System and method for detecting mutually supported capabilities between mobile devices

• US 9,295,029 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2015
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Roundtree, Brian, Russell, Jake A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): DEAN, JR, JOSEPH E
• Application Number:
  US14/810,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20150334679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 239 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A system and method for detecting enhanced services supported by mobile devices is described. In some cases, the system transmits a message to a called device requesting information about the device. In some cases, the transmitted message is answered by a user of the device. In some cases, the transmitted message is automatically received and answered by the called device. In some cases, the system presents information about a service supported by a called party during a call placed to the party.

Claims

1. A method of identifying a service supported by a second mobile device, the method comprising:

at a first mobile device associated with a user, receiving an indication of a voice call placed to a called number for the second mobile device;

transmitting, via the first mobile device, a first message,

wherein the first message is configured to request an identification of services that are supported by the second mobile device;

receiving at the first mobile device a second message that indicates a set of services that are supported by the second mobile device;

determining to display a request for a user selection of a service of the set of services that are supported by the second mobile device,

wherein the determining is based on a number of times the user has previously responded to a similar request for a user selection of a service;

after the determining, receiving from the user a selection of a requested service; and

in response to receiving the selection of the requested service from the user;

initiating a communications channel using the requested service; and

switching communications, between the first mobile device and the second mobile device, to the requested service using the communications channel instead of the voice call.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second message is automatically generated and transmitted to the first mobile device in response to receiving the first message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second message includes information selected by a second user associated with the second mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

querying a database relating numbers for mobile devices with at least one service provided by a corresponding mobile device; and

determining, by the first mobile device and based on results of the query, that the called number is not mapped to any services in the database;

wherein the database is local to the first mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second message that indicates the set of services that are supported by the second mobile device is received prior to receiving the indication of the voice call.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the set services that are supported by the second mobile device has two services;

and

wherein the two services include voice call service and one other service.

7. The method of claim 1,

further comprising determining one or more first device services that are supported by the first mobile device and for which it is determined that there is currently a network connection sufficient to support the one or more first device services;

wherein determining to display the request for the user selection is further based on a comparison of the one or more first device services with the set of services that are supported by the second mobile device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating a database to relate the set of services that are supported by the second mobile device to the called number.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first message and/or second message is a text message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the communications channel includes initiating an interactive application between the first mobile device and the second mobile device using the requested service.

11. The method of claim 1,

further comprising determining one or more first device services that are supported by the first mobile device;

wherein determining to display the request for the user selection is further based on a comparison of the one or more first device services with the set of services that are supported by the second mobile device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of services that are supported by the second mobile device comprise two or more services supported by the second mobile device.

13. A system for enhancing communications between two mobile devices, the system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory coupled to the processor;

a user interface, wherein the user interface is configured to;

receive user input from a user associated with a first mobile device,

wherein the user input indicates a communication service to initiate with a second mobile device;

a network interface configured to;

transmit, from the first mobile device, a first message, wherein the first message is configured to request an identification of services that are supported by the second mobile device; and

receive at the first mobile device a second message that indicates a set of services that are supported by the second mobile device;

a user request module configured to determine whether to display a request for a user selection of a service of the set of services that are supported by the second mobile device,

wherein the user request module performs the determining based on whether the user has previously responded to a similar selection request; and

a display device, coupled to the processor, and configured to display the request for the user selection of the service;

wherein the user interface is further configured to, after the determining to display the request, receive from the user a selection of a requested service; and

wherein the network interface is configured to, in response to receiving the selection of the requested service from the user, initiate a communications channel, between the first mobile device and the second mobile device, and

wherein the network interface uses the requested service instead of the communication service indicated in the user input.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the requested service is a game application.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the second message is received from a database relating phone numbers with services provided by devices associated with the phone numbers.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein determining to display the request is further based on a determination that there is currently a network connection sufficient to support the service.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations for initiating alternate communication services between two mobile devices, the operations comprising:

at a first mobile device, receiving input indicating a first communication service to be initiated with a second mobile device;

transmitting via the first mobile device a first message,

wherein the first message is configured to request an identification of services that are supported by the second mobile device;

receiving at the first mobile device a second message that indicates one or more services that are supported by the second mobile device;

determining whether to initiate alternate communication services using a second communication service of the one or more services that are supported by the second mobile device,

wherein the determining is based on whether a user has previously responded to a request to initiate alternate communication services; and

in response to determining to initiate alternate communication services initiating a communications channel, between the first mobile device and the second mobile device,

wherein the initiated communications channel uses, instead of the first communication service, the second communication service of the one or more services that are supported by the second mobile device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17,

wherein the operations further comprise determining one or more first device services that are supported by the first mobile device and for which it is determined that there is currently a network connection sufficient to support the one or more first device services;

wherein the determining whether to initiate alternate communication services is further based on a comparison of the one or more first device services with the one or more services that are supported by the second mobile device.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise updating a database to relate the one or more services that are supported by the second mobile device to a called number of the second mobile device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein initiating the communications channel includes initiating an interactive application between the first mobile device and the second mobile device using the second communication service.