Method, system, and storage medium for providing comprehensive originator identification services

• US 7,623,849 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2003
• Issued: 11/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zellner, Samuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHEDRICK, CHARLES TERRELL
• Application Number:
  US10/713,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20050107074A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,203 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 455/415, 455/412, 379/142.04, 379/142.01, 379/142.02, 379/142.06
• US Class Current: 455/415
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72

Abstract

Embodiments relate to a method, system, and storage medium for transmitting enhanced originator information over a communications network. The method includes receiving information elements selected by an originator terminal from a database. The information elements retrieved are based upon a service plan and/or a terminal capability associated with a recipient terminal. The method also includes transmitting a communication including the information elements to the recipient terminal prior to establishing a communications session with the recipient terminal. The transmission is conducted over at least one of: an Internet Protocol network, a public switched telephone network, a wireless local area network, a wireless network, a cable network, a fiber optic network, a video network, and a satellite network.

Claims

1. A method for selecting enhanced originator information for transmission over a communications network, the method comprising:

retrieving a service profile for a recipient terminal from a service profile database in response to initiation of a communication by an originator terminal to the recipient terminal, the service profile retrieved using a recipient terminal address in the communication initiation, the service profile specifying a service plan and a terminal capability of the recipient terminal to retrieve the enhanced originator information from the originator terminal;

processing the service profile to determine types of information elements that the recipient terminal receives to perform an enhanced originator identification of the originator terminal;

selecting multiple information elements associated with the originator terminal by retrieving the multiple information elements from a network database based upon the service plan and the terminal capability of the recipient terminal; and

transmitting a communication including the multiple information elements to the recipient terminal prior to establishing a communications session with the recipient terminal;

wherein the service plan includes options including controlling presentation of the communication on the recipient terminal by screening the multiple information elements in the communication based upon at least one of content or format of the multiple information elements, the screening performed based upon criteria configured by a user of the recipient terminal, the screening including;

preventing an incoming call, in which a caller has information elements that have been blocked by the recipient pursuant to the service profile, from the recipient terminal; and

forwarding a call that includes a video file as the information elements to a cellular telephone;

wherein the information elements include advertising material and at least one of;

a font and character style specification for displaying the advertising material in accordance with the terminal capability;

a logo;

audio;

multi-media;

animation;

VPIM;

a uniform resource locator;

video; and

an alerting tone.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the terminal capability relates to at least one of a:

terminal device type including at least one of;

a personal computer;

a network computer;

a wireless mobile telephone;

a wireless mobile computer device;

a facsimile;

a network appliance; and

a wireline telephone; and

terminal device technology features including at least one of;

a binary-based caller identification feature; and

graphical features.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication comprises at least one of:

voice;

data;

video;

messaging;

instant messaging; and

paging.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication including the multiple information elements is generated by the communications network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications network includes at least one of:

a circuit-switched network;

a packet-switched network;

a wireless network;

an asynchronous transfer mode network; and

a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the service plans are stored in the service profile database, the plans stored in a dual format operable for accommodating both graphically-enabled caller identification devices and caller identification devices that are not graphically enabled.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting is conducted over at least one of:

an Internet Protocol network;

a public switched telephone network;

a wireless local area network;

a wireless network;

a cable network;

a fiber optic network;

a peer-to-peer network;

a video network; and

a satellite network.

7. A storage medium including machine-readable computer program code for transmitting enhanced originator information over a communications network, the storage medium including instructions for causing a server to implement a method comprising:

retrieving a service profile for a recipient terminal from a service profile database in response to initiation of a communication by an originator terminal to the recipient terminal, the service profile retrieved using a recipient terminal address in the communication initiation, the service profile specifying a service plan and a terminal capability of the recipient terminal;

selecting multiple information elements associated with the originator terminal from a network database by retrieving the multiple information elements based upon the service plan and the terminal capability of the recipient terminal;

providing an identification of the originator terminal based on information elements that the recipient terminal receives based on the service profile, the identification being associated with an enhanced identification communication; and

transmitting the enhanced identification communication including the multiple information elements to the recipient terminal prior to establishing a communications session with the recipient terminal;

wherein the service plan includes options including controlling presentation of the communication on the recipient terminal by screening the multiple information elements in the communication based upon at least one of content or format of the multiple information elements, the screening performed based upon criteria configured by a user of the recipient terminal, the screening including;

preventing an incoming call, in which a caller has information elements that have been blocked by the recipient pursuant to the service profile, from the recipient terminal; and

forwarding a call that includes a video file as the information elements to a cellular telephone;

wherein the information elements include advertising material and at least one of;

a font and character style specification for displaying the advertising material in accordance with the terminal capability;

a logo;

an image;

audio;

multi-media;

animation;

VPIM;

a uniform resource locator;

video; and

an alerting tone.

8. The storage medium of claim 7, wherein the terminal capability relates to at least one of a:

terminal device type including at least one of;

a personal computer;

a network computer;

a wireless mobile telephone;

a wireless mobile computer device;

a facsimile;

a network appliance; and

a wireline telephone; and

terminal device technology features including at least one of;

a binary-based caller identification feature; and

graphical features.

9. The storage medium of claim 7, wherein the communication comprises at least one of:

voice;

data;

video;

messaging;

instant messaging; and

paging.

10. The storage medium of claim 7, wherein the communication including the multiple information elements is generated by the communications network.

11. The storage medium of claim 7, wherein the communications network includes at least one of:

a circuit-switched network;

a packet-switched network;

a wireless network;

an asynchronous transfer mode network; and

a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network.

12. The storage medium of claim 7, wherein the service plans are stored in the service profile database, the plans stored in a dual format operable for accommodating both graphically-enabled caller identification devices and caller identification devices that are not graphically enabled.

18. The storage medium of claim 7, wherein the transmitting is conducted over at least one of:

an Internet Protocol network;

a public switched telephone network;

a wireless local area network;

a wireless network;

a cable network;

a fiber optic network;

a peer-to-peer network;

a video network; and

a satellite network.

13. A system for transmitting enhanced originator information over a communications network comprising:

a caller identification-enabled recipient terminal, the recipient terminal operating over a communications network via a service provider;

an originator terminal operating over a communications network via a service provider;

a network-based originator communications information database;

a service profile database for the originator terminal to retrieve a service profile of the recipient terminal to determine types of information elements representing enhanced originator information identifying the originator terminal, which the recipient terminal receives; and

an originator identification system executed by the communications network, the originator identification system performing;

retrieving a service profile for the recipient terminal from the service profile database in response to initiation of a communication by the originator terminal to the recipient terminal, the service profile retrieved using a recipient terminal address in the communication initiation, the service profile specifying a service plan and a terminal capability of the recipient terminal;

selecting multiple information elements associated with the originator terminal from the network-based originator communications information database by retrieving the multiple information elements based upon the service plan and the terminal capability of the recipient terminal; and

transmitting a communication including the multiple information elements to the recipient terminal prior to establishing a communications session with the recipient terminal;

wherein the service plan includes options including controlling presentation of the communication on the recipient terminal by screening the multiple information elements in the communication based upon at least one of content or format of the multiple information elements, the screening performed based upon criteria configured by a user of the recipient terminal, the screening including;

preventing an incoming call, in which a caller has information elements that have been blocked by the recipient pursuant to the service profile, from the recipient terminal; and

forwarding a call that includes a video file as the information elements to a cellular telephone;

wherein the information elements include advertising material and at least one of;

a font and character style specification for displaying the advertising material in accordance with the terminal capability;

a logo;

an image;

audio;

multi-media;

animation;

VPIM;

a uniform resource locator;

video; and

an alerting tone.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the service profile database stores service plans and terminal capabilities, the terminal capabilities relating to at least one of a:

terminal device type including at least one of;

a personal computer;

a network computer;

a wireless mobile telephone;

a wireless mobile computer device;

a facsimile;

a network appliance; and

a wireline telephone; and

terminal device technology features including at least one of;

a binary-based caller identification feature; and

graphical features.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the communication comprises at least one of:

voice;

data;

video;

messaging;

instant messaging; and

paging.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the communications network includes at least one of:

a circuit-switched network;

a packet-switched network;

a wireless network;

an asynchronous transfer mode network; and

a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) network.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the transmitting is conducted over at least one of:

an Internet Protocol network;

a public switched telephone network;

a wireless local area network;

a wireless network;

a cable network;

a fiber optic network;

a peer-to-peer network;

a video network; and

a satellite network.