Google Inc. v. Rockstar Consortium US LP et al

Filing 134

MOTION for Issuance of Letters Rogatory to the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario, Canada for Nortel Networks Corporation, Jean-Pierre Fortin, Angela de Wilton, Jaspreet Harit, Yee-Ning Chan, Brian Finlay Beaton, Bruce Dale Stalkie, Mitch A. Brisebois, Laura A. Mahan, Paul Michael Brennan, Brian Cruickshank, and John Eric Lumsden filed by Google Inc.. (Attachments: # 1 Exhibit A to Google's Notice of Unopposed Motion and Motion for Issuance of Letter Rogatory, # 2 Declaration of Kristin J. Madigan In Support of Google's Unopposed Motion for Issuance of Letter Rogatory, # 3 Exhibit 1, # 4 Exhibit 2, # 5 Exhibit 3, # 6 Exhibit 4, # 7 Exhibit 5, # 8 Exhibit 6, # 9 Exhibit 7, # 10 Exhibit 8, # 11 Exhibit 9, # 12 Exhibit 10, # 13 Exhibit 11, # 14 Exhibit 12, # 15 Exhibit 13, # 16 Exhibit 14, # 17 Exhibit 15, # 18 Exhibit 16, # 19 Exhibit 17, # 20 Exhibit 18, # 21 Exhibit 19, # 22 Exhibit 20, # 23 Exhibit 21, # 24 Proposed Order)(Curran, Patrick) (Filed on 9/29/2014) Modified on 9/30/2014 (cpS, COURT STAFF).

EXHIBIT 15

US006310944B1

(54)

United States Patent

(10) Patent N0.:

Brisebois et al.

(12)

(45) Date of Patent:

US 6,310,944 B1
*Oct. 30, 2001

METHOD FOR ADDING CONTEXT TO

5,303,301 *

4/1994 Takahata ............................ .. 379/142

COMMUNICATIONS

5,436,963 *
5,493,692

7/1995 Fitzpatrick et al. ............... .. 379/212
2/1996 Theimer et al. .

5,510,907

4/1996 KPiChi

(75) Inventors: Michel A. Brisebois, Wake?eld;
Marilyn F. St-George, Alcove; Laura
Mahan K
’

t

11 f (CA)

am‘ a’ a

_

(73)
*

( )

5’519’403

_

,

_

_

Dennison et al. .

8/1996

Skarbo et al. .

5,550,535

_

5/1996 Proctor et al. .
8/1996

5,546,447

_

Ass1gnee: Nortel Networks Limited (CA)

Notice:

5/1996 Blckley et a1‘ '

5,519,779
5,546,445

0

8/1996 Park '

5,553,120

9/1996

KatZ.

This' patent issued on a contmued prosecut1on application ?led under 37 CFR
1.53(d), and is subject to the twenty year

575557346
5,559,860
5,561,703

9/1996 Gross et aL _
9/1996 Mizikovsky,
10/1996 Arledge et al. .

patent term provisions of 35 U.S.C.

5,583,914

12/1996 Chang et al. .

154(21)(2)_

5,608,788 *

3/1997 Demlow et al. ................... .. 379/142

5,651,053

7/1997

Subject~ to any disclaimer,~ the term of this

,

gusenct liszxéenge‘i) (21f adjusted under 35
' '

'

(21)

Filed:

379/67

g‘lilylesse teta. "
ang
lal~

~.

.. 379/142

5,864,612 *
5,867,562 *

DEC. 17, 1997

1/1999 Strauss et al.
2/1999 Scherer .

. 379/142
379/127

8/1999 Cho ................................. .. 379/93.17

* Cited by examiner

Int. Cl.7 .......................... .. H04M 1/56; H04M 15/06

(52)

US. Cl. .............................. .. 379/142.01; 379/142.06;

_

_

Primary Exammer—Duc Nguyen

379/8821. 379/93_23
Field Of Search ............................... .. 379/93.35, 142,

379/215—216, 354, 93.23, 88.19—88.21,
127.01, 142.01, 142.06; 455/384, 550,
566_567, 575

_

(74) Attorney, Agent, or Ftrm—Fmnegan, Henderson,
Farabow’ Garrett 8‘ Dunner’ L'L'P'

(57)

ABSTRACT

A method for augmenting communications betWeen called

_
References Clted

(56)

Mitchell ..... ..

5,832,072 * 11/1998 Rozenblit

ays'

(51)

(58)

Z:

5,937,039 *

y

Appl. No.: 08/992,003

(22)

( )

,

*

and calling parties With context information helps either or
both parties decide Whether and hoW to accept or initiate a

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

communications event.

4,734,931 *

3/1988 Bourg et al. .................... .. 379/93.01

5,210,789 *

5/1993 Jeffus et al. ....................... .. 379/127

11 Claims, 3 Drawing Sheets

10
S

RECEIVE REQUEST
FROM CALLING PARTY To
ESTABLISH COMMUNICATION
LINK WITH CALLED PARTY

GATHER CONTEXT

‘NFORMATION FROM:

GATHER CONTEXT
.
INFORMATION FROM.

GATHER CoNTExT
.
INFORMATION FROM.

ORMATION

INFORMATION KNOWN To 9925390030 ISJTEIBTQFEPPOTAY PRCDJNDEDI TIIFTHE CALLING
THE NETWORK

STANDARD OPTIONS

T1

PARTY

T2

153

TRANSMIT CONTEXT
INFORMATION To THE CALLED
PARTY
5

14

RECEIVE INDICATION FROM
CALLED PARTY AS TO WHETHER TO
ESTABLISH A COMMUNICATIONS
LINK

ESTABLISH COMMUNICATIONS
LINK BETWEEN CALLING
AND CALLED PARTIES
,

16

U.S. Patent

Oct. 30, 2001

Sheet 1 0f 3

US 6,310,944 B1

I BEGIN I
10
5

RECEIVE REQUEST
FROM CALLING PARTY TO
ESTABLISH COMMUNICATION
LINK WITH CALLED PARTY

INFORMATION FROM:

INFORTI’I’ETB'ENWKQEIVN To

GATHER CONTEXT
.
INFORMATION FROM.

GATHER CONTEXT
.
INFORMATION FROM.

INFORMATION SELECTED BY

GATHER CONTEXT

CUSTOM INFORMATION

THE CALLING PARTY FROM

PROVIDED BY THE CALLING

STANDARD OPTIONS

3

II

TRANSMIT CONTEXT
INFORMATION TO THE CALLED
PARTY
5

I4

RECEIVE INDICATION FROM
CALLED PARTY AS TO WHETHER TO
ESTABLISH A COMMUNICATIONS
LINK

ESTABLISH COMMUNICATIONS
LINK BETWEEN CALLING
AND CALLED PARTIES

FIG. 1

PARTY

U.S. Patent

0a. 30, 2001

Sheet 2 of3

US 6,310,944 B1

I BEGIN )
20
S
RECEIvE REQUEST
FROM CALLING PARTY TO

ESTABLISH COMMUNICATION
LINK WITH CALLED PARTY

INFORMATION FROM:

INFOFIFIQIEITIICEIIQQSIIVN To

GATHER CONTEXT
.
INFORMATION FROM.

GATHER CONTEXT
.
INFORMATION FROM.

INFORMATION SELECTED BY

GATHER CONTEXT

CUSTOM INFORMATION

THE CALLED PARTY FROM

PROVIDED BY THE CALLED

STANDARD OPTIONS

7

7

PARTY
'7

21 \ M 23
TRANSMIT CONTEXT
INFORMATION TO THE CALLING
PARTY
s

24

RECEIVE INDICATION FROM
CALLING PARTY AS TO WHETHER TO

ESTABLISH A COMMUNICATIONS
LINK

ESTABLISH COMMUNICATIONS
LINK BETWEEN CALLING
AND CALLED PARTIES
5

26

FIG. 2

U.S. Patent

DEED

0a. 30, 2001

Sheet 3 of3

D QI

DEE]

[DEE
DEN:

30

FIG. 3

US 6,310,944 B1

US 6,310,944 B1
1

2

METHOD FOR ADDING CONTEXT TO
COMMUNICATIONS

betWeen the calling party and the called party or not based
on the indication.

Other features and advantages of the invention Will be set
forth in the description Which folloWs, and in part Will be
apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice
of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the
invention Will be realiZed and attained by the methods and
apparatus particularly pointed out in the Written description

In light of the foregoing, there is a need for a method to

provide calling and called party context information to help
them better decide Whether and hoW to initiate or accept
communications.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, methods consistent With the present inven

and claims hereof as Well as the appended draWings.
10

tion substantially obviate the problems and disadvantages

Both the foregoing general description and the folloWing
detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only,

that accompany current communications systems. Current

and are intended to provide further explanation of the

communications systems provide only limited information

invention as claimed. The accompanying draWings provide

number and/or name. This limited information, hoWever,

a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated
in and constitute a part of this speci?cation. They illustrate
embodiments of the invention, and together With the
description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

often Will not alloW the called or calling party to make an
informed decision as to Whether and hoW to accept the call.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

about to a called party about a calling party and even less
information about a calling party to a called party. This

15

information usually consists only of the calling party’s

The present invention solves this problem by providing
context information to the called or calling parties.
Speci?cally, a method consistent With this invention
includes receiving a request from a calling party to establish
a communications link With a called party, gathering context

FIG. 1 is a ?oWchart shoWing a method for providing
context information to a called party consistent With the

present invention;
25

information, providing the gathered context information to
the called party, receiving an indication from the called party
Whether to establish the communications link, and estab

FIG. 2 is a ?oWchart shoWing a method for providing
context information to a calling party consistent With the

present invention; and
FIG. 3 is a diagram of a netWork con?guration for
implementing a system consistent With the present inven
tion.

lishing the communications link betWeen the calling party
and the called party or not based on the indication.

Another method consistent With this invention includes
receiving a request from a calling party to establish a

communications link With a called party, gathering context
information, providing the gathered context information to
the calling party, receiving an

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference Will noW be made in detail to the present
35

preferred embodiments consistent With the invention, an
example of Which is illustrated in the accompanying draW
ings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers Will be
used throughout the draWings to refer to the same or like

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

parts.

The present invention relates generally to identi?cation of
called and calling parties to each other, and more speci?cally
to providing information to called and calling parties indi

Context information is information relating to the parties
to a communication event or relating to the communication
event itself. Unlike traditional caller ID and caller name

cating the context of a communication event.
In the ?eld of communications, there has been a trend

services, context information is dynamic; it can vary from

toWard providing users With increased functionality to better
manage and control their communication media. For

calling and called parties. Generally, a calling party can add

example, in telephony, many service providers offer caller

call to call. Context information can be valuable to both
45 context information to the name and number identi?cation

that the service provider Will deliver to the called party. This
added information can inform the called party about the
context of that particular call to help decide Whether and

identi?cation and caller name services to their customers.

These services alloW the called party to see the phone
number and name of the calling party before ansWering the
telephone. Based on this limited information, the called

hoW to accept the call. Context information can be set by a
called party, too. Called party context information Would be
sent to the calling party as a netWork predial information
WindoW. The information Would alloW the calling party to

party can decide Whether to ansWer the call.

Simply providing the caller’s phone number and name,
hoWever, often does not provide enough information for the

make a more informed decision as to Whether and hoW to

called party to determine Whether to ansWer the call.

Suppose, for example, the caller information indicates that

55

John Doe is calling from a NeW York number. Unless the

called party knoWs John Doe, this information is not helpful

place the call.
A. Calling Party Context Identi?cation
As shoWn in FIG. 1, calling party context identi?cation
begins With a request from a calling party to establish a
communication link With a called party (step 10). Such a
request Would take different forms depending on the com

in deciding to accept or decline the call.
Also, current systems provide no information to a calling
party about a person to be called. There may be instances in

munication medium. If the calling party is using an analog

Which a party to be called does not Wish to be disturbed, or

display services interface (“ADSI”) phone, for example, he

only Wishes to be disturbed for emergencies. The existing

Would merely dial the number of called party. If the calling

netWork does not provide a mechanism for sending this
information to a calling party so that the calling party can
make a decision as to Whether to place the call. indication
from the calling party as to Whether to establish the com

party is using a computer to communicate over the internet,
he Would enter the email or IP address of the called party. In
response to such a request, the netWork gathers context

munications link, and establishing the communications link

65

information (steps 11, 12, and 13). Preferably, calling party
context identi?cation can be gathered from one or more of

US 6,310,944 B1
3

4

three sources: automatic creation (step 11), standard options

party Whether active participation Was required. For
example, the calling party could select a voice call as the

selection (step 12), and/or full custom creation (step 13).
1. Automatic Creation
A netWork can automatically create context information

medium and then select an asynchronous event. This voice

by collecting data already in its possession and sending it to

Which Would not require the called party to “connect.” The
context information could also include an option for

call Would then be delivered as a one-Way communication

the called party. One bene?t of this method of creating
context information is that the called party need not perform
any additional steps When placing a call to send the context

information. For example, suppose the calling party returns
a call left by the called party in a speci?c messaging
environment such as voice mail, electronic mail, internet
voice, video messaging, paging, fax, or a shared Work ?le.
The netWork, then, has context information indicating Who
left the message, at What time and date, and possibly
information relating to the subject of the message. When the
calling party returns the call, the netWork could send that

acknowledgment of receipt from the called party.
In addition, the calling party could select an option
Whereby the called party is asked if he is Willing to share the
10

cost of a broadband connection. This option could be useful
With service providers Who charge for the medium based on
time and/or bandWidth usage. The called party, then Would
decide Whether to accept the communication and, thus, pay
a share of the costs. This type of standard option Would be

15

Would then knoW not only the identity of the calling party,

tied into the service provider’s billing records.
As a ?nal example, the calling party could select available
disposition options of the called party to alloW communi

but also that the calling party Was returning a message left

cation closure that is appropriate to the context of the

at a certain time and date.

calling/called party. For example, the calling party could

It Would also be possible for the netWork to create context
information automatically even When no prior context exists

access to a cell phone line.

context information to the called party. The called party

attach a “hotline” softkey to give the called party one time

betWeen the parties if the calling party places a call from a

3. Full Custom Creation
Full custom creation alloWs the calling party to add

speci?c messaging environment. For example, suppose the
calling party initiates a call Within an application having a

“corporate directory” of numbers. The context information

context information created on a per call basis. The context
25

information could take a number of forms, depending on the

communication medium. For example, the calling party

Would indicate to the called party that the call is from a

business colleague.

could choose to send a custom name for caller name

The netWork can also collect information relating to

delivery, thus replacing the service provider’s subscriber

Whether the calling party is placing a call using a netWork

name to something more speci?c and appropriate to the

custom calling feature. For example, telephone companies

context. The calling party could also send a speci?c reply
request along With instructions as to hoW to respond. In
addition, the calling party could attach a topic header to the
communication event. This topic header could be in the form

offer features such as call return and three-Way conferenc
ing. If the called party uses one of these features, the context

information Would indicate to the called party that the call is
a return call or that the call is a conference call and Who is

already connected.

of a text message or of a voice announcement played
35

If the calling party places a call from a remote location
(e.g., from a cellular phone), the netWork can automatically
create context information from the geographic location of

demand could be, for example, an indication of the esti
mated time required to complete the communication event.
The calling party could also attach a computer ?le as part
of full custom creation of context identi?cation. This type of
information is very ?exible and valuable in establishing an

the caller, such as the local subscriber’s name of the locale

Where the call is placed, the nearest end of?ce sWitching area
Where the call is being placed, or the cell site name. If a

Wireless device is GPS (Global Positioning System)
compatible, the netWork can match GPS data to a location
translation table. Alternatively, smart room information
transmitters in certain rooms or buildings could provide

betWeen rings of the called party’s telephone. As another
example, the calling party could send information indicating
the expected demand on the called party. The expected

exact context for the call and can even ensure that supporting

documentation or other media is available With the caller
45

identi?cation information. Suppose, for example, that the

speci?c location information to the netWork, Which could, in

called party receives a call from John Doe at a NeW York

turn, provide this information as context information to the

number. Unless the called party knoWs John Doe, this
information alone does not help the called party decide
Whether to ansWer the call. If, hoWever, John Doe has
attached context information indicating that the call is about

called party.
2. Standard Options Selection
Standard options selection alloWs the calling party to
select from a number of calling options. The options can be
pre-determined by the service provider or created by the user
at the installation stage. To implement this context
information, the calling party could select a coding scheme

before dialing. Using selectable soft-keys, special star codes,

insurance reneWal and has included a text copy of the current

policy, the called party Will likely accept the call. Without
55

menu options, voice commands, or other mechanisms, the
calling party can choose from context information options.

For example, the calling party could select a priority tag

this context information, the called party may have dis
missed the call.
As a ?nal example, suppose the calling party is placing an
order through a mail order number. If the calling party has
previously dealt With the mail order company, he could
attach an account or reference number to the call, or infor

to be attached to the caller identi?cation information indi

mation concerning the desired purchase. The mail order

cating that the call is loW, medium, or high priority. The

company, in turn, could use this information to more ef?

called party could also choose a medium or combination of

ciently direct and process the incoming call.

media prior to placing a call to indicate to the called party

Once the netWork has gathered context information from

the media expectation of the calling party. If, for example,

one or more of the above-described sources, it transmits the

the calling party requests a voice and video call, the called
party Would be apprised of this context information.
The calling party could also select the synchronicity of the
communication event, Which Would indicate to the called

context information to the called party (step 14). The called
65

party, in turn, decides Whether to establish a communica

tions link With the calling party and indicates his decision to

the netWork (step 15). This indication could take different

US 6,310,944 B1
5

6

forms depending on the medium of communication. For

does not Wish to be disturbed or Will only accept emergency
calls. The called party could also select context information

example, if the called party is using an ADSI phone, he
Would indicate his desire to connect With the calling party by
simply lifting the receiver. If the called party is using a

relating to media preferences. For example, even if the
called party has both voice and video available to him, he
may only Wish to use voice. This information could be sent
to a calling party as context information. Other options

computer to communicate over the internet, he Would per

form the keystrokes appropriate to the internet application.
Upon receiving this indication from the called party, the

include synchronicity preferences, such as synchronous

netWork establishes a link betWeen the called and calling

voice only, or standard disposition options, such as access to

parties (step 16). On the other hand, if the called party
decides, based on the context information, not to establish a

link With the calling party, the communication event ends.
B. Called Party Context Identi?cation
As a complement to calling party context identi?cation,
called party context identi?cation alloWs the calling party to
determine the called party’s context before placing the call.
The context information Would enable calling parties to

voice mail or access to a routed path.
10

example, information as to the speci?c availability of the
called party for types of communication events. The context
15

information could also include custom disposition options
based on the mutual context of both calling parties. For

example, the called party could set special disposition
options based on the identity of the calling party. If the

make a more informed decision as to Whether to place the

call, set a certain priority on the call, select a medium that

calling party Was the called party’s spouse, the called party
may Want to make certain disposition options available to

is appropriate to the called party’s context, or choose other

parameters.
As shoWn in FIG. 2, called party context information
begins With a request from a calling party to establish a
communication link With a called party (step 20). Such a

the spouse, but not to others. The called party could also

record preset messages that are played to the calling party.
Full custom creation could also be useful Where a calling
party calls a mail order company to place an order. The mail

request Will be initiated in accordance With the particular
medium of communication, as discussed above in connec

3. Full Custom Creation
The called party could also create full custom context
information. This context information could include, for

25

order company could collect information about the calling

tion With step 10. Upon receiving this request, the netWork

party including, for example, the types of products typically

gathers context information (steps 21, 22, and 23).

purchased, and provide context information that may be
useful to the calling party. This could include information

Preferably, called party context identi?cation can be gath
ered from one or more of three sources: automatic creation

about related products or current discounts on products

(step 21), standard options selection (step 22), and full
custom creation (step 23).

previously purchased by the calling party.

1. Automatic Creation

one or more of the above-described sources, it transmits the

Once the netWork has gathered context information from

context information to the calling party (step 24). The

As With calling party context identi?cation, automatic
creation requires no steps by the called party to send context
information to a calling party. Instead, the netWork gathers

35

calling party, in turn, decides Whether to establish a com
munications link With the called party and indicates his

information already available to it. For example, the calling

decision to the netWork (step 25). This indication could take

party could receive the name of the called party before

different forms depending on the medium of communica

placing the call in order to verify that the phone number is
the desired called party.
The netWork could also relay location information to the
calling party. For example, the netWork could include the

tion. For example, if the calling party is using a telephone,

local subscriber’s name of the locale of the called number,
the nearest end office sWitching area of the called number, or
the cell site name if the call is to a Wireless device. Also, if
a Wireless device is GPS-compatible, the netWork can match

he could indicate his desire to connect With the called party

using, for example, menu options provided by the service
provider. If the calling party is using a computer to com
municate over the internet, he Would perform the keystrokes

appropriate to the internet application. Upon receiving this
indication from the calling party, the netWork establishes a
45

link betWeen the called and calling parties (step 26). On the
other hand, if the calling party decides, based on the context

GPS data to a location translation table. Or, smart room
information transmitters in certain rooms or buildings could

provide speci?c location information to the netWork, Which

information, not to establish a link With the called party, the
communication event ends.

the netWork can send as context information to the calling

C. Implementation

party.

Any of the context information discussed herein, Which
can be in the form of audio, text, graphics, video, tactile

The netWork could also provide information regarding the
available bandWidth or types of media. For example, if the
calling party Wished to attach a computer ?le to the call, it
may be important to knoW the bandWidth available betWeen
himself and the desired called party. Alternatively, the net
Work could inform the calling party as to Whether the desired

coding, or any combination of these, can be linked to the

55

Speci?cally, FIG. 3 shoWs a con?guration for implement
ing various types of context information. In the case of

called party can receive voice calls or video calls.

2. Standard Options Selection
Standard options selection alloWs the called party to select
from predetermined options as he changes context. To
implement this context information, the called party could
select a coding scheme. Using selectable soft-keys, special
star codes, menu options, voice commands, or other
mechanisms, the called party can choose from the desired
context information options.
For example, the called party could select one of various
busy ?lters to inform a calling party that the called party

caller identi?cation signaling protocol provided by the oper
ating company. The linking is achieved by synchroniZing
existing or future signaling protocols.
automatic creation of calling context information, suppose

the calling party on Global System for Mobility (“GSM”)
handset 33 places a call to the called party on ADSI phone
30. The GSM netWork 34 identi?es the GSM handset 33
With the name and number of the subscriber, along With GPS
coordinates or the cell ID. This information and the call

request are routed to the public sWitching telephone netWork
65

(“PSTN”) 31. Server 32 identi?es the called party as an
ADSI call context subscriber. Server 32 then matches the
GPS or cell ID to a location translation table, and sends the

US 6,310,944 B1
7

8

subscriber information and location information to ADSI

invention Without departing from its spirit or scope. Thus, it

phone 30 as part of the call request. This is done, for

is intended that the present invention cover the modi?cations

example, by synchronizing Bellcore’s existing TR30/31

and variations of this invention provided they come Within
the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

CLASS protocol, Which describes hoW to send name and

number identi?cation, With the delivery of text-based infor
mation using Bellcore’s TR1273 ADSI protocol.
For automatic creation of called party context
information, suppose the called party is on GSM handset 33
and is a subscriber to the call context feature. The calling
party places a call to GSM handset 33 on ADSI phone 30
through PSTN 31. Server 32 requests the name of the called
party, along With GPS coordinate or the cell ID, from GSM
netWork 34. GSM netWork 34 provides this information to
server 32 Which, in turn, sends the information to ADSI
phone 30 as a text-based message. Using this information,
the calling party indicates to server 32 Whether he Wishes to

We claim:
1. A method for augmenting communication over a com

munications netWork comprising the steps performed by the
10

netWork of:
receiving a request from a calling party to establish a
communications link With a called party;
gathering context information knoWn to the communica

tions netWork;
gathering context information from a selection of pre
15

determined options by the calling party;
gathering speci?c context information supplied by the

calling party;

complete the call by, for example, selecting an appropriate
soft-key. If the calling party Wishes to complete the call,

automatically providing the gathered context information

server 32 Would place a call request to GSM netWork 34, and
the call Would complete as usual.

to the called party;
receiving an indication from the called party as to Whether

In the case of standard options creation for calling party
context information, suppose that the calling party, on ADSI
phone 30, has subscribed to the call context feature from the
local service provider. Using the ADSI protocol, server 32
loads a call context service script into the subscriber’s ADSI
phone 30 via PSTN 31. When the calling party goes off

to establish the communications link; and

establishing the communications link betWeen the calling
party and the called party or not based on the indica
25

tion.
2. The method of claim 1 Wherein the step of gathering
context information knoWn to the communications netWork

hook, the call context options appear as soft-keys. Suppose

includes the step of

the calling party initiates a call to a called party on GSM

gathering information indicating Whether the calling party

handset 33. The calling party could select a soft-key indi
cating that he desired a voice connection With the called
party. Server 32 sends this short message along With the call

is using a netWork or service provider custom calling
feature.
3. The method of claim 1 Wherein the step of gathering

request information over PSTN 31 to GSM netWork 34. The

context information knoWn to the communications netWork

called party receives the standard call request information
from GSM netWork 34, along With the context message.
Similarly, for standard options creation for called party
identi?cation, suppose the called party, on GSM handset 33,

includes the step of
gathering information indicating the location and local
time of the calling party.
4. The method of claim 1 Wherein the step of gathering

is a subscriber to the call context feature. At an earlier time,

context information from a selection of pre-determined

the called party, using menu options or star commands,

options includes the step of
gathering information indicating the media expectation of

35

could select various options that Would be stored on server

32. For example, the called party could select an option
indicating that he can receive only voice communications.
When the calling party, on ADSI phone 30, places a call to

the calling party.
5. The method of claim 1 Wherein the step of gathering

speci?c context information supplied by the calling party

GSM handset 33, server 32 recogniZes the called party as a
subscriber to the call context feature and provides the

pre-selected context information to ADSI phone 30 via
PSTN 31. Based on this information, the calling party
indicates to server 32 Whether to complete the call by using,
for example, soft-keys on ADSI phone 30.
In the case of full custom creation calling context, the

includes the step of
45

steps are the same as in standard options calling context

creation, except that the calling party could type a custom
message before placing the call. This message is received by
server 32 and interpreted as a call header. Server 32 then
sends the message as a short message through GSM netWork
34 to the subscriber on GSM handset 33.
55
Similarly, full custom creation called context proceeds as

described above With respect to standard options called
context creation, except that the called party could enter a
custom message. For example, the called party could type in
a custom subscriber name in place of the standard subscriber
name stored on server 32. This could be done, for example,
using the lettered numbers on GSM handset 33. Server 32
Would then send the custom subscriber name to the calling

party on ADSI phone 30 in place of the standard subscriber
name.

It Will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modi?cations and variations can be made in the present

gathering a custom name in place of the subscriber name

associated With the calling party.
6. The method of claim 1 Wherein the step of gathering

speci?c context information supplied by the calling party
includes the step of
gathering a topic header.
7. The method of claim 1 Wherein the step of gathering

speci?c context information supplied by the calling party
includes the step of
gathering a computer ?le to be attached to the commu

nication.
8. The method of claim 1 Wherein the step of gathering

speci?c context information supplied by the calling party
includes the step of
gathering information indicating the expected demand on
the called party.
9. A method for augmenting communications over a

communications netWork comprising the steps performed by
the netWork of:
receiving a request from a calling party to establish a
communications link With a called party;
gathering context information knoWn to the communica

tions netWork;

US 6,310,944 B1
9

10

automatically providing the gathered context information

Wherein the step of gathering conteXt information from a

to the called party;
receiving an indication from the called party Whether to

selection of predetermined options includes the step of
gathering information indicating the synchronicity of the

establish the communications link; and
establishing the communications link betWeen the calling

11. A method for augmenting communications over a

communication.

party and the called party or not based on the

communications netWork comprising the steps performed by

indication,

the netWork of:
receiving a request from a calling party to establish a
communications link With a called party;

Wherein the step of gathering context information knoWn
to the communications netWork includes the step of

gathering information indicating Whether the calling party

gathering conteXt information;
providing the gathered conteXt information directly to the

is returning a communication from a called party.
10. A method for augmenting communications over a

calling party;

communications netWork comprising the steps performed by
the netWork of:
receiving a request from a calling party to establish a
communications link With a called party;
gathering conteXt information from a selection of pre

15

determined options by the calling party;
automatically providing the gathered conteXt information

the indication;
Wherein the step of gathering conteXt information
includes the step of gathering conteXt information from
a selection of pre-determined options by the called

to the called party;
receiving an indication from the called party Whether to

establish the communications link; and
establishing the communications link betWeen the calling
party and the called party or not based on the

indication,

receiving an indication from the calling party as to
Whether to establish the communications link; and
establishing or not establishing the communications link
betWeen the calling party and the called party based on

party including gathering information indicating media
25

preferences of the called party.