Automated exchange of broadband communication addresses over a non-broadband channel in a wireless telecommunication system

• US 20040209614A1
• Filed: 04/17/2003
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hunter, Karla Rae, Lassers, Harold Aaron, Lee, Anne Yin-Fee, Bright, Penny Lynne
• Granted Patent: US 7,206,574 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

A broadband address of a first subscriber is identified and communicated to a second subscriber in a first communication system using an SMS data enabled cellular system or call origination set up messaging. If authorization is given by the second subscriber, the broadband address of the second subscriber is delivered to the first subscriber by the first communication system, whereby the first and second subscribers have exchanged their respective broadband addresses over a first communications system where the broadband addresses are utilized for broadband communications over a second communication system.

Claims

1. A method in a first wireless communication system for obtaining communications-related identification information associated with a second communication system comprising the steps of:

receiving a first request for initial communication services from a first wireless subscriber at a first switching center of the first communication system;

determining if the first request contains a first flag identifying the request as seeking the communications-related identification information about a second subscriber in the second communication system;

generating and transmitting a first message to the second subscriber in response to the first request containing the first flag, the first message containing a text query identifying the first message as seeking the communications-related identification information associated with the second subscriber;

determining if the second subscriber authorizes the transmission of communications-related identification information associated with the second subscriber upon receipt of the first message;

transmitting a reply message to the first subscriber including the communications-related identification information of the second subscriber by the first communication system if the second subscriber authorizes said transmission.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of generating and transmitting further comprises transmitting as part of the first message communications-related identification information associated with communicating with the first subscriber in the second communication system.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of determining if the first request contains the first flag is made by a first switch serving the first subscriber.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the step of transmitting the reply message is implemented by a second switch serving the second subscriber.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of generating and transmitting the first message comprises the step of generating and transmitting a first short messaging system (SMS) message directed to the second subscriber.

6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the step of transmitting the reply message to the first subscriber comprises the step of transmitting a second SMS message directed to the first subscriber.

7. The method according to claim 5 wherein the step of generating and transmitting the first SMS message directed to the second subscriber comprises originating the first SMS message at a first switch supporting communications with the first subscriber.

8. The method according to claim 7 further comprising the step of retrieving the communications-related identification information associated with the first subscriber from a database by the first switch and including said retrieved information in said first SMS message.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of receiving at a first wireless device of the first subscriber the communications-related identification information of the second subscriber, and automatically transferring said received information from the first wireless device to a second device of the first subscriber where the second device provides communications by the second communication system.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the step of transferring comprises utilizing a data communication link between the first and second devices via a cable.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of generating and transmitting the first message comprises generating and transmitting the first message as part of a call set up message that contains the text query.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein the call set up message comprises communications-related identification information associated with communicating with the first subscriber in the second communication system.

13. The method according to claim 1 wherein the step of transmitting a reply message comprises transmitting the communications-related identification information of the second subscriber in a call-associated return call set up message.

14. A method implemented in a mobile switching center in a first wireless communication system comprising the steps of:

receiving a first request for initial communication services from a first wireless subscriber for communications with a second subscriber of the first communication system;

determining if the first request contains a first flag identifying the request as seeking to communicate address information associated with at least one of the first and second subscribers;

determining said address information of the first subscriber;

generating a first message in response to the first request containing the first flag, the first message containing said address information of the first subscriber;

transmitting the first message to the second subscriber.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein the step of generating comprises including in the first message a text query identifying the first message as seeking address information associated with the second subscriber, the text query disposed for display on a screen of a communication device used by the second subscriber.

16. The method according to claim 14 wherein said first message comprises a short messaging system format message, and the first request is in a communication format other than a short messaging system format message.

17. The method according to claim 14 wherein said first message comprises a call set up message including said address information of the first subscriber.

18. The method according to claim 14 wherein the step of determining said address information of the first subscriber comprises obtaining said address information of the first subscriber from a database in the first communication system.

19. The method according to claim 14 further comprising the steps of:

receiving a second message based on a reply by the second subscriber, the second message containing the address information associated with the second subscriber, said second message comprising one of a short messaging system message and a call-associated return call set up message;

transmitting said address information associated with the second subscriber to the first subscriber.

20. A telecommunication signaling method comprising the steps of:

receiving subscriber initiated signaling at a switch wherein the signaling contains user data and wherein the signaling is not a short messaging system format message;

generating by the switch a short messaging system message containing said user data in response to receipt of said subscriber initiated signaling.