The present invention relates generally to providing information about calling and/or receiving parties in a two-way communication, and more particularly to providing character information about a calling party to a receiving party.
Mobile terminals have evolved over the years to provide not only voice services, but also to provide a wide array of data services. Users of mobile terminals are now able to browse web pages, compose and read email messages, chat with their friends and acquaintances, download music and/or video files from Internet servers, and send and receive digital photographs. Many mobile terminals are capable of concurrent voice and data communications. With concurrent voice and data, a user may, for example, send a photograph to a friend while engaged in a telephone conversation with that friend. Thus, the ability to engage in concurrent voice and data communications provides an opportunity to create a richer and more satisfying experience for the user.
When a user receives an incoming call alert, particularly from an unknown calling party, the user may want to obtain certain information about the calling party before answering or concluding the call. For example, the user may want to know if their friends know the calling party and/or what they think of the calling party. Currently, there is no convenient way to make such information electronically available to the user when the user receives a call alert or is engaged in a call.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for a receiving party to receive character information about a calling party from a designated network of individuals linked with the receiving party. Responsive to a triggering event, the receiving party's communication device requests character information about a calling party. The communication system sends character information corresponding to the calling party and provided by one or more designated individuals linked with the receiving party, e.g., individuals in the receiving party's social network, to the receiving party's communication device. The character information comprises opinion and/or factual character information provided by individuals linked with the receiving party. The character information may be stored in a server and/or may be obtained in real-time. The communication device may output the received character information to the receiving party via an output device, e.g., a display. Alternatively, the communication device may store the received character information so that the receiving party may review the character information at a later time.
The present invention provides requested character information about a calling party to a communication device of a receiving party in a communication system.
Communication system 10 implements circuit switched services using a Base Station Subsystem (BSS) 30, a Mobile Switching Center 40, and a Public Switched Telecommunication Network (PSTN) 50. BSS 30 handles traffic and control signaling between one or more mobile communication devices 20 and the MSC 40. The MSC 40 carries out switching functions and manages the connections between the BSS 30 and the PSTN 50. The PSTN 50 comprises a network of circuit-switched telephone networks that connect one or more landline communication devices 20 with MSC 40.
Communication system 10 also implements packet switched services using the BSS 30, a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) 60, a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) 70, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) 80. The SGSN 60 is responsible for delivering data packets to and from mobile communication devices 20 via the BSS 30. The GGSN 70 interfaces the SGSN 60 with the PDN 80. More particularly, the GGSN 70 readdresses data packets provided by the PDN 80, and forwards the readdressed data packets to the SGSN 60. Further, the GGSN 70 converts data packets from the SGSN 60 into an appropriate Packet Data Protocol (PDP) format, and forwards the converted data packets to the PDN 80.
The PDN 80 interconnects multiple external data networks, e.g., Internet and Intranet networks. According to the present invention, PDN 80 also connects to an information server 90 comprising a memory 92 and a processor 94. Memory 92 stores character information about users in the communication system 10 that is provided by other users in the communication system 10. The character information may comprise information in any format, e.g., graphical, text, and/or audio formats. Responsive to a request, server 90 retrieves selected character information according to process instructions provided by processor 94, as discussed further below. The server 90 may send the retrieved character information to the requesting device 10 using any known means, e.g., in a text message, a multimedia message, over a packet switched data channel over the Internet, etc.
The stored character information may comprise opinion character information, e.g., Johnny is nice, or may comprise factual character information, e.g., Chris has been employed for over 10 years. Memory 92 cross-references the stored character information with both the subject of the character information and with the user that provided the character information to the server 90 using, for example, identification numbers associated with the communication devices of the subject user and the providing user. Table 1 shows exemplary character information stored in memory 92. It will be appreciated that server 90 updates memory 92 each time the server 90 receives character information from a user in the communication system 10. Further, it will be appreciated that users may provide character information about other users at any time using any known means, e.g., text messages, email, etc.
The communication system 10 facilitates communications between the server 90 and one or more communication devices 20.
According to the present invention, the processor 24 in a receiving party's communication device 20 requests character information about a calling party from the server 90 responsive to a triggering event.
The triggering event that triggers the above-described process may comprise any communication or user-initiated event. In one embodiment, the triggering event comprises an incoming call or message alert from a calling party unknown to the receiving party. In this case, the receiving party's communication device 20 may determine that the alert is a triggering event because the calling party's identification is not stored in the memory 26 of the communication device 20. In another embodiment, the triggering event comprises user input, such as user activation of a key on the keypad. In still another embodiment, the triggering event comprises an incoming call or message alert from a calling party that infrequently calls the receiving party or that has not recently called the receiving party, e.g., has not called in over 6 months or some other user-defined time period. It will be appreciated that the above examples are illustrative and do not limit the triggering events applicable to the present invention.
Consider the following non-limiting example. Jane receives an incoming call alert on her mobile phone. Because this is the first time the calling party has called Jane on her mobile phone, the mobile phone sends a request for character information to the server 90. After searching through the memory 92, the processor 94 initially discovers twenty character information listings associated with the calling party's identification number. After filtering the initial twenty listings based on a predetermined list of individuals linked with Jane, the processor 94 identifies character information about the calling party provided to the server 90 by Jane's sister, Jane's boss, and Jane's best friend. The processor 94 sends the identified character information to Jane's mobile phone. Jane's mobile phone outputs the received character information to which provide Jane with character information about the calling party. Jane may choose to either answer or ignore the call based on the received character information.
The present invention may also or alternatively provide real-time character information from individuals linked with the receiving party. In one embodiment, the server 90 may solicit real-time character information about a calling party from one or more individuals linked with the receiving party using any known communication means, e.g., text messaging, wireless calls, email, etc. For example, the server 90 may solicit real-time character information from Jane's sister. The server 90 forwards the received real-time character information to the communication device 20 of the receiving party in addition to or alternatively to the character information discovered in the server's memory 92. For this embodiment, the request may further identify whether the receiving party prefers pre-stored character information, real-time character information, or both. It will be appreciated that the communication system 10 may alternatively implement a peer-to-peer approach to solicit real-time character information about the calling party by forwarding the request directly to the communication device of one or more of the individuals linked with the receiving party. As such, it will be appreciated that server 90 is not required to provide real-time character information about a calling party.
The above-described embodiment provides the benefits of social networking, even when the individuals linked with the receiving party are not with the receiving party. The present invention may, of course, be carried out in other ways than those specifically set forth herein without departing from essential characteristics of the invention. The present embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/979,987, filed Oct. 15, 2007, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60979987 | Oct 2007 | US |