WO2002035814A2

WO2002035814A2 - Advanced caller identification

Info

Publication number: WO2002035814A2
Application number: PCT/GB2001/004704
Authority: WO
Original assignee: Mcguire, Henry
Priority date: 2000-10-24
Filing date: 2001-10-24
Publication date: 2002-05-02
Also published as: GB2384390B; AU2002210698A1; GB0025973D0; WO2002035814A3; GB2384390A; GB0309145D0

Abstract

A method of advanced caller identification (ACI) wherein a caller selects what information they wish to forward to a receiver. This method allows the caller to provide the receiving party with information regarding the caller"s identity before the call is answered. Therefore, a caller may provide personal details, priority rating, contact details, graphic displays or audible tones or music to the receiving party. Graphic displays may be in the form of logos, adverts or animated graphics. The advanced caller identification (ACI) method is flexible so as to enable it to be incorporated with present and newly developing communication systems including systems that pull information already stored receivers. The system is also designed such that it may be employed by both business and individual users.

Description

Advanced Caller Identification

The present invention relates to the field of telecommunication systems. In particular, it discloses a method whereby a caller forwards selected identification information to a receiver so as to enable the receiving party to identify the nature of the call.

Caller identification service is a facility now commonly used within the area of telecommunications. This term refers to a service that typically displays to the receiver information as to the caller's identity, telephone number (known as Automatic Number Identity or AND, the date when called and the time of the call. It is normal practice that the frequency of this information signal is chosen so as to transfer information to the receiver within the time interval between rings or engaged tones.

Existing products now commonly in use employ either selective ring systems or liquid crystal displays (LCD) so as to provide caller identification information to mobile phones or to landline phones. Further developments have expanded the display of information so as to be relayed to the television or computer screen of the receiver therefore, transferring such information to the living area of ones home. This allows call screening by the receiver without requiring them to have physical contact with the phone. In a further development this process has been taken forward another step such that information can also now be converted to an audible output so that visual contact with even a display or screen is no longer required.

The limitations of much of the prior art caller identification systems are readily apparent. For example, some are limited only to the identification of the calling party number (ANI) . These systems lack in their ability to provide any further information as to the caller's identity and in their ability to include further information that the caller may wish to forward to the receiver. A second failing of these systems is that there is no ability to selectively control the information being relayed to the receiver, such that it is not easy to adapted information transfer from one call to the next.

Where one or more persons use a particular telephone, it is found that present systems are also limited by only being able to provide pre-stored information regarding the phone and not necessarily the individual using it. This may be of particular significance in a commercial field where it would be advantageous if individual users were able to provide information to the receiver regarding their identity without the need for this information to have been pre-stored on the receiver's database.

With the further development of Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) , third generation mobile systems (3G) , Bluetooth and EPOC systems, and other similar digital communication systems the capabilities for information transfer rates and processing by the receiver have significantly increased. It is therefore possible to move away from telecommunication systems that solely employ information "pulling" systems that are limited by the requirement to transfer pre-stored information regarding the caller identification.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for transmitting advanced caller identification (ACI) information that does not require the receiver to have access to a pre-stored database.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method whereby the caller is able to pre-select the information included in the advanced caller identification (ACI) conveyed to the receiver.

According to the present invention there is provided a method for providing advanced caller identification information to a called party's receiver, the method comprising the steps of:

1) Caller selects identification information they wish to send. 2) Caller's phone produces a transmission signal. 3) Transmission signal is conveyed to receiver. 4) Called party decides on desired response to call, prior to answering. 5) Receiver stores caller identification information.

Preferably the identification information includes a combination of a header, relevant contact details of the caller, a graphical display, sound or an appropriate flag.

Optionally the identification information further comprises information stored within the receiver.

Preferably the relevant contact details comprise a combination of names, addresses, telephone numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses and Internet homepage addresses.

Preferably the graphical display comprises a personal or company logo.

Alternatively the graphical display comprises animated graphics.

Preferably the sound comprises a musical tune.

Alternatively the sound comprises a voice over.

Preferably the transmission signal comprises the caller identification signal and a ring-initiating signal.

Preferably the transmission signal is in digital form. Alternatively the transmission signal is in analogue form.

Preferably on detecting the transmission signal the receiver begins ringing and converts the advanced caller identification information to a presentable form for display.

Preferably on obtaining the advanced caller identification information the called party answers the call.

Alternatively on obtaining the advanced caller identification information the called party diverts the call to an answering service.

A second alternative is that on obtaining the advanced caller identification information the called party rejects the call.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of exaiαple only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a flow chart of steps involved in a method of relaying advanced caller identification (ACI) information.

Figure 2 illustrates typical sample advanced caller identification (ACI) information. Figure 3 illustrates a circuit diagram of a land- line telephone system employing the method of advanced caller identification (ACI).

Figure 4 illustrates circuit diagrams of the: (a) sending circuitry; and (b) receiving circuitry. of the land-line telephone system employing the method of advanced caller identification (ACI) .

Figure 5 illustrates a flow chart of steps involved in a land-line telephone receiving advanced caller identification (ACI) information.

The present invention describes a method whereby a phone caller pre-selects information to be contained in an advanced caller (ACI) identification that is thereafter transmitted to a receiver of the called party. Figure 1 presents a flow chart 1 that schematically outlines this advanced caller identification (ACI) method.

The initial step of this process is for the caller to select what information they wish to be transmitted to the receiver 2. This information can be a combination of any details appropriate to them, typical examples being:

1) Header e.g. Urgent, Emergency, Business, Personal 2) Name 3) Address 4) Telephone Number 5) Fax Number 6) E-mail Address 7) Internet Homepage Address 8) Graphical Display 9) Sound 10) Flag

The above information could be pre-stored in the caller's phone or else manually entered before commencing the call. Alternatively, the above information could be combined with information pulled from the receiver as is the case taught within the prior art.

The second stage of this process is for the caller's phone to provide this information, along with the ring initiating signal, in the form of a transmittable signal 3 i.e. either in an analogue or digital format depending on the type of network available. This combined signal is then transmitted to the receiver 4.

The next stage of this process involves the receiver detecting the ring-initiating signal and so beginning to ring 5 while at the same time converting the caller identification information to a visual form 6. This visual form may be on the LCD of a mobile phone or landline phone or else on a computer screen or television depending on what interface the called party is presently using to connect to the network.

Figure 2 presents three sample advanced caller identification (ACI) information displays 7, 8 and 9. These advanced caller identification (ACI) information displays 7, 8 and 9 present time 10, date 11, caller 12, status header 13, contact details 14 and a graphical display 15 relating to the particular call. The called party can now read the advanced caller identification (ACI) 7, 8 or 9 without having being required to first answer the call. Therefore, the called party can make a decision as to whether they wish to speak with the caller 16, to divert the call to an answering service 17, or to reject the call 18 outright. If the called party is away from their receiver the system will default to the answering service 17 after a pre-determined time interval.

Independent of what decision is taken by the called party the transmitted information is then stored within the receiver 19. This allows the called party to retrieve the advanced caller identification (ACI) 7, 8 or 9 at a later date if they wish to contact the caller.

Incorporating the status header 13 into the advanced caller identification (ACI) 7, 8 or 9 allows the caller to rate the importance of their call. For example on reading the status header 13 the called party will immediately know if the call is of a personal or business nature. The choice of whether to transmit the caller's name 12 or contact details 14 allows them to maintain confidentiality if this is so required, therefore not compromising their privacy or revealing their number to the called party.

For illustration purposes an example embodiment of the method of advanced caller information (ACI) is provided in Figures 3-5. In this embodiment an electronic unit is employed to incorporate the advanced caller information (ACI) method within a land-line telephone system. The advanced caller .i entification (ACI) system is designed to be connected, in series, between a conventional telephone 110 and a telephone company incoming line socket 101, as shown in Figure 3. It may be programmed with any of the available options via a personal computer interface 112. The ACI data is then held in a memory 106. Multiple versions of the ACI data may be stored in the memory 106 and accessed via an integral display unit 107 and a keypad 108.

Figure 4(a) presents sending circuitry for the land-line telephone system employing the method of advanced caller identification (ACI) . The caller chooses which ACI data, if any, they wish to be sent to the receiver via the display unit 107 and the keypad 108. The chosen data is then retrieved from the memory 106 by an ACI processing unit 104 and passed to a modem unit 103 where it is modulated into audio signals that can be passed along standard analogue telephone lines. The data is then passed to the telephone company incoming line socket 101 and routed via a public switched telephone network (not shown) to the receiver.

Figure 4 (b) presents receiving circuitry for the land- line telephone while Figure 5 presents a flow chart of steps involved in the land-line telephone receiving advanced caller identification (ACI) information. When a telephone call is received at the telephone company incoming line socket 101, it is passed to an ACI detector unit 102. If no ACI data is present the call is routed to a switching unit 109. If the switching unit 109 is set to divert, the call is routed to the digital answer phone unit 111, which plays the outgoing greeting and records any message left by the caller before terminating the call. If the switching unit 109 is set to accept, the call is routed to the telephone socket 110 whereupon the telephone will ring in the normal manner.

If the ACI detector unit 102 detects ACI data, the call is passed to the modem unit 103, which demodulates the ACI Data signals turning them into binary information. This binary data is passed to the ACI processing unit 104.

The ACI processing unit 104 retrieves the current date and time from a clock 105 and writes the date/time information and ACI data into the memory 6. It also passes the date/time information and ACI data to the display unit 107 that thereafter displays the information. The call is then routed to the switching unit 109.

As before, if the switching unit 109 is set to divert, the call is routed to the digital answer phone unit 111. Alternatively, if the switching unit 109 is set to accept, the call is routed to the telephone socket 110 whereupon the telephone will ring in the normal manner and the display will prompt the receiver to accept or reject the call.

The receiving party then chooses whether to accept or reject the call via the keypad 108. If the receiving party chooses to reject the call, the call is routed back to the digital answer phone unit 111. Otherwise the telephone call is answered in the normal manner.

A commercial user would experience particular benefits from the flexible advanced caller identification (ACI) system. The incorporation of the graphical display 15 and or sound would immediately help in the promotion and advertisement of their company each time a phone call was made. The graphical display 15 could be a personal or company logo or could comprise of animated graphics, movie clips or interactive games. The sound could comprise either a musical tune or a synthesised voice over. Such features could be interchangeable throughout the duration of the call.

Incorporating phone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses and Internet homepage addresses again helps in the promotional aspects of the company. These features also permit a WAP phone user to instantly return a message by e-mail or obtain further information via the Internet. An additional feature of this system would be the option of incorporating a flag symbol in the caller identification in order to highlight the international nature of certain calls.

The method as outlined above is not restricted to the use of one particular phone system. It may be employed across a range of wireless or wired communication systems that employ a variety of interfaces including land-line or mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDA) , WAP phones, pagers or phones connected to a television or computer systems. A scaling facility for the transmitted information is also incorporated such that graphical displays and text can be adjusted to fit either the LCD of a phone system or the screen of a computer or television.

The system outlined above has been designed to be incorporated with present mobile and landline telephone technology so as to be compatible with multi-bandwith, digital, analogue, cable, or satellite systems. Present phone systems that do not employ display components will simply ignore such advanced caller identification (ACI) information and so treat the call in the normal fashion. Adapter units can easily be incorporated into such phone systems in order to upgrade them to be compatible with the caller identification display technology.

The system would also be ideal for incorporating in call centres where an individual's details could be combined with company logos, adverts or musical tones. This would provide advertising for the company as well as providing the receiving party details of a point of contact within the company. Alternatively, the system can be adapted for use by individuals so as to provide personal information on making a call.

An advantage of the present invention is that it allows a caller to pre-select information to be contained within advanced caller identification (ACI) . This information may include a header, relevant contact details of the caller, a graphical display, sound or an appropriate flag.

A further advantage of the present invention is that the information contained within the advanced caller identification (ACI) is not required to be pre-stored within a database accessed by the receiver as it is contained completely within the transmitted information signal.

A yet further advantage of the present invention is that it is highly flexible and so can be used with existing or developing systems. For example it can be combined with present systems that pull information from receiver databases or phones that do not employ a display by incorporating a separate adapter unit.

Further modifications and improvements may be added without departing from the scope of the invention herein intended.

Claims

1) A method for providing advanced caller identification information to a called party's receiver, wherein the method comprising the steps of:

1) Caller selects identification information. 2) Caller's phone provides a transmission signal that comprises the identification information. 3) Transmission signal is conveyed to receiver. 4) Called party decides on desired response to call, pri.or to answering. 5) Receiver stores caller identification information.

2) A method for providing advanced caller identification information to a called party' s receiver as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the identification information comprises one or more items from the group comprising of a header, relevant contact details of the caller, a graphical display, sound or an appropriate flag.

3) A method for providing advanced caller identification information to a called party' s receiver as claimed in Claim 1 and Claim 2, wherein the identification information comprises information stored within the receiver.

4) A method for providing advanced caller identification information to a called party's receiver as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the relevant contact details comprise one or more items selected from the group comprising of names, addresses, telephone numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses or Internet addresses.

5) A method for providing advanced caller identification information to a called party' s receiver as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the graphical display comprises a personal or company logo.

6) A method for providing advanced caller identification information to a called party' s receiver as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the graphical display comprises animated graphics.

7) A method for providing advanced caller identification information to a called party' s receiver as claimed in receiver as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the sound comprises a musical tune.

8) A method for providing advanced caller identification information to a called party's receiver as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the sound comprises a voice over.

9) A method for providing advanced caller identification information to a called party' s receiver as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the transmission signal comprises a ring-initiating signal.

10) A method for providing advanced caller identification information to a called party's receiver as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the transmission siqnal is digital. 11) A method for providing advanced caller identification information to a called party' s receiver as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the transmission signal is analogue.

12) A method for providing advanced caller identification information to a called party' s receiver as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein on detecting the transmission signal the receiver is activated and converts the caller identification information to a presentable form for display.

13) A method for providing advanced caller identification information to a called party' s receiver as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein on obtaining the caller identification information the called party is offered the opportunity to:

1) Answers the call; 2) Divert the ;all to an answering service; or 3) Reject the call