Network-based timed ring suppression

• US 20040264662A1
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Silver, Edward Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,239,693 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/142.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• 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 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/665 by checking the validity of a code
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/02 Calling substations, e.g. by ringing selective calling H04Q

Abstract

Systems and methods for timed ring suppression are disclosed. After a communications device receives an incoming call and the ringer is activated to produce an initial audible alert, the ringer of the communications device may be silenced for subsequent audible alerts until the calling party hangs up or until the call is further processed.

Claims

1. A communications system for providing timed ring suppression, the system comprising:

a communications dataserver communicating with a communications network, the communications dataserver storing a timed ring suppression profile comprising at least one of (i) an identifier of timed ring suppression reference data and (ii) a timing parameter for suppressing a ringer of a receiving party'"'"'s communications device after the receiving party'"'"'s communications device activates the ringer to produce an initial audible alert of the incoming communications signal; and

a timed ring suppression application communicating with at least one of the communications network, the communications dataserver, and the receiving party'"'"'s communications device, the timed ring suppression application generating a timed ring suppression signal, the timed ring suppression signal for silencing subsequent audible alerts of the incoming communications signal according to the timed ring suppression profile

wherein the timing parameter ranges from approximately one second to approximately two minutes.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications network comprises at least one of a public switched telephone network, a mobile switching telephone communications network, and a satellite communications network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiving party'"'"'s communications device comprises at least one of the following:

a POTS phone,

a wireless communications device,

a mobile phone,

a wireless phone,

a WAP phone,

a satellite phone

a computer,

a modem,

a pager,

a digital music device,

a digital recording device,

a personal digital assistant,

an interactive television,

a digital signal processor, and

a Global Positioning System device.

4. The system of claim 1, the communications network further comprising a data network having a timed ring suppression interface via at least one of an internet, an intranet, or an extranet.

5. The system of claim 1, the communications network further comprising a speech-to-text interface with the timed ring suppression application, the speech-to-text interface operable to configure an audio format of timed ring suppression parameters for the timed ring suppression profile to a text format of timed ring suppression parameters for the timed ring suppression profile.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the communications dataserver facilitates timed ring suppression services comprising at least one of (i) billing for communication of the timed ring suppression signal over the communications network, (ii) a schedule parameter that enables timed ring suppression for times of day and days of week, (iii) a deactivate schedule parameter that disables timed ring suppression for times of day and days of week, (iv) an identification and authentication parameter associated with the receiving party communications device, (v) memory services for data stored with timed ring suppression signals, and. (vi) configuration and formatting preferences for each receiving party communications device communicating with the communications network.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifier of timed ring suppression reference data comprises at least one of (i) a telephone number, (ii) a directory name, (iii) a date/time identifier, (iv) a geographical identifier, and (v) a caller control signal.

8. The system of claim 7, the timed ring suppression reference data is associated with at least one of the incoming communications signal and an outgoing communications signal.

9. A timed ring suppression system, comprising:

a first switch communicating with a calling party communications device, the calling party communications device transmitting an incoming communications signal to a communications network,

the communications network operable to process an incoming line identification (ICLID) signal of the incoming communications signal to generate a timed ring suppression signal and operable to transmit the incoming communications signal and the timed ring suppression signal to a second switch; and

a second switch communicating at least one of the incoming communications signal and the timed ring suppression signal to a receiving party communications device, the second switch processing the timed ring suppression signal to suppress a ringer of the receiving party communications device after the receiving party communications device activates the ringer to produce an initial audible alert of the incoming communications signal such that subsequent audible alerts of the incoming communications signal are silenced according to a timing parameter.

10. A timed ring suppression system, comprising:

a telecommunications server for processing an incoming communication, the incoming communication from a calling telephone number to a called telephone number associated with a receiving party'"'"'s communications device, the incoming communication comprising an incoming line identification (ICLID) signal, the telecommunications server also processing a timed ring suppression signal for the called telephone number, the timed ring suppression signal for suppressing a ringer of the receiving party'"'"'s communications device after the receiving party'"'"'s communications device activates the ringer to produce an initial audible alert of the telephone call such that subsequent audible alerts are silenced according to a timing parameter.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the timing parameter ranges from approximately one second to approximately two minutes.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the timing parameter is greater than two minutes.

13. A method for timed ring suppression, comprising the steps of:

processing a communications signal, the communications signal from a calling party communications device to a receiving party communications device;

associating an incoming line identification (ICLID) signal with the communications signal;

associating a timed ring suppression profile with the ICLID signal, the timed ring suppression profile comprising at least one of (i) an identifier of a calling party, (ii) a communications address, (iii) an identifier of a calling party'"'"'s communications device, (iv) a timing parameter for suppressing a ringer of a communications device after the communications device receives the incoming communications signal and after the communications device activates the ringer to produce an initial audible alert; and

generating a timed ring suppression signal, the timed ring suppression signal operable to silence subsequent audible alerts of the incoming communication according to the timing parameter, the timed ring suppression signal further operable to reactivate the ringer to produce subsequent unsuppressed audible alerts according to the timing parameter.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

communicating at least one of the communications signal and the timed ring suppression signal to the receiving party communications device;

allowing the ringer of the communications device to produce an initial audible alert; and

suppressing subsequent audible alerts of the ringer according to the timing parameter.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:

presenting data associated with at least one of the communications signal and the timed ring suppression signal to the communications device.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of generating the timed ring suppression signal comprises generating the timed ring suppression signal according to the timing parameter, the timing parameter ranging from approximately one second to approximately two minutes.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of generating the timed ring suppression signal comprises generating the timed ring suppression signal according to the timing parameter, the timing parameter greater than two minutes.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:

reactivating the ringer to produce subsequent unsuppressed audible alerts of the ringer according to the timing parameter.

19. A communications method, comprising the steps of:

receiving an incoming communications signal from a calling party'"'"'s communications device to a communications network, the communications network comprising a database of one or more timed ring suppression profiles; and

using the incoming communications signal and a timed ring suppression profile to generate a timed ring suppression signal, the timed ring suppression signal comprising (i) an identifier of timed ring suppression reference data and (ii) a timing parameter for suppressing an incoming communications indicator of the receiving party communications device after the receiving party communications device activates the incoming communications indicator to produce an alert of the incoming communications signal,

wherein the identifier of timed ring suppression reference data comprises at least one of (i) a telephone number, (ii) a directory name, (iii) a date/time identifier, (iv) a geographical identifier, and (v) a caller control signal and wherein the incoming communications indicator comprises at least one of (i) an audible indicator, (ii) a vibrator, (iii) a visual indicator, and (iv) a sensory indicator.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of:

communicating at least one of the incoming communications signal and the timed ring suppression signal to a receiving party'"'"'s communications device.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of:

using the timed ring suppression signal to silence subsequent alerts of the incoming communications signal according to the timing parameter, the timing parameter ranging from approximately one second to greater than one second.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising the step of:

using the timed ring suppression signal to reactivate the incoming communications indicator to produce subsequent unsuppressed alerts according to the timing parameter.