CN101803354B - Method and system for providing diversity voice rings under the control of calling party - Google Patents
Method and system for providing diversity voice rings under the control of calling party Download PDFInfo
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- CN101803354B CN101803354B CN2007801007044A CN200780100704A CN101803354B CN 101803354 B CN101803354 B CN 101803354B CN 2007801007044 A CN2007801007044 A CN 2007801007044A CN 200780100704 A CN200780100704 A CN 200780100704A CN 101803354 B CN101803354 B CN 101803354B
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- party terminal
- called party
- calling party
- ring tone
- call
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- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 19
- 230000000977 initiatory effect Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 claims description 10
- 230000003111 delayed effect Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 5
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 5
- 230000006870 function Effects 0.000 description 4
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000001413 cellular effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
- H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
- H04M3/02—Calling substations, e.g. by ringing
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
- H04M19/00—Current supply arrangements for telephone systems
- H04M19/02—Current supply arrangements for telephone systems providing ringing current or supervisory tones, e.g. dialling tone or busy tone
- H04M19/04—Current supply arrangements for telephone systems providing ringing current or supervisory tones, e.g. dialling tone or busy tone the ringing-current being generated at the substations
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
- H04M1/00—Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers
- H04M1/72—Mobile telephones; Cordless telephones, i.e. devices for establishing wireless links to base stations without route selection
- H04M1/724—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
- H04M1/72403—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
- H04M1/72409—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality by interfacing with external accessories
- H04M1/72415—User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality by interfacing with external accessories for remote control of appliances
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- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- Mobile Radio Communication Systems (AREA)
- Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)
Abstract
A method for providing a diversity ring tone to a called party terminal (30) under the control of a calling party terminal (10), comprises the steps of: initiating a call from the calling party terminal (10) to the called party terminal (30); determining whether the called party terminal (30) is available to receive a call; if so, retrieving and playing a ring tone stored at the calling party terminal (10); and establishing connectivity between the calling and called party terminals (10, 30), and turning on a speaker of the called party terminal (30), thereby making the ring tone, which is being played at the calling party terminal (10), audible by means of the speaker. Alternatively, the determination step further comprises making the called party terminal (30) ring in a manner in accordance with the called party's configuration, in the case that the called party terminal (30) is available to receive a call; the step of retrieving and playing a ring tone further comprises: prior to performing playing, delaying for a predefined period of time; and the step of establishing connectivity and turning on a speaker further comprises, at the same time as turning on the speaker, stopping ringing in the manner in accordance with the called party's configuration. A system for providing a diversity ring tone is also described.
Description
Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to the field of telecommunications. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for providing diversity ring tones under control of a calling party.
Background
A ringtone is a sound produced by a telephone that indicates an incoming call. Older phones simply used ring tones such as "ring … … ring … …" to bring the user's attention, however, modern ring tones have become extremely diverse, making personalization and customization of the phone possible. For example, newer mobile phones allow users to associate different ring tones with different phonebook entries. With this feature, the owner of the mobile phone can easily judge which phonebook entry the caller corresponds to. However, this is not sufficient because of its very limited choice of playable ring tones, the complexity with which they can be played, and the way in which the association of the ring tone with the call number is programmed. For example, the association between the ring tone and the calling number must be predefined by the phone owner, so that the assigned ring tone cannot be changed until the next update once the predefinition is completed.
A ringback tone is a ring tone that is heard on a calling party terminal when the calling party makes a call to a called party terminal. In recent years, color ringback tones (also referred to as personalized ringback tones) have become popular worldwide. With this feature, the caller will hear the audio selection applied to the telephone line as determined by the called party. Thus, it is apparent that the color ringback tone shows the diversity of called parties, not the diversity of calling parties.
There is much room for improvement in ring tone services.
Disclosure of Invention
Accordingly, the present invention has been made to overcome the problems associated with the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method capable of providing diverse ring tones under the control of a calling party.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for providing a diversity ring tone to a called party terminal under the control of a calling party terminal is provided, the method comprising the steps of:
initiating a call from a calling party terminal to a called party terminal;
judging whether the called party terminal is available for receiving the call;
if yes, retrieving and playing the ring tone stored on the calling party terminal; and
a connection between the calling party terminal and the called party terminal is established, the speaker of the called party terminal is turned on and thereby the ring tone played on the calling party terminal is made audible by means of the speaker.
As a modification of the method according to this embodiment of the invention, the step of determining further comprises, in case the called party terminal is available for receiving the call, ringing the called party terminal in a manner configured according to the called party; the step of retrieving and playing the ring tone further comprises delaying for a predetermined period of time before playing; the step of establishing a connection and turning on the speaker further comprises, while turning on the speaker, ceasing ringing in a manner configured according to the called party. Preferably, the predetermined period of time is predefined on the calling party terminal.
Preferably, the calling party terminal and the called party terminal communicate via a network element.
The method further comprises the steps of: storing, by a calling party terminal, at least one audio file as at least one ringtone, and assigning a unique index to each of the at least one ringtone.
Preferably, the call originated by the caller terminal further designates an index, and in the step of retrieving and playing the ring tone, the ring tone corresponding to the index is retrieved and played.
Preferably, the method comprises, after the step of establishing a connection and turning on the loudspeaker, the steps of: if the called party answers the call, terminating the current connection between the calling party terminal and the called party terminal, stopping playing the ring tone on the calling party terminal, and establishing a connection for voice communication between the calling party terminal and the called party terminal; or if the called party terminal refuses the call, releasing all resources.
In another aspect of the present invention, a system for providing a diversity ring tone is provided, the system comprising:
a calling party terminal initiating a call;
a called party terminal as a call destination; wherein,
when a calling party terminal initiates a call to a called party terminal, judging whether the called party terminal can be used for receiving the call; if yes, retrieving and playing the ring tone stored on the calling party terminal; thereafter, a connection between the calling party terminal and the called party terminal is established, and the speaker of the called party terminal is turned on, thereby making the ringtone played on the calling party terminal audible by means of the speaker.
As a modification of the system according to this aspect of the invention, the called party terminal is caused to ring in a manner configured according to the called party when it is determined that the called party terminal is likely to be used to receive a call. Playing the ringtone on the calling party terminal is delayed for a predetermined period of time. While the speaker is turned on, the called party terminal stops ringing in a manner configured according to the called party. Preferably, the predetermined period of time is predefined on the calling party terminal.
Preferably, the system further comprises a network element via which the calling party terminal and the called party terminal communicate.
Preferably, the caller terminal is configured to store at least one audio file as at least one ringtone and assign a unique index to each of the at least one ringtone.
Preferably, the call originated by the caller terminal further specifies an index, and the ringtone stored on the caller terminal corresponding to the index is retrieved and played.
Preferably, if the called party answers the call, terminating the connection between the calling party terminal and the called party terminal, stopping playing the ringtone on the calling party terminal, and establishing a connection for voice communication between the calling party terminal and the called party terminal; or, if the calling party terminal rejects the call, all resources are released.
Drawings
The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the construction of a system according to an embodiment of the invention;
fig. 2 schematically shows a storage structure of the caller terminal shown in fig. 1;
FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating steps of a method according to an embodiment of the invention;
like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the drawings and the description.
Detailed Description
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein, but rather should be construed as broadly as possible, providing a thorough and complete disclosure and fully conveying the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.
In fig. 1, a schematic overview of the construction of a system for providing a diversity ring tone according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. As can be seen from fig. 1, the system comprises a calling party terminal 10, a telecommunications network 20, a called party terminal 30. It should be noted that only two terminals are shown in this embodiment for simplicity.
Generally, the terminals 10 and 30 may be any communication devices having an audio communication function, such as a fixed phone, a mobile phone, a PDA (personal digital assistant), a PC (personal computer), and the like, with appropriate changes. A non-exhaustive list of possible terminals includes a fixed telephone connected to a POTS network or PSTN (public switched telephone network), a mobile telephone coupled to a cellular audio network (e.g. GSM, gprs edge, CDMA or UMTS), a handheld digital device having at least one audio communication module.
Fig. 2 shows a storage structure of the calling party terminal 10. The caller terminal 10 includes a memory for storing at least one diversity ring tone received or generated by other data sources, such as, but not limited to, a web site or platform. In addition, the calling party terminal 10 provides its user with functions of formulating and managing its ring tone policy, which include, but are not limited to, assigning a unique index to each ring tone, editing, copying or deleting diverse ring tones from a database, resetting the correspondence between ring tones and indexes, and the like. In addition, the calling party terminal 10 may be used to retrieve and play the ring tone stored therein.
The modification of the called party terminal may be performed by software or hardware upgrade of an existing audio communication device. The modified called party terminal 30 has a new menu item with which the user can select which of the local ring tone and the diversity ring tone is preferred. If the local ring tone is preferred, the diversity ring tone function is disabled, and when an external call arrives at the called party terminal, the called party terminal always rings according to the user configuration; otherwise, the diversity ring tone function is supported at the called party terminal. The present invention is explained below with reference to the latter mode.
The telecommunications network 20 may be any suitable wired or wireless communication medium, such as but not limited to PSTN, GSM, and CDMA networks. Which is coupled to the terminal 10, 30 for providing telecommunication services therebetween.
The term "diversity ring tone" as used herein is a ring tone heard by the called party when the calling party's call reaches the called party's terminal, which is selected by the calling party at the time the call is initiated for the purpose of presenting personality, identity, etc. Diversity ring tones include, but are not limited to, a recorded voice message, a conversation, a piece of music, or any other sound effect. With this feature, the called party can get some information from the ring tone before answering the call. In addition, the diversity ring tone may be used by advertising companies to publish their advertising information.
Referring now to fig. 3, a method of providing diversity ring tones will be described.
Assuming that the calling party has stored at least one ring tone on the calling party terminal 10 and made its policy, a call involving a diversity ring tone is initiated to the called party terminal 30 by dialing a "'called party' phone number + separator (e.g.. x or #) + index" on the calling party terminal 10 in step S100. For example, returning to fig. 2, when the calling party dials telephone number + x (or #) +1 of his friend Mary, a call is initiated involving a diversity ring tone, ring tone 1 being designated as the target ring tone that will become audible on Mary's telephone, i.e., called party terminal 30.
Upon detecting such a call, the telecommunications network 20 determines whether the called party terminal 30 is available to receive the call (S200). If so, the ringtone stored in advance on the calling party terminal 10 corresponding to the extracted index information is retrieved and played in step S300.
It will be appreciated that the indexing information need not be embedded in the call. In some applications, in the absence of such embedded information, or if the embedded index information is not valid, a default ring tone predetermined by the calling party is retrieved and played. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many other configurations are possible in light of the teachings of the present invention.
Next, in step S400, a connection between the calling party terminal 10 and the called party terminal 30 is established, and the speaker of the called party terminal 30 is turned on, thereby making the ring tone played on the calling party terminal 10 audible by means of the speaker.
In the above scheme, the diversity ring tone decided by the calling party is made audible on the called party terminal 30 immediately after it is judged that the called party terminal 30 is available to receive the call. An alternative is also possible, wherein a diversity ring tone is played on the calling party terminal 10 after the called party terminal 30 has rung in a normal manner for a predetermined period of time according to the called party configuration. In some applications, the latter approach may have advantages in better attracting the attention of the called party.
The procedure of the latter scheme is similar to that of the former scheme except that step S200 further comprises ringing the called party terminal 30 in a normal manner according to the called party 'S configuration if the called party terminal 30 is available to receive the call, S300 further comprises delaying for a predetermined period of time before playing, S400 further comprises stopping ringing in a manner according to the called party' S configuration while the speaker is turned on.
Note that the predetermined period of time may be specified as time information by the calling party terminal 10 in the call and then extracted in step S300. The predetermined period of time may be predefined by the called party, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.
Then, if the called party answers the call, the current connection between the calling party terminal 10 and the called party terminal 39 is terminated, the ring tone is stopped from being played on the calling party terminal 10, and a connection for voice communication is established between the terminals; or, if the called party rejects the call, all resources are released.
In the drawings and specification, there have been disclosed exemplary embodiments of the invention. Although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims. The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.
Claims (12)
1. A method of providing a diversity ring tone to a called party terminal (30) under the control of a calling party terminal (10), comprising the steps of:
initiating a call from a calling party terminal (10) to a called party terminal (30);
determining whether a called party terminal (30) is available to receive the call;
if so, retrieving and playing the ring tone stored on the caller terminal (10); and
establishing a connection between the calling party terminal (10) and the called party terminal (30), turning on the speaker of the called party terminal (30) and thereby making the ring tone played on the calling party terminal (10) audible by means of the speaker,
wherein, the judging step also comprises that the called party terminal (30) rings according to the mode configured by the called party under the condition that the called party terminal (30) can be used for receiving the call;
wherein the step of retrieving and playing the ring tone further comprises delaying for a predetermined period of time before playing;
and wherein, the step of establishing a connection and turning on the speaker further comprises, while turning on the speaker, stopping ringing in a manner configured according to the called party.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the calling party terminal (10) and the called party terminal (30) communicate via a network element (20).
3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: at least one audio file is stored as at least one ring tone by the calling party terminal (10), and a unique index is assigned to each of the at least one ring tone.
4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the call initiated by the calling party terminal (10) further specifies an index, and in the step of retrieving and playing the ring tone, the ring tone corresponding to the index is retrieved and played.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the step of establishing a connection and turning on the speaker, the step of: if the called party terminal (30) answers the call, terminating the current connection between the calling party terminal (10) and the called party terminal (30), stopping playing the ring tone on the calling party terminal (10), establishing a connection for voice communication between the calling party terminal (10) and the called party terminal (30); alternatively, if the called party terminal (30) rejects the call, all resources are released.
6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined time period is defined on the calling party terminal (10).
7. A system for providing a diversity ring tone, comprising:
a calling party terminal (10) initiating a call;
a called party terminal (30) as a call destination; wherein,
when a calling party terminal (10) initiates a call to a called party terminal (30), determining whether the called party terminal (30) is available to receive the call; if so, retrieving and playing the ring tone stored on the caller terminal (10); thereafter, a connection between the calling party terminal (10) and the called party terminal (30) is established, the speaker of the called party terminal (30) is turned on, thereby making the ringtone played on the calling party terminal (10) audible by means of the speaker,
wherein, when it is determined that the called party terminal (30) is available to receive the call, the called party terminal (30) is caused to ring in a manner configured according to the called party;
wherein playing the ringtone on the calling party terminal (10) is delayed for a predetermined time period;
and wherein the called party terminal (30) stops ringing in a manner configured according to the called party while the speaker is turned on.
8. The system according to claim 7, further comprising a network element (20), the calling party terminal (10) and the called party terminal (30) communicating via the network element (20).
9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the calling party terminal (10) is configured to store at least one audio file as at least one ring tone and to assign a unique index to each of said at least one ring tone.
10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the call initiated by the caller terminal (10) further specifies an index, and wherein the ring tone stored on the caller terminal (10) corresponding to the index is retrieved and played.
11. The system according to claim 7, wherein, if the called party terminal (30) answers the call, the connection between the calling party terminal (10) and the called party terminal (30) is terminated, the ring tone is stopped from being played on the calling party terminal (10), and a connection for voice communication is established between the calling party terminal (10) and the called party terminal (30); alternatively, if the calling party terminal (30) rejects the call, all resources are released.
12. The system according to claim 7, wherein the predetermined time period is defined on the calling party terminal (10).
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2007/002781 WO2009036603A1 (en) | 2007-09-20 | 2007-09-20 | Method and system for providing diversity voice rings under the control of calling party |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CN101803354A CN101803354A (en) | 2010-08-11 |
| CN101803354B true CN101803354B (en) | 2013-01-09 |
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ID=40467480
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CN2007801007044A Expired - Fee Related CN101803354B (en) | 2007-09-20 | 2007-09-20 | Method and system for providing diversity voice rings under the control of calling party |
Country Status (2)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CN (1) | CN101803354B (en) |
| WO (1) | WO2009036603A1 (en) |
Citations (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN1767675A (en) * | 2004-10-29 | 2006-05-03 | 康佳集团股份有限公司 | Method for realizing handset color ring |
| CN101009733A (en) * | 2006-12-27 | 2007-08-01 | 华为技术有限公司 | A method, device and terminal for providing the ringtone |
Family Cites Families (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN1852364A (en) * | 2005-09-06 | 2006-10-25 | 华为技术有限公司 | Dialing terminal control method of individual information and terminal device using same |
| CN1980278A (en) * | 2005-11-30 | 2007-06-13 | 西门子通信技术（北京）有限公司 | Method for inhibiting personalizzed ring back tone bussiness |
| CN100493120C (en) * | 2005-12-25 | 2009-05-27 | 华为技术有限公司 | A method and system for providing real-time ringback tone |
| US20070154009A1 (en) * | 2006-01-05 | 2007-07-05 | Kirk Cameron | Systems and methods for audibly indicating incoming telephone calls |
-
2007
- 2007-09-20 WO PCT/CN2007/002781 patent/WO2009036603A1/en active Application Filing
- 2007-09-20 CN CN2007801007044A patent/CN101803354B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN1767675A (en) * | 2004-10-29 | 2006-05-03 | 康佳集团股份有限公司 | Method for realizing handset color ring |
| CN101009733A (en) * | 2006-12-27 | 2007-08-01 | 华为技术有限公司 | A method, device and terminal for providing the ringtone |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| CN101803354A (en) | 2010-08-11 |
| WO2009036603A1 (en) | 2009-03-26 |
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