Method, system and relevant apparatuses for selecting multimedia ring back tone

• US 9,800,723 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2011
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gao, Wenmei, Chen, Guoqiao, Yang, Jian
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pope, Kharye
• Application Number:
  US13/004,423
• Publication Number:
  US 20110103570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,478 Days
• Field of Search: 379207, 37921102, 37921201, 379 8813, 37914201, 37920716, 379257, 379220, 379373, 379374, 455411, 4554141, 455145, 455457, 455458, 455419, 370352, 370353, 370354, 370355, 370356, 370357
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/56 Arrangements for indicating or recording the called number at the calling subscriber's set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42017 Customized ring-back tones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1235 where one of the core networks is a wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A method, system, and relevant apparatuses for selecting a Multimedia Ring Back Tone (MRBT) are disclosed. The method for selecting an MRBT includes: receiving a call request sent by a calling party, where the call request carries an MRBT type required by the calling party; sending the MRBT type required by the calling party to the MRBT server; obtaining MRBT information sent by an MRBT server, according to the MRBT type required by the calling party; and sending the MRBT information to the calling party. With the present invention, the calling party sends the required MRBT type, and the MRBT server provides the corresponding MRBT information for the calling party. Therefore, the calling party has an opportunity of selecting the MRBT type required by the calling party, and thus user experience is improved.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a particular Multimedia Ring Back Tone (MRBT) type when a call is being initiated, comprising:

sending, by the calling party, a call request for initiating a call between the calling party and a called party, wherein the calling party makes a specific request for a particular MRBT type in the call request at the time the call is being initiated, wherein the particular MRBT type is carried in information relating to a protocol used by the call request; and

the protocol is one of;

a Q.931 signaling protocol or an H.245 protocol; and

receiving MRBT information sent by an MRBT server according to the particular MRBT type requested by the calling party.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

if the particular MRBT type requested by the calling party is carried in information relating to the Q.931 signaling protocol, the particular MRBT type is carried in one of;

a “

user-to-user information”

field in a SETUP message and a CONNECT message, or

a “

user-to-user information”

field in an Initial Address Message (lAM).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the MRBT information comprising:

at least one of audio, video, text, picture, vCard information, and Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of an MRBT.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the receiving of the MRBT information sent by the MRBT server, comprising one of:

receiving, through a media channel, at least one of the audio, video, text, picture, vCard information, and URL of the MRBT that are sent by the MRBT server according to the particular MRBT type requested by the calling party;

or

receiving, through control-plane signaling, at least one of vCard information and the URL of the MRBT that are sent by the MRBT server according to the particular MRBT type requested by the calling party.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein if the MRBT information comprises the URL of the MRBT, after the receiving the requested MRBT information, the method comprising:

obtaining the MRBT information from a Web server through a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) according to the URL.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the call request further carries a requirement for a vCard of a called party when the vCard of the called party stored by the calling party is invalid.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein after the receiving of the MRBT information, the method comprising:

updating a vCard of a called party stored by the calling party.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving of the MRBT information sent by the MRBT server comprising one of:

receiving the MRBT information sent by the MRBT server according to an intersection between particular MRBT types required by the calling party and particular MRBT types customized by a called party, if the intersection is not empty;

or

receiving default MRBT information sent by the MRBT server, if the intersection between the particular MRBT types required by the calling party and the particular MRBT types customized by the called party is empty.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein if the obtained intersection is not empty and comprises no called party information, the method further comprising:

receiving called party information, wherein the information is sent by the called party according to an instruction from the MRBT server.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

before the sending of the call request, the method further comprising;

customizing a default MRBT type requested by the calling party in the MRBT server through a hypertext Web page; and

if the particular MRBT type requested by the calling party in the call request is empty, the receiving of the MRBT information sent by the MRBT server comprising;

receiving the MRBT information sent by the MRBT server according to the default MRBT type customized by the calling party.

11. A method for selecting a particular Multimedia Ring Back Tone (MRBT) type when a call is being initiated, comprising:

receiving a call request from a calling party when the calling party initiates a call, wherein the call request carries a request for a particular MRBT type requested by the calling party at the time the call is being initiated, wherein the particular MRBT type is carried in information relating to a protocol used by the call request; and

the protocol is one of;

a Q.931 signaling protocol or an H.245 protocol; and

sending MRBT information to the calling party according to the particular MRBT type requested by the calling party.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the call request further carries called party information requested by the calling party, if the called party information stored by the calling party is invalid.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

sending MRBT information that carries called party vCard information to the calling party according to the received call request, wherein the received call request carries the called party information type requested by the calling party.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein if the particular MRBT type requested by the calling party is empty, the method comprising:

obtaining a default MRBT type requested and customized by the calling party; and

sending MRBT information according to the default MRBT type requested and customized by the calling party.

15. User Equipment (UE), comprising:

a UE Multimedia Ring Back Tone (MRBT) selecting unit configured to select a particular MRBT type requested by the UE at the time a call is being initiated, wherein the particular MRBT type is carried in information relating to a protocol used by a call request that is communicated from a calling party when initiating a call; and

the protocol is one of;

a Q.931 signaling protocol or an H.245 protocol;

an MRBT type request sending unit, configured to send the particular MRBT type requested by the UE to a network; and

an MRBT information receiving unit, configured to receive MRBT information sent according to the particular MRBT type by the network.

16. The UE according to claim 15, wherein the MRBT information receiving unit comprises:

an MRBT address receiving unit, configured to receive an address of the MRBT information; and

an MRBT information obtaining unit, configured to obtain the MRBT information according to the address of the MRBT information.

17. A Multimedia Ring Back Tone (MRBT) server, comprising:

an MRBT selecting and receiving unit configured to receive a particular MRBT type required by a calling party, wherein the particular MRBT type is specified in a calling request that is communicated from the calling party at the time a call is being initiated, wherein the particular MRBT type is carried in information relating to a protocol used by the call request; and

the protocol is one of;

a Q.931 signaling protocol or an H.245 protocol; and

an MRBT playing unit, configured to send MRBT information according to the particular MRBT type requested by the calling party.

18. The MRBT server according to claim 17, further comprising:

an MRBT selecting unit, configured to obtain an intersection between MRBT types requested by the calling party and particular MRBT types customized by a called party; and

the MRBT playing unit, specifically configured to send the MRBT information according to the intersection.

19. The MRBT server according to claim 17, further comprising:

a called party information searching unit, configured to search for called user information according to the particular MRBT type requested by the calling party; and

an instruction sending unit, configured to send an instruction if the called user information is empty, wherein the instruction instructs a called party to send called party information.