Method for providing particularized audible alerts

• US 9,544,446 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2014
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Somatek
• Original Assignee: Somatek
• Inventors: Fitchmun, Mark I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US14/309,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20140301544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 936 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/88.04, 379/142.01, 379/418, 379/88.02, 379/88.03, 379/88.21, 379/142.15, 379/215.01, 379/373.01, 379/374.01, 379/88.18, 379/88.19, 379/201.03, 379/207.11, 379/373.02, 704/223, 704/275, 704/221, 348/14.1, 455/415, 463/43
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/021 Mobile ringtone, i.e. generation, transmission, conversion or downloading of ringing tones or other sounds for mobile telephony; Special musical data formats or protocols herefor mobile telephone transmission specifically adapted for electrophonic musical tools or instruments G10H2240/251
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42051 where the notification is included in the ringing tone
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication

Abstract

A system and method of generating at least two distinctive auditory alerts upon receiving a transmission or telephone call at a device is described. Data indicative of a first plurality of sounds corresponding to a user of a device configured to receive the transmission or telephone call is accessed, such as from a memory. The first plurality of sounds is played at the device so as to identify a received transmission or telephone call being directed to the user. A telephone number, subscriber name or identifier associated with a transmitting or calling party of the transmission or telephone call is accessed. Data indicative of a second plurality of sounds designating the transmitting or calling party based on the subscriber name, telephone number or identifier is retrieved, such as from a data structure, and the second plurality of sounds is played at the device so as to identify the transmitting or calling party.

Claims

1. A method of generating a distinctive auditory alert upon receiving a telephone call at a device corresponding to a called party, the method comprising:

accessing an identifier associated with a calling party of a telephone call;

retrieving data indicative of a plurality of sounds designating the calling party based on the identifier; and

playing the plurality of sounds at the device so as to identify the calling party to the called party, wherein the plurality of sounds are based on phonemes representative of the identifier and associated with the calling party, and wherein the sounds correspond to one of an instrument, ringing, chirping, buzzing and sound of an animal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sounds corresponds to multiple instruments, and wherein the sounds of the multiple instruments overlap at times.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed exclusively at the device corresponding to the called party.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a particular sound is selectable by the called party.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the device corresponding to the called party comprises a wireless communication device.

6. A method of generating a distinctive auditory alert upon receiving a telephone call at a device of a called party, the method comprising:

accessing an identifier associated with a calling party of a telephone call;

retrieving data indicative of a plurality of sounds designating the calling party based on the identifier; and

playing the plurality of sounds at the device so as to identify the calling party for a user, wherein the plurality of sounds are based on processing a sequence of phonemes based on the identifier of the calling party.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein retrieving comprises indexing a data structure based on the identifier, wherein the identifier comprises a caller number identification, an automatic number identification, a calling party'"'"'s telephone number or subscriber name.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein retrieving comprises applying a transformation based on the identifier.

9. The method of claim 7, additionally comprising automatically assigning a particular plurality of sounds corresponding to the calling party.

10. The method of claim 9, additionally comprising storing the assigned particular plurality of sounds and the corresponding identifier of the calling party in the data structure.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein a sequence of the plurality of sounds is unique for each calling party.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of sounds corresponds to one instrument.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of sounds corresponds to multiple instruments, and wherein the sounds of the multiple instruments overlap at times.

14. The method of claim 10, in a subsequent telephone call to the device from a calling party that has previously called the device, additionally comprising:

indexing the data structure based on the identifier of the calling party to retrieve the assigned particular plurality of sounds designating the calling party; and

playing the plurality of sounds in a sequence at the device so as to identify the calling party.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of sounds corresponds to one of ringing, chirping and buzzing.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of sounds corresponds to a sound of an animal.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of sounds corresponds to a synthetic voice.

18. The method of claim 6, wherein the method is performed exclusively at the device of the called party.

19. The method of claim 6, wherein a particular sound is selectable by the called party.

20. The method of claim 6, wherein the device of the called party comprises a wireless communication device.