MXPA00005944A - Methodand apparatus for allowing selective disposition of an incoming telephone call during an internet session - Google Patents

Abstract

A method for notifying an internet browser user of an incoming telephone call is performed by internet call notification software residing on the user's computer and software residing within a telephone network. A user selects the location of the internet notification software as a home page for the browser. The home page prompts the user for activation of internet call notification. If the user requests internet call notification, the software transmits an internet protocol address to the telephone network. The network then stores the internet protocol address for the user. When a call is made to the user, the telephone network accesses a database to retrieve the stored internet protocol address. The network then transmits a message to the user's software to notify the user of the incoming call. The software displays a window containing information about the telephone call. If the user chooses to accept the call, the software closes the browser and connects the telephone call to the user.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS TO ALLOW THE SELECTIVE DISPOSITION OF AN INCOMING TELEPHONE CALL, DURING AN INTERNET SESSION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is directed to telephony and the Internet and, more particularly, to a software tool (program) for notifying an Internet user of an incoming telephone call. 2. Background During the past several years, there has been an explosive growth of the Internet. The greatest increase in the popularity of the Internet can be attributed to the content of the information available through the World Wide Web (the "Web"). This Web was formed around a network of computers of the "servant" of the local network, that interchange requests and aatos to each other, using the protocol of transfer of hypertext ("HTTP"). The Web consists of "pages" made by a human designer, who uses the Hypertext Markup Language ("HTML").

Each web page contains graphic and text information. A new page can be accessed from the current page by means of a "hyperlink". A user views a Web page using one of a number of commercially available "quick review or review" programs. This quick review program sends an appropriate HTTP request, to establish a communication link with a Web server on the network. A typical http request refers to a Web page by its Indicator, Uniform Resource Position ("URL"). A URL identifies the Web server that hosts that Web page, so that the HTTP request for access to the Web page can be guided to the appropriate Web server for its management. A user requests access to the Internet by subscribing to an Internet Service Provider ("ISP"). This ISP owns one or more server computers on the Internet and provides access to other network server computers for its subscribers. A user can connect to an ISP server in many ways, but the most common connection method is by means of a computer modem (modulator-demodulator) over conventional analog telephone lines. The user initiates a connection by dialing an access number, provided by the ISP, from within a communications application, usually provided by the ISP. The request transmits the data supplied to the user, such as on behalf of the user and the password ("password"), on the modem of the user's computer to a request on the server's computer. The server computer's request confirms the user's name and password and provides access to other servers in the server.

Internet. The request for communications from the user can then make other requests from the Internet, such as a glance at the Web. However, while connected to the Internet, the user can not receive any phone calls on the analog telephone line. With the average Internet user connected for more than thirty minutes, these users can frequently miss many important phone calls. Call Waiting services do not provide an adequate solution to this problem. A user who subscribes to the Call Waiting does not receive a visual or acoustic indication of an incoming phone call. Also, many subscribers must disable the Call Waiting service, because the transaction of this Call Waiting (usually one or two sound signals) interrupts the user's modem connection to the Internet, usually suppressing the call. Other options currently available to the user are similarly inadequate. For example, the user can subscribe to a voicemail service. But such services do not provide an indication to the user that a call and voicemail message was received. In addition, many voice mail services do not respond to telephone calls received on a busy line. The user can also choose the purchase of a second analogue telephone line exclusively reserved for the use of the Internet. However, in many cases, the relatively short time spent on the Internet does not justify the costs of the monthly telephone service and the accompanying installation.

COMPENDIUM OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the problems and disadvantages of the prior art, storing the number of telephone and the address of a user's Internet protocol in the course of starting an Internet session. The stored information can be used to locate the user on the Internet and notify him of an incoming phone call. The invention also provides the user with information about the caller, such as the name, address and telephone number thereof. The user of the Internet can then decide: (1) ignore the call and continue working with the Internet request; (2) accept the call and end the Internet session or (3) configure the incoming call as an Internet telephony call, so that the Internet session can continue. In particular, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the software of the Internet call notification, stored in the Internet user's computer and the advanced intelligent network software, stored in a telephone network, cooperatively notify the Internet user of an incoming phone call. The Internet user establishes a look at the "local page" to the location of the Internet notification software. The software then suggests the user, at a glance, to activate the Internet call notification. If the user requests the notification, an Internet Protocol ("IP") address is first assigned by the user's Internet service provider. Next, the software transmits the IP address assigned to the network, using the TCP / IP network. The telephone network stores the IP address together with the user's telephone number in a database. When a subsequent telephone call is made to the user, the network has access to the database to determine if the user has an active Internet session and, if so, retrieves the user's IP address. The telephone network then sends a message via the Internet to the user call notification software, at the address of the retrieved IP. The personal computer software then displays a window that provides information about the call, such as the name and telephone number of the calling party, along with options for the arrangement of the telephone call. The user can choose to accept the phone call or reject it. If the user accepts the phone call, the software closes the review or browse and connects the call to the user's telephone line. If the user rejects the telephone call, the software informs the network that the user has rejected the call. The network can then allow the call to ring the bell at the end of the calling party. Alternatively, the call can go forward to an alternative telephone number specified by the user. In accordance with the purpose of the invention, as it is widely incorporated and described herein, the invention is a method for notifying an Internet user of an incoming telephone call from a calling party, this method comprises the steps of storing an address of the user's Internet protocol; receive the incoming phone call; retrieve the address of the user's stored Internet protocol; send a message to the protocol address of the Internet; display the information regarding the telephone call; and provide options to the Internet user for the disposition of the call. The objects and advantages of the invention will be pointed out in part in the description that follows and in part will be obvious from the description or can be learned by the practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention will be realized and obtained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary telephone network, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a block diagram of a computer, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a flowchart, illustrating the interaction between a calling party, the Internet call notification software, and the Intelligent Advanced Network ("AIN") software. Figure 5 is an illustration of an Internet notification database entry. Figure 6 is a flowchart, illustrating the interaction between the calling party, the Internet call notification software and the AIN software.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITY Referring now in detail to a preferred embodiment of the invention, examples thereof are shown in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used in all drawings, to refer to the same or similar parts. Figure 1 is a block diagram of an advanced intelligent network ("AIN"), the network 100, interconnected by means of a Signaling System # 7 ("SS7"), according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The functionality of the AIN is described in the documents Bellcore Documents No. GR-1298-CORE and GR-1299-CORE, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. The SS7 signaling is described in detail in "American National Standard for Telecommunications - Signaling System Number 7, Nos. TI.110 to TI-115", which is incorporated herein by reference. A calling party 160 and a called party / Internet user, 150, have access to the network 100. The called party 150 connects to the network 100 using either a standard telephone 155 or through a computer 200. This computer 200 is connects to the network 100 by a computer modem 267 or a similar device. Both the modem 267 and the telephone 155 are coupled to a network connector in the user's premises, such as a telephone jack (not shown). A service interruption point ("SSP") 175 connects the calls to and from the Internet user 150. The SSP may be located, for example, in a terminal office, coupled to the telephone jack of the Internet user. The SSP 175 is communicatively coupled to an Advanced Intelligent Network Service Control Point ("AIN SCP") 180 or a device compatible with the similar SS7. The SSP 175 and the AIN SCP 180 communicate by means of the SS7 message and the TCAP queries. These TCAP queries are described in Bellcore Document No. GR-1298-CORE, entitled "AIN GR: Switching Systems", Issue 3, Rev. 11/96, which is incorporated herein by reference. The AIN SCP 180 enters one or more databases, which include a database 190 of the Internet Call Notification ("ICN") (discussed in more detail below) and a data base 194 of the caller. The AIN SCP stores the information and has access to the ICN database 190 for information related to this ICN. The caller information database contains information regarding individual callers, such as subscriber names, addresses and telephone numbers and not SS ¥ 2 »JA *. < »Í, S: subscribers to the network. The user PC 200 (via SSP 175) and the AIN SCP 180 are both communicatively coupled to the Internet 300 using the Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP) network. Figure 2 is a block diagram of the computer 200, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The computer 200 includes a Central Processing Unit ("CPU") 262; a memory 264; 265 entry / exit lines; a modem 267; an input device 270, such as a keyboard or a mouse; and a display device 280, such as a display terminal. Computer 260 also includes a removable storage device 271, such as a disk drive, which reads computer instructions stored in a computer-readable medium 272, such as a computer disk. The memory 264 of the computer 260 includes a quick review software 277, such as that sold under the trade name "Netscape Navigator," by Netscape Communications, Inc., although other quick review elements may be used. The memory 264 also includes a computer display control language, such jj jj | M as the HyperText Markup Language ("HTML") 275 and a Java 285 interpreter. The QuickReview 277 software may also include a socket that interprets the Java language or otherwise provides access to the 5 Internet call notification software, described below. A person with ordinary skill in the art will understand that the memory 274 also contains additional information, such as application programs, operating systems, data, etc., which are not shown in the figure for purposes of clarity. The present invention includes two components: (1) a software component 290 of Internet Call Notification ("ICN"), stored in a local disk drive of computer 260 and read in memory 277 upon execution; and (2) an ICN software component 195, stored in the AIN SCP 180 and the associated databases 190, 194. The ICN 290 component and the AIN component 195 work together to provide notification to the user 200 of the Internet of an incoming call. To ensure that both components work properly, Internet user 200 pre-registers their local exchange bearer ("LEC") for their service area. aaiBM ^^ aaM aiiiiíiiiaÉÉaito ^ --- ^^^ < & < ^ -...- ..

Service Activation Before using, user 150 can configure component 290 of the ICN software, specifying one or more of the implicit telephone numbers. For example, user 150 may specify a cell phone number, a paging device number and / or a voice mail telephone number. During execution, the user selects one of the numbers specified for the implicit handling of telephone calls during an Internet session. The user interface may include methods to simplify the selection of the number to be used. Figure 3 is a flow diagram illustrating the flow of data between the Internet user 200, the ICN software 290 and the AIN SCP 180 and their associated databases. Those skilled in the art will understand that the steps of the flowcharts in this document are performed by a CPU 262 of Figure 1, which executes the instructions of the software 290 and a processor in the AIN SCP 180. In step 302, Internet computer 200 initiates an Internet session by dialing a remote server or point of presence ("POP") operated by the ISP. The dialed number includes a feature code dialing sequence, such as * 99. In step 304, the modem 267 sends the remote server call digits to the SSP 175. This SSP 175 will automatically receive the telephone number of the Internet user 150. An initiator of the AIN characteristic code is invoked in the SSP 175 and the resulting message INFO (First In, First Out) analyzed is sent to the AIN SCP 180. Based on the feature code marked, in step 306, the AIN SCP 180 creates an Internet call entry 410 in the ICN database 190. An example of the 410 entry of the Internet call is shown in Figure 4. The entry 410 includes a field 420 which specifies the user's telephone number, a field 430 specifying the user's Internet address, and a field 440 which specifies an implicit telephone number of the user, if available. The SSP 175 supplies APRA data in the field 420. The Internet address fields 430, 440 are left blank until the user has assigned an Internet address and requires the activation of the Internet Call Notification.

^^^^^ Once connected to the ISP server, this ISP assigns the user 200 with an Internet Protocol ("IP") address to identify the user to other hosts on the Internet. The user 200 can then open the quick review software 277. This software 277 displays the HTML and Java pages specified in the http requests. In addition, the Quick Review Software 277 can display other HTML and Java documents located on the user's computer. The scanning software allows the user to specify a "local page", such as the initial document to be displayed by the quick-review software 277. In the present invention, the user establishes the address of the local page as the location of the local disk drive of the software program 290 of the ICN (for example, "C: \ ICN \ ICN.EXE"). The ICN software program 290 is an executable program alone or a "plug-in" for quick review, written in a programming language, such as the JAVA programming language. JAVA is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc. JAVA programming is described in detail in The Waite Group's "Java Primer Plus," by Paul M. Tyma, Gabriel Torok and Troy Downing (1996), which is incorporated herein as reference . In step 310, the ICN software 290 causes the computer 200 to display a window that suggests the user to activate the Internet Call Notification. The window includes a menu of option buttons previously arranged. The user 200 may choose to be notified by selecting a "Yes" button in the window. If the user does not want to be notified of incoming calls, he can select the "No" button in the window. The user can also specify one of the several implicit telephone numbers that are provided during the configuration of the software. If the user 2? '? selects the call notification, the ICN program 290 creates a data message, such as a User Datagram Protocol packet ("UDP") that contains: (1) the current IP address of the user; (2) the user's telephone number; and (3) the implied telephone number. In step 312, the packet is sent directly to the AIN SCP 180 by the ICN software 290, using a server of the domain name that projects to a physical address for the AIN SCP 180. This AIN SCP 180 receives the data message _ and, in step 314, complete the ^ "* ^ T ^ I ^^ - ^ ^ *" * ^ "*«.,. # »Database entry 310, entering the IP address of the user in field 430, and the telephone number implicit in the field 440. The AIN SCP 180, in step 316, returns a confirmation message back to the user 200 over the Internet In step 318, the ICN software 290 causes the quick check 277 to display a message confirming the activation of the ICN.

Notification and Disposition of the Internet Call Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating the interaction between the calling party 160, the ICN software 290, and the AIN software 195. In step 502, a calling party 160 marks user 150 of the Internet. A telephone call by the calling party 160 to the user 150 will find an initiator of the AIN. such as the termination of the busy initiator, in the SSP 175, before reaching the user's line. The termination of the busy initiator captures a call to a busy telephone line without allowing the caller to hear a busy signal. The initiator is placed before a call waiting feature or any other termination feature. When capturing the call, SSP 175, in step 504, sends a TCAP interrogation to the AIN SCP 180 for instructions regarding the arrangement of the telephone call. The AIN SCP 180 in step 506a has access to the ICN database and concludes that the user has an active Internet session. The AIN SCP 180 then retrieves the IP address for the user from the 430 IP address field of the 410 database entry. In addition, the AIN SCP 180, in step 506b, has access to the database 194 of the caller information, to retrieve the information regarding the calling party, if available. In step 508, the AIN SCP 180 sends a data message containing the information of the calling party to the user's Internet address. The message notifies the ICN software, 290, of an incoming call. The ICN software 290, in step 510, causes the computer 200 to display a window informing the user that a call is entering and presenting the caller information to the user. The window suggests the user to accept the call directly, accept the call over the Internet, using the telephony of the computer, or ignore this call. If the user chooses to accept the telephone call directly, the software 290, in step 512, The connection between the modem and the ISP server is terminated by the end of the connection between the modem and the ISP server. In step 513, the software 290 sends a call termination indication directly to the AIN SCP 180, using the TCP / IP network protocol. In addition, the SSP 175 sends a disconnect message to the AIN SCP 180 in step 514. The termination of the call and the modem session is received by the SSP 175. The user's telephone line is then free to accept telephone calls. Based on the notification that the user has disconnected the telephone call, the AIN SCP 180, in step 516, sends an AIN TCAP message to SSP 175, which instructs SSP 175 to complete the call from part 160 calling the user 200. In step 518, the user answers the call of part 170 that he loves. If the user chooses not to accept the call in step 510, the flow of the call continues in step 520. In step 520, the ICN software 290 or notifies the AIN SCP 180 that the user has chosen to ignore the call or the software 290 is out of service. In step 522, the AIN SCP 180 has access to the database 190 to determine the implicit telephone number specified by the user at startup. In step 524, the AIN SCP 180 sends a "* -» »-« - 'TCAP message instructing SSP 175 to route the calling party's telephone call 170 to an implicit telephone number, received in step 522. If no response is received in the number If the user chooses to accept the call using Internet telephony, the user must specify an IP address of the telephony server In step 524, the address is transmitted back to the AIN SCP 180. This AIN SCP 180 then establishes a connection with the telephony server.After the connection is established, the AIN SCP 180 supplies the user's IP address to the server, together with the information about the calling party. then connect the calling party 160 and the Internet user 150.

Disabling the Service Once the user has finished the session of Internet, the termination of the call is recognized by the SSP 175. This event causes the SSP 175 to send a call termination notification message to the AIN SCP 180.

That AIN SCP 180 then removes the user's entry from . ^^^ IrijihUlBah. the ICN database 190, effectively deactivating the ICN session. Having thus described a preferred embodiment of an apparatus method for notifying an Internet user of an incoming telephone call, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain advantages have been achieved. It should also be appreciated that various modifications, adaptations and alternative modalities may be made within the scope and spirit of the present invention. For example, as long as the calling party 160 is waiting for the connection to the called party 150, the service control point of the advanced intelligent network ("AIN SCP") 180 may send a "HOLD" message back to the point Service interrupt ("SSP") 175. This "HOLD" message may instruct SSP 175 to execute a particular notification and to hold the call until user 150 has disconnected from the network. The invention is also defined by the following claims:

Claims (20)

CLAIMS 1. A method for notifying a user of the Internet of an incoming telephone call, from a calling party, this method comprises the steps of: storing a user's Internet protocol address; receive the phone call; retrieve the address of the user's stored Internet protocol; send a message to the address of the protocol
1. Internet; and display the information regarding the telephone call.
2. 2. The method for notifying an Internet user of an incoming telephone call, which also includes the steps of: suggesting the user to perform at least one of the following actions: accept. the phone call directly; ignore the phone call; and accept the phone call over the Internet. 3. The method for notifying an Internet user of an incoming telephone call, as defined in claim 2, which further comprises the steps of: terminating an Internet session, when the user chooses to accept the telephone call directly; and connect the phone call from the calling party to the user.
3. The method for notifying a user of
4. Internet of an incoming telephone call, as defined in claim 2, further comprising the steps of: storing an implied telephone number of the user; connect the phone call from the calling party to the implicit phone number, if the user does not choose to ignore the phone call.
5. 5. The method for notifying a user of Internet of an incoming telephone call, as defined in claim 2, further comprising the step of sending the Internet protocol address of the user to the telephony server, when the user chooses to accept the telephone call over the Internet.
6. 6. The method for notifying an Internet user of an incoming telephone call, as defined in claim 1, further comprising the steps of: displaying a Web page (worldwide networks): suggesting to the user the activation of the call notification from the website; transmit the user's Internet address, when the user chooses to activate the call notification; and display a service activation message on the Web page.
7. 7. The method for notifying an Internet user of an incoming telephone call, as defined in claim 1, wherein the information regarding the telephone call includes the information regarding the calling party.
8. 8. The method for notifying an Internet user of an incoming telephone call, as defined In the claim 1, in which the Internet address is stored by a service control point.
9. 9. The method for notifying a user of Internet of an incoming telephone call, as defined in claim 8, wherein the service control point stores the Internet address in a database.
10. 10. The method for notifying a user of Internet of an incoming telephone call, as defined in claim 9, wherein the telephone call is received by a service interruption point in a telephone network.
11. 11. A method, executed by a computer processor, to notify an Internet user of an incoming telephone call from a calling party, this method comprises the steps of: displaying a Web page, this Web page contains a suggestion to the user requesting the activation of the Internet call notification; receive a request from the user to activate the Internet call notification; and transmit an Internet protocol address to a telephone network.
12. 12. The method for notifying an Internet user of an incoming telephone call, as defined in claim 11, further comprising the steps of: receiving a message, which contains information regarding the telephone call; and display a window, which notifies the user of the telephone call.
13. 13. The method for notifying a user of Internet of an incoming telephone call, as defined in claim 11, wherein the information regarding the telephone call includes the information regarding the calling party.
14. 14. The method for notifying a user of Internet of an incoming telephone call, as defined in claim 12, further comprising the steps of: receiving a request from the user to connect the telephone call; terminate the user's Internet session; Y ^ í * éConnect the telephone call from the calling party to the user.
15. 15. An apparatus for notifying an Internet user of an incoming telephone call from a calling party, this apparatus comprises: a service interruption point, configured to receive the telephone call from the calling party and send a message regarding this call telephone; a service control point, configured to receive the message and send an Internet notification message to the stored address of the user's Internet protocol; an Internet notification element, to display the information regarding the telephone call, based on the Internet notification message.
16. 16. The apparatus, as defined in claim 15, wherein the Internet notification element further comprises: an element for causing rapid review of the Internet, to suggest to the user to accept the telephone call; - ?? á ^ jí fm μm? jií ,. an element to end a session of the quick review of the Internet, if the user chooses to accept the telephone call; and an element to connect the telephone call from the calling party to the user.
17. 17. The apparatus, as defined in claim 15, in which this apparatus further comprises: an element for storing an implicit telephone number of the user; an element, within the Internet notification element, to suggest the user accept the telephone call; and an element to connect the calling party's telephone call to the user's implied telephone number, if the user does not accept the telephone call.
18. 18. The apparatus, as defined in claim 15, wherein the Internet notification element further comprises: an element for suggesting to the user the activation of the call notification; ^^^^^ i an item to transmit the user's Internet address, if this user chooses to activate the call notification; and an element for displaying a service activation message.
19. 19. The apparatus, as defined in claim 15, wherein the Internet notification element further comprises: an element for displaying a Web page in the fast Internet review; an element to suggest to the user the activation of the call notification from the Web page; an element to transmit the user's Internet address, if this user chooses to activate the call notification; and an element to display a service activation message on the Web page.
20. 20. The apparatus, as defined in claim 15, wherein the information regarding the telephone call includes the information regarding the calling party.