Method and apparatus for content presentation in association with a telephone call

• US 9,819,812 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2015
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vusura Technology LLC
• Original Assignee: Wendell D. Brown
• Inventors: Brown, Wendell D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US14/951,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20160080915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 721 Days
• Field of Search: 379 8801, 379 9312, 37911413, 37914217, 379 8813, 379 8821, 379 8822, 3791142, 37920101, 37920102, 37926509, 37935501, 37937301, 4554141, 455406, 705 1416, 705 11, 705 144, 705 1456, 348 1401, 370468, 398154, 709203, 709227, 725 34
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/00 Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/61 based on the service used
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8351 before establishing a communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8353 during the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8355 after the end of the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/846 optical, e.g. icon
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/848 Tone, e.g. beeper
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6054 Biometric subscriber identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7231 by SIM, e.g. smart card account in SCP, SDP or SN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42051 where the notification is included in the ringing tone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4365 : based on information specified by the calling party, e.g. priority or subject
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 : Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0036 : where the data service is an information service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0051 : where the data service is a multimedia messaging service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 : Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 : Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 : Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 : for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/23 : for mobile advertising

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for presenting multimedia content to a caller and/or a called party in association with a telephone call. Content may be presented pre-ring (before the called party'"'"'s telephone rings), in-call, and/or post-call. Content presented to a party may be related to another party participating in the call or may be related to a third party (e.g., an advertiser that paid for the ability to have its content presented). Presented content may be actuable, to allow a caller to change the destination of a call, take advantage of an offer presented to him or her, redeem a coupon, schedule or queue a subsequent call, etc. To find a desired destination party, a caller may initiate a manual or automatic search of his or her local contacts (on his telephone) and/or a central or global directory or contact list.

Claims

1. A method of controlling presentation of content on a communication device, the method comprising:

receiving electronic notification of initiation of a call from a first party operating a first communication device to a second party that operates a second communication device;

delaying the call without soliciting action by the first party; and

causing pre-ring content to be transmitted to and displayed on the second communication device before the call rings at the second communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting to the first communication device a notification that the call is delayed.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

aborting the delay in response to activation, by the first party, of a predetermined control of the first communication device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-ring content comprises a notification of the initiated call.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing content displayed on the second communication device prior to establishment of the call to be displayed on the first communication device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the content comprises the pre-ring content.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing shared content displayed on the second communication device to be simultaneously displayed on the first communication device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

causing an annotation to the shared content, by the first party, to be displayed on the second communication device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said causing pre-ring content to be transmitted comprises:

receiving the pre-ring content from the first party; and

transmitting the pre-ring content toward the second communication device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said causing pre-ring content to be transmitted comprises:

prompting the first party to transmit the pre-ring content to the second communication device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said causing pre-ring content to be transmitted comprises:

prompting a third party to transmit the pre-ring content to the second communication device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said causing pre-ring content to be transmitted comprises:

instructing the second communication device to retrieve the pre-ring content from a specified location.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing to be transmitted to one or both of the first communication device and the second communication device one or more of;

in-call content delivered during the call; and

post-call content delivered after the call.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said electronic notification of initiation of the call is received at a network communication device located in a path of communication between the first communication device and the second communication device.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of controlling presentation of content on a communication device, the method comprising:

receiving electronic notification of initiation of a call from a first party operating a first communication device to a second party that operates a second communication device;

delaying the call without soliciting action by the first party; and

causing pre-ring content to be transmitted to and displayed on the second communication device before the call rings at the second communication device.

16. Apparatus for controlling presentation of content on a communication device external to the apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to;

receive electronic notification of initiation of a call from a first party operating a first communication device to a second party that operates a second communication device;

delay the call without soliciting action by the first party; and

cause pre-ring content to be transmitted to and displayed on the second communication device before the call rings at the second communication device.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:

transmit to the first communication device a notification that the call is delayed.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:

abort the delay in response to activation, by the first party, of a predetermined control of the first communication device.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the pre-ring content comprises a notification of the initiated call.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:

cause content displayed on the second communication device prior to establishment of the call to be displayed on the first communication device.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the content comprises the pre-ring content.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:

cause shared content displayed on the second communication device to be simultaneously displayed on the first communication device.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

causing an annotation to the shared content, by the first party, to be displayed on the second communication device.

24. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said causing pre-ring content to be transmitted comprises:

receiving the pre-ring content from the first party; and

transmitting the pre-ring content toward the second communication device.

25. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said causing pre-ring content to be transmitted comprises:

prompting the first party to transmit the pre-ring content to the second communication device.

26. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said causing pre-ring content to be transmitted comprises:

prompting a third party to transmit the pre-ring content to the second communication device.

27. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said causing pre-ring content to be transmitted comprises:

instructing the second communication device to retrieve the pre-ring content from a specified location.

28. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:

cause to be transmitted to one or both of the first communication device and the second communication device one or more of;

in-call content delivered during the call; and

post-call content delivered after the call.

29. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said electronic notification of initiation of the call is received at a network communication device located in a path of communication between the first communication device and the second communication device.