Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02249795 1998-10-08
Attorney Docket No. 87748.988107
Client Matter No. HU-136
system and Method for Downloading
Internet Based Information to an ADSI Phone Slot
This is a continuation in part application of U. S. Serial Number 08/977,170
filed
November 24, 1997.
Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to the field of Analog Display Services
Interface
(ADSI) devices and systems and in particular to a system and method to
download computer
network information to an ADSI feature telephone.
ADSI is a telecommunications protocol standard developed by Bellcore. ADSI
enables
alternate voice and data capability over the existing analog telephone
network. This capability
permits ADSI telephones to communicate with users through a familiar voice
response audio
interface, where the user listens to voice recordings and makes menu
selections using a
telephone keypad, and with visual menus and information on a screen display,
where service
2 0 selections can be made using soft keys.
In addition to real-time interactive applications, ADSI also enables program
transfer
using a capability known as Feature Download. These programs, or service
scripts, can be
developed on a server and run on a local terminal. In many cases, these
scripts are stored in
an external database accessible to one telephony platform and for access by
the telephony
2 5 platform serving the user. Therefore, when new features are requested by
the user, or are
newly added by the server, the scripts are transferred by the telephony
platform to the ADSI
CA 02249795 1998-10-08
These scripts define not only call flow, but also define the soft keys and
displays presented to
the user during a call.
One example of applied ADSI technology is Northern Telecom's Advanced Call
Management Service (ACMS). In ACMS, customer selected features are stored in
an external
database. When a customer calls in for activation of services, a database
lookup is performed
so that the appropriate information for that customer can be downloaded to the
telephone. The
application runs on a Network Applications Vehicle (NAV), that is typically a
UNIX- based
telephony platform, and reads an object file to get information concerning the
call flow. The
NAV presents the call flow, including ADSI commands, to the end user and as a
result a new
application is presented to the terminal.
Some telephone networks operate a UNIX- based telephony platform that can
operate
ADSI technology (ADSI telephone networks). Other telephone networks operate on
less
advanced telephony platforms that cannot operate ADSI technology. Their users
are excluded
from the opportunity to use ADSI technology by their telephone network.
It is cumbersome and costly to change download files on a NAV. It is also
impractical
2 0 to provide custom download files with caller selected information.
Nevertheless, there is an
unmet need for such download services.
-2-
CA 02249795 1998-10-08
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is an ADSI download method and system. The system
comprises
at least one ADSI telephone with a display terminal, a telephony server, and
one or more hosts
on a computer network. The hosts contain one or more data files in mergable
format such as
plain text.. As such, each data file is compatible with the 40 character line
display of the
ADSI terminal. The telephony server will merge the data file into an ADSI
download
template. The template consists of an ADSI download library with predefined
blank pages of
text which the server will fill in with the text from the data file prior to
download to the ADSI
telephone. The ADSI telephone has one or more memory locations for storing
downloaded
ADSI files. The files are received in accordance with a server initiated
download or a caller
initiated download. The ADSI telephone is connected to a customary telephone
network. A
telephone network server is selectively connected to one or more remote sites
on one or more
computer networks, including and not limited to the World Wide Web ('JVWW) of
the Internet.
The network application server accesses the remote site comprising at least
one data file
2 0 which the telephony server can process into a download for the ADSI
device. The files) at
the accessed site are downloaded to the server, merged into an ADSI download,
and then
downloaded to the ADSI caller's telephone by means of the telephone network..
The caller on
the ADSI telephone selects the information downloaded from the remote site by
subscribing to
certain types of information such as weather, stock quotes, news, etc... via
their telephone
2 5 service provider. Subscription to a service such as daily weather could be
made by phone, or
-3-
CA 02249795 2003-O1-14
7851-14
through a world wide web based form. The user of the ADSI
phone could check off information they wished to be
displayed on their phone, or enter in HTTP addresses where
information could be fetched from. When preparing a
download for the callers ADST phone, the telephony server
will fetch each data file the subscriber has specified,
concatenate them, and process them into a form suitable for
download into an ADSI phone slot where the information would
be displayable.
The invention may be summarized according to one
aspect as a system for downloading network information to a
storage location in an ADSI telephone comprising: an ADSI
telephone, having one or more storage locations for
receiving and storing downloaded ADSI files, for
transmitting an ADSI download request, and for displaying
the downloaded ADSI files; a telephony network connected to
said ADSI telephone for transmitting voice and data to and
from said ADSI telephone; a network application server
connected to said telephony network and to one or more
remote sites of one or more computer networks, where said
remote site comprises at least one file in ADSI mergable
data format, or a CGI script which can return such a file;
means for initiating a download of the files) to the ADSI
telephone wherein the server accesses the files) stored on
the remote site, incorporates the text information into an
ADSI download template, and transfers the resulting file to
the memory storage location in the ADSI telephone via the
telephony network.
According to another aspect the invention provides
a method for downloading network information to a storage
location in an ADSI telephone comprising the steps of:
connecting an ADSI telephone, having one or more storage
- 4 -
CA 02249795 2003-O1-14
7851-14
locations for receiving and storing downloaded ADSI files,
for transmitting an ADSI download request, and for
displaying the downloaded ADSI files to a telephony network;
connecting a network application server connected to said
telephony network and to one or more remote sites one on one
or more computer networks, where said remote site comprises
at least one file in ADSI mergable format such as plain
text; initiating a download of files) from the remote site
to the ADSI telephone storage location including the step of
the server accessing the files) stored on the remote site
and transferring the files) to the memory storage location
in the ADSI telephone via the telephony network.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a schematic of a telephone system of
the present invention; and
Figure 2 is a schematic of an ADSI screen-display
terminal.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Figure 1 is a schematic of an ADSI download system
10. The system 10 comprises at least one ADSI telephone 12,
a telephone network 14, a network application server 16, a
download request database file 19, and one or more remote
sites 18 located on the WWW or on a proprietary network,
such as America On Line or Prodigy. The computer network
site location 18 contains an ADSI mergable data file 19 that
includes information such as local weather, stock quotes,
news, announcements or advertisements.
- 4a -
CA 02249795 2003-O1-14
'1'7851-14
The ADSI telephone 12, as shown in Figure 2,
comprises a display-screen 20, a storage location 22
(typically a memory device such as a DRAM, EPROM, or
EEPROM), soft keys 24 on the screen 20, a numeric keyboard
26 on the telephone 12 and a receiver 28 to
- 4b -
CA 02249795 1999-04-15
transmit voice and data to the telephone network 14. The user may initiate an
ADSI download
request to the server 16 by placing a phone call to the telephony server or
the request may
originate from the download request file 9. Server 16 receives the request, at
which point the
server will perform a database lookup to determine what to download. This
lookup may be
performed by a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) on the World Wide Web (PJWW).The
telephone network 14 connects the ADSI screen-display telephone terminal 12 to
the network
application (telephony) server 16. The telephone network 14 can be a private
or a public
telephone network system.
The network application server 16 accesses at least one computer network site
location
18 having an ADSI mergable data file 19. The information in the file 19 is
merged into the
ADSI download and then transmitted to the ADSI telephone 12 where it is stored
in the
memory slot 22. The caller may access the file by pressing one of the soft
keys 24 that has
been programmed to access ADSI downloaded files. ADSI downloads are also
referred to as
"scripts", since they are instructions executed on the ADSI telephone when
certain events
occur, such as a user pressing a softkey. The network application server 16 is
any server, such
2 0 as a UNIX- based telephone platform or a PC-computer.
The computer network site 18 is representative of any site on a private or
public
computer such as an Internet site or a World Wide'Web (WWW) page on the
Internet. The
Internet, fueled by the popularity of the Web, has exhibited significant
growth over the past
few years. At present, to access the information available on the Web, users
typically use
2 5 standard computer equipment, such as a home personal computer with a
display and modem,
-5-
CA 02249795 1999-04-15
and an Internet connection.
In the present invention, information from the Internet is fetched, and then
processed
into a form suitable for download to an ADSI phone memory slot whereupon the
information
may be read by the user on the phones display screen.
The computer network site 18 has a document referred to as a "Web page" and
the
ADSI mergable data 19 contained in the Web page is called content. The server
16 accesses
site 18 in response to a server initiated download or in response to a caller
initiated download.
When the caller initiates a download, the caller dials a preselected phone
number that is
connected to a specific host computer on the Internet, called an "ADSI
Server". Hypertext
Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the most widely used format to access and link
users with various
other Web pages or sites referenced by the original Web page. HTTP requires a
program
running on the host computer that understands and responds to this protocol.
When a browser
receives a specific request from the user, it sends the request to the Web
server. The Web
server receives the request and attempts to fulfill the request. Other
protocols can be used as
long as the telephony server can convert the information fetched into a
suitable form for
2 0 display on the ADSI telephone.
The file 19 retrieved by from the site 18 may include one or more types of
information.
For example, it may include a local weather forecast, quotations of stocks of
interest to the
caller, and notifications such as "You have urgent e-mail." With a server
initiated download,
the file 19 may be downloaded in the middle of the night so that the
information is available to
-G-
CA 02249795 1999-04-15
the caller when the caller wakes up. The information in the file 19 is
customized to the caller
who may select from a variety of choices provided by the site 18. A server 16
could provide
the user with an HTML based form they could fill out on their personal
computer, checking
off information services they wish to subscribe to. Since site 18 is also
connected to other
computer networks, the data stored in file 19 can be selected from any Web
site or proprietary
network. Site 18 is equipped with smart agents that continuously scan the Web
and
proprietary networks to periodically update the file 19 so the that the
information in file 19 is
current. The agents also send an updated download to the ADSI telephone if
certain
conditions are met.. For example,. if a stock goes over a designated price,
the phone could
be downloaded with a text message of that fact. Operation is initiated when
the server
receives a call from the caller (caller initiated download) or a job file from
database 9 of the
telephone company (server initiated download). The server 16 is connected via
HTTP to a
telephone company supplied web site Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script.
Optional
arguments can be passed such as the called number, calling number, and
Customer Premises
Equipment ID (CPEID) number of the ADSI phone. The web site CGI script is then
free to
2 0 access its own databases of information and return a page of information
to be downloaded
into an ADSI storage location 22. The page could be plain text, HDML, or a
fully compiled
ADSI download. The server 16 reads the response from the site 18 and
translates it (if
necessary) into a form suitable for download to the ADSI telephone memory slot
22 where it
will persist until overwritten.
2 5 For example, two callers want daily updates on their telephones. One
CA 02249795 1998-10-08
wishes the daily weather and the other wishes daily stock information. The
server receives telephone company job files from database 9 which instruct it
to
perform a server initiated download on those phones. For each subscriber, a
CGI is invoked on the Internet such as:
http://www.telco.com/cgibin/adsi update?called=
7165551234?calling=7162223333?cpeid=111121E42
The script compiles a response appropriate for the caller. It looks up the
caller's
information, determines what information to download, and returns that
information to the
server 16. The server will translate the information returned, if necessary,
in order for it to be
suitable for download to an ADSI phone slot and display to the user. Since the
response can be
built dynamically, the latest weather or stock information is returned,
customized on a per
subscriber basis.
The invention has a number of technical advantages. Its flexible design
permits
telephone companies to offer new services to their customers. The new services
include
2 0 timely updates of critical information. It also makes it easier for the
telephone company to
modify the information downloaded to the caller's phone since the information
does not have
to be entered in a file of the server. Such enhancements make the-server 16
more valuable
because it can perform more services for the telephone company and for the
caller. That
encourages sales of more servers and increases revenues to telephone companies
and to
manufacturers of telephone servers.
_g_
CA 02249795 1998-10-08
The file 19 on the computer network site 18 is any file that can be converted
by the
server 16 into plain text suitable for display on the ADSI phone. The BellCore
specifications
are set forth in "Generic Requirements for an SPCS to Customer Premise
Equipment Data
Interface for Analog Display Services," TR-NWT-001273 Issue 1, December 1992
BellCore.
That BellCore reference is hereby incorporated into this specification by
reference.
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to
certain preferred
embodiments thereof, but it will be understood that variations and
modifications can be
effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.
-9-
