Method and a system for providing ringback information

Abstract

An information providing system includes a terminal on the side of a call originator, a terminal on the side of a call terminator, a content server, and an IP network. When the originator makes a call meant for the terminator, the one user terminal on side of the terminator transmits to the other user terminal on side of the originator information on contents to be provided to the latter so as to make the originator specify either contents or an audible ringing tone. As a result, if the originator specifies contents, the contents are provided from the content server to the one user terminal. Conversely, if the originator specifies a ringing tone, then a ringing tone is provided to the one user terminal in a known manner.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects and features of the present invention will become more apparent from consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram showing a preferred embodiment of a system for providing ringback information in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a terminal of a call originator included in the illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing a terminal of a call terminator included in the illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a sequence chart useful for understanding an exemplified operational procedure for providing a ringing tone or contents to the terminal of the originator in the illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram showing the communication server included in the illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 6 shows the schematic configuration of exemplified information on contents stored in the storage of the communication server shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a sequence chart, like FIG. 4, useful for understanding another exemplified operational procedure for providing a ringing tone or contents to the terminal of the originator in the illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram, like FIG. 5, showing an alternative communication server included in the illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 9 exemplarily shows information on the function of terminals and the intention of originators which is stored in the determiner of the communication server shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a sequence chart, like FIG. 4, useful for understanding an exemplified alternative operational procedure for providing a ringing tone or contents to the terminal of the originator in the illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram showing an alternative preferred embodiment of a system for providing ringback information in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a schematic block diagram showing the communication server included in the alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a sequence chart useful for understanding an exemplified alternative operational procedure for providing a ringing tone or contents to the terminal of the originator in the alternative embodiment;

FIG. 14 is a schematic block diagram showing the content server shown in FIGS. 1 and 11; and

FIG. 15 is a sequence chart useful for understanding an exemplified alternative operational procedure for providing a ringing tone or contents to the terminal of the originator in the illustrative embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

Claims

1. A method for providing a terminal of a call originator who makes a call to a call terminator with a ringing tone or contents as ringback information informing the originator that the terminator is being called up until communication is established, said method comprising the steps of: determining whether or not the contents to be provided to the terminal in order to specify either contents or ringing tone; andproviding the specified ringing tone or contents to the terminal of the originator.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said determining step is performed based on functions of the terminal of the originator.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said determining step performed based on intentions of the originator.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said determining step specifies all or part of the specified contents.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising an authenticating step of authenticating the terminator.

6. A system for providing ringback information comprising: a first terminal on a side of an originator who makes a call;a second terminal on a side of a terminator who receives the call;a network to which first and second terminals are connected;a ringing tone generator for producing a ringing tone to be provided to said first terminal in order to inform the originator that the terminator is being called up until communication is established; anda content server, connected to said network, for storing contents to be provided to said first terminal instead of the ringing tone,said second terminal comprising a storage for storing information indicating the contents to be provided to said first terminal, and a transmitter for transmitting the information to said first terminal,said first terminal comprising a determination circuit for determining whether or not the contents are provided to the first terminal itself based on the information in order to specify either contents or a ringing tone,the specified ringing tone or contents being provided from said ringing tone generator or said content server to said first terminal as the ringback information.

7. The system in accordance with claim 6, wherein said network is an Internet Protocol (IP) network or public switched telephone network (PSTN).

8. A system for providing ringback information comprising: a first terminal on a side of an originator who makes a call;a second terminal on a side of a terminator who receives the call;a mediate device for mediating communication between said first terminal and said second terminal;a network to which said first and second terminals and said mediate device are connected;a ringing tone generator for producing a ringing tone which is provided to said originating terminal in order to inform the originator that the terminator is being called up until communication is established; anda content server, connected to said network, for storing contents to be provided to said first terminal instead of the ringing tone,said mediate device comprising a storage for storing information indicating the contents to be provided to said first terminal, and a transmitter for transmitting the information to said first terminal;said first terminal comprising a determination circuit for determining whether or not the contents are provided to the first terminal itself based on the information in order to specify either contents or a ringing tone,the specified ringing tone or contents being provided from said ringing tone generator or said content server to said first terminal as the ringback information.

9. The system in accordance with claim 8, wherein said network is an Internet Protocol (IP) network and said mediate device is a communication server.

10. The system in accordance with claim 8, wherein said network is a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and said mediate device is a telephone switch.

11. A system for providing ringback information comprising: a first terminal on a side of an originator who makes a call;a second terminal on a side of a terminator who receives the call;a mediate device for mediating communication between said first terminal and said second terminal;a network to which said first and second terminals and said mediate device are connected;a ringing tone generator for producing a ringing tone which is provided to said originating terminal in order to inform the originator that the terminator is being called up, until communication is established; anda content server, connected to said network, for storing contents to be provided to said first terminal instead of the ringing tone,said second terminal comprising a storage for storing information indicating the contents to be provided to said first terminal and a transmitter for transmitting the information to said first terminal,said mediate device comprising a determination circuit for determining whether or not the contents are provided to the first terminal based on the information in order to specify either contents or a ringing tone,the specified ringing tone or contents being provided from said ringing tone generator or said content server to said first terminal as the ringback information.

12. The system in accordance with claim 11, wherein said network is an Internet Protocol (IP) network and said mediate device is a communication server.

13. The system in accordance with claim 11, wherein said network is a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and said mediate device is a telephone switch.

14. A system for providing ringback information comprising: a first terminal on a side of an originator who makes a call;a second terminal on a side of a terminator who receives the call;a mediate device for mediating communication between said first terminal and said second terminal;a network to which said first and second terminals and said mediate device are connected;a ringing tone generator for producing a ringing tone which is provided to said originating terminal in order to inform the originator that the terminator is being called up, until communication is established; anda content server, connected to said network, for storing contents to be provided to said first terminal instead of the ringing tone,said mediate device comprising a storage for storing information indicating the contents to be provided to said first terminal, a transmitter for transmitting the information to said first terminal, and a determination circuit for determining whether or not the contents are provided to the first terminal based on the information in order to specify either contents or a ringing tone,the specified ringing tone or contents being provided from said ringing tone generator or said content server to said first terminal as the ringback information.

15. The system in accordance with claim 14, wherein said network is an Internet Protocol (IP) network and said mediate device is a communication server.

16. The system in accordance with claim 14, wherein said network is a public switched telephone network (PSTN) and said mediate device is a telephone switch.

17. A system for providing ringback information comprising: a first terminal on a side of an originator who makes a call;a second terminal on a side of a terminator who receives the call;a first network to which said first terminal is connected;a second network to which said second terminal is connected;a mediate device, connected to said first network and second network, for establishing communication between said first terminal and said second terminal;a converter, connected to said first network and second network, for converting a signal in a first form used in said first network to a signal in a second form used in said second network, and converting a signal in the second form to a signal in the first form;a ringing tone generator for producing a ringing tone which is provided to said originating terminal in order to inform the originator that the terminator is being called up, until communication is established; anda content server for storing contents to be provided to said first terminal instead of the ringing tone,said mediate device comprising a storage for storing information indicating the contents to be provided to said first terminal, and a transmitter for transmitting the information to said first terminal;said first terminal comprising a determination circuit for determining whether or not the contents are provided to the first terminal itself based on the information in order to specify either contents or a ringing tone,the specified ringing tone or contents being provided from said ringing tone generator or said content server to said first terminal as the ringback information.

18. The system in accordance with claim 17, wherein said first network is either a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or an Internet Protocol (IP) network, and said second network is an IP network when said first network is the public switched telephone network, or a public switched telephone network when said first network is the IP network.

19. A system for providing ringback information comprising: a first terminal on a side of an originator who makes a call;a second terminal on a side of a terminator who receives the call;a first network to which said first terminal is connected;a second network to which said second terminal is connected;a mediate device, connected to said first network and second network, for establishing communication between said first terminal and said second terminal;a converter, connected to said first network and second network, for converting a signal in a first form used in said first network to a signal in a second form used in said second network, and converting a signal in the second form to a signal in the first form;a ringing tone generator for producing a ringing tone which is provided to said originating terminal in order to inform the originator that the terminator is being called up, until communication is established; anda content server for storing contents to be provided to said first terminal instead of the ringing tone,said second comprising a storage for storing information indicating the contents to be provided to said first terminal, and a transmitter for transmitting the information to said first terminal,said mediate device comprising a determination circuit for determining whether or not the contents are provided to the first terminal based on the information in order to specify either contents or a ringing tone,the specified ringing tone or contents being provided from said ringing tone generator or said content server to said first terminal as the ringback information.

20. The system in accordance with claim 19, wherein said first network is either a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or an Internet Protocol (IP) network, and said second network is an IP network when said first network is the public switched telephone network, or a public switched telephone network when said first network is the IP network.

21. A system for providing ringback information comprising: a first terminal on a side of an originator who makes a call;a second terminal on a side of a terminator who receives the call;a first network to which said first terminal is connected;a second network to which said second terminal is connected;a mediate device, connected to said first network and second network, for establishing communication between said first terminal and said second terminal;a converter, connected to said first network and second network, for converting a signal in a first form used in said first network to a signal in a second form used in said second network, and converting a signal in the second form to a signal in the first form;a ringing tone generator for producing a ringing tone which is provided to said originating terminal in order to inform the originator that the terminator is being called up, until communication is established; anda content server for storing contents to be provided to said first terminal instead of the ringing tone,said mediate device comprising a storage for storing information indicating the contents to be provided to said first terminal, a transmitter for transmitting the information to said first terminal, and a determination circuit for determining whether or not the contents are provided to the first terminal based on the information in order to specify either contents or a ringing tone,the specified ringing tone or contents being provided from said ringing tone generator or said content server to said first terminal as the ringback information.

22. The system in accordance with claim 21, wherein said first network is either a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or an Internet Protocol (IP) network, and said second network is an IP network when said first network is the public switched telephone network, or a public switched telephone network when said first network is the IP network.

23. A terminal for communicating with another terminal over a communication line such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or an Internet Protocol (IP) network, said terminal comprising: a receiver for receiving information transmitted from the other terminal over the communication line, the information indicating contents to be provided to the terminal itself instead of a ringing tone; anda determination circuit for determining whether or not the contents are provided to the terminal itself based on the information in order to specify either contents or a ringing tone.

24. A terminal for communicating with another terminal over a communication line such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or an Internet Protocol (IP) network, said terminal comprising: a storage for storing information indicating contents to be provided to the other terminal instead of a ringing tone;an information producer for referencing said storage to produce information on contents; anda transmitter for transmitting the information to the other terminal.

25. A mediate device for mediating communication between a terminal on a side of a call originator and a terminal on a side of a call terminator over a communication line such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or an Internet Protocol (IP) network, said mediate device comprising: a receiver for receiving information, transmitted over said communication line, the information indicating contents to be provided to the originating terminal; anda determination circuit for determining whether or not the contents are provided to the originating terminal based on the information in order to specify either contents or a ringing tone.

26. A mediate device for mediating communication between a terminal on a side of a call originator and a terminal on a side of a call terminator over a communication line such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or an Internet Protocol (IP) network, said mediate device comprising: a storage for storing information indicating contents to be provided to the originating terminal instead of a ringing tone; anda transmitter for transmitting the information to the originating terminal.

27. A mediate device for mediating communication between a terminal on a side of a call originator and a terminal on a side of a call terminator over a communication line such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN) or an Internet Protocol (IP) network, said mediate device comprising: a storage for storing information indicating contents to be provided to the originating terminal instead of a ringing tone; anda determination circuit for determining whether or not the contents are provided to the originating terminal based on the information in order to specify either contents or a ringing tone.