System and method of enhanced caller-ID display using a personal address book

• US 9,900,661 B2
• Filed: 11/10/2015
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2006
• 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: Pearson, Larry B., Bruening, Matthew Strand
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US14/936,968
• Publication Number:
  US 20160066044A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 3791421, 3791422, 725118, 348 1401- 1416
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• 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: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6137 involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64753 directed to the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A method includes receiving, at a multifunction unit configured to provide television programming to a media device for display to a display device, a call signal including a caller identifier. The call identifier includes a calling number and a first name associated with the calling number. The method includes retrieving, via the multifunction unit, a second name associated with the calling number from a personal address book. The method also includes sending a modified caller identifier including the calling number and the second name from the multifunction unit to the media device for display.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a multifunction unit configured to provide television programming to a media device for display to a display device, a call signal including a caller identifier, the caller identifier including a calling number and a first name associated with the calling number; and

in response to the call signal;

retrieving, via the multifunction unit, a second name associated with the calling number from a personal address book of a computing device coupled to the multifunction unit, the computing device distinct from the multifunction unit and the media device; and

sending a modified caller identifier including the calling number and the second name from the multifunction unit to the media device for display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the modified caller identifier to a voice over internet protocol phone, an analog phone, a caller identification device, or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second name is the first name in response to a determination that the calling number is not identified in the personal address book.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending data corresponding to the call signal to a call log, wherein the data includes the second name.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to a determination that the call signal was unanswered, sending a missed call notification, wherein the missed call notification includes the second name.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a type of the missed call notification includes an email message, an instant message, a text message, or a pager message.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the missed call notification includes an attached voice message from a caller associated with the call signal, the voice message received in response to an indication that the call signal is unanswered.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal address book is stored in a memory of the multifunction unit.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal address book is stored by a network server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal address book is stored by a device coupled to the multifunction unit by a local area network.

11. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to perform operations including;

receiving a call signal including a caller identifier, the caller identifier including a calling number and a first name associated with the calling number; and

in response to the call signal;

retrieving a second name associated with the calling number from a personal address book of a computing device, wherein the processor is not a component of the computing device; and

sending a modified caller identifier including the calling number and the second name to a media device for display.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second name is a display name of an entry associated with the calling number in the personal address book.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein retrieving the second name includes performing a search of a plurality of personal address books in a particular order based on user input, wherein the personal address book is one of the plurality of personal address books.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the media device sends media content and information from the modified caller identifier to a display device, wherein the information overlays a portion of the media content, and wherein the information includes the second name.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the operations further include synchronizing content of the personal address book with content of a second personal address book during a period of call inactivity.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further include sending data corresponding to the call signal to a call log, wherein the data includes the second name.

17. A computer-readable storage device storing instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a call signal including a caller identifier, the caller identifier including a calling number and a first name associated with the calling number; and

in response to the call signal;

retrieving a second name associated with the calling number from a personal address book of a computing device, wherein the processor is not a component of the computing device; and

sending a modified caller identifier including the calling number and the second name to a media device for display.

18. The computer-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the second name is the first name in response to a determination that the calling number is not identified in the personal address book.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise sending a missed call notification in response to a determination that the call signal was unanswered, the missed call notification including the second name.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the first name is a billing name associated with the calling number, and wherein the second name is an alias associated with the calling number.