Method and system for providing additional information to called parties

• US 9,197,740 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2014
• Issued: 11/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: First Orion Corporation
• Original Assignee: Accudata Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: White, James N., Martino, Monica Rose, Smith, M. Gregory, Buie, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, QUOC DUC
• Application Number:
  US14/531,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20150055768A1
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142.01, 379/142.04, 379/142.07, 379/142.1, 379/142.12, 379/142.15, 455/415, 455/526, 455/435.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

A system for providing additional information to called parties, the system comprises a base unit device for sending additional information to called parties, the base unit comprises a microprocessor, at least one Ethernet port, at least one telephone port, a first transceiver, and a first wireless antenna; and a display unit for receiving the additional information from the base unit device and displaying the additional information to the called parties, the display unit comprises a second transceiver, a liquid crystal display, a second wireless antenna, and a set of keys.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a calling party device;

a base unit device that provides a service for sending additional information to a called party, the base unit comprises a microprocessor and a first transceiver; and

a display unit for receiving the additional information from the base unit device and displaying the additional information to the called party, the display unit comprises a second transceiver and a display;

wherein the calling party device invokes the service by providing a calling party identifier to the base unit device when a call to the called party is made;

wherein the microprocessor is programmed to;

receive the calling party identifier from the calling party;

retrieve a calling party name and a calling party message that is a text message intended specifically for the called party from a database using the identifier;

provide the additional information comprising the calling party name and the calling party message to the display unit using the first transceiver; and

wherein the display unit is configured to;

receive the additional information from the base unit device using the second transceiver; and

display the additional information on the display.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the base unit device comprises at least one telephone port that is operable to receive an identifier of a calling party from a calling party device and send the identifier to the microprocessor.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the microprocessor is operable to provide the identifier as a lookup query to a database and send the lookup query to an Ethernet interface for delivery to an Ethernet port.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the Ethernet interface is operable to forward the query to the Ethernet port via an Ethernet interface circuitry for delivery to the database.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the Ethernet port is operable to receive the additional information retrieved from the database and send the information to the Ethernet interface via an Ethernet interface circuitry for delivery to the microprocessor.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the microprocessor is operable to forward the information to a caller ID decoder, wherein the caller ID decoder is operable to encode the information into a format utilized by the display unit.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the caller decoder is operable to forward the encoded information to one of the at least one telephone port via a telephone interface circuitry for delivery to the display unit.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the microprocessor is operable to forward the information to the first transceiver for delivery to the first wireless antenna.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first transceiver is operable to forward the information to a first wireless antenna via an antenna interface circuitry for delivery to the display unit.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a second wireless antenna that is operable to receive the information and forward the information to the second transceiver via an antenna interface circuitry.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the second transceiver is operable to forward the information to the display via an interface circuitry.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the display unit is operable to be configured by at least one configuration of a set of keys.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of keys comprises a “

UP”

key, a “

DN”

key, and a “

E”

key.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the “

UP”

key is operable to be configured to scroll from a message currently displayed on the liquid crystal display to a message recently received by the display unit.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the “

DN”

key is operable to be configured to scroll from a message currently displayed on the liquid crystal display to a message already received by the display unit.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the “

E”

key is operable to be configured to delete at least one of;

a message currently displayed in the liquid crystal display; and

all messages stored in a buffer if the “

E”

key is depressed for at least three seconds.

17. A system, comprising:

a display unit for displaying additional information received from a base unit device to a called party, the display unit operable to display at least one alphanumeric character and comprises a plurality of function keys;

wherein the display unit receives and displays the additional information comprising a calling party name and a calling party message that is a text message intended specifically for the called party that have been retrieved from a database by the base unit device using a calling party identifier in response to receiving a calling party identifier from the calling party.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the display unit is operable to display a phone number of an incoming call, a name of a calling party, and the additional information comprising a date, a time, and a message.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the display unit is further operable to alternate a display of the phone number, the name, and the message and a display of the date, the time and a remaining portion of the message for at least every two seconds.

20. A method, comprising:

receiving a calling party identity from a calling party at a device;

determining the identity in a decoder of the device;

providing the identity to a database to retrieve additional information comprising a name of the calling party and a message of the calling party that is a text message intended for the called party; and

providing the retrieved additional information to a called party device for displaying the additional information on a display of a display unit associated with the called party device.