Methods and apparatus for providing communications to telecommunications terminals

• US 5,943,399 A
• Filed: 09/25/1996
• Issued: 08/24/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Fink, Bradley A., Edwards, Russell A., Govindarajan, Rangaprasad, Bannister, Cecil H.
• Primary Examiner(s): WOLFE JR, WILLIS RAY
• Application Number:
  US08/718,746
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412, 455/413, 455/414, 455/560, 455/466, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/88.25, 379/142, 379/196, 379/201, 379/211, 370/493, 370/494, 370/495, 370/522
• US Class Current: 379/88.17
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/20 hybrid systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0009 where voice calls remain entirely in the telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal

Abstract

In methods and apparatus for providing communications to a telecommunications terminal, a request for a page of data is received at a data service node, the request specifying at least one particular terminal. A terminal status request is sent from the data service node to a communications system which serves the particular terminal, the terminal status request specifying the particular terminal. The data service node receives from the communications system a terminal status message containing information indicating a current status of the particular terminal. The data service node sends to the data terminal a page of data indicating the current status of the particular terminal. The page of data comprises a communications request icon when the particular terminal is in a state in which it can communications. Upon selection of the communications request icon at the data terminal, the data service node receives a communications request specifying another telecommunications terminal, and sends to the communications system a communications origination request to originate communications between the particular terminal and the other terminal. The particular terminal may be a mobile voice terminal having a display and being served by a wireless communications system. The page of data may include both a voice call request icon for initiating a voice call to the particular terminal, and a short message request icon for sending a short message to be displayed at the particular terminal.

Claims

1. A method for providing communications to a telecommuncations terminal, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a page of data from a data terminal connected to a data network at a data service node of the data network, the request specifying at least one particular telecommunications terminal;

sending a terminal status request from the data service node to a communications system which serves the particular telecommunications terminal, the terminal status request specifying the particular telecommunications terminal;

receiving from the communications system at the data service node a terminal status message containing information indicating a current status of the particular telecommunications terminal;

sending from the data service node to the data terminal a page of data indicating the current status of the particular telecommunications terminal, the page of data comprising at least one icon when the particular telecommunications terminal is in a state in which it can receive communications;

upon selection of the icon, receiving at the data service node a communications request specifying the particular telecommunications terminal and another telecommunications terminal, and sending from the data service node to the communications system a communications origination request to originate communications between the particular telecommunications terminal and the other telecommunications terminal.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the particular telecommunications terminal is a mobile voice terminal having a display for displaying alphanumeric information;

the communications system is a wireless communications system;

the page of data comprises a voice call request icon when the particular telecommunications terminal is in a state in which it can receive a voice call;

the page of data comprises a short message request icon, the short message request icon comprising a data entry field for entry of a text message;

upon selection of the voice call request icon at the data terminal, the data service node receives a voice call request comprising a voice terminal identifier and sends from the data service node to the communications system a voice call origination request to originate a voice call between a voice terminal specified by the voice terminal identifier and the particular telecommunications terminal; and

upon selection of the short message request icon at the data terminal, the data service node receives a short message request comprising a short message and sends from the data service node to the communications system a short text message for delivery to and display at the particular telecommunications terminal.

3. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein:

the short message request icon further comprises a plurality of numbered menu item data entry fields for entry of short message reply alternatives;

the short message request further comprises any text entered into the numbered menu item data entry fields;

the data service node sends to the communications system any text entered in the numbered menu item data entry fields for display at the particular telecommunications terminal as numbered menu items;

the data service node receives from the communications system a short message response comprising a dialled digit corresponding to one of the numbered menu items; and

the data service node sends another page of data to the data terminal, the other page of data specifying the numbered menu item corresponding to the dialled digit.

4. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein:

the data service node stores predefined replies, each predefined reply being associated with a respective character string;

the data service node receives from the communications system a short message response comprising a character string associated with a selected one of the predefined replies; and

the data service node sends another page of data to the data terminal, the other page of data comprising text corresponding to the selected predefined reply.

5. A method as defined in claim 4, wherein:

the data service node stores sets of predefined replies, each set of predefined replies being associated with a respective user identifier and each predefined reply being associated with a respective character string;

the data service node receives from the communications system a short message response comprising a user identifier and a character string associated with a selected one of the predefined replies in the set of predefined replies associated with the received user identifier; and

the data service node sends another page of data to the data terminal, the other page of data comprising text corresponding to the selected predefined reply.

6. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein:

the communications system stores predefined replies;

the data service node receives from the wireless communications system a short message response comprising text of a selected predefined reply; and

the data service node sends another page of data to the data terminal, the other page of data comprising the text of the selected predefined reply.

7. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein:

the data service node receives from the communications system a short message response comprising text; and

the data service node sends another page of data to the data terminal, the other page of data comprising the text received from the communications system.

8. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein:

the data service node stores predefined replies, each predefined reply being associated with a respective character string;

the data service node receives from the communications system a short message response comprising a character string;

when the character string corresponds to a selected predefined reply, the data service node sends another page of data to the data terminal, the other page of data comprising text of the selected predefined reply; and

when the character string does not correspond to any of the predefined replies, the data service node sends another page of data to the data terminal, the other page of data comprising the character string received from the wireless communications system.

9. A method as defined in claim 8, wherein:

the data service node stores sets of predefined replies, each set of predefined replies being associated with a respective user identifier and each predefined reply being associated with a respective character string;

the data service node receives from the communications system a short message response comprising a user identifier and a character string;

when the character string corresponds to a selected predefined reply of the set of predefined replies associated with the user identifier, the data service node sends another page of data to the data terminal, the other page of data comprising text of the selected predefined reply; and

when the character string does not correspond to any of the predefined replies of the set of predefined replies associated with the user identifier, the data service node sends another page of data to the data terminal, the other page of data comprising the character string received from the wireless communications system.

10. A method as defined in claim 2, wherein the voice call request icon and the short message request icon are respective selectable lines of text.

11. A data service node for providing communications to a telecommunications terminal, the data service node comprising a processor and a memory storing instructions for execution by the processor and being connected to a data network, the data service node being operable according to the instructions:

to receive a request for a page of data from a data terminal connected to a data network, the request specifying at least one particular telecommunications terminal;

to send a terminal status request to a communications system which serves the telecommunications terminal, the mobile terminal status request specifying the particular telecommuncations terminal;

to receive from the communications system a terminal status message containing information indicating a current status of the particular telecommunications terminal;

to send to the data terminal a page of data indicating the current status of the particular telecommuncations terminal, the page of data comprising at least one communications request icon when the particular telecommunications terminal is in a state in which it can receive communications; and

upon selection of the voice call request icon at the data terminal, to receive a communications request specifying another telecommunications terminal, and to send to the communications system a communications origination request to originate communications between the particular telecommunications terminal and the other telecommunications terminal.

12. A data service node as defined in claim 11, wherein:

the page of data comprises a voice call request icon when the particular telecommunications terminal is a mobile voice terminal which is in a state in which it can receive a voice call;

the page of data comprises a short message request icon when the particular telecommunications terminal is a mobile voice terminal having a display, the short message request icon comprising a data entry field for entry of a text message;

upon selection of the voice call request icon at the data terminal, the data service node receives a voice call request comprising a voice terminal identifier and to the communications system a voice call origination request to originate a voice call between a voice terminal specified by the voice terminal identifier and the particular telecommunications terminal; and

upon selection of the short message request icon at the data terminal, the data service node receives a short message request comprising a short message and sends a short text message for delivery to and display at the particular telecommunications terminal.

13. A data service node as defined in claim 12, wherein:

the short message request icon further comprises a plurality of numbered menu item data entry fields for entry of short message reply alternatives;

the short message request further comprises any text entered into the numbered menu item data entry fields;

the data service node is operable according to the instructions stored in the memory to send to the communications system any text entered in the numbered menu item data entry fields for display at the particular telecommunications terminal as numbered menu items;

the data service node is operable according to the instructions stored in the memory to receive from the communications system a short message reply comprising a dialled digit corresponding to one of the numbered menu items; and

the data service node is operable according to the instructions stored in the memory to send another page of data to the data terminal, the other page of data specifying the numbered menu item corresponding to the dialled digit.

14. A data service node as defined in claim 12, further comprising a memory for storing predefined responses, each predefined response being associated with a character string, the data service node being operable to receive from the communications system a short message response comprising a character string corresponding to a selected one of the predefined responses and to send another page of data to the data terminal, the other page of data comprising text corresponding to the selected predefined response.

15. A data service node as defined in claim 12, operable to receive from the communications system a short message response comprising text, and to send another page of data to the data terminal, the other page of data comprising the received text.

16. A data service node as defined in claim 12, further comprising a memory for storing predefined replies, each predefined reply being associated with a respective character string, the data service node being operable to receive from the communications system short message responses comprising character strings and:

when a received character string corresponds to a selected predefined reply, to send another page of data to the data terminal, the other page of data comprising text of the selected predefined reply;

when a received character string does not correspond to any of the character strings associated with the predefined replies, to send another page of data to the data terminal, the other page of data comprising the character string received from the communications system.

17. A data service node as defined in claim 16, wherein:

the data service node is operable to store sets of predefined replies, each set of predefined replies being associated with a respective user identifier and each predefined reply being associated with a respective character string;

the data service node is operable to receive from the communications system a short message response comprising a user identifier and a character string;

when a received character string corresponds to a selected predefined reply of the set of predefined replies associated with the user identifier, the data service node is operable to send another page of data to the data terminal, the other page of data comprising text of the selected predefined reply; and

when a received character string does not correspond to any of the predefined replies of the set of predefined replies associated with the user identifier, the data service node is operable to send another page of data to the data terminal, the other page of data comprising the character string received from the communications system.

18. A data service node as defined in claim 12, operable to send pages of data to data terminals, the pages comprising voice call request icons and short message request icons, the voice call request icons and the short message request icons being respective selectable lines of text.