System and method for providing visual indication of caller and telephony platform information on customer premises equipment

• US 7,466,802 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2005
• Issued: 12/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vlasek, Paul H., Woods, Thomas Steven, Lew, Gavin Sueo, Roney, Crystal
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahee; S
• Application Number:
  US11/136,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20050281394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142.07, 379/265.09, 379/201.07, 379/212.01, 379/230, 379/88.12, 379/265.03, 379/88.11, 379/88.19, 379/88.2, 379/88.21, 379/93.35, 379/142.01, 379/142.04, 379/142.08, 379/142.1, 379/144.07, 379/215.01, 4554121-413, 455/415
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/247 Telephone sets including user guidance or feature selection means facilitating their use user interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2478 Telephone terminals specially adapted for non-voice services, e.g. email, internet access centralized arrangements where telephones services are combined H04M7/0024; for recording text messages H04M3/5322; for accessing Internet H04M3/4938
• 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 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/1309 Apparatus individually associated with a subscriber line, line circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13376 Information service, downloading of information, 0800/0900 services
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13377 Recorded announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

A system and method for receiving information regarding a telephony platform and for retrieving the object of the services provided by the telephony platform corresponding to the information received. Customer premises equipment is connected to the general switched telephone network and to a supplemental service network via a central office switch. A telephony platform is connected to the general switched telephone network for providing accessory services such as voice mail, electronic mail and facsimile services. An event identifier is generated to identify a calling event. The event identifier may be attached to a message having caller identifier information. The event identifier is used if the caller is transferred to voice mail. If a voice mail message is left, an information indicator is attached to another caller identifier message that is maintained for display on the customer premises equipment to allow the user to determine which callers left messages.

Claims

1. A method for providing information via a messaging service operative on a telephony network, the method comprising:

receiving a call notification at a supplemental service network configured to provide the messaging service, the call notification comprising calling party information and called party information;

generating an event record at the supplemental service network in response to the call notification, the event record comprising the calling party information, the called party information and a first event identifier;

transmitting a first event message to a called party customer premises equipment (CPE) configured for cooperation with the telephony network and associated with the called party information, the first event message comprising at least a portion of the calling party information;

receiving accessory event information of the call at the supplemental service network from an accessory telephone service;

generating a second event message that supplements the first event message, wherein the second event message comprises at least a portion of the calling party information and an information indicator; and

transmitting the second event message to the called party CPE.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining if the accessory event information relates to the first event identifier.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the second event message further comprises generating the second event message if the accessory event information relates to the first event identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the calling party information comprises a telephone number and a name of the calling party.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the called party information comprises a telephone number of the called party.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if a customer information database in the supplemental service network contains supplemental service instructions for the called party.

7. A supplemental service network for supporting a messaging service in communication with a telephony network, the supplemental service network comprising:

an input configured for cooperation with a telephony network, the input configured for communicating with a switch;

a customer information database;

an event processor configured for cooperation with the messaging service, the event processor in communication with the customer information database and the input, the event processor comprising instructions for executing the steps of;

generating an event record in response to receipt of a call notification of a call to a customer via the input and storing the event record in the customer information database;

transmitting a first event message to a customer premises equipment (CPE) of the customer, the first event message comprising information regarding a calling party for the call to the customer;

receiving accessory event information of the call from an accessory telephone service and determining if the accessory event information relates to the call to the customer; and

transmitting a second event message to the CPE of the customer if the accessory event information relates to the call for supplementing the first event message, and comprises an identification of the calling party and an information indicator.

8. The supplemental service network of claim 7, wherein the customer information database comprises supplemental service instructions associated with the customer.

9. The supplemental service network of claim 7, wherein the event record comprises an event identifier for identifying a telecommunications event.

10. The supplemental service network of claim 9, wherein the event identifier comprises one of a number or a string of alphanumeric characters.

11. The supplemental service network of claim 7, wherein the accessory telephone service comprises a voicemail service and the accessory event information comprises an indication that a voicemail message has been left for the customer.

12. The supplemental service network of claim 11, wherein the information indicator of the second event message comprises information for generating a visual indicator at the CPE of the customer.

13. The supplemental service network of claim 7, wherein the second event message comprises the information indicator appended as a suffix to the identification of the calling party.

14. The supplemental service network of claim 7, wherein the second event message comprises the information indicator appended as a prefix to the identification of the calling party.

15. The supplemental service network of claim 7, wherein the information indicator comprises a symbol, a mark, or an alphanumeric character.

16. The supplemental service network of claim 7, wherein the supplemental service network comprises an advanced intelligent network (AIN) and wherein the switch comprises a central office switch.

17. A supplemental service network for supporting a messaging service in a telephony network, the supplemental service network comprising:

means for receiving a call notification, the call notification comprising calling party information and called party information;

means for generating, at the messaging service, an event record in response to the call notification, the event record comprising the calling party information, the called party information and a first event identifier;

means for transmitting a first event message to a called party customer premises equipment (CPE) associated with the called party information, the first event message comprising at least a portion of the calling party information;

means for receiving accessory event information of the call from an accessory telephone service and determining if the accessory event information relates to the first event identifier;

means for generating a second event message if the accessory event information relates to the first event identifier, wherein the second event message that supplements the first event message and comprises the identification of the calling party and an information indicator; and

means for transmitting, via the telephony network, the second event message to the called party.

18. The supplemental service network of claim 17, wherein the accessory telephone service comprises a voicemail service and the accessory event information comprises an indication that a voicemail message has been left for the called party.

19. The supplemental service network of claim 18, wherein the means for generating a second event identifier comprises means for generating information for display of a visual indicator at the called party CPE.

20. The supplemental service network of claim 17, wherein the information indicator comprises an indication of a type of message in the accessory telephony service.