from said telephone call, for the communication of data to and/or from the at least one other telephony user device;

receive, from the server apparatus via the client-server connection, a query to check whether pre-configured user data for a user of said at least one other telephony user device is stored locally at the first telephony user device;

transmit pre-configured user data to said at least one other user telephony device via said client-server connection, said pre-configured user data having been specified by a user of said first telephony user device prior to the establishment of said telephone call as data for transmittal to other user devices during telephone calls conducted by said user;

receive, from the server apparatus via the client-server connection, a query to check whether pre-configured user data for a user of said at least one other telephony user device is stored locally at the first telephony user device; and

conduct a check to determine whether said pre-configured user data for said user of said at least one other telephony user device is stored locally.

14. A telephony user device capable of establishing a communications session for communication of data with respect to at least one other telephony user device in a data communications network, the telephony user device comprising a data store and comprising a processor configured to:

transmit call party details of a telephone call to a server apparatus, the telephone call involving at least said telephony user device, said telephony user device being a first telephony user device, and a second telephony user device, said call party details including a calling party identity and a called party identity, at least one of said calling party identity and said called party identity comprising a telephone dialing number;

transmit a client-server connection request to, and establish a client-server connection with, the server apparatus;

said transmitted call party details, a separate communications session, separate from said telephone call, for the communication of data to and/or from the at least one other telephony user device;

receive, from the server apparatus via the client-server connection, a query to check whether pre-configured user data for a user of said at least one other telephony user device is stored locally at the first telephony user device;

conduct a check to determine whether the pre-configured user data for said user of said at least one other telephony user device is stored locally at the first telephony user device;

receive at least a part of the preconfigured user data from said at least one other telephony user device via said client-server connection; and

present a user of said first telephony user device with an option to update said data store with at least a part of said received preconfigured user data.

15. The telephony user device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to present the option after termination of said call.

16. The telephony user device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to detect termination of said call.

17. The telephony user device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to;

upon receipt of said data, search said data store for data corresponding to said received data; and

present the option in response to not finding at least a part of said received data in said store.

18. The telephony user device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to display one or more parts of said received data during said call.

19. The telephony user device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to temporarily update said data store with said at least a part of said received data for the duration of said call.