Multiplex communications – Diagnostic testing – Determination of communication parameters
Reexamination Certificate
1997-11-19
2001-04-24
Cangialosi, Salvatore (Department: 2661)
Multiplex communications
Diagnostic testing
Determination of communication parameters
C379S229000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06222826
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates generally to the field of telecommunications and in particular to a method and apparatus for placing multimedia calls.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The development of stored program control (SPC) switches in the 1960's made it possible for telecommunications service providers to introduce many new and sophisticated telecommunications services that have benefited both users and public switched telecommunications network (PSTN) service providers. One such service, the 800 service, which was described in an article by D.Sheinbein and R.P.Weber entitled “800 Service Using SPC Network Capability” that appeared in The Bell System Technical Journal, Vol. 61, pp. 1737-1744, 1982, allowed a customer to establish an area of the country from which he or she can receive calls without charge to the calling parties. The desirability of such “free calling” is evidenced by its pervasiveness. Specifically, the volume of 800 service calls has increased to the extent that its traffic has become a substantial percentage of all toll calls served by existing telephone switching systems.
Recently however, there has been an increasing interest and demand for alternative “free calling” telecommunications services. In response to this interest, telecommunications service providers have offered a service by which a calling party may complete free telephone calls, provided he or she agrees to listen to an audio advertisement presented telephonically. (See, for example, The New York Times, Oct, 28, 1997 and The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 29, 1997) The advertisement is delivered to the caller through his or her telephone via the PSTN, and the advertiser pays the bill for the telephone call.
Service providers, consumers, advertisers and network operators all desire additional, innovative free calling methods. Consequently, a continuing need exists for methods and apparatus which meet this need, and in particular ones that provide interactive multimedia advertisements and/or presentations to the caller.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An advance is made over the prior art in accordance with the principles of the present invention that is directed to a method and apparatus for delivering multiple and/or multimedia advertisements to a caller placing a telephone call. The method involves: 1) a caller generating a request for a call utilizing an internetwork of client computers and server computers to initiate the request; 2) delivering multimedia and/or audiovisual presentation(s) to the caller via the internetwork and/or PSTN; and 3) completing a circuit switched telephone call between the caller and a destination user subsequent to the delivery of the presentation(s) wherein said call completion is initiated from within the intelligent network itself as a result of a request from a server computer within the internetwork.
Advantageously, the method exploits Intelligent Network (IN) capabilities of the PSTN to provide signaling necessary for synchronizing the multimedia delivery. Additionally, since the subsequent circuit switched telephone call is initiated from within the IN itself and not by the caller's telephone, any possibility that the caller may be mistakenly charged for the call is prevented.
Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing.
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Faynberg Igor
Lu Hui-Lan
Brosemer J. J.
Cangialosi Salvatore
Lucent Technologies - Inc.
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