Customer programmable caller ID alerting indicator
AssigneeNortel Networks Limited
InventorThomas J. Kredo
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An audio alerting announcement signals a subscriber 80 during an ongoing call with a distinctive tone to indicate the identity of another party who is trying to call the subscriber. A telephony call-waiting subscriber customizes Call Waiting indicators in order to give immediate recognition of caller or caller classification via audio signaling. The caller or caller classification is based on the calling party's Line Number ID. This capability is not restricted to the public switched telephone network (PSTN) environment, but will function equally well in a voice-over-IP telephony network as well, on a network such as the World Wide Web, or will function in a hybrid system containing elements of both PSTN and voice-over-IP networks.
Claims19
A method for identifying a calling party to a subscriber to a call service, the method comprising the steps of:
- storing one or more calling party identifiers for a subscriber to a call service, each of the one or more calling party identifiers identifying a respective calling party of interest to the subscriber;
- receiving a first calling party identifier identifying a first calling party attempting to call the subscriber while the subscriber is connected to a third party;
- matching the received calling party identifier with one of the one or more stored calling party identifiers;
- providing an indicator as to the identity of the first calling party to the subscriber while the subscriber is still connected to the third party;
- and
- providing a stored acknowledgement unique to the first calling party while the subscriber is still connected to the third party.
A system for identifying a calling party to a subscriber to a call service, the system comprising:
- at least one storage unit for storing one or more calling party identifiers for a subscriber to a call service, each of the one or more calling party identifiers identifying a respective calling party of interest to the subscriber;
- and
- at least one processing unit for:
- receiving a first calling party identifier identifying a first calling party attempting to contact the subscriber while the subscriber is connected to a third party;
- matching the received calling party identifier with one of the one or more stored calling party identifiers;
- providing an indicator as to the identity of the first calling party to the subscriber while the subscriber is still connected to the third party;
- and
- providing a stored acknowledgement unique to the first calling party while the subscriber is still connected to the third party.
An article of manufacture for identifying a calling party to a subscriber to a call service, the article of manufacture comprising:
- at least one processor readable carrier;
- and
- instructions carried on the at least one carrier;
- wherein the instructions are configured to be readable from the at least one carrier by at least one processor and thereby cause the at least one processor to operate so as to:
- store one or more calling party identifiers for a subscriber to a call service, each of the one or more calling party identifiers identifying a respective calling party of interest to the subscriber;
- receive a first calling party identifier identifying a first calling party attempting to contact the subscriber while the subscriber is connected to a third party;
- match the received calling party identifier with one of the one or more stored calling party identifiers;
- provide an indicator as to the identity of the first calling party to the subscriber while the subscriber is still connected to the third party;
- and
- provide a stored acknowledgement unique to the first calling party while the subscriber is still connected to the third party.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.