System and method for controlling telephone service using a wireless personal information device Number:7,016,675 from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) owispatent

Title: System and method for controlling telephone service using a wireless personal information device

Abstract: A system and method for accessing a data network telephony account using a wireless personal information device (PID). The user may connect over the wireless cellular infrastructure to a telephony control server via a data network for access to the user's telephony account, which indicates the user's telephone number in a telephone number entry. Once the connection is made, the user issues a command to set the telephone number entry in the user's data network telephony account to a specific telephone number. The user may then invoke a contacts application in the wireless PID and select a person to call from the contacts list. The user selects the entry to send a command to initiate a telephone connection between the party selected and the user at the telephone designated by the user at the telephony control server.

Patent Number: 7,016,675 Issued on 03/21/2006 to Schuster,   et al.

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Inventors:	Schuster; Guido M. (Des Plaines, IL); Sidhu; Ikhlaq S. (Vernon Hills, IL); Mahler; Jerry J. (Prospect Heights, IL); Dean; Frederick D. (Chicago, IL); Grabiec; Jacek A. (Chicago, IL)
Assignee:	3Com Corporation (Marlborough, MA)
Appl. No.:	406321
Filed:	September 27, 1999

Current U.S. Class:	455/433; 455/552.1; 455/557; 455/556.2
Current Intern'l Class:	H04Q 7/20     (20060101)
Field of Search:	455/435,461,433,515,516,551,556,557,564,435.1,556.1,466 370/493,494,495 379/211.02,212.01,214.01

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Primary Examiner: Beamer; Temica
Attorney, Agent or Firm: McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

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Claims

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We claim:

1. A personal information device (PID) for controlling telephone service comprising:

a user interface comprising a display and a user input device;

a user profile having a telephone number entered by a user;

a communications function to establish a data communications channel over a wireless network to a telephony control server, the telephony control server containing the user's telephony account; and

an account update function to send a message over the data communication channel to the telephony control server, the message containing the user profile telephone number and a request to set the user's telephony account telephone number to the user profile telephone number.

2. The PID of claim 1 further comprising: a contacts application operable to display a plurality of contact entries, each entry comprising a contact telephone number, the contacts application operable to send the contact telephone number over the data communications channel to the telephony control server with a message to call the contact telephone number.

3. A telephony control server comprising:

a network interface operable to provide data connectivity with a user accessible via a wireless network;

an accounts program to access a plurality of user accounts, the accounts program operable to receive a message to set a user telephone number, each user account containing a telephone number entry, the accounts program being operable to set the telephone number entry in response to the message;

a connection signaling function to receive a call message from the user and to establish a telephone connection between the user telephone number and a callee telephone number contained in the call message; and

the connection signaling function operable to initiate a telephone call having at least a portion of the telephone call connected via the data network.

4. The telephony control server of claim 3 further comprising:

a gateway locator to locate a user gateway closest to the user telephone and to locate a callee gateway closest to the callee telephone; wherein the connection signaling function initiates the portion of the call connected via the data network between the user gateway and the callee gateway.

5. A method for modifying a user telephone account having a telephone number entry using a wireless personal information device (PID) connected over a data network, the method comprising the steps of:

updating a user profile in the wireless PID to a user telephone number; and

sending a request to set the user telephone account to the user telephone number over a data communications channel to a telephony control server wherein the telephony control server updates the user telephone number entry to the user telephone number.

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Description

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to the field of telecommunication, and more particularly to methods by which a personal information device ("PID") can be used to control a telephone system.

B. Description of Related Art and Advantages of the Present Invention

For many years, telephone service providers on the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) provided their customers nothing more than a telephone line to use to communicate with other subscribers. Over time, telephone service providers have enhanced their service by providing Custom Local Area Signaling Service (CLASS) features to their customers. Similar communication services are provided by a Private Branch Exchange (PBX), which is typically implemented in a nonresidential setting.

The CLASS features permit customer subscribers of the features to tailor their telephone service according to individual needs. Some of the more well-known CLASS features are:

• Call blocking: The customer may specify one or more numbers from which he or she does not want to receive calls. A blocked caller will hear a rejection message, while the callee will not receive any indication of the call.
• Call return: Returns a call to the most recent caller. If the most recent caller is busy, the returned call may be queued until it can be completed.
• Call trace: Allows a customer to trigger a trace of the number of the most recent caller.
• Caller ID: The caller's number is automatically displayed during the silence period after the first ring. This feature requires the customer's line to be equipped with a device to read and display the out-of-band signal containing the number.
• Caller ID blocking: Allows a caller to block the display of their number in a callee's caller ID device.
• Priority ringing: Allows a customer to specify a list of numbers for which, when the customer is called by one of the numbers, the customer will hear a distinctive ring.
• Call forwarding: A customer may cause incoming calls to be automatically forwarded to another number for a period of time.

A customer subscriber to a CLASS feature may typically activate and/or de-activate a CLASS feature using "*" directives (e.g., *69 to automatically return a call to the most recent caller). CLASS features may also be implemented with the use of out-of-band data. CLASS feature data is typically transmitted between local Class-5 switches using the Signaling System 7 (SS7).

Local Exchange Carriers (LECs) and other similar organizations maintain CLASS offices that typically contain a database entry for each customer. The database allows specification of the CLASS features a customer has subscribed to, as well as information, such as lists of phone numbers, associated with those features. In some cases, customers may edit these lists on-line via a touch-tone interface. A list of all phone numbers that have originated or terminated a call with each customer is often included in the CLASS office database. For each customer, usually only the most recent number on this list is stored by the local Class-5 switch.

A Private Branch Exchange (PBX), is a stored program switch similar to a Class-5 switch. It is usually used within a medium-to-large-sized business for employee telephony service. Since a PBX is typically operated by a single private organization, there exists a wide variety of PBX services and features. Custom configurations are common, such as integration with intercom and voice mail systems. PBX's typically support their own versions of the CLASS features, as well as other features in addition to those of CLASS. Most PBX features are designed to facilitate business and group communications.

A summary of typical PBX features includes:

• Call transfer: An established call may be transferred from one number to another number on the same PBX.
• Call forwarding: In addition to CLASS call forwarding, a PBX number can be programmed to automatically transfer a call to another number when the first number does not answer or is busy.
• Camp-on queuing: Similar to PSTN call return, a call to a busy number can be queued until the callee can accept it. The caller can hang up their phone and the PBX will ring them when the callee answers.
• Conference calling: Two or more parties can be connected to one another by dialing into a conference bridge number.
• Call parking: An established call at one number can be put on hold and then reestablished from another number. This is useful when call transfer is not warranted.
• Executive override: A privileged individual can break into an established call. After a warning tone to the two participants, the call becomes a three-way call.

While the CLASS and PBX features have enhanced the offerings of service providers that use the PSTN, the features are nevertheless limited in their flexibility and scope. The effect to the user is that the features become clumsy and difficult to use. For example, in order to use the Call Forwarding function, the user must perform the steps at the user's own phone prior to moving to the location of the telephone to which calls will be forwarded. A more desirable approach, from the standpoint of usefulness to the user, would be to perform the steps at the telephone to which calls will be forwarded.

Much of the lack of flexibility of the PSTN features is due to the lack of flexibility in the PSTN system itself. One problem with the PSTN is that the terminal devices (e.g. telephones) lack intelligence and operate as "dumb" terminals on a network having the intelligence in central offices. Most PSTN telephones are limited in functional capability to converting the analog signals they receive to sound and converting the sound from the handset to analog signals.

Some PSTN telephones have a display device and a display function to display specific information communicated from intelligent agents in the PSTN network using the PSTN signaling architecture. For example, some PSTN telephones have a display function to enable the Caller ID feature. Even such PSTN telephones are limited however by the closed PSTN signaling architecture, which prohibits access by the PSTN telephones to the network signaling protocols. The display functions are effectively limited to displaying text, again, as a "dumb" terminal.

The Internet presents a possible solution for distributing intelligence to telephony terminal devices. In Internet telephony, digitized voice is treated as data and transmitted across a digital data network between a telephone calls' participants. One form of Internet telephony uses a telephony gateway/terminal where IP telephony calls are terminated on the network. PSTN telephones are connected by a subscriber line to the gateway/terminal at the local exchange, or at the nearest central office. This form of Internet telephony provides substantial cost savings for users. Because the PSTN portion used in Internet telephony calls is limited to the local lines on each end of the call, long distance calls may be made for essentially the cost of a local call.

It is presently contemplated that Internet service providers with a Point of Presence on the Internet will be suitable entities to offer Internet telephony services. The devices that are used by most Internet service providers for Internet access are known as Network Access Servers or Remote Access Servers. These products are commercially available from 3Com Corporation and other telecommunications equipment manufacturers such as Ascend Communications, Lucent Technologies (successor to Livingston Enterprises), and Multitech.

A representative Network Access Server is the Total Control Enterprise Network Hub from 3Com Corporation, described in the patent of Dale M. Walsh, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,595, which is fully incorporated by reference herein. This device further includes a plurality of digital modems to perform signal conversions on the data from the telephone line channels and a bus network connecting the modems to a network interface card or module. The network interface couples the device to a local or wide are network, such as the Internet service provider backbone network of the Internet, network Access Servers are particularly suited for use in Internet telephony, as they can be configured with software to perform the functions of a Gateway or terminal, as defined by the relevant ITU-T H.323 and H.225 specifications. This is particularly so if the device is configured with a general purpose computing platform (such as the EdgeServer card of the Total Control Network Access Server), as described in the pending patent application of William Verthein, Daniel L. Schoo and Todd Landry, Ser. No. 08/813,173, also incorporated by reference herein.

Notwithstanding the costs savings provided by this form of Internet telephony, it is no more flexible than the PSTN with respect to providing enhancements and features to the basic telephone service.

In another form of Internet telephony, telephones are connected to access networks that access the Internet using a router. The telephones in this form of Internet telephony may be substantially more intelligent than typical PSTN telephones. For example, such a telephone may include substantially the computer resources of a typical personal computer.

It would be desirable to incorporate CLASS and PBX features into a data network telephony system that uses a data network such as the Internet.

It would be desirable to provide new features and enhancements to telephony service that accommodates and conforms to users' needs.

It would also be desirable to provide features and capabilities to telephone service that create new opportunities for users and for service providers.

The present invention addresses the above needs by providing a system in a data network telephony system, such as for example, the Internet, that uses a wireless personal information device (PID) to control the telephony system. A user may configure his or her telephone service by connecting to a telephony control server using the wireless PID. The wireless PID connection to the telephony control server may provide a user with the power to control the behavior of the telephone system to meet the user's needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect of the present invention, a personal information device (PID) is provided for controlling telephone service. The PID includes a user interface having a display and a user input device. A user profile includes a telephone number entered by a user. A communications function in the PID establishes a data communications channel over a wireless network to a telephony control server. The telephony control server contains the user's telephony account. An account update function in the PID sends a message over the data communication channel to the telephony control server. The message contains the user profile telephone number and a request to set the user's telephony account telephone number to the user profile telephone number.

In a second aspect of the present invention, a contacts application is added to the PID to display a plurality of contact entries. Each entry includes a contact telephone number. The contacts application includes a function to send the contact telephone number to the telephony control server over the data communications channel with a message to call the contact telephone number.

In a third aspect of the present invention, a telephony control server includes a network interface operable to provide data connectivity with a user accessible over a wireless network. An accounts program accesses a plurality of user accounts. The accounts program may receive a message to set a user telephone number. Each user account contains a telephone number entry, which the accounts program can set to the telephone number entry in response to the message. A connection signaling function in the telephony control server may receive a call message from the user to establish a telephone connection between the user telephone number and a callee telephone number contained in the call message. The connection signaling function initiates a telephone call having at least a portion of the telephone call connected via the data network.

In a fourth aspect of the present invention, a gateway locator is included in the telephony control server to locate a user gateway closest to the user telephone number and to locate a callee gateway closest to the callee telephone number. The telephony control server initiates the portion of the call connected via the data network between the user gateway and the callee gateway.

In a fifth aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for initiating a data network telephone call using a wireless PID with a display. A contacts application is started to display a plurality of contact entries on the display of the PID. One of the contact entries identifying a callee is selected. A data communications channel is initiated to a telephony control server having a user telephone number. A message is sent to the telephony control server to establish the telephone call between the callee and the user by sending a message to call the callee, connecting a telephone call to the user, and connecting the telephone call to the callee.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Presently preferred embodiments of the invention are described below in conjunction with the appended drawing figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements in the various figures, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is block diagram of a data network telephony system for providing advertising services in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2A shows one embodiment of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B shows one example of one of the personal information device (PID) in FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3 is a pictorial and block diagram showing one example of a user controlling a telephone system using a wireless PID;

FIG. 4 is a pictorial and block diagram showing another example of a user controlling a telephone system using a wireless PID;

FIG. 5 is a pictorial and block diagram showing another example of a user controlling a telephone system using a wireless PID;

FIG. 6 is a pictorial and block diagram showing another example of a user controlling a telephone system using a wireless PID;

FIG. 7 is a pictorial and block diagram showing another example of a user controlling a telephone system using a wireless PID;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing one example of a method for controlling a telephone system with a wireless PID; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing another example of a method for controlling a telephone system with a wireless PID.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following references to patent applications filed concurrently herewith are incorporated be reference:

• "System and Method for Advertising Using Data Network Telephone Connections" to Schuster, et al.
• "System and Method for Providing User-Configured Telephone Service in a Data Network Telephony System" to Sidhu, et al.
• "System and Method for Accessing a Network Server Using a Portable Information Device Through a Network Based Telecommunication System" to Schuster, et al.
• "System and Method for Interconnecting Portable Information Devices Through a Network Based Telecommunication System" to Schuster, et al.
• "System and Method for Enabling Encryption on a Telephony Network" to Schuster, et al.
• "System and Method for Using a Portable Information Device to Establish a Conference Call on a Telephony Network" to Schuster, et al.
• "System and Method for Associating Notes with a Portable Information Device on a Network Telephony Call" to Schuster, et al.
• "System and Method for Providing Shared Workspace Services Over a Telephony Network" to Schuster, et al.
• "System and Method for Providing Service Provider Configurations for Telephones in a Data Network Telephony System" to Schuster, et al.

The following additional references are also incorporated by reference herein:

• "Multiple ISP Support for Data Over Cable Networks" to Ali Akgun, et al.
• "Method and System for Provisioning Network Addresses in a Data-Over-Cable System" to Ali Akgun, et al., Ser. No. 09/218,793.
• "Network Access Methods, Including Direct Wireless to Internet Access" to Yingchun Xu, et al., Ser. No. 08/887,313

A. Data Network Telephony System

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a system 100 for controlling a telephony system using a wireless personal information device (PID) 110 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The system includes a data network 106. A first voice communication device 108a may communicate by a voice connection over the data network 106 by establishing the connection via first access network 112. The voice connection may be linked to a second voice communication device 108b which is accessed via a second access network 114.

The data network 106 in the system 100 typically includes one or more Local Area Networks (LANs) connected to one another or to a Wide-Area Network (WAN), such as an Internet Protocol (IP) network, to provide wide-scale data connectivity. The data network 106 may use Voice Over Packet (VOP) schemes in which voice signals are carried in data packets. In one embodiment, the data network 106 may include one or more LANs such as Ethernet LANs and support data transport protocols for performing Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) techniques on the Internet. For further details regarding VoIP, see the information available through the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) at www.ietf.org. In addition, an Internet Telephony gateway may be included within the system 100 to allow for voice connections to users connected by subscriber lines at a PSTN Central Office.

The first and second voice communication devices 108a and 108b may include a direct interface to a data-switched network, such as a LAN. Such voice communications devices 108a,b typically include a voice input, a voice output and a voice processing system. The voice processing system converts voice sound from the voice input to digital data signals that are communicated on a voice connection over the data network. The voice processing system also converts digital data signals received from the voice connection to voice sound at the voice output. The voice communication devices 108a and 108b typically include a central processing unit and memory to store and process computer programs. Each voice communication device 108a and 108b typically includes a unique network address, such as an IP address, in memory to uniquely identify it to data network 106 and permit data packets to be routed to the device.

In one embodiment, the voice communication device 108a includes a handset with a receiver and transmitter similar or identical to handsets of traditional circuit-switched telephones. A console on which the handset sits may include the voice processing system, a display 116 and a keypad 118. The voice communication device 108a may also include a speed dial key set 128 programmed, or assigned to initiate connections to other voice communication devices that may be connected to the data network 106. In a preferred embodiment, the keys on the speed dial key set 128 may be programmed remotely by a message carried on a voice connection using a selected data transport protocol.

One example of the voice communication device 108a in a preferred embodiment is the NBX 100™ communication system phones offered by 3Com® Corporation, that has been modified, as described herein, to perform speed dial programming. In alternative embodiments, the voice communication device 108a may include any device having voice communications capabilities. For example, a personal computer having a microphone input and speaker output may also be used as the voice communication device 108a. Other configurations for the user interface are also intended to be within the scope of the present invention.

The voice communication devices 108a, 108b may also include a typical plain-old telephone set (POTS) currently used for circuit-switched telephony in the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

The details relating to operation of the voice communication devices 108a and 108b depend on the nature of the data network 106 and the nature of the access networks 112, 114 connecting the voice communication devices 108a and 108b to each other and/or to other network entities. The access networks 112, 114 typically include any high bandwidth network adapted for data communications, i.e. a network having a bandwidth greater than 64,000 bits-per-second (bps). The access networks 112, 114 may link to the voice communication device 108a using an Ethernet LAN, a token ring LAN, a coaxial cable links (e.g. CATV adapted for digital communication), a digital subscriber line (DSL), twisted pair cable, fiberoptic cable, an integrated services digital network (ISDN) link, and wireless links. In embodiments that may not require bandwidth greater than 64,000 bps, the access networks 112, 114 may also include the PSTN and link the voice communications device 108a by a subscriber line.

The system 100 in FIG. 1 shows a telephony control server 120 and an accounts database 122. The telephony control server 120 includes an interface to the data network 106. The purpose of the telephony control server is to provide users of the telephony system with control over their telephony service. Users may subscribe for telephony service from a telephony service provider (e.g. an Internet Service Provider, or ISP). The service provider configures the users' accounts and maintains the accounts in the accounts database 122. The users' account may include information about the user and the user's service provisions. A typical account may include the information shown in Table A.

TABLE A

User Account Information

User identifier: a sequence of alphanumeric elements that uniquely

identifies the user.

The user identifier may be formatted as an E.164 telephone number, or

as a name.

Telephone Number/Identifier: a sequence of alphanumeric elements that

uniquely identifies the telephone used by the user. The user identifier may

be formatted as an E.164 telephone number, or as a number, such as a

MAC address.

The user's name, address and other information that may be used

primarily for billing purposes. For example, the user's checking account

number, credit card number or other financial information may be

provided for automatic billing and payment capabilities.

User's telephony service features. The user may subscribe, permanently

or temporarily, to one or more telephony service features offered by the

service provider.

For example:

	Voice mail
	Caller ID
	Call Forwarding with true number portability
	Teleconferencing

Menu of functions displayed at the telephone
Help menu displayed at the telephone
Speed dial key programming (e.g. speed dial to customer service)
Features as standard offerings - to compete, a provider may offer features
that normally cost extra (e.g. caller ID, etc.) as standard features
Packaged configurations - Features and offerings may be grouped as
distinctly priced packages	Free Web Sudoku Puzzles. Solve with your browser.     2     6       9       5             1       2 7 3     9   2 8   1   3               8   1   9 6   3     6 7 3       8             3       9       7     1     What is it?