CA2312601A1 - Automated exchange of electronic information - Google Patents
Automated exchange of electronic information Download PDFInfo
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- CA2312601A1 CA2312601A1 CA002312601A CA2312601A CA2312601A1 CA 2312601 A1 CA2312601 A1 CA 2312601A1 CA 002312601 A CA002312601 A CA 002312601A CA 2312601 A CA2312601 A CA 2312601A CA 2312601 A1 CA2312601 A1 CA 2312601A1
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- Prior art keywords
- terminal
- electronic information
- voice
- data
- voice terminal
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Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
- H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
- H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
- H04M3/42382—Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L61/00—Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
- H04L61/45—Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
- H04L61/4555—Directories for electronic mail or instant messaging
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L61/00—Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
- H04L61/45—Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
- H04L61/4557—Directories for hybrid networks, e.g. including telephone numbers
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
- H04L67/50—Network services
- H04L67/51—Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
- H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
- H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
- H04M3/50—Centralised arrangements for answering calls; Centralised arrangements for recording messages for absent or busy subscribers ; Centralised arrangements for recording messages
- H04M3/53—Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages, i.e. mailbox systems
- H04M3/5322—Centralised arrangements for recording incoming messages, i.e. mailbox systems for recording text messages
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- Computer Networks & Wireless Communication (AREA)
- Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)
- Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)
- Telephone Function (AREA)
- Facsimiles In General (AREA)
- Exchange Systems With Centralized Control (AREA)
Abstract
The present invention provides a novel system, method and apparatus for exchanging electronic information during a voice telephone call. A subscriber during a voice telephone call can provide subscriber-input to their telephone or to request a transfer of electronic information to one or more other subscribers during a voice telephone call. The present invention thus obviates the need for manually transcribing electronic information such as email addresses,facsimile number or web-page addresses during a voice telephone call.
Description
AUTOMATEDEXCHANGEO FELECTRONICINFORMA TION
FIELDOFTHEINVENTION
The present invention relates to a system, apparatus and method ofproviding enhanced featuresinatelecommunicationssystem.
Morespecifically,thepresentinventionrelatestothe automatedexchangeofelectronicinformationbetweensubscribersduringavoicetelephone call.
BACKGROUNDOFTHEINVENTIO N
Theconvergenceoftheold~rivateswitchedtelephonenetwork("PSTN"~on;arryingvoice withmoremodernpacketnetworksfo~arryingdataisradicallychangingthestructureofnetw orks andtheservicesthatrelyonthesenetworks.Thus,itisnow possibleforindividualsubscribersto communicateusingavarietyofservices,suchasvoice,web -browsers,faxoremail.
In fact, subscribers typically communicate over networks using more than one service.
When meeting face -to-face, it is common for subscribers to exchange business cards that bear personalinformationabouteachother,includingtelephonenumbers,web-sites,faxnumbersand emailaddressesSubscribersmaychoosetoconvertthiswritteninformationintoelectronic formby enteringthis informationintotheircomputersorpersonaldigitalassistantsforlateruse. Sucha processcanbetedious,andhasleadtotheuseofbusinesscardscannerswhichattempttoperfo rm opticalcharacterrecognition(OCR)onthecard.
Wheresubscriber'se xchangeanemail,orvisiteachother'sweb-site,thentheprocessof locallycreatingandstoringelectronicinformationabouteachotherislesstediousEmaila ndweb-baseddataservices,inparticular,allowsubscriberstoreadilycut- and-pasteavarietyofpersonal information from one application to another, and to retain local copies of that information in electronicform.
However, itis currentlyverytediousto exchangepersonal informationwhen subscribers initiatecontactwitheachotherviaav oicetelephonecall.Currenttechnologyrequiresthateach subscribermanuallytranscribe,eitherinwritingorbytypingonakeyboard,th~najorityof personal informationabouttheothersubscriber.Caller-idservices,whencoupledwithapersonalcom puter, canassistintheelectronictranscriptionofacaller'snameandphonenumber,butareotherw ise limited in utility. The transcription of email addresses, website addresses and other personal informationarestilldonemanuallyFurthermore,the exchangeofinoredetailedinformation,such asmaps,catalogues,orotherdocuments,betweensubscribersishampereduntilwebsiteaddr esses, emailaddressesorfacsimilenumbershavebeenexchanged.
SUMMARYOFTHEINVENTION
Itisanobjectofthepresen tinventiontoprovideanovelsystem,apparatusandmethodof exchangingelectronicinformationviaacommunicationlinidhatobviatesormitigatesatle astoneof theabove -identifieddisadvantagesofthepriorart.
Inanembodimentoftheinvention,thereisprovidedasystemforexchangingelectronic informationthatcomprisesafirstvoiceterminalforconductingvoicetelephonecallsandr eceiving subscriber-inputandadataterminalassociatedwithasubscriberofthefirstvoicetelephoneandfor receivingandpresentingdatatothesubscriber.Thesystemalsocomprisesasecondvoiceter minal foiconductingvoicetelephonecallsandreceivingsubscriber-inputandanetworkthatinterconnects alloftheterminals.Thenetworkincludespersistentstorageforstoringanelectronicaddr essofthe dataterminalandelectronicinformationrespectivetoasubscriberofthesecondvoiceterm inal.The networkalsoincludesaprocessingunitthatisoperabletotransmittheelectronicinformat iontothe dataterminalduringatelephonecall.
Thedataterminalcanbeapersonalcomputerexecutinganemailclientprogram,whichis connected to the network via an email server. Each voice terminal can be POTS
(plain old telephonesystem)telephone,oritcanbe awirelessphonesuchasamobilephoneAsusedherein, thetermsvoiceterminaland/ordataterminalarealsoreferredtoassubscriberstations.
In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method for exchanging electronicinformationi nanetworkcomprisingthestepsof:
initiatingavoicetelephoneconnectionbetweenafirstvoiceterminalandasecondvoice terminal;and transferringelectronicinformationassociatedwiththesecondvoiceterminaltoa dataterminalassociatedwitht hefirstvoiceterminal.
Themethodcanfurthercomprisethestep,aftertheinitiatingstep,ofcompletingthevoice telephoneconnection.
Themethodcanfurthercomprisethestep,aftertheinitiatingstep,ofreceivingarequestto transferelectronic informationassociatedwiththesecondvoiceterminaltoafirstdataterminal associatedwiththefirstvoiceterminal.
The method can further comprise the step, after the transferring step, of receiving the electronicinformationatthedataterminalandprocessingtheelectronicinformationacco rdingto userpreferences.
Theelectronicinformationcan,forexample,beembeddedinthebodyofanemailaddressor encodedasseriesofDTMFtonesthatcanbedecodedbythedataterminal,suchaswheretheda to terminalisacomputerhavingamodemoperabletodecodeDTMFtones.
Thedataterminalandthevoiceterminalcanbeintegrallyformedintoasingledevice,such asaweb-enabledmobilephone,orarich -featuredtelephonehavingamulti -linedisplay.
Theelectronicinformationcanincludeanyinformationthatisdesiredtosendtoanother subscriber.
Forexample,electronicinformationcanincludeemailaddresses,postaladdresses, websiteaddresses,facsimilenumbers,ortelephonenumbers.Havinge xchangedbasiclevelsof electronicinformation,suchasanemailaddress,itiscontemplatedthatavarietyofapplic ationscan beusedtoallowsubscriberstosimultaneouslyconducttheirvoicetelephonecallandexchan ge and/orviewelectronicinformati onForexample,itisexpectedthatthepresentinventionwouldbe particularly useful for customers conducting transactions with business via a telephone, as a confirmationofthetransactionscouldautomaticallybesenttothecustomer'sdatatermina l.For example,wherethecustomerisatraveler,andthebusinessisatravelagency,thenthetravel er's itinerarycouldbeautomaticallysenttothetraveler,orreviewedsimultaneouslybythetra veler during the selection of the traveler's various bookings. Alternatively, where the customer is conductingbusinesswithafinancialinstitutionbytelephone,thenconfirmationsofthecu stomer's financialtransactioncouldautomaticallybeelectronicallydeliveredtothecustomer.
The present invention provides a novel system, method and apparatus for exchanging electronicinformationduringavoicetelephonecall.Asubscriben-iuringavoicetelephonecallcan providesubscriber-inputtotheirtelephoneottorequestatransferofelectronicinformation tooneor moreothersubscribersduringavoicetelephonecall.Thepresentinventionthusobviatesth eneed formanuallytranscribingelectronicinformationsuchasemailaddresses,facsimilenumbe rorweb-pageaddressesduringavoicetelephonecall.
BRIEFDESCRIPTIONOFTHEDRAWINGS
Preferredembodimentsofthepresentinventionwillnowbedescribed,bywayofexample only,withreferencetotheattachedFigures,wherein:
Figure 1 isaschematicrepre sentationofasystemforexchangingelectronicinformationin accordancewithanembodimentoftheinvention;
Figure 2 is a flowchart showing a method for exchanging electronic information in accordancewithanotherembodimentoftheinvention;
Figure3isaschematicrepresentationofasystemforexchangi ngelectronicinformationin accordancewithanotherembodimentoftheinvention;and Figure4isaschematicrepresentationofasystemforexchangingelectronicinformationin accordancewithanotherembodimentoftheinvention.
DETAILEDDESCRIPTIONOF THEINVENTION
ReferringnowtoFigure l,asystemforexchangingelectronicinformationinaccordance withanembodimentoftheinventionisindicatedgenerallyat20.
System20includesapublic communicationnetwork24,suchasthePSTN,whichinterconnectsserviceprovidemodes28aan d 28b, suchastelephonecompanyswitches, centralofficesand/orwirelessbasestations.
Inturn, serviceprovidemodes28areeachconnectedtoatleastonesubscribemode32viaacommunicati on link36.Whereserviceprovidernode28isatelephonecompanyswitch,thencommunicationlin k 36willtypicallybewired,however,communicationlink36canalsobewireless,asforexampl e, whereserviceprovidemode28isabasestationinawirelesslocallooporcellula xtelephonesystem.
AsshowninFigure 1,inapresentembodimenttherearetwosubscribemodes32aand3 2b, connectedtoserviceprovidernodes28aand28b,respectively.(Itiscontemplatedthatsyst em20 willtypicallyincludeapluralityofsubscribernodesinadditiontonodes32aand32b.)Asus ed herein, the term "caller" or "calling" means a call initiated at one ofthe subscriber nodes 32.
Similarly,theterm"callee"meansacallreceivedbyoneofthesubscribernodes.
Forexample, wheresubscribernode32aisthe"caller",thensubscribernode32bisthe"callee".
In apresent embodiment, each subscribernode 32 includes a microprocessor40which interconnectsatelephonehandset44,amonitor48orothen~ser -outputdevice,andakeyboard52 or otheruser -inputdevice.Itistobeunderstoodthatthevariouscomponentsinsubscribernodes32 canbesubstitutedforsubstantiallyequivalentcomponents,and/orcombinedintoasinglei ntelligent device,suchasapersonaldigitalassistantand/o rrich-featuredphone.
Usingtelephonehandset44,microprocessor40isoperabletoprocessvoicecallscarried over public communication network 24. Similarly, using keyboard 52 and monitor 48, microprocessor40isoperabletoprocessatleastonedatas ervice,suchase -mail,forcarriageover communicationnetwork24.
Aswillbeexplainedingreaterdetailbelow,microprocessor40is furtheroperabletoautomaticallyobtaininformationaboutthedataserviceofothersubscr ibemodes 32duringavoice call.
System 20 further includes an electronic information object 56 associated with each subscriber node 32 that is typically resident at the service provider node 28 respective to its subscribernode32.Electronicinformationobject56istypicallyad atafilethatincludespersonal information about the subscriber at each subscriber node 32. In a present embodiment, such personal information includes, at least, the email address ofits respective subscribernode 32.
However,dataobject56canalso includeotherpersonalinformation,suchasthattypicallyfoundon abusinesscard,suchasthename,postaladdress,telephonenumber,facsimilenumberandweb site addressofthesubscribernode32respectivetothedataobject56.
Amethodofexchanging electronicinformationinaccordancewithanotherembodimentof theinventionwillnowbediscussedwithreferencetoFigure2.
Forpurposesofassistinginthe explanationofthepresentembodiment,referencewilIbemadetotheforegoingdiscussionof system 20Atstep100,avoicecallisinitiatedinanyusuahnannerForexample,thereceiverofteleph one set44aatsubscribernode32aisliftedoffthehookandanumberisdialed.Itwillbeassumedfo r purposesofexplainingthepresentembodimentthatthetelephonenumberofsubscribemode32 bis dialed. This dialed number is processed by service provider node 28a, which utilizes public communicationnetwork24tocontactserviceprovidernode28b,whichinturnsendsaringing signaltosubscribernode32bandringstelephoneset44b.
Next,atstep105,thecallinitiatedatstep100isestablished,andavoiceconnectionis completed.Continuingwiththeexample,telephoneset44bisanswered,thuscompletingavoi ce callbetweensubscriber node32aandsubscribernode32b.Itwillbeunderstoodthatthestepsof initiatingandcompletingavoicecallbetweensubscribernodes32aand32bcouldoccurinoth er ways,forexample,thecallcouldhavebeeninitiatedatsubscribernode32b.
The method then advances to step 110, where a request for an exchange of electronic informationisreceivedlnapresentlypreferredembodiment,itiscontemplatedthatthereq uestfor theexchangeofelectronicinformationcanbeinitiatedateithersubscribe rstation32aorsubscriber station32b~ucharequestcanbeto:l)sendelectronicinformationobject56atosubscribers tation 32band/or2)sendelectronicinformationobject56btosubscriberstation32a.
Continuingwiththepresentexample,there questisaccomplishedusingtheflash-keyon telephoneset44a,whichisan"attention"signalthatissenttoserviceprovidemode28ainor derto signal serviceprovidernode 28athatthe subscriberat subscribernode 32awishes to invoke a callingfeat ureavailableatserviceprovidernode28a.Theuseoftheflash -keyisfollowedbya predetermineddialingsequence.(Preferablythepredeterminedsequenceisnotcurrentlyi nusefor theinvocationofothercallingfeatures,suchas3 -waycalling.)Forexample,theuseoftheflash keycanbefollowedby*222inordertorequestthatelectronicinformationobject56abesentt o subscriberstation32b,or*333inordertorequestthatelectronicinformationobject56bbe sentto subscriberstation32a, or*444inordertorequestthatelectronicinformationobject56abesentto subscriberstation32bandthatelectronicinformationobject56bbesenttosubscriberstat ion32a.
Accordingly,serviceprovidernode28ahasnowreceivedtherequestforan exchangeofelectronic information.
Themethodthenadvancestostepl l5,wheretheactualelectronicinformationistransferred accordingtotherequestreceivedatstep 11 O.Thus,asappropriatethedatacontainedinelectronic informationobject56ais transferredtosubscriberstation32band/oithedatacontainedinelectronic informationobject56bistransferredtosubscriberstation32a.
Thetransfercanoccurinavarietyofways. Forexample,usingasuitablevariationof existing caller -idtechnology, electronic informationobject56acanbe encodedinto a series of DTMFtonesbyserviceprovidernode28a,whicharethensentoverthevoiceconnectionandthen decodedbysoflwareexecutingonmicroprocessor40b Usingthismethod,itcanbedesiredtomute theearpieceatbothtelephoneset44aandtelephoneset44bduringthetransferoftheDTMFton es.
However,thetransferofelectronicinformationobjects56canbeaccomplishedinavariety ofotherwaysForexample,inordertotransfer electronicinformationobject56atosubscribemode 32b,soflwareexecutingonserviceprovidemode28acanqueryelectronicinformationobject 56bin ordertoaccessthee -mailaddressofsubscribernode32b.Havingobtainedtheemailaddressof subscribernode32b,thecompletesetofelectronicinformationstoredinelectronicinform ation object56acansimplybesentviaemailtosubscribernode32b.Thus,wherecommunicationlink 36bisavoicetelephonelinewithDSLinternetservice,theemailcontainingtheinformation in object56awi11arriveatmicroprocessor40bforuseatsubscribemode32bviatheDSLlinkonth e voicetelephoneline.(Itwillthusbeapparentthat,ingeneral,link3 6isoperabletocarrybothvoice anddata,andcouldbe implementedinavarietyofwaysForexample,thevoiceportionoffink36 maybeawiredlink,whilethedataportionoffink36maybeviaacable -modemAlternatively,link 36canbeawirelesslinkoperabletocarrybothvoiceanddatachannels.
Otherimplementationsof link36willoccurtothoseofskillintheart.) Othermeansoftransfernnginformationobj ects56toothersubscribemodes32willoccurto thoseofskillintheartandarewithinthescopeoftheinvention.
Themethodthenad vancestostep 120wheretheelectronicinformationisreceivedand processed,thuscompletingthetransferatstepl 1 S.Forexample,microprocessor40breceivesthe informationcontainedinelectronicinformationobject56aandstoresitinpersistentst oragelocalto microprocessor40b.
Thestoredinformationcanthenbeusedbythesubscriberinteractingwith applicationsexecutingonsubscribernode32b,inordertosendemailsorfaxestosubscriber node 32a,ortoaccesstheweb -pagesbelongingtos ubscribernode32a.
Itwillbeunderstoodthat,oncesubscribernode32bhastheemailaddressofthesubscriber node 32a (or vice -versa), virtually any type of electronic information can be sent, (either automaticallyorattherequestofeachsubscriber),betweenthestations32a,32b,dependin gonthe application(s~xecutingoneachsubscriber'tation32a,32bForexample,wheresubscribers tation 32a is an individual consumer, and subscriber station 32b is a travel agent, then a software application executingonsubscribe~tation32bcanprovidetheconsumerwithanemailincludingan completetravelitinerary,confirmationbookings,electronicairline -tickets,andthelike.
WhileintheembodimentshowninFigurel(andmarkedassystem20)showsa telephone handset441oca1toanemailclientexecutingonmicroprocessor40,itwillbeunderstoodthat in otherembodimentsoftheinventionhandset44neednotbelocaltotheemailclient.Forexampl e, analternativeembodimentisshowninFigure3an dmarkedassystem220.Componentsinsystem 220thataresubstantiallythesameascomponentsinsystem20haveareferencenumber200grea ter thanthereferencenumberofthecomponentinsystem20. AsshowninFigure3,system220 includesamobileh andset244cthatisconnectedtonetworknode228cviaawirelesslink236c.
Thus,inapresentembodiment,networknode228cisawirelessbasestationMobilehandset244 c is associatedwith electronic information object256aand subscribernode 232a.
Inthepresent embodiment,subscribemode232aisessentiallyadataterminalexecutinganemailclientpro gram.
(Suchanemailclientistypicallyconnectedtoanemailserverviaconnectedtonetwork224,a sis knowntothoseofskillintheart.) Electronicinformationaboutmobilehandset244candnode232a (suchastheemailaddressofsubscribernode232aandthetelephonenumberofhandset244c)ar e storedinelectronicinformationobject256a.Duringavoicetelephonacallbetweenmobileh ands et 244candhandset244b,thedataoninformationobjects256aand256bcanbeexchangedbetween nodes232aand232binsubstantiallythesamemannerasdiscussedinthemethodofFigure2,wit h appropriatemodifications.Forexample,usingapredefinedse riesoflcey -strokesonhandset244c, instructionscanbesenttonetworknode228c,thatcausesoftwareexecutingonnetworknode2 28c toqueryinformationobject256bandobtaintheemailaddressofsubscribernode232b.
Next, networknode228ccanuset hisemailaddresstoemailinformationobject256atosubscribemode 232bNext,asdesired,asubscriberatsubscribemode232bcanusethecontentsinformationob ject 256atoarrangeforelectronicinteractionsdirectlywithsubscribernode232a,suchassend ing information subscribernode 232aviaemail. Itwillnowbe apparentthatotherconfigurations, combinationsand/orarrangementsofvoicehandsetsandemailclientsassociatedwithapart icular subscribercanbeimplemented,asdesired.
Yetanotherembodimentoftheinventionisshownassystem320inFigure4.Components insystem320thataresubstantiallythesameascomponentsinsystem20haveareferencenumbe r 300greaterthanthereferencenumberofthecomponentinsystem20.System3 20includesafirst networknode,whichinapresentembodimentisanEmailserver328aInturn,Emailserver328ai s connectedtoasubscriberstation,whichinthepresentembodimentisadatatermina1332aexe cuting anemailclientprogram.
System320alsoincludestwoadditionalnetworknodes,whichinapresentembodimentare PSTNswitches328band328c. Emailserver328aandPSTNswitches328band328careall interconnectedbyanetwork324,whichinapresentembodimentcombinesthefunctionality ofthe PSTNforcarryingvoicetrafficandtheInternetforcarryingdatatraffic.
PSTNswitch328cstoresaCallerIDobject390awhichcontainstheemailaddressofdata termina1332a.
PSTNswitches328band328careeachconnectedvialinks336c,336b(respectively)to voiceterminals,whichinapresentembodimentarePOTStelephones344cand344b(respective ly).
PSTNswitch328bstoresapluralityofelectronicinformationobjects356a,356b,and356cwh ich areassociatedwithPOTStelephone344b. Eachinformationobject356a,356band356ccan containanytypeofinformation,asdesired,andcanbeconfiguredand/ordefinedbythesubsc riber atPOTStelephone334b.Forinstance,informationobject356acancontainamapofdirections to theresid enceofthesubscriberofPOTStelephone334b;informationobject356bcancontaina complete business card, includingphone numbers, email addresses andpostal addresses ofthe subscriberatPOTStelephone334b;andinformationobject356ccancontainaf amilyphotograph.
Itistobeemphasized,however,thattherecanbeanynumberinformationobj ects3 S
6andthateach informationobject356cancontainanydesiredinformation.
Inoperation,acalleratPOTStelephone344cdialsthephonenumberofPOTS telephone 334bPSTNswitch328cco11ectsthedialeddigitsfromPOTStelephone344cand,vianetwork324 , connectstoPSTNswitch328binordertocausePOTStelephone344btobeginringingDuringthe connectiontoPSTNswitch328b,Ca1lerIDobject 390aisdeliveredtoPSTNSwitch328band storedthereat forlateruse. Next, POTS telephone 344bis answeredandavoicetelephone call between POTS telephones 344c and 344b is established. During the voice telephone call, the subscriberatPOTStelephone344bdecidestosendelectronicinformationtothesubscribera tPOTS
telephone344cTnapresentembodiment,thisisaccomplishedbypressingthe'flash'keyonPO
TS
telephone344b,whichgetstheattentionofPSTNswitch328b.Atthispoint,PSTNsw itch328b willtypicallymutetheearpieceofPOTStelephone344c,andsendadialtonetotheearpieceof POTStelephone344btoobtaininstructionstherefrom.
ThesubscriberatPOTStelephone344b thenprovidesuserinputthata)instructsPSTNswitch3 28btosendaninformationobject356to datatermina1332aandb) selects which ofinformationobject 356a, 356b or356cto send. For exampleahekeysequence*331cou1dbeusedtosendinformationobject356a;thekeysequence *332cou1dbeusedtosendinformationobject356b;andthekeysequence*333couldbeusedto sendinformationobject356c.However,anykeysequencecanbeused.
ItwilIbeunderstoodthat,dependingonthefunctionalityoIfOTStelephone344bandPSTN
switch328b,thenanyty peofuserinputthatinstructthedeliveryofaninformationobject356to datatermina1332acanbeused.Forexample,wherePSTNswitch328bisoperabletoreceivevoic e instructions,thenthesubscriberatPOTStelephone344bcanissuevoiceinstructio nstoinstructthe deliveryofaninformationobject356.
Forpurposesofexplainingthepresentembodiment,itwillbeassumedthatthesubscriberat POTStelephone344bentersthekeysequence*332,andthusinstructsthatinformationobject 356b besenttodatatermina1332a.Next,PSTNswitch328busesthisinstructiontoprepareanemail message,usingtheemailaddressofdatatermina1332apreviouslyextractedfromtheCallerI
D
streamfromPOTStelephone344c.Thepreparedemailmessagehasinformationobject356beith er embeddedthereinorattachedthereto.
Havingpreparedtheemailmessage,itissentvianetwork324toemailserver328a,whereit thenbecomesavailableforretrievalbytheemailclientexecutingondataterminal332a.
At this point, PSTN switch 328b can automatically reactivate the earpiece of POTS
telephone344candreestablishthecompletevoiceconnectionbetweenPOTStelephones344ca nd 344bA1ternatively,PSTNswitch328bcanwaitformoreuser -input(e.g.furtherdepressionofthe 'flash'key)fromthesubscriberatPOTStelephone344bpriortoreestablishingthecomplete voice connection.
Itwillbeunderstoodthatthevariouscomponentsinsystem320canbevaried,modified,or substitutedasdesiredandstillachie vethesamefunction.
Furthermore,whilesystem320on1y showsonedatatermina1332aassociatedwithPOTStelephone344c,itwillbeunderstoodthata seconddatatermina1332canbeaddedtosystem320andassociatedwithPOTStelephone344b.
Similarly,apluralityofinformationobjectscanbeassociatedwithPOTStelephone344c,an dan emailaddresscanbeembeddedintotheoutgoingCallerIDstreamassociatedwithPOTStelepho ne 344b.
Whiletheembodimentsdiscussedhereinaredirectedtospecific implementationsofthe invention,itwillbeunderstoodthatcombinations,sub-setsandvariationsoftheembodimentsare withinthescopeoftheinvention.Forexample,itmaybedesiredtoaddvarioussecurityfeatu resto system20toensurethattheinformationobject56ofonesubscribemode32isnotinadvertentl yor unintentionallytransferredtoothersubscribernodes32.
Itmaydesiredtosimplyembedtheentirecaller'sinformationobject56intothecaller -id streamsenttothecalleesubscribern ode32duringtheinitiationofthevoicetelephonecall,thus eliminating the need for the explicit request for electronic information exchange at step 110.
However,itisexpectedthatprivacyfeatures,suchastheabilitytoblockthetransmissiono ft he information object 56 duringthe initiation ofthe call, may also be incorporated into such as a system.
Itmaybedesiredtoaddcertainotherprivacy/securityfeaturestothetransmissionofthe electronicinformation.Forexample,theelectronici nformationobjectmaybeencryptedduring transmission,usinganyknownencryptiontechniqueslnaddition,theelectronicinformati onmay betransmittedalongwithadigitalsignature,whichcanb~sedtoverifythesourceoftheelec tronic information bytherecipient.
The present invention maybe usedto allow subscribers to create andupdate theirown personalphonedirectory.Suchaphonebookmaybestoredonadataterminallocatedateithert he network node or on a data terminal local to the subs criber's voice terminal.
An application associated with the phone book could be used to allow the subscriber to automatically place telephonecalls,withouthavingtorememberanyphonenumbers Usinganyknowntext- to-speech converter, the phone bookcanbe "read" tothe subscriberusing avoice terminal, allowingthe subscribertoselectanumbertobedialedusinganinteractivevoiceresponse(IVR)menusyst em.
Using such a text -to-speech converter system, it will be apparent that the foregoing varia lion envisionsanimplementationofthepresentinventionthatobviatestheneedforadatatermin allocal tothesubscriber'svoiceterminal.Alternatively,adataterminalassociatedwiththesubs criber's voiceterminalcouldpresentagraphicaluserinterfacethatallowedthesubscribertoselec ranumber tobedialed.
It may be desired to modify the present invention by allowing a caller to leave his informationobject56aspartoforinadditionto,avoicemailinessageleftforthecallee.So ftware executingonthedataterminalofthecalleesubscriberstationcanbeusedtorecordallincom ing calls,andtheassociatedincomingelectronicinformationassociatedtherewith.
ThepresentinventioncanbemodifiedforuseonTDDorTDYdevicesusedby hearing impairedsubscribers.
It is contemplated that the present invention can be modified for use during a n-way conferencecalls,toallowmultiplesubscriberstoexchangeelectronicinformation.
Inotherembodimentsoftheinvention,thevariouscomponentsinsystem20canbemodified orvariedtoaccomplishthesamefunctionalityForinstance,theelectronicinformationobj ectneed notresideattheserviceprovidernode28,butcanreside,forexample,atthesubscribernode 32.
The present inventio n provides a novel, system, method and apparatus for exchanging electronicinformation Thepresentinventionsimplifiestheprocessofexchanginginformationsuch asemailaddress,facsimilenumbersandweb-pageaddressesduringavoicetelephonecall,t hus allowingsubscriberstoaccuratelyandreadilyexchangesuchinformationwithouttheneedf or transcribing,inwritingorotherwise,eachother'selectronicinformation.
The above -described embodiments ofthe invention are intended to be examples ofth presentinventionandalterationsandmodificationsmaybeeffectedthereto,bythoseofski llinthe art, without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined solely by the claims appendedhereto.
FIELDOFTHEINVENTION
The present invention relates to a system, apparatus and method ofproviding enhanced featuresinatelecommunicationssystem.
Morespecifically,thepresentinventionrelatestothe automatedexchangeofelectronicinformationbetweensubscribersduringavoicetelephone call.
BACKGROUNDOFTHEINVENTIO N
Theconvergenceoftheold~rivateswitchedtelephonenetwork("PSTN"~on;arryingvoice withmoremodernpacketnetworksfo~arryingdataisradicallychangingthestructureofnetw orks andtheservicesthatrelyonthesenetworks.Thus,itisnow possibleforindividualsubscribersto communicateusingavarietyofservices,suchasvoice,web -browsers,faxoremail.
In fact, subscribers typically communicate over networks using more than one service.
When meeting face -to-face, it is common for subscribers to exchange business cards that bear personalinformationabouteachother,includingtelephonenumbers,web-sites,faxnumbersand emailaddressesSubscribersmaychoosetoconvertthiswritteninformationintoelectronic formby enteringthis informationintotheircomputersorpersonaldigitalassistantsforlateruse. Sucha processcanbetedious,andhasleadtotheuseofbusinesscardscannerswhichattempttoperfo rm opticalcharacterrecognition(OCR)onthecard.
Wheresubscriber'se xchangeanemail,orvisiteachother'sweb-site,thentheprocessof locallycreatingandstoringelectronicinformationabouteachotherislesstediousEmaila ndweb-baseddataservices,inparticular,allowsubscriberstoreadilycut- and-pasteavarietyofpersonal information from one application to another, and to retain local copies of that information in electronicform.
However, itis currentlyverytediousto exchangepersonal informationwhen subscribers initiatecontactwitheachotherviaav oicetelephonecall.Currenttechnologyrequiresthateach subscribermanuallytranscribe,eitherinwritingorbytypingonakeyboard,th~najorityof personal informationabouttheothersubscriber.Caller-idservices,whencoupledwithapersonalcom puter, canassistintheelectronictranscriptionofacaller'snameandphonenumber,butareotherw ise limited in utility. The transcription of email addresses, website addresses and other personal informationarestilldonemanuallyFurthermore,the exchangeofinoredetailedinformation,such asmaps,catalogues,orotherdocuments,betweensubscribersishampereduntilwebsiteaddr esses, emailaddressesorfacsimilenumbershavebeenexchanged.
SUMMARYOFTHEINVENTION
Itisanobjectofthepresen tinventiontoprovideanovelsystem,apparatusandmethodof exchangingelectronicinformationviaacommunicationlinidhatobviatesormitigatesatle astoneof theabove -identifieddisadvantagesofthepriorart.
Inanembodimentoftheinvention,thereisprovidedasystemforexchangingelectronic informationthatcomprisesafirstvoiceterminalforconductingvoicetelephonecallsandr eceiving subscriber-inputandadataterminalassociatedwithasubscriberofthefirstvoicetelephoneandfor receivingandpresentingdatatothesubscriber.Thesystemalsocomprisesasecondvoiceter minal foiconductingvoicetelephonecallsandreceivingsubscriber-inputandanetworkthatinterconnects alloftheterminals.Thenetworkincludespersistentstorageforstoringanelectronicaddr essofthe dataterminalandelectronicinformationrespectivetoasubscriberofthesecondvoiceterm inal.The networkalsoincludesaprocessingunitthatisoperabletotransmittheelectronicinformat iontothe dataterminalduringatelephonecall.
Thedataterminalcanbeapersonalcomputerexecutinganemailclientprogram,whichis connected to the network via an email server. Each voice terminal can be POTS
(plain old telephonesystem)telephone,oritcanbe awirelessphonesuchasamobilephoneAsusedherein, thetermsvoiceterminaland/ordataterminalarealsoreferredtoassubscriberstations.
In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method for exchanging electronicinformationi nanetworkcomprisingthestepsof:
initiatingavoicetelephoneconnectionbetweenafirstvoiceterminalandasecondvoice terminal;and transferringelectronicinformationassociatedwiththesecondvoiceterminaltoa dataterminalassociatedwitht hefirstvoiceterminal.
Themethodcanfurthercomprisethestep,aftertheinitiatingstep,ofcompletingthevoice telephoneconnection.
Themethodcanfurthercomprisethestep,aftertheinitiatingstep,ofreceivingarequestto transferelectronic informationassociatedwiththesecondvoiceterminaltoafirstdataterminal associatedwiththefirstvoiceterminal.
The method can further comprise the step, after the transferring step, of receiving the electronicinformationatthedataterminalandprocessingtheelectronicinformationacco rdingto userpreferences.
Theelectronicinformationcan,forexample,beembeddedinthebodyofanemailaddressor encodedasseriesofDTMFtonesthatcanbedecodedbythedataterminal,suchaswheretheda to terminalisacomputerhavingamodemoperabletodecodeDTMFtones.
Thedataterminalandthevoiceterminalcanbeintegrallyformedintoasingledevice,such asaweb-enabledmobilephone,orarich -featuredtelephonehavingamulti -linedisplay.
Theelectronicinformationcanincludeanyinformationthatisdesiredtosendtoanother subscriber.
Forexample,electronicinformationcanincludeemailaddresses,postaladdresses, websiteaddresses,facsimilenumbers,ortelephonenumbers.Havinge xchangedbasiclevelsof electronicinformation,suchasanemailaddress,itiscontemplatedthatavarietyofapplic ationscan beusedtoallowsubscriberstosimultaneouslyconducttheirvoicetelephonecallandexchan ge and/orviewelectronicinformati onForexample,itisexpectedthatthepresentinventionwouldbe particularly useful for customers conducting transactions with business via a telephone, as a confirmationofthetransactionscouldautomaticallybesenttothecustomer'sdatatermina l.For example,wherethecustomerisatraveler,andthebusinessisatravelagency,thenthetravel er's itinerarycouldbeautomaticallysenttothetraveler,orreviewedsimultaneouslybythetra veler during the selection of the traveler's various bookings. Alternatively, where the customer is conductingbusinesswithafinancialinstitutionbytelephone,thenconfirmationsofthecu stomer's financialtransactioncouldautomaticallybeelectronicallydeliveredtothecustomer.
The present invention provides a novel system, method and apparatus for exchanging electronicinformationduringavoicetelephonecall.Asubscriben-iuringavoicetelephonecallcan providesubscriber-inputtotheirtelephoneottorequestatransferofelectronicinformation tooneor moreothersubscribersduringavoicetelephonecall.Thepresentinventionthusobviatesth eneed formanuallytranscribingelectronicinformationsuchasemailaddresses,facsimilenumbe rorweb-pageaddressesduringavoicetelephonecall.
BRIEFDESCRIPTIONOFTHEDRAWINGS
Preferredembodimentsofthepresentinventionwillnowbedescribed,bywayofexample only,withreferencetotheattachedFigures,wherein:
Figure 1 isaschematicrepre sentationofasystemforexchangingelectronicinformationin accordancewithanembodimentoftheinvention;
Figure 2 is a flowchart showing a method for exchanging electronic information in accordancewithanotherembodimentoftheinvention;
Figure3isaschematicrepresentationofasystemforexchangi ngelectronicinformationin accordancewithanotherembodimentoftheinvention;and Figure4isaschematicrepresentationofasystemforexchangingelectronicinformationin accordancewithanotherembodimentoftheinvention.
DETAILEDDESCRIPTIONOF THEINVENTION
ReferringnowtoFigure l,asystemforexchangingelectronicinformationinaccordance withanembodimentoftheinventionisindicatedgenerallyat20.
System20includesapublic communicationnetwork24,suchasthePSTN,whichinterconnectsserviceprovidemodes28aan d 28b, suchastelephonecompanyswitches, centralofficesand/orwirelessbasestations.
Inturn, serviceprovidemodes28areeachconnectedtoatleastonesubscribemode32viaacommunicati on link36.Whereserviceprovidernode28isatelephonecompanyswitch,thencommunicationlin k 36willtypicallybewired,however,communicationlink36canalsobewireless,asforexampl e, whereserviceprovidemode28isabasestationinawirelesslocallooporcellula xtelephonesystem.
AsshowninFigure 1,inapresentembodimenttherearetwosubscribemodes32aand3 2b, connectedtoserviceprovidernodes28aand28b,respectively.(Itiscontemplatedthatsyst em20 willtypicallyincludeapluralityofsubscribernodesinadditiontonodes32aand32b.)Asus ed herein, the term "caller" or "calling" means a call initiated at one ofthe subscriber nodes 32.
Similarly,theterm"callee"meansacallreceivedbyoneofthesubscribernodes.
Forexample, wheresubscribernode32aisthe"caller",thensubscribernode32bisthe"callee".
In apresent embodiment, each subscribernode 32 includes a microprocessor40which interconnectsatelephonehandset44,amonitor48orothen~ser -outputdevice,andakeyboard52 or otheruser -inputdevice.Itistobeunderstoodthatthevariouscomponentsinsubscribernodes32 canbesubstitutedforsubstantiallyequivalentcomponents,and/orcombinedintoasinglei ntelligent device,suchasapersonaldigitalassistantand/o rrich-featuredphone.
Usingtelephonehandset44,microprocessor40isoperabletoprocessvoicecallscarried over public communication network 24. Similarly, using keyboard 52 and monitor 48, microprocessor40isoperabletoprocessatleastonedatas ervice,suchase -mail,forcarriageover communicationnetwork24.
Aswillbeexplainedingreaterdetailbelow,microprocessor40is furtheroperabletoautomaticallyobtaininformationaboutthedataserviceofothersubscr ibemodes 32duringavoice call.
System 20 further includes an electronic information object 56 associated with each subscriber node 32 that is typically resident at the service provider node 28 respective to its subscribernode32.Electronicinformationobject56istypicallyad atafilethatincludespersonal information about the subscriber at each subscriber node 32. In a present embodiment, such personal information includes, at least, the email address ofits respective subscribernode 32.
However,dataobject56canalso includeotherpersonalinformation,suchasthattypicallyfoundon abusinesscard,suchasthename,postaladdress,telephonenumber,facsimilenumberandweb site addressofthesubscribernode32respectivetothedataobject56.
Amethodofexchanging electronicinformationinaccordancewithanotherembodimentof theinventionwillnowbediscussedwithreferencetoFigure2.
Forpurposesofassistinginthe explanationofthepresentembodiment,referencewilIbemadetotheforegoingdiscussionof system 20Atstep100,avoicecallisinitiatedinanyusuahnannerForexample,thereceiverofteleph one set44aatsubscribernode32aisliftedoffthehookandanumberisdialed.Itwillbeassumedfo r purposesofexplainingthepresentembodimentthatthetelephonenumberofsubscribemode32 bis dialed. This dialed number is processed by service provider node 28a, which utilizes public communicationnetwork24tocontactserviceprovidernode28b,whichinturnsendsaringing signaltosubscribernode32bandringstelephoneset44b.
Next,atstep105,thecallinitiatedatstep100isestablished,andavoiceconnectionis completed.Continuingwiththeexample,telephoneset44bisanswered,thuscompletingavoi ce callbetweensubscriber node32aandsubscribernode32b.Itwillbeunderstoodthatthestepsof initiatingandcompletingavoicecallbetweensubscribernodes32aand32bcouldoccurinoth er ways,forexample,thecallcouldhavebeeninitiatedatsubscribernode32b.
The method then advances to step 110, where a request for an exchange of electronic informationisreceivedlnapresentlypreferredembodiment,itiscontemplatedthatthereq uestfor theexchangeofelectronicinformationcanbeinitiatedateithersubscribe rstation32aorsubscriber station32b~ucharequestcanbeto:l)sendelectronicinformationobject56atosubscribers tation 32band/or2)sendelectronicinformationobject56btosubscriberstation32a.
Continuingwiththepresentexample,there questisaccomplishedusingtheflash-keyon telephoneset44a,whichisan"attention"signalthatissenttoserviceprovidemode28ainor derto signal serviceprovidernode 28athatthe subscriberat subscribernode 32awishes to invoke a callingfeat ureavailableatserviceprovidernode28a.Theuseoftheflash -keyisfollowedbya predetermineddialingsequence.(Preferablythepredeterminedsequenceisnotcurrentlyi nusefor theinvocationofothercallingfeatures,suchas3 -waycalling.)Forexample,theuseoftheflash keycanbefollowedby*222inordertorequestthatelectronicinformationobject56abesentt o subscriberstation32b,or*333inordertorequestthatelectronicinformationobject56bbe sentto subscriberstation32a, or*444inordertorequestthatelectronicinformationobject56abesentto subscriberstation32bandthatelectronicinformationobject56bbesenttosubscriberstat ion32a.
Accordingly,serviceprovidernode28ahasnowreceivedtherequestforan exchangeofelectronic information.
Themethodthenadvancestostepl l5,wheretheactualelectronicinformationistransferred accordingtotherequestreceivedatstep 11 O.Thus,asappropriatethedatacontainedinelectronic informationobject56ais transferredtosubscriberstation32band/oithedatacontainedinelectronic informationobject56bistransferredtosubscriberstation32a.
Thetransfercanoccurinavarietyofways. Forexample,usingasuitablevariationof existing caller -idtechnology, electronic informationobject56acanbe encodedinto a series of DTMFtonesbyserviceprovidernode28a,whicharethensentoverthevoiceconnectionandthen decodedbysoflwareexecutingonmicroprocessor40b Usingthismethod,itcanbedesiredtomute theearpieceatbothtelephoneset44aandtelephoneset44bduringthetransferoftheDTMFton es.
However,thetransferofelectronicinformationobjects56canbeaccomplishedinavariety ofotherwaysForexample,inordertotransfer electronicinformationobject56atosubscribemode 32b,soflwareexecutingonserviceprovidemode28acanqueryelectronicinformationobject 56bin ordertoaccessthee -mailaddressofsubscribernode32b.Havingobtainedtheemailaddressof subscribernode32b,thecompletesetofelectronicinformationstoredinelectronicinform ation object56acansimplybesentviaemailtosubscribernode32b.Thus,wherecommunicationlink 36bisavoicetelephonelinewithDSLinternetservice,theemailcontainingtheinformation in object56awi11arriveatmicroprocessor40bforuseatsubscribemode32bviatheDSLlinkonth e voicetelephoneline.(Itwillthusbeapparentthat,ingeneral,link3 6isoperabletocarrybothvoice anddata,andcouldbe implementedinavarietyofwaysForexample,thevoiceportionoffink36 maybeawiredlink,whilethedataportionoffink36maybeviaacable -modemAlternatively,link 36canbeawirelesslinkoperabletocarrybothvoiceanddatachannels.
Otherimplementationsof link36willoccurtothoseofskillintheart.) Othermeansoftransfernnginformationobj ects56toothersubscribemodes32willoccurto thoseofskillintheartandarewithinthescopeoftheinvention.
Themethodthenad vancestostep 120wheretheelectronicinformationisreceivedand processed,thuscompletingthetransferatstepl 1 S.Forexample,microprocessor40breceivesthe informationcontainedinelectronicinformationobject56aandstoresitinpersistentst oragelocalto microprocessor40b.
Thestoredinformationcanthenbeusedbythesubscriberinteractingwith applicationsexecutingonsubscribernode32b,inordertosendemailsorfaxestosubscriber node 32a,ortoaccesstheweb -pagesbelongingtos ubscribernode32a.
Itwillbeunderstoodthat,oncesubscribernode32bhastheemailaddressofthesubscriber node 32a (or vice -versa), virtually any type of electronic information can be sent, (either automaticallyorattherequestofeachsubscriber),betweenthestations32a,32b,dependin gonthe application(s~xecutingoneachsubscriber'tation32a,32bForexample,wheresubscribers tation 32a is an individual consumer, and subscriber station 32b is a travel agent, then a software application executingonsubscribe~tation32bcanprovidetheconsumerwithanemailincludingan completetravelitinerary,confirmationbookings,electronicairline -tickets,andthelike.
WhileintheembodimentshowninFigurel(andmarkedassystem20)showsa telephone handset441oca1toanemailclientexecutingonmicroprocessor40,itwillbeunderstoodthat in otherembodimentsoftheinventionhandset44neednotbelocaltotheemailclient.Forexampl e, analternativeembodimentisshowninFigure3an dmarkedassystem220.Componentsinsystem 220thataresubstantiallythesameascomponentsinsystem20haveareferencenumber200grea ter thanthereferencenumberofthecomponentinsystem20. AsshowninFigure3,system220 includesamobileh andset244cthatisconnectedtonetworknode228cviaawirelesslink236c.
Thus,inapresentembodiment,networknode228cisawirelessbasestationMobilehandset244 c is associatedwith electronic information object256aand subscribernode 232a.
Inthepresent embodiment,subscribemode232aisessentiallyadataterminalexecutinganemailclientpro gram.
(Suchanemailclientistypicallyconnectedtoanemailserverviaconnectedtonetwork224,a sis knowntothoseofskillintheart.) Electronicinformationaboutmobilehandset244candnode232a (suchastheemailaddressofsubscribernode232aandthetelephonenumberofhandset244c)ar e storedinelectronicinformationobject256a.Duringavoicetelephonacallbetweenmobileh ands et 244candhandset244b,thedataoninformationobjects256aand256bcanbeexchangedbetween nodes232aand232binsubstantiallythesamemannerasdiscussedinthemethodofFigure2,wit h appropriatemodifications.Forexample,usingapredefinedse riesoflcey -strokesonhandset244c, instructionscanbesenttonetworknode228c,thatcausesoftwareexecutingonnetworknode2 28c toqueryinformationobject256bandobtaintheemailaddressofsubscribernode232b.
Next, networknode228ccanuset hisemailaddresstoemailinformationobject256atosubscribemode 232bNext,asdesired,asubscriberatsubscribemode232bcanusethecontentsinformationob ject 256atoarrangeforelectronicinteractionsdirectlywithsubscribernode232a,suchassend ing information subscribernode 232aviaemail. Itwillnowbe apparentthatotherconfigurations, combinationsand/orarrangementsofvoicehandsetsandemailclientsassociatedwithapart icular subscribercanbeimplemented,asdesired.
Yetanotherembodimentoftheinventionisshownassystem320inFigure4.Components insystem320thataresubstantiallythesameascomponentsinsystem20haveareferencenumbe r 300greaterthanthereferencenumberofthecomponentinsystem20.System3 20includesafirst networknode,whichinapresentembodimentisanEmailserver328aInturn,Emailserver328ai s connectedtoasubscriberstation,whichinthepresentembodimentisadatatermina1332aexe cuting anemailclientprogram.
System320alsoincludestwoadditionalnetworknodes,whichinapresentembodimentare PSTNswitches328band328c. Emailserver328aandPSTNswitches328band328careall interconnectedbyanetwork324,whichinapresentembodimentcombinesthefunctionality ofthe PSTNforcarryingvoicetrafficandtheInternetforcarryingdatatraffic.
PSTNswitch328cstoresaCallerIDobject390awhichcontainstheemailaddressofdata termina1332a.
PSTNswitches328band328careeachconnectedvialinks336c,336b(respectively)to voiceterminals,whichinapresentembodimentarePOTStelephones344cand344b(respective ly).
PSTNswitch328bstoresapluralityofelectronicinformationobjects356a,356b,and356cwh ich areassociatedwithPOTStelephone344b. Eachinformationobject356a,356band356ccan containanytypeofinformation,asdesired,andcanbeconfiguredand/ordefinedbythesubsc riber atPOTStelephone334b.Forinstance,informationobject356acancontainamapofdirections to theresid enceofthesubscriberofPOTStelephone334b;informationobject356bcancontaina complete business card, includingphone numbers, email addresses andpostal addresses ofthe subscriberatPOTStelephone334b;andinformationobject356ccancontainaf amilyphotograph.
Itistobeemphasized,however,thattherecanbeanynumberinformationobj ects3 S
6andthateach informationobject356cancontainanydesiredinformation.
Inoperation,acalleratPOTStelephone344cdialsthephonenumberofPOTS telephone 334bPSTNswitch328cco11ectsthedialeddigitsfromPOTStelephone344cand,vianetwork324 , connectstoPSTNswitch328binordertocausePOTStelephone344btobeginringingDuringthe connectiontoPSTNswitch328b,Ca1lerIDobject 390aisdeliveredtoPSTNSwitch328band storedthereat forlateruse. Next, POTS telephone 344bis answeredandavoicetelephone call between POTS telephones 344c and 344b is established. During the voice telephone call, the subscriberatPOTStelephone344bdecidestosendelectronicinformationtothesubscribera tPOTS
telephone344cTnapresentembodiment,thisisaccomplishedbypressingthe'flash'keyonPO
TS
telephone344b,whichgetstheattentionofPSTNswitch328b.Atthispoint,PSTNsw itch328b willtypicallymutetheearpieceofPOTStelephone344c,andsendadialtonetotheearpieceof POTStelephone344btoobtaininstructionstherefrom.
ThesubscriberatPOTStelephone344b thenprovidesuserinputthata)instructsPSTNswitch3 28btosendaninformationobject356to datatermina1332aandb) selects which ofinformationobject 356a, 356b or356cto send. For exampleahekeysequence*331cou1dbeusedtosendinformationobject356a;thekeysequence *332cou1dbeusedtosendinformationobject356b;andthekeysequence*333couldbeusedto sendinformationobject356c.However,anykeysequencecanbeused.
ItwilIbeunderstoodthat,dependingonthefunctionalityoIfOTStelephone344bandPSTN
switch328b,thenanyty peofuserinputthatinstructthedeliveryofaninformationobject356to datatermina1332acanbeused.Forexample,wherePSTNswitch328bisoperabletoreceivevoic e instructions,thenthesubscriberatPOTStelephone344bcanissuevoiceinstructio nstoinstructthe deliveryofaninformationobject356.
Forpurposesofexplainingthepresentembodiment,itwillbeassumedthatthesubscriberat POTStelephone344bentersthekeysequence*332,andthusinstructsthatinformationobject 356b besenttodatatermina1332a.Next,PSTNswitch328busesthisinstructiontoprepareanemail message,usingtheemailaddressofdatatermina1332apreviouslyextractedfromtheCallerI
D
streamfromPOTStelephone344c.Thepreparedemailmessagehasinformationobject356beith er embeddedthereinorattachedthereto.
Havingpreparedtheemailmessage,itissentvianetwork324toemailserver328a,whereit thenbecomesavailableforretrievalbytheemailclientexecutingondataterminal332a.
At this point, PSTN switch 328b can automatically reactivate the earpiece of POTS
telephone344candreestablishthecompletevoiceconnectionbetweenPOTStelephones344ca nd 344bA1ternatively,PSTNswitch328bcanwaitformoreuser -input(e.g.furtherdepressionofthe 'flash'key)fromthesubscriberatPOTStelephone344bpriortoreestablishingthecomplete voice connection.
Itwillbeunderstoodthatthevariouscomponentsinsystem320canbevaried,modified,or substitutedasdesiredandstillachie vethesamefunction.
Furthermore,whilesystem320on1y showsonedatatermina1332aassociatedwithPOTStelephone344c,itwillbeunderstoodthata seconddatatermina1332canbeaddedtosystem320andassociatedwithPOTStelephone344b.
Similarly,apluralityofinformationobjectscanbeassociatedwithPOTStelephone344c,an dan emailaddresscanbeembeddedintotheoutgoingCallerIDstreamassociatedwithPOTStelepho ne 344b.
Whiletheembodimentsdiscussedhereinaredirectedtospecific implementationsofthe invention,itwillbeunderstoodthatcombinations,sub-setsandvariationsoftheembodimentsare withinthescopeoftheinvention.Forexample,itmaybedesiredtoaddvarioussecurityfeatu resto system20toensurethattheinformationobject56ofonesubscribemode32isnotinadvertentl yor unintentionallytransferredtoothersubscribernodes32.
Itmaydesiredtosimplyembedtheentirecaller'sinformationobject56intothecaller -id streamsenttothecalleesubscribern ode32duringtheinitiationofthevoicetelephonecall,thus eliminating the need for the explicit request for electronic information exchange at step 110.
However,itisexpectedthatprivacyfeatures,suchastheabilitytoblockthetransmissiono ft he information object 56 duringthe initiation ofthe call, may also be incorporated into such as a system.
Itmaybedesiredtoaddcertainotherprivacy/securityfeaturestothetransmissionofthe electronicinformation.Forexample,theelectronici nformationobjectmaybeencryptedduring transmission,usinganyknownencryptiontechniqueslnaddition,theelectronicinformati onmay betransmittedalongwithadigitalsignature,whichcanb~sedtoverifythesourceoftheelec tronic information bytherecipient.
The present invention maybe usedto allow subscribers to create andupdate theirown personalphonedirectory.Suchaphonebookmaybestoredonadataterminallocatedateithert he network node or on a data terminal local to the subs criber's voice terminal.
An application associated with the phone book could be used to allow the subscriber to automatically place telephonecalls,withouthavingtorememberanyphonenumbers Usinganyknowntext- to-speech converter, the phone bookcanbe "read" tothe subscriberusing avoice terminal, allowingthe subscribertoselectanumbertobedialedusinganinteractivevoiceresponse(IVR)menusyst em.
Using such a text -to-speech converter system, it will be apparent that the foregoing varia lion envisionsanimplementationofthepresentinventionthatobviatestheneedforadatatermin allocal tothesubscriber'svoiceterminal.Alternatively,adataterminalassociatedwiththesubs criber's voiceterminalcouldpresentagraphicaluserinterfacethatallowedthesubscribertoselec ranumber tobedialed.
It may be desired to modify the present invention by allowing a caller to leave his informationobject56aspartoforinadditionto,avoicemailinessageleftforthecallee.So ftware executingonthedataterminalofthecalleesubscriberstationcanbeusedtorecordallincom ing calls,andtheassociatedincomingelectronicinformationassociatedtherewith.
ThepresentinventioncanbemodifiedforuseonTDDorTDYdevicesusedby hearing impairedsubscribers.
It is contemplated that the present invention can be modified for use during a n-way conferencecalls,toallowmultiplesubscriberstoexchangeelectronicinformation.
Inotherembodimentsoftheinvention,thevariouscomponentsinsystem20canbemodified orvariedtoaccomplishthesamefunctionalityForinstance,theelectronicinformationobj ectneed notresideattheserviceprovidernode28,butcanreside,forexample,atthesubscribernode 32.
The present inventio n provides a novel, system, method and apparatus for exchanging electronicinformation Thepresentinventionsimplifiestheprocessofexchanginginformationsuch asemailaddress,facsimilenumbersandweb-pageaddressesduringavoicetelephonecall,t hus allowingsubscriberstoaccuratelyandreadilyexchangesuchinformationwithouttheneedf or transcribing,inwritingorotherwise,eachother'selectronicinformation.
The above -described embodiments ofthe invention are intended to be examples ofth presentinventionandalterationsandmodificationsmaybeeffectedthereto,bythoseofski llinthe art, without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined solely by the claims appendedhereto.
Claims (53)
1. A system for exchanging electronic information comprising:
a first voice terminal for conducting voice telephone calls and receiving subscriber-input;
a data terminal associated with said first voice telephone and for receiving and presenting data;
a second voice terminal for conducting voice telephone calls and receiving subscriber-input;
and, a network interconnecting said terminals, said network including persistent storage for storing an electronic address of said data terminal and electronic information respective to a subscriber of said second voice terminal, said network further including a processing unit operable to transmit said electronic information to said data terminal during a telephone call.
a first voice terminal for conducting voice telephone calls and receiving subscriber-input;
a data terminal associated with said first voice telephone and for receiving and presenting data;
a second voice terminal for conducting voice telephone calls and receiving subscriber-input;
and, a network interconnecting said terminals, said network including persistent storage for storing an electronic address of said data terminal and electronic information respective to a subscriber of said second voice terminal, said network further including a processing unit operable to transmit said electronic information to said data terminal during a telephone call.
2. The system according to claim 1 wherein said electronic information includes an email address of said second subscriber.
3. The system according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said electronic information includes a postal address,facsimile number and telephone number of said second subscriber.
4. The system according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said data terminal is a facsimile machine and said electronic address is a facsimile number respective to said facsimile machine.
5. The system according to claim 1 wherein said data terminal includes an email client connected to said network via an email server; said electronic address is an email address and said electronic information is transmitted as an email message to said email client.
6. The system according to claim 1 further including a second data terminal associated with a subscriber of said second voice terminal;said persistent storage for further storing an electronic address of said second data terminal and for storing electronic information respective to a subscriber of said first voice terminal;said network further including a processing unit operable to transmit said first subscriber's electronic information to said second data terminal during a telephone call.
7. The system according to claim 1 wherein said network includes a first network node connected to said first voice terminal and a second network node connected to said second voice terminal;said persistent storage having a portion thereof being resident at said first network node to store said electronic address;said persistent storage having a remaining portion thereof being resident at said second network node to store said electronic information.
8. The system according to claim 7 wherein at least one of said network nodes is a PSTN
switch that houses said processing unit.
switch that houses said processing unit.
9. The system according to claim 1 wherein said electronic information is encoded and transmitted as a series of DTMF tones and said data terminal is operable to decode said series of DTMF tones.
10. The system according to claim 1 wherein said first voice terminal is a wireless telephone.
11. The system according to claim 1 wherein said wireless telephone is a mobile wireless telephone.
12. The system according to claim 1 wherein said first voice terminal is a POTS telephone.
13. The system according to claim 1 wherein said first voice terminal and said data terminal a reinte grated in to a single device.
14. The system according to claim 1 wherein said information is not transmitted unless a predetermined input from one of said voice terminals is received by said processing unit.
15. The system according to claim 1 wherein said telephone call is initiated by said second voice terminal without establishing a voice connection with said first voice terminal and said transfer is made in lieu of establishing said voice connection.
16. A method for exchanging electronic information in a network comprising the steps of:
initiating a voice telephone connection between a first voice terminal and a second voice terminal;
retrieving an electronic address for a data terminal associated with said first voice terminal; and transferring electronic information associated with said second voice terminal to said data terminal.
initiating a voice telephone connection between a first voice terminal and a second voice terminal;
retrieving an electronic address for a data terminal associated with said first voice terminal; and transferring electronic information associated with said second voice terminal to said data terminal.
17. The method according to claim 16 further comprising the step, after said initiating step, of completing said voice telephone connection.
18. The method according to claim 16 further comprising the step, after said initiating step, of receiving a request to transfer electronic information associated with said second voice terminal to a first data terminal associated with said first voice terminal.
19. The method according to claim 16 further comprising the step, after said transferring step, of receiving said electronic information at said data terminal and processing said electronic information according to user preferences.
20. The method according to claim 16 wherein said electronic information includes an email address of said second subscriber.
21. The method according to claim 16 or 20 wherein said electronic information includes a postal address,facsimile number and telephone number of said second subscriber.
15~
15~
22. The method according to claim 16, 20 or 21 wherein said data terminal is a facsimile machine.
23. The method according to claim 16 wherein said data terminal includes an email client connected to said network via an email server;said electronic address is an email address and said electronic information is transmitted as an email message to said email client.
24. The method according to claim 16 further including the step of transferring electronic information associated with said first voice terminal to a second data terminal associated with said second voice terminal.
25. The method according to claim 16 wherein said electronic information is encoded and transmitted as a series of DTMF tones and said data terminal is operable to decode said series of DTMF tones.
26. The method according to claim 16 wherein said first voice terminal is a wireless telephone.
27. The method according to claim 16 wherein said wireless telephone is a mobile wireless telephone.
28. The method according to claim 16 wherein said first voice terminal is a POTS telephone.
29. The method according to claim 16 wherein said first voice terminal and said data terminal a reinte grated in to a single device.
30. A network node for the exchange of electronic information comprising:
a first connection means for connecting to a first voice terminal;
a second connection means for connecting to a data terminal associated with a subscriber of said first voice terminal;
a third connection means for connecting to a second voice terminal and a persistent storage device storing electronic information associated with said second voice terminal;and a processing unit interconnecting said first, second and third connection means, said processing unit operable to retrieve said electronic information and to transmit said electronic information to said data terminal upon initiation of a connection between said first voice terminal and said second voice terminal.
a first connection means for connecting to a first voice terminal;
a second connection means for connecting to a data terminal associated with a subscriber of said first voice terminal;
a third connection means for connecting to a second voice terminal and a persistent storage device storing electronic information associated with said second voice terminal;and a processing unit interconnecting said first, second and third connection means, said processing unit operable to retrieve said electronic information and to transmit said electronic information to said data terminal upon initiation of a connection between said first voice terminal and said second voice terminal.
31. The network node according to claim 30 wherein said node is a PSTN switch.
32. The network node according to claim 30 wherein said electronic information is encodable and transmittable as a series of DTMF tones and said data terminal is operable to decode said series of DTMF tones.
33. The network node according to claim 30 wherein said node is a wireless base station and said first connection means includes a wireless transceiver.
34. The network node according to claim 30 wherein said second connection means is a data connection to an email server associated with an email client executing on said data terminal and said electronic information is transmitted in the form of an email.
35. The network node according to claim 30 wherein said third connection means is a connection to a PSTN, said PSTN connecting to a second network node connected to said second voice terminal, said persistent storage being resident at said second network node.
36. The network node according to claim 30 wherein said data terminal is a personal digital assistant.
37. The network node according to claim 30 wherein said data terminal is a personal computer.
38. The network node according to claim 30 wherein said data terminal and said first voice terminal are integral into a single intelligent device.
39. A Caller ID data stream comprising:
a message type -byte indicating a type of said Caller ID data stream;
a message length-byte indicating the length of said stream;
a first parameter -type byte indicating that said parameter is an address of a data terminal;
a first parameter-length byte associated with said first parameter -type byte, said first parameter-type byte indicating a length of said address;
an address byte -stream corresponding in length to said first parameter-length byte and representative of said address;and, a check sum for validating said data stream when decoded.
a message type -byte indicating a type of said Caller ID data stream;
a message length-byte indicating the length of said stream;
a first parameter -type byte indicating that said parameter is an address of a data terminal;
a first parameter-length byte associated with said first parameter -type byte, said first parameter-type byte indicating a length of said address;
an address byte -stream corresponding in length to said first parameter-length byte and representative of said address;and, a check sum for validating said data stream when decoded.
40. The Caller ID data stream of claim 39 further comprising:
a second parameter-type byte indicating that said second parameter is a phone number;
a second parameter -length byte associated with said second parameter -type byte, said second parameter-type byte indicating a length of said phone number; and, an phone number byte -stream representative of said phone number.
a second parameter-type byte indicating that said second parameter is a phone number;
a second parameter -length byte associated with said second parameter -type byte, said second parameter-type byte indicating a length of said phone number; and, an phone number byte -stream representative of said phone number.
41. The Caller ID data stream of claim 39 further comprising:
a third parameter-type byte indicating that said third parameter is a date;
a third parameter -length byte associated with said second parameter -type byte, said second parameter-type byte indicating a length of said date; and, an date byte -stream representative of said date.
a third parameter-type byte indicating that said third parameter is a date;
a third parameter -length byte associated with said second parameter -type byte, said second parameter-type byte indicating a length of said date; and, an date byte -stream representative of said date.
42. The Caller ID data stream of claim 39 wherein said address is an email address and said data terminal is an email client.
43. The Caller ID data stream of claim 39 wherein said address is a facsimile number and said data terminal is a fax machine.
44. The Caller ID data stream of claim 39 wherein said message-type bytes indicates said Caller ID data stream is in Multiple Data Message Format.
45. The method according to claim 16 wherein said first voice terminal is associated with customer, said second voice terminal is associated with a business and said electronic information is are cord of a business transaction conducted between said business and said customer.
46. The method according to claim 45 wherein said customer is a traveler, said business is a travel agent, and said record is a travel itinerary.
47. The method according to claim 45 wherein said customer is a account-holder, said business is said account -holder's financial institution and said record is a statement of a financial transaction.
48. The method according to claim 16 comprising the additional step, after said retrieving step, of selecting said electronic information from a data base containing a plurality of different pieces of electronic information.
49. The method according to claim 16 comprising the additional step, prior to said transferring step, of encrypting said electronic information using an encryption key complementary to a decryption key available to said data terminal.
50. The method according to claim 16 comprising the additional step, prior to said transferring step, of embedding a digital signature in said electronic information.
51. The method according to claim 16 comprising the additional step, after said transferring step, of receiving said electronic information and storing said electronic information at said data terminal.
52. The method according to claim 51 comprising the additional step, after said receiving step, of initiating a voice call from said first voice terminal to said second voice terminal by retrieving a telephone number of said second voice terminal from said stored electronic information.
53. The system according to claim 1 wherein the data terminal is resident in said network and is operable to extract a telephone number for said second voice terminal from said electronic information and present,as an audio message, said telephone number at said first voice terminal as part of a list of available telephone numbers that can be automatically dialed from said first voice terminal.
Priority Applications (7)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002312601A CA2312601A1 (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2000-06-28 | Automated exchange of electronic information |
| JP2002505479A JP2004502347A (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2001-06-26 | Automatic exchange of electronic information |
| MXPA02012696A MXPA02012696A (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2001-06-26 | Automated exchange of electronic information. |
| EP01949154A EP1410596A1 (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2001-06-26 | Automated exchange of electronic information |
| PCT/CA2001/000945 WO2002001828A1 (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2001-06-26 | Automated exchange of electronic information |
| CN01812003.2A CN1241381C (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2001-06-26 | Atomatic exchange of electronic information |
| AU2001270398A AU2001270398A1 (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2001-06-26 | Automated exchange of electronic information |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002312601A CA2312601A1 (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2000-06-28 | Automated exchange of electronic information |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2312601A1 true CA2312601A1 (en) | 2001-12-28 |
Family
ID=4166594
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA002312601A Abandoned CA2312601A1 (en) | 2000-06-28 | 2000-06-28 | Automated exchange of electronic information |
Country Status (7)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| EP (1) | EP1410596A1 (en) |
| JP (1) | JP2004502347A (en) |
| CN (1) | CN1241381C (en) |
| AU (1) | AU2001270398A1 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA2312601A1 (en) |
| MX (1) | MXPA02012696A (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2002001828A1 (en) |
Families Citing this family (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP3873697B2 (en) * | 2001-10-01 | 2007-01-24 | 日本電気株式会社 | Transmission device and transmission / reception device, transmission program and transmission / reception program |
| FR2845551B1 (en) * | 2002-10-04 | 2005-01-14 | Atlinks | TELEPHONE STATION, MULTIMEDIA TERMINAL AND SERVER |
| US20060210036A1 (en) * | 2005-03-16 | 2006-09-21 | Jeffrey Citron | System for effecting a telephone call over a computer network without alphanumeric keypad operation |
| JP4841297B2 (en) | 2006-02-24 | 2011-12-21 | 京セラ株式会社 | Wireless communication terminal and server |
| GB2452313A (en) * | 2007-08-31 | 2009-03-04 | Paul Richings | Providing call related information to a telecommunications device |
| JP5446376B2 (en) | 2009-03-27 | 2014-03-19 | 富士通株式会社 | Transfer device, telephone server device, transfer method, and transfer system |
| CN103648093B (en) * | 2013-12-17 | 2017-01-04 | 重庆重邮汇测通信技术有限公司 | base station engineering parameter encryption transmission method |
Family Cites Families (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP2602847B2 (en) * | 1987-09-29 | 1997-04-23 | 株式会社日立製作所 | Multimedia mail system |
| JP3370394B2 (en) * | 1993-09-28 | 2003-01-27 | 富士通株式会社 | E-mail system linked with telephone |
-
2000
- 2000-06-28 CA CA002312601A patent/CA2312601A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2001
- 2001-06-26 CN CN01812003.2A patent/CN1241381C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2001-06-26 MX MXPA02012696A patent/MXPA02012696A/en active IP Right Grant
- 2001-06-26 JP JP2002505479A patent/JP2004502347A/en active Pending
- 2001-06-26 EP EP01949154A patent/EP1410596A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2001-06-26 AU AU2001270398A patent/AU2001270398A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 2001-06-26 WO PCT/CA2001/000945 patent/WO2002001828A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| EP1410596A1 (en) | 2004-04-21 |
| AU2001270398A1 (en) | 2002-01-08 |
| WO2002001828A1 (en) | 2002-01-03 |
| CN1439218A (en) | 2003-08-27 |
| MXPA02012696A (en) | 2004-04-20 |
| JP2004502347A (en) | 2004-01-22 |
| WO2002001828A9 (en) | 2002-09-19 |
| CN1241381C (en) | 2006-02-08 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| FZDE | Discontinued |