Location ID service for telephone calls

• US 7,362,851 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2001
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: At&T Delaware Intellectual Property, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Contractor, Sunil H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, KAREN L
• Application Number:
  US09/996,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20020118812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,337 Days
• Field of Search: 379/221.08, 379/221.09, 379/221.1, 379/221.12, 379/207.12
• US Class Current: 379/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking

Abstract

A system for providing location ID services for telephone calls transfers location data describing the location of the calling device to the called device. Rather than or in addition to providing the name and telephone number as is done through the conventional caller ID service, the location of the calling device is displayed by the called device including the zip code, the longitude and latitude planar coordinates, or the street address. Existing advanced intelligent network infrastructure may be adapted to provide the location ID service, such as by providing location data queries from a signal switching point to a signal control point. The signal control point has access to a CNAM database containing location ID data fields in addition to conventional caller ID data.

Claims

1. A method of providing location information of a calling device to a called device, comprising:

receiving into a terminating signal switching point a call trigger emanating from the calling device;

detecting from the call trigger at the terminating signal switching point an identifier of the called device;

receiving a privacy indicator from an originating signal switching point;

detecting from the call trigger at the terminating signal switching point whether the privacy indicator is provided from the calling device;

when it is detected that the privacy indicator is not provided from the calling device, detecting from the identifier of the called device whether to deliver location information of the calling device to the called device;

when it is detected that location information of the calling device is to be delivered to the called device, generating a query from the terminating signal switching point to a signal transfer point, the query containing an identifier of the calling device;

delivering the query from the signal transfer point to a signal control point;

accessing location information associated with the identifier of the calling device from a database linked to the signal control point, wherein the location information is encoded in binary coded decimal format wherein each decimal digit in the location information is represented by a nibble;

delivering the location information from the signal control point to the terminating signal switching point through the signal transfer point;

determining if the called device comprises one of the following;

a standard caller ID device and a computer terminal;

when the called device comprises the standard caller ID device, determining a number of characters displayable on the standard caller ID device;

adapting, based on the determined number of characters displayable on the display on the called device, the location information to fit in a display of the standard caller ID device;

when the called device comprises the computer terminal, employing geographic informational system software to provide detailed routing information to the location of the calling party; and

providing the location information from the terminating signal switching point to mapping software within the called device for displaying the location of the calling party.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information is a zip code where the calling device is located.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information is planar coordinates for a location of the calling device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the call trigger comprises a dialed number corresponding to the called device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the call trigger from the calling device at the originating signal switching point; and

transmitting the call trigger and identifier of the calling device from the originating signal switching point to the terminating signal switching point that generates the query.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting whether the privacy indicator is appropriate by at least one of the following:

referring local service tables and querying an appropriate signal control point with knowledge of the calling party'"'"'s services.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the location information comprises providing the location information comprising planar coordinate data of the called party when the number of characters displayable on the display is greater than or equal to a number of characters comprising the location information comprising the planar coordinate data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the location information comprises providing the location information comprising a zip code corresponding to the called party when the number of characters displayable on the display is greater than or equal to a number of characters comprising the location information comprising the zip code corresponding to the called party.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the location information comprises providing the location information comprising a street address corresponding to the called party when the number of characters displayable on the display is greater than or equal to a number of characters comprising the street address corresponding to the called party.

10. A system for providing location information of a calling device to a called device, comprising:

a terminating signal switching point configured to receive a call trigger emanating from the calling device, produce a query for location information where the query contains an identifier of the calling device, and provide the location information to the called device wherein the terminating signal switching point is further configured to receive a privacy indicator from an originating signal switching point;

a database containing location information indexed by identifiers of calling devices, wherein the location information comprises one of a zip code and planar coordinates encoded in a binary coded decimal format wherein each decimal number of the location information is represented by a nibble;

a signal control point configured to access location information from the database upon receipt of the query for location information; and

a signal transfer point configured to deliver the query from the terminating signal switching point to the signal control point and deliver the location information from the signal control point to the terminating signal switching point, wherein the terminating signal switching point is configured to;

determine if the called device comprises one of the following;

a standard caller ID device and a computer terminal,

when the called device comprises the standard caller ID device, determine a number of characters displayable on a display on the standard caller ID device and adapt, based on the determined number of characters displayable on the display on the standard caller ID device, the location information to fit in the display of the called device,

when the called device comprises the computer terminal, employing geographic informational system software to provide detailed routing information to the location of the calling party.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the terminating signal switching point is further configured to detect an identifier of the called device from the call trigger and detect from the identifier of the called device whether to deliver the query to the signal transfer point.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the terminating signal switching point is further configured to detect whether the privacy indicator is provided from the calling device and generate the query when the privacy indicator has not been provided.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the call trigger comprises a dialed number corresponding to the called device.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the terminating signal switching point is further configured to detect whether the privacy indicator is appropriate by at least one of the following:

referring local service tables and querying an appropriate signal control point with knowledge of a calling party'"'"'s services.

15. A system for providing location information of a calling device to a called device, comprising:

a first signal switching point configured to receive a call trigger emanating from the calling device and transmit the call trigger and an identifier of the calling device;

a second signal switching point configured to receive the call trigger and identifier of the calling device transmitted from the first signal switching point, produce a query for location information where the query contains the identifier of the calling device, and provide the location information to the called device wherein the second signal switching point is further configured to receive a privacy indicator from the first signal switching point;

a database containing location information indexed by identifiers of calling devices, the location information being encoded in a binary coded decimal format wherein each decimal digit in the location information is represented by a nibble;

a signal control point configured to access location information from the database upon receipt of the query for location information; and

a signal transfer point configured to;

deliver the query from the second signal switching point to the signal control point,

deliver the location information from the signal control point to the second signal switching point,

determine if the called device comprises one of the following;

a standard caller ID device and a computer terminal,

when the called device comprises the standard caller ID device, determine a number of characters displayable on a display on the called device and adapt, based on the determined number of characters displayable on the display on the called device, the location information to fit in the display of the called device, and

when the called device comprises the computer terminal, employ geographic informational system software operative to utilize the location information to provide detailed routing directions to the calling party.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the second signal switching point is further configured to detect an identifier of the called device from the call trigger and detect from the identifier of the called device whether to produce the query.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the second signal switching point is further configured to detect whether the privacy indicator is provided from the calling device and produce the query when the privacy indicator has not been provided.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the location information of the database comprises one of a zip code where the calling device is located and a planar coordinate for a location of the calling device.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the call trigger comprises a dialed number corresponding to the called device.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the second signal switching point is further configured to detect whether the privacy indicator is appropriate by at least one of the following:

referring local service tables and querying an appropriate signal control point with knowledge of the calling party'"'"'s services.