Method and communication system for identifying calling/called party

• US RE43,893 E1
• Filed: 08/18/2010
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jin Soo, Shin, Yong Kyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US12/859,225
• Time in Patent Office: 867 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.01, 348/14.06, 348/14.11, 348/207.99, 348/14.12, 379/88.09, 379/93.23, 379/142.01, 379/142.07, 379/88.13, 379/88.19, 379/88.22, 379/142.04, 379/142.08, 379/142.15, 379/142.17, 379/219, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/556.1, 455/415, 455/566, 711/115, 235/380
• US Class Current: 379/88.19
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• 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: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A method and communication system is provided to identify a calling/called party when the call is being set up but before the call is answered. In the method, a first terminal and a second terminal are respectively provided with opposing terminal'"'"'s image data before the call is answered. The image data of the first and second terminals can be registered in a media server disposed between the first and second terminals, and the image data can be transmitted between the first terminal and the media server and between the second terminal and the media server in accordance with an SIP protocol.

Claims

1. A method of identifying a calling party and call conditions of a called party, comprising the steps of:

registering image data of a calling party in at least one a first terminal or a media server;

transmitting the image data and a call request of the first terminal to a second terminal via the media server;

displaying the image data of the calling party on the second terminal;

transmitting image data of the called party previously registered in the media server to the first terminal when at least one of the image data or the call request is transmitted to the media server, wherein the image data of the called party include different images for different call conditions; and

displaying the image data of the called party on the first terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the media server checks the different call condition of the called party, selects an image corresponding to the different call condition from an image database of the media server, and sends the image to the calling party for displaying on a display of the calling party.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the different call conditions include ready to receive a call, receiving another call, terminal powered off, or incapable of receiving a call.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the image data of the called party to the first terminal includes the steps of:

the media server requesting a call condition of the second terminal;

sending the call condition of the second terminal to the media server;

selecting an image corresponding to the call condition from the image data registered in the media server; and

transmitting the selected image to the first terminal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image data of the called party transmitted to the first terminal is registered in the first terminal.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image data of the calling party transmitted to the second terminal is registered in the second terminal.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image data of the calling party are selected from the group consisting of avatar data, still picture data, moving picture data, text data, and combinations thereof.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image data of the calling party and the image data corresponding to the different call conditions of the called party are transmitted through RTP (real time transport protocol) channels after SIP (session initiation protocol) channel connections are set between the first terminal and the media server and between the media server and the second terminal.

9. A method of identifying another party, comprising the steps of:

registering image data of a calling party and different image data corresponding to call conditions of a called party in a media server;

transmitting a call request and an image data forwarding request of a first terminal to the media server;

transmitting the registered image data of the calling party from the media server to a second terminal in response to the image data forwarding request; and

displaying the image data of the calling party on the second terminal.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

when the image data forwarding request of the first terminal is transmitted to the media server, transmitting the image data corresponding to the call conditions of the called party from the media server to the first terminal; and

displaying the image data of the called party on the first terminal.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of transmitting the image data corresponding to th call conditions of the called party to the first terminal includes the steps of:

the media server requesting a call condition of the second terminal;

sending the call condition of the second terminal to the media server;

selecting an image corresponding to the call condition from the media server; and

transmitting the selected image to the first terminal.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the image data of the called party transmitted to the first terminal is registered in the first terminal.

13. The method according to claim 9 wherein the image data of the calling party transmitted to the second terminal is registered in the second terminal.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the image data of the calling party are selected from the group consisting of avatar data, still picture data, moving picture data, text data, and combinations thereof.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the image data of the calling party and the image data corresponding to the call conditions of the called party are transmitted through RTP channels after SIP channel connections are set between the first terminal and the media server and between the media server and the second terminal.

16. A communication system for identifying another party, comprising:

a first terminal having a communication unit for requesting a call, an SIP system for transmitting image data of a calling party and receiving image data corresponding to a call condition of a called party, a display for displaying the image data of the called party, and an image database for registering the image data of the calling party;

a media server having an SIP system for transmitting the image data of the calling party received from the first terminal to the called party and transmitting the image data corresponding to the call condition of the called party to the first terminal, an image database for registering the image data of the called party in accordance with the call condition, and means for selecting one of the image data of the called party corresponding to the call condition; and

a second terminal having a communication unit for responding to the call requested from the first terminal to open a communication channel with the first terminal, an SIP system for receiving the image data of the calling party from the first terminal, and a display for displaying the image data of the calling party.

17. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein the image data corresponding to different call conditions of the called party are registered in the image database of the media server through the second terminal or other communication means.

18. The communication system according to claim 16, wherein the image data of the calling party and the image data corresponding to the call condition of the called party are transmitted through an RTP channel.

19. A communication system for identifying another party, comprising:

a first terminal having a communication unit for requesting a call, an SIP system for transmitting an image data forwarding request of a calling party and receiving image data corresponding to a call condition of a called party, and a display for displaying the image data of the called party;

a media server having an SIP system for transmitting the image data of the calling party to the called party in response to the image data forwarding request and transmitting the image data corresponding to a call condition of the called party to the first terminal, an image database for registering the image data in accordance with the call condition, and means for selecting one of the image data of the called party corresponding to the call condition; and

a second terminal having a communication unit for responding to the call requested from the first terminal to open a communication channel with the first terminal, an SIP system for receiving the image data of the calling party from the first terminal, and a display for displaying the image data of the calling party.

20. The communication system according to claim 19, wherein the registered image data in the image database include the image data of the calling party and the image data corresponding to different call conditions of the called party.

21. The communication system according to claim 19, wherein the image data are registered in the image database through the first terminal, the second terminal, or other communication means.

22. The communication system according to claim 19, wherein the image data of the calling party and the image data corresponding to the call condition of the called party are transmitted through an RTP channel.

23. A method of identifying call conditions of a called party, comprising the steps of:

transmitting a call request of the first terminal to a second terminal via a media server;

transmitting image data of the called party to the first terminal, wherein the image data of the called party include different images for different call conditions; and

displaying the image data of the called party on the first terminal.

24. A method of identifying another party, comprising the steps of:

registering different image data corresponding to call conditions of a second terminal;

transmitting a call request of a first terminal to the second terminal;

transmitting the registered image data corresponding to the call condition of the second terminal; and

displaying the image data received from the second terminal on the first terminal.

25. A communication system for identifying another party, comprising:

a first terminal having a communication unit for requesting a call, an SIP system for receiving image data corresponding to a call condition of a called party, and a display for displaying the image data of the called party;

a media server having an SIP system for transmitting the image data corresponding to the call condition of the called party to the first terminal, an image database for registering the image data of the called party in accordance with the call condition, and means for selecting one of the image data of the called party corresponding to the call condition; and

a second terminal having a communication unit for responding to the call requested from the first terminal to open a communication channel with the first terminal.

26. A communication terminal for providing communication with a terminal requesting a call using image data, the communication terminal comprising:

a storage unit;

a communication unit;

a display unit; and

a controller cooperating with the storage unit, the communication unit and the display unit to;

receive image data of a calling terminal and a call request from the calling terminal, the image data of the calling terminal identifying the calling terminal and being taken from a camera of the calling terminal;

display, on the display unit, the image data of the calling terminal; and

transmit one of image data and avatar data of the communication terminal to the calling terminal,

wherein when the image data of the calling terminal is replaced with avatar data of the calling terminal, the avatar data of the calling terminal is received from the calling terminal, wherein the avatar data of the calling terminal is taken from a storage unit of the calling terminal, and

wherein the communication terminal stores, on the storage unit of the communication terminal, the received avatar data of the calling terminal and displays the avatar data of the calling terminal on the display unit.

27. The communication terminal of claim 26, wherein the avatar data of the calling terminal represents a call condition of the calling terminal.

28. The communication terminal of claim 27, wherein the avatar data of the calling terminal is changed to other avatar data by different call condition of the calling terminal.

29. The communication terminal of claim 26, wherein the avatar data of the calling terminal includes still picture data, moving picture data or text data.

30. A method for providing communication with a terminal requesting a call using image data, the method in a called terminal comprising:

receiving, by the called terminal, image data of a calling terminal and a call request from the calling terminal, the image data of the calling terminal identifying the calling terminal;

displaying, on a display unit of the called terminal, the image data of the calling terminal, the image data of the calling terminal identifying the calling terminal and being taken from a camera of the calling terminal; and

transmitting, by the called terminal, one of image data and avatar data of the called terminal to the calling terminal,

wherein when the image data of the calling terminal is replaced with avatar data of the calling terminal, the avatar data of the calling terminal is received from the calling terminal, wherein the avatar data of the calling terminal is taken from a storage unit of the calling terminal,

wherein the called terminal stores, on a storage unit of the called terminal, the received avatar data of the calling terminal and displays the avatar data of the calling terminal on the display unit of the called terminal.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the avatar data of the calling terminal represents a call condition of the calling terminal.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the avatar data of the calling terminal is changed to other avatar data by different call condition of the calling terminal.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the avatar data of the calling terminal includes still picture data, moving picture data or text data.