Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Source Audio Identifiers for Digital Communications
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.
60/450,696, filed March 3, 2003, and titled BUDDY RING TONES FOR MOBILE
DEVICES and to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/459,273, filed April
2, 2003,
and titled CONCATENATED RING TONES.
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to communications systems which enable exchange of
information between users through a call or through transmission of a digital
communication.
BACKGROUND
Typical telephones generate an audible ringing tone to indicate an incoming
call.
Some telephones allow the recipient to tailor the ringing tone to a given
caller and thereby
enable the recipient to become aware of both the incoming call and the
identity of the caller
when hearing the ringing tone.
Similarly, many computer systems used for the exchange of digital
communications
15 (e.g., instant messages or e-mails) allow a recipient to select that a
message sound be played
upon receipt of a digital communication. The message sound may be played every
time a
digital cormnunication is received, irrespective of the identity of the
sender.
Both the ringing tone and the message sound provide the benefit of informing
the
recipient of the incoming call or received digital communication without
requiring the
2o recipient to loolc at a screen or a display.
SUMMARY
In one general aspect, audibly informing a recipient of an arrival of a
digital
communication from a sender includes receiving a digital communcation fiom a
sender
directed to a recipient and determining whether the digital communication is
associated with
2s an audio identifier that identifies the sender of the digital communication
and that is
designated by the sender of the digital communication. Perception by the
recipient of the
audio identifier is conditioned on whether the digital communication is
determined to be
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associated with the audio identifier. The audio identifier is perceived prior
to or concurrent
with perception of the digital communication by the recipient.
Implementations may include one or more of the following features. For
example,
the digital coimnunication may be an instant message, e-mail, or voice mail.
The audio
s identifier may be a spoken version of a user identifier of the sender.
Determining whether the digital communication is associated with an audio
identifier
may include determining whether an audio identifier has been received from the
sender or
received from the sender with the digital communication. Determining whether
the digital
communication is associated with an audio identifier may include accessing a
data store
based on a user identifier of the sender that may be included in the digital
communication.
The user identifier may be an e-mail address, an instant messaging handle, or
a screen name.
The recipient perception of the audio identifier also may be conditioned on
whether
the recipient is available to receive the digital communication. If the
recipient is not
available to receive the digital cormnunication, the digital communication may
be discarded
15 ~ or may be deposited in a data store for later retrieval.
The recipient perception of the audio identifier also may be conditioned on
whether
communication excha~.zge preferences associated with the recipient allow the
recipient to
perceive the audio identifier. The recipient may be allowed to perceive the
audio identifier
and/or the digital communication when the communication exchange preferences
explicitly
2o include a setting indicating that the recipient is allowed to perceive the
audio identifier. The
recipient may not be allowed to perceive the audio identifier and/or the
digital
cormnunication when the communication exchange preferences explicitly include
a setting
indicating that the recipient is not allowed to perceive the audio identifier.
The settings may
be set by the recipient in response to a query.
2s Audibly informing a recipient of an arrival of a digital commmucation may
further
include enabling the recipient to perceive a sender profile or to perceive a
user interface and
allowing the recipient to perceive the audio identifier if the recipient
selects a user interface
element that coiTesponds to authorization of the audio identifier.
The digital cormnunication may be a phone call and the sender may be a caller.
3o Receiving a digital communication may include receiving a phone call
directed to the
recipient. Determining whether the digital communication is associated with an
audio
2
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identifier may include determining whether the phone call is associated with
an audio
identifier that identifies the caller and that is designated by the caller.
Perception of the audio
identifier by a recipient may be conditioned on whether the phone call is
determined to be
associated with the audio identifier. The audio identifier may be perceived as
a ring tone for
the phone call. Enabling the recipient to perceive the audio identifier may
include playing
the audio identifier multiple times in repetition to serve as a ring tone for
the phone call.
In another general aspect, a user interface for enabling a recipient of a
digital
communication from a sender to authorize or reject a source audio identifier
may include a
first interface element, a second interface element, and a third interface
element. The first
1 o interface element is structured and arranged to provide notification of a
digital
communication that has been received. The second interface element is
structured and
arranged to provide notification of an audio identifier that identifies the
sender of the digital
cormnunication and that is designated by the sender of the digital
communication. The third
interface element is structured and arranged to enable the recipient of the
digital
cormnmiication to authorize or reject presentation of the audio identifier in
advance of audio
identifier presentation.
Implementations may include one or more of the following features. For
example,
the first interface element may display sender profile information. The third
interface
element may be additionally structured and arranged to enable the recipient of
the digital
2o communication to authorize or reject presentation of the digital
communication.
The third interface element may include a set of fourth interface elements
selectable
by the recipient to effect authorization or rejection of the audio identifier
presentation. The
set of foluth interface elements may include an interface element selectable
to authorize
presentation of the digital communication and the audio identifier, to
authorize presentation
2s of the digital communication but reject presentation of the audio
identifier, and to authorize
presentation of the digital communication and authorize presentation of an
audio identifier
for the sender that reveals the sender identity but that obscures the sender
designated audio
identifier.
The set of fourth interface elements may include an interface element
selectable to
3o deposit the digital communication in a data store for later retrieval by
the recipient, an
interface element to authorize or reject presentation of an audio identifier
upon receipt of
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each future digital communication from the sender, and an interface element
selectable to
authorize or reject presentation of the audio identifier upon receipt of each
future digital
communication from the sender conditioned on whether the audio identifier is
subsequently
changed by the recipient.
The digital communication may be a phone call and the sender may be a caller
and
the first interface element may be structured and arranged to provide
notification of a phone
call from a caller. The second interface element may be structured and
arranged to provide
notification of an audio identifier that identifies the caller and that is
designated by the caller.
The third interface element may be structured and arranged to enable the
recipient of the
phone call to authorize or reject presentation of the audio identifier in
advance of audio
identifier presentation.
In another general aspect, a computer system for audibly informing a recipient
of an
arrival of a digital communication from a sender includes a data store and a
digital
communication processor. The data store stores audio identifiers. The digital
15 communication processor receives a digital communication from a sender
directed to a
recipient arid determines whether the digital communication is associated with
an audio
identifier that identifies the sender of the digital communication and that is
designated by the
sender of the digital communication. The digital communication processor
accesses the
audio identifier from the data store and conditions perception by the
recipient of the audio
2o identifier on whether the digital communication is determined to be
associated with the audio
identifier. The audio identifier is perceived by the recipient prior to or
concurrent with
perception of the digital communication by the recipient.
In another general aspect, informing a recipient of an arrival of a digital
communication from a sender includes receiving a digital communication from a
sender
2s directed to a recipient and determining whether the digital communication
is associated with
an identifier that identifies the sender of the digital communication and that
is designated by
the sender of the digital communication. Perception of the digital
communication by the
recipient is conditioned on whether the digital communication is determined to
be associated
with the identifier. The identifier is perceived by the recipient prior to or
concurrent with
3o perception of the digital communication by the recipient.
4
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Implementations may include one or more of the following features. For
example,
the identifier may be a video image designated by the sender or an audio
visual presentation
designated by the sender.
In another general aspect, audibly identifying an event includes enabling
selection of
a first sound based upon an identifier. The identifier enables identification
of am entity
related to the event. A notification of an occurrence of the event is
received. The notification
includes the identifier. An intended recipient is alerted of the event by
playing, in response to
the notification, at least a pouion of the first sound and at least a portion
of a second sound
that is related to the event.
1 o Implementations may include one or more of the following features. For
example,
enabling selection of a first sound based upon an identifier may include
enabling selection of
a first sound based upon a telephone number of a caller, receiving the
notification may
include receiving notification of a telephone call, amd alerting an intended
recipient of the
telephone call may include playing a ring tone including at least a portion of
the first sound
~5 amd at least a portion of the second sound. The first sound may be a
generic ring tone and the
second sound may be a ring tone specified by the caller. The generic ring tone
may be
concatenated with the caller-specified r111g toile.
Enabling selection of a first sound may include enabling selection of a first
sound
based upon an identity of an instant message sender and receiving the
notification may
2o include receiving notification of an instant message. Enabling selection of
a first sound may
include enabling selection of a first sound based upon an identity of an
instant message
sender and receiving the notification may include receiving a notification of
a change in an
online presence state of the instant messaging sender. Enabling selection of a
first sound
based upon an identifier includes enabling selection of a first sound based
upon an identity of
25 an e-mail sender and receiving the notification may include receiving
notification of receipt
of an e-mail message. Enabling selection of the first sound may include
enabling selection of
the first sound by either the sender or the recipient.
Alerting an intended recipient of the event includes alerting an intended
recipient of
the event by playing, in response to the notification, at least a portion of
the first sound and at
30 least a portion of the second sound, wherein the second sound is specified
by the recipient or
by the sender. Alerting an intended recipient of the event includes alerting
an intended
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recipient of the event by concatenating a portion of the first sound with a
portion of the
second sound to form a concatenated sound and playing the concatenated sound.
Alerting an
intended recipient of the event includes alerting an intended recipient of the
event by
blending at least a portion of the first sound and at least a portion of the
second sound to form
s a blended sound and playing the blended sound.
The first or second sound may be a sound that is chosen to identify the entity
or the
event. The entity may be a user and the first or second sound may be a spoken
version of a
user identity corresponding to the user.
The first or second sound may be chosen to classify the entity or the event.
The first
0 or second sound may identify the geographic location where the event
occurred. The entity
may be a user and the first or second sound may identify a group to which the
user belongs.
The user may belong to a buddy group of the recipient or may be a member of a
contacts list
of the recipient. The first or second sound may identify the urgency or
importance of the
event. The entity may be a user, the event may be the recipient receiving a
digital
communication from the user, and the first or second sound may identify the
type of digital
communication received from the user.
Alerting an intended recipient of the event may include alerting an intended
recipient
of the event by playing at least a portion of the first sound, at least a
portion of the second
sound, and at least a portion of a third sound. The first sound may be chosen
to identify the
2o entity or event, the second sound may be chosen to classify the entity or
event, and the third
sound may be chosen to further classify the entity or event. The first sound
may be chosen
to classify the entity or event, the second sound may be chosen to further
classify the entity
or event, and the third sound may be chosen to still further classify the
entity or event.
In another general aspect, a computer system for audibly identifying an event
25 includes, an event sound processor, au event detection processor, and an
audio playbaclc
processor. The event sound processor enables selection of a first sound based
upon an
identifier. The identifier enables identification of a user related to the
event. The event
detection processor receives a notification of an occurrence of the event. The
notification
includes the identifier. The audio playback processor alerts an intended
recipient of the event
so by playing, in response to the notification, at least a portion of the
first sound and at least a
portion of the second sound that is related the event.
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The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying
drawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent from the
description and
drawings, and from the claims.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system for enabling the exchange of
digital
communications with source audio identifiers.
Fig. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a process for enabling presentation of a
source audio
identifier upon receipt of a digital communication.
Fig. 3A is flow chart illustrating an operation of the process of Fig. 2 for
sending a
1 o query to a recipient of a digital communication aslcing the recipient
whether a source audio
identifier accompanying the digital cormnunication should be authorized or
rejected.
Fig. 3B is a user interface that may be presented to a user upon receipt of a
digital
communication with an accompanying source audio identifier.
Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a process for enabling presentation of a
source audio
~ s identifier upon receipt of a digital cormnunication after a communication
session has already
begun.
Fig. 5 is a flow chart illustrating another process for enabling presentation
of a source
audio identifier upon receipt of a digital communication.
Fig. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an operation of the process of Fig. 5 for
sending a
2o query to a recipient of a digital communication asking the recipient
whether a source audio
identifier accompanying the digital communication should be authorized or
rejected.
Fig. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a system for enabling exchange of
digital
cormnunications with source audio identifiers over a direct connection between
a sender
computer system and a recipient computer system.
2s Fig. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a process for enabling a presentation
of a source
audio identifier upon receipt of a digital cormnunication from a sender
computer system over
a direct comiection.
Fig. 9 is block diagram illustrating a telephone system for enabling telephone
calls
with source audio identifiers.
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Fig. 10 is a flow chart illustrating a process for enabling a presentation of
a source
audio identifier as a ringing signal to indicate an incoming call from a
caller.
Fig. 11 is a flow chart illustrating another process for enabling a
presentation of a
source audio identifier as a ringing signal to indicate an incoming call from
a caller.
Figs. 12-15A-15B are block diagrams illustrating exemplary concatenated audio
messages.
Fig. 16 is a flow chart illustrating a process for creating and enabling
perception of a
concatenated audio message that includes recipient-specified sounds.
Fig. 17 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary concatenated audio
message used
to inform a user of the occurrence of an event.
Fig. 18 is a flow chart illustrating a process for creating and enabling
perception of a
concatenated audio message upon detection of the occurrence of an event.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Callers or senders of digital communications may push source audio identifiers
to
recipients in order to customize or personalize communication exchanges with
the recipients.
The caller or sender may select a source audio identifier, malting source
audio identifiers
accessible to a call recipient phone or recipient computer system. The call
recipient phone or
recipient computer system enables the recipient to authorize or reject the
source audio
identifier. If the recipient authorizes the source audio identifier, the call
recipient phone or
2o recipient computer system plays the source audio identifier each time the
caller calls the
recipient or each time the sender sends a digital communication to the
recipient.
A source audio identifier typically is stored in a digital file containing
audio data that
is used to identify the sender or caller. The source audio identifier may be,
for example, a
data file encoded using MPEG Layer III Audio (MP3) and may range from 120
lcilobits in
size to 2 megabits in size. A typical source audio identifier, when converted
to audio (i.e.,
"played"), may produce 1-2 seconds of sound. For example, a source audio
identifier may be
the spoken version of a sender's user identifier (e.g., a spolcen version of
the sender's instant
messaging handle, e-mail address, or screen name, in the voice of the sender).
The source
audio identifier also may be any arbitrary sound that the sender designates as
indicative of
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the identity of the sender (e.g., a barnyard animal sound, a sound from a
popular television
show, a sound effect, and a sound related to human biological functions or
behaviors).
The source audio identifier performs two functions when played: (1) the source
audio
identifier informs the recipient of an incoming call from the caller or,
additionally or
alternatively, informs the recipient of receipt of a digital communication
from the sender; and
(2) the source audio identifier indicates, to a recipient, the identity,
category or characteristic
of the source of the digital communication. Accordingly, the source audio
identifier is a
signaling mechanism and, therefore, is logically independent from the content
of the call or
the content of digital communications exchanged between the sender and the
recipient.
1 o The source audio identifier may be a single sound that identifies the
sender or,
alternatively, may be a combined audio message formed from multiple sounds
that are, for
example, concatenated or blended together to identify not only the sender but
also one or
more characteristics of the sender or of the communication sent by the sender.
The combined
audio message may include one or more identity sounds and one or more
characteristic
sounds, or it may be exclusive of either. The identity sounds identify the
individual sender
while the characteristic sounds describe, qualify, or characterize the sender
or the
communication sent by the sender. For example, an identity sound may be a
spoken screen
name, the sound of a monkey specified by the sender, or a recipient-designated
sound
associated with a group or category of contacts or a contact characteristic to
indicate the
2o identity of the sender, and a characteristic sound may be a high-pitched
alarm sound to
indicate that the communication is designated by the sender as a high priority
communication. As more sounds are concatenated, the call recipient may be
provided with
increasing levels of information regarding the communication and its sotuce.
More particularly, in one implementation, the concatenated audio message may
2s include one or more recipient-specified sounds. For example, the recipient
may specify a
characteristic sound for that sender that indicates that the sender is a
member of the buddy
list of the recipient, or of a particular buddy group within the buddy list.
When receiving a
communication from that sender, the recipient may, for example, hear a sound
indicating that
the sender is a member of the recipient's buddy list, followed by a different
sound indicating
3o a buddy group for the sender, followed by an audio identifier specified by
the sender. In this
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example, the recipient is made aware of both the sender identity arid of their
relationship to
the recipient on several levels.
Concatenated audio messages may be used in communications systems that do not
support sender-specified sounds. In this implementation, the sounds in the
concatenated
audio messages may be specified by the recipient or may be more globally
defined. The
concatenated audio message still performs the functions of identifying that a
communication
or call has been received, identifying the identity of the sender, and, if
applicable, identifying
characteristics of the sender or of the communication sent by the sender.
Concatenated audio messages may be used to audibly inform a user of
o communication-related events that are not related to receipt of a
communication or call. For
example, concatenated audio messages may be used in an instant messaging
context to
audibly inform a user of presence state changes of a member of the buddy list
of the user.
Referring to Fig. l, a system 100 for enabling the exchange of digital
communications with source audio identifiers includes a sender computer system
110 that
~ 5 sends a digital communication to a digital communication handling system
(DCHS) 140
through a network 130. The DCHS 140 identifies a source audio identifier
associated with
the sender to the digital commlmication and enables a recipient computer
system 120 to
access the digital communication and the source audio identifier through the
network 130.
The recipient computer system 120 accesses or otherwise receives the digital
communication
2o and the source audio identifier and enables a recipient to perceive the
source audio identifier
prior to or concurrent to enabling the recipient to perceive the digital
communication.
A digital communication typically includes a digital file such as, for
example, an
electronic mail (e-mail), an instant message (IM), a voicemail, having audio
data, video data,
general binary data, or text data (e.g., encoded in American Standard Code for
Information
25 Interchange (ASCII) format). A digital communication is associated with a
sender user
identifier and a recipient user identifier. The sender and recipient user
identifiers axe data
tags or labels used to identify the sender and the recipient, respectively,
and may be, for
example, e-mail addresses, instant messaging handles, Internet Protocol
addresses, screen
names, and/or phone numbers.
so The sender computer system 110 is configured to send a digital
communication to the
DCHS 140 through the networlc 130. The sender computer system 110 typically
includes a
l0
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device 1 l0A capable of executing instructions under the command of a
controller 110B. The
device 11 OA may be a general purpose computer such as a workstation or
personal computer
or may be a special propose computer such as a portable digital assistant
(PDA), a landline
phone with digital processing capabilities, or a mobile phone with digital
processing
capabilities. The controller 124 may command and direct communications between
the
device 110A of the sender computer system 110 and the DCHS 140. The controller
110B
may be a digital commuucations interface application that enables transmission
of digital
corninunications to the DCHS 140 using a communications protocol. For example,
in an e-
mail-oriented implementation, the digital communications interface application
may be an e-
o mail application and the communications protocol may be, for example, Simple
Mail
Transfer Protocol (SMTP). The device 110A may be connected to the controller
110B by a
wired or wireless data pathway 110C capable of delivering data.
In another implementation, the sender computer system 110 is configured to
send
both a digital communication and a source audio identifier to the DCHS 140. In
this
~ 5 implementation, the DCHS 140 does not access and send a source audio
identifier, but rather,
relays the received source audio identifier and the received digital
communication to the
recipient computer system 120. The source audio identifier also may be stored
by the
recipient computer system 120 rather than by the DCHS 140 or by the sender
computer
system 110.
2o In yet another implementation, the sender computer system 110 is
additionally
configured to send to the DCHS 140 a user profile corresponding to the sender
(i.e., a sender
profile). The DCHS 140, in turn, may enable access to all or portions of the
sender profile to
the recipient computer system 120. The sender profile may include sender
identity
information and other information related to the sender such as, for example,
interests,
25 hobbies, marital status, location, occupation, gender, a personal quote,
and favorite gadgets.
The sender identity information may include any type of identifier (e.g., text
or video) that
may be used to identify the sender to the recipient. For example, the sender
identity
information may include a video image associated with the sender such as a
picture of the
sender.
so The sender computer system 110 may send the source audio identifier and/or
the
sender profile each time a digital communication is sent to the recipient
computer system 120
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or, alternatively, may send the source audio identifier and/or the sender
profile only at the
begimling of a communication session with the recipient computer system 120.
The
following description is directed primarily to the communication and
perception of the source
audio identifier, but described concepts and configurations may also apply to
the other
aspects of a sender profile.
The recipient computer system 120 is configured to access and enable a
recipient to
perceive a digital communication and a source audio identifier. The recipient
computer
system 120 receives or otherwise accesses the digital communication and the
source audio
identifier from the DCHS 140 through the network 130. In another
implementation, the
recipient computer system 120 also receives or otherwise accesses all or a
portion of the
sender profile from the DCHS 140. The recipient computer system 120 typically
includes a
device 120A capable of executing instructions under the command of a
controller 120B. The
device 120A may be a general purpose computer such as a workstation or
personal computer
or may be a special purpose computer such as a portable digital assistant
(PDA), a landline
phone with digital processing capabilities, or a mobile phone with digital
processing
capabilities. The controller 124 may command and direct communications between
the
device 120A of the recipient computer system 120 and the DCHS 140. The
controller 120B
may be a digital communications interface application that enables receipt of
digital
communications from DCHS 140 using a communications protocol. In an e-mail-
oriented
2o implementation, the digital communications interface application may be an
e-mail
application and the communications protocol may be, for example, Post Office
Protocol
(POP) or Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP). The device 120A may be
connected to
the controller 120B by a wired or wireless data pathway 120C capable of
delivering data.
The device 120A typically includes a data store that may be used for storing
source
audio identifiers and/or sender profiles associated with senders with whom a
communication
session is ongoing or with whom a communication session has alieady taken
place. The
device 120A may store a source audio identifier and/or a sender profile at the
beginning of a
communication session and access the stored source audio identifier as
necessary throughout
the corrununication session in accordance with user communication exchange
preferences.
3o The device 120A also may include a repository of source audio identifiers
and/or sender
12
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profiles fiom previous communication sessions. The user communication exchange
preferences also may be stored in the device 120A.
The network 130 is configured to enable direct or indirect communications
between
the sender computer system 110, the recipient computer system 120, and the
DCHS 140.
Examples of the networlc 130 include the Internet, Wide Area Networks (WANs),
Local Area
Networks (LANs), analog or digital wired and wireless telephone networks
(e.g., Public
Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN),
and
Digital Subscriber Line (xDSL)), radio, television, cable, satellite, and/or
any other delivery
or tumleling mechanism for carrying data.
1 o The DCHS 140 includes a digital communication processor 142, an audio
identifier
data store 144, and a configuration data store 146. The digital communication
processor 142
is a computer system configured to receive a digital communication from the
sender
computer system 110 and determine whether to discard the digital
communication, deposit
the digital communication in a data store for subsequent retrieval by the
recipient computer
system 120, or send the digital communication to the recipient computer system
120. The
digital communication processor 142 may send the digital communication to the
recipient
computer system 120 with or without an attached source audio identifier.
The digital communication processor 142 may access the configuration data
store 146
to retrieve the sender profile and may send the sender profile (or aspects
thereof) to the
20 recipient computer system 120 along with the digital communication. The
digital
communication processor 142 also may access the configuration data store 146
to retrieve
user communication exchange preferences associated with the potential
recipient of the
digital communication.
The user cormnunication exchange preferences include one or more lists of user
25 identifiers that may be accessed by the digital communication processor 142
when processing ,
the digital commmlications. The lists may include a list of user identifiers
from which digital
communications will not be authorized (i.e., a black list), a list of user
identifiers from which
digital connnmucations will be authorized but associated source audio
identifiers will not be
authorized or played to the recipient (i.e., a gray list), and/or a list of
user identifiers from
3o which digital communications will be authorized and associated source audio
identifiers will
be authorized and played (i.e., a white list). If the digital communication
processor 142
13
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receives a digital communication and the user identifier of the sender of the
digital
communication is included on the blaclc list, the digital communication is
discarded and, in
some implementations, an error or notification message is sent to the sender
computer system
110. If the digital communication processor 142 receives a digital
commiuiication and the
s user ideytifier of the sender is included on the gray list, the digital
communication is sent to
the recipient computer system 120 without the corresponding source audio
identifier. If the
digital communication processor 142 receives a digital communication and the
user identifier
of the sender is included on the white list, the digital communication and the
corresponding
source audio identifier are sent to the recipient computer system 120.
1 o In one implementation, once a sender is included on the white, gray, or
black lists of a
recipient, the sender remains on the lists iiTespective of changes in the
sender's source audio
identifier. In another implementation, the configuration data store 146 or the
data store in the
recipient computer system 120 stores the source audio identifiers of the
senders included on
the white, gray, or blaclc lists. When the DCHS 140 or recipient computer
system 120
~5 receives a digital communication including a source audio identifier, the
DCHS 140 or the
recipient computer system 120 determines whether the sender is on one of the
lists and, if the
sender is on one of the lists, verifies that the attached source audio
identifier is the same as
the stored source audio identifier. If the attached source audio identifier is
the same as the
stored source audio identifier, the DCHS 140 or the recipient computer system
120 may
2o authorize or reject the source audio identifier in accordance with the user
communication
exchange preferences. However, if the attached source audio identifier is
different than the
stored source audio identifier, the recipient computer system 120 may request
that the user
authorize or reject the new source audio identifier from the sender. The query
may be
presented in a user interface such as, for example, the user interface 300
shown in Fig. 3B.
25 If the user identifier of the sender of the digital communication is not
included on the
black, gray, or white lists, the digital communication processor 142 processes
the digital
communication in accordance with a default response algorithm that may be
specified by the
recipient and stored as part of the user communication exchange preferences of
the recipient
(i.e., stored in the configuration data store 146 or, additionally or
alternatively, stored in the
3o device 120A of the recipient computer system 120). For example, the
recipient may choose a
default response algoritlun that sends the source audio identifier and the
digital
14
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communication to the recipient computer system 120 if the user identifier of
the sender is not
on any of the lists. The recipient computer system 120 may then enable the
user to perceive
both the digital coxmnunication and the source audio identifier.
In another example, the recipient may choose a default response algorithm that
results
in the digital communcation processor 142 sending a query to the recipient
computer system
120 which prompts the recipient to authorize or reject the digital
communication and/or the
source audio identifier. The recipient computer system 120 may receive the
query, which
may include sender profile information accessed from the configuration data
store 146, and
may provide the recipient with all or a portion of this sender profile
information when asking
1o the recipient whether the recipient will authorize or reject the digital
communication and/or
source audio identifier. The recipient also may have the option to place the
sender user
identifier on the blaclc, gray, or white lists stored as part of the user
communication
preferences of the recipient. The digital communication processor 142 may
receive a
response to the query from the recipient computer system 120 and process the
digital
cormnunication accordingly. The query may, for example, be presented to the
user through a
visual user interface such as the user interface 300 shown in Fig. 3B.
The digital commmiication processor 142 typically accesses the user
communication
exchange preferences including one or more of the white, gray, and black lists
and the default
response algorithm at the beginning of a cormnunication session between the
sender and the
2o recipient. Once the appropriate processing has been determined, subsequent
digital
communications sent by the sender computer system 110 are processed by the
digital
cormnunication processor 142 in accordance with the already determined
preferences. The
digital commmzication processor 142 may send the source audio identifier with
each
subsequent digital communication from the sender; or, alternatively, the
digital
commmiication processor 142 may send the source audio identifier with the
first digital
communication sent at the start of the communication session. The recipient
computer
system 120 may then simply store the source audio identifier after receipt of
the first digital
communication and may access and play the stored source audio identifier for
each
subsequent digital communication received from the digital communication
processor 142
so during that communication session.
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The digital communication processor 142 also may be communicatively coupled to
a
login system or an online presence detection system that keeps track of the
login status or
online presence of the user identifier corresponding to the recipient. For
example, in an
111Sta11t messaging context, the digital communication processor 142 may
communicate with
s the instant messaging login system to traclc user identifiers that are
logged in and able to
receive and send instant messages. In an e-hail context, the digital
communication processor
142 may communicate with an e-mail login system to traclc user identifiers
that are logged in
and able to receive and send e-mail. If a recipient of a digital communication
is not logged in
or otherwise online, the digital communication processor 142 may deposit the
digital
1o communication in a data store corresponding to the recipient (e.g., e-mails
may be stored in
the mailbox of the recipient) or may discard the digital communication (e.g.,
instant
messages are typically discarded if the recipient is not online).
In another implementation, the digital communication processor 142 does not
access
user communication exchange preferences for the recipient from the
configuration data store
15 146 and does not access a source audio identifier from the audio identifier
data store 144.
Instead, the digital communication processor 142 receives the source audio
identifier from
the sender computer system 110 with each digital communication. The digital
communication processor 142, in turn, sends the digital communication with the
source audio
identifier to the recipient computer system 120. The recipient computer system
120 locally
2o accesses and applies the user communication exchange preferences upon
receipt of the digital
communication and the source audio identifier. Based on the user communication
exchange
preferences, the recipient computer system 120 discards the received digital
communication
or enables the recipient to perceive the received digital communication. The
recipient
computer system 120 also either suppresses or plays the received source audio
identifier with
2s each digital communication in accordance with the user communication
exchange
preferences.
In another version of this implementation, the sender computer system 110 only
sends
the source audio identifier in the beginning of the communication session and
not with each
subsequent digital communication. The recipient computer system 120 stores the
source
so audio identifier in a data store included in the device 120A and
subsequently accesses and
1G
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plays it with each subsequent digital communication received from the sender
computer
system 110 during that or subsequent communication sessions involving the
sender.
The audio identifier data store 144 includes one or more data storage devices
configured to store the source audio identifiers. The source audio identifiers
may be stored in
compressed format and/or in multiple different formats (e.g., .WAV or MP3
files) to ensure
compatibility with the recipient computer system 120 and to increase speed of
transmission.
The soLUCe audio identifiers may be indexed by user identifier. The audio
identifier data
store 144 may be part of the DCHS 140. In another implementation, all or a
portion of the
audio identifier data store 144 may be located in a computer system or in a
data storage
1 o device external to the DCHS 140.
The configuration data store 146 includes one or more data storage devices
configured to store user profile information and user communication exchange
preferences.
The information in the configuration data store 146 is typically collected
during service
registration or service setup. The user profile information and user
communication exchange
~ s preferences may be indexed by user identifier. The audio identifier data
store 144 and the
configuration data store 146 may be integrated into a single data store that
stores user audio
identifiers, user profile information, and user communication exchange
preferences.
Fig. 2 shows a process 200 for enabling a presentation of a source audio
identifier
upon receipt of a first digital communication received through a digital
communication
2o handling system (DCHS) at the beginning of a communication session between
a sender
computer system and a recipient computer system. For convenience, particular
components
described with respect to Fig. 1 are referenced as performing the process 200.
However,
similar methodologies may be applied in other implementations where different
components
are used to define the structure of the system, or where the functionality is
distributed
2s differently among the components shown by Fig. 1.
The sender computer system 110 sends a digital communication addressed to the
recipient computer system 120 (202). The digital communication includes or may
be
associated with a sender user identifier and a recipient user identifier.
The digital communcation processor 142 receives the digital communication
(204)
3o and accesses the configuration data store 146 to retrieve the user
communication exchange
preferences corresponding to the associated recipient user identifier (206).
The digital
17
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communication processor 142 determines whether the recipient prohibits
perception of
digital cormnutucations from the sender by checking whether the sender user
identifier is
included on a blaclc list of the recipient (208). If the recipient prohibits
perception of digital
communications from the sender, the digital communication is discarded (210).
In some
implementations, the digital communication processor 142 may additionally send
a
notification message to the sender computer system 110 indicating that the
digital
communication was not successfully sent to the recipient (not shown).
If the recipient authorizes digital communications from the sender, the
digital
communication processor 142 determines whether the user corresponding to the
recipient
user identifier is logged in or otherwise available to receive digital
communications from the
sender computer system 110 (212). The digital communication processor 142 may
query or
otherwise access a login system or a presence detection system that may be
local or remote to
the DCHS 140.
If the recipient is not logged in, online, or otherwise available to receive
digital
~ 5 communications, the digital communication processor 142 may either discard
the digital
communication or deposit the digital communication in a data store associated
with the
recipient user identifier for later retrieval by the recipient (214). For
example, if the digital
communication is an instaazt message, the instant message may be discarded. On
the other
hand, if the digital communication is an e-mail, the e-mail may be deposited
in the mailbox
20 of the recipient. In some implementations, the digital communication
processor 142 may
additionally send to the sender computer system 110 a notification message
indicating that
the recipient is not available to receive communications and that the digital
cormnunication
has been discarded or, alternatively, deposited for later retrieval.
If the recipient is logged in, online, or otherwise available to receive
digital
2s communications, the digital communication processor 142 accesses the sender
profile from
the configuration data store 146 (216). The digital communication processor
142 determines
whether the recipient authorizes digital communications with source audio
identifiers based
on the recipient communication exchange preferences (218). For example, ifthe
sender user
identifier is included on the gray list of the recipient, the recipient does
not authorize digital
3o communications with source audio identifiers. If the sender user identifier
is included on the
white list of the recipient, the recipient authorizes digital communications
with source audio
18
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identifiers. If the sender user identifier is not included on the white list
or the gray list of the
recipient, the recipient will authorize digital communications with source
audio identifiers
only if authorization is in accordance with the default response algorithm
established for the
recipient or if the recipient manually specifies their desire or willingness
to authorize.
Fig. 3A shows one implementation of operation 218 using an exemplary default
response algoritlun that may be used to determine whether the source audio
identifier should
be authorized or rejected. The digital communication processor 142 determines
whether the
sender is included on the white list of the recipient (218a). If the sender is
included on the
white list, the digital communication processor 142 proceeds to operation 228.
If the sender
is not included on the white list, the digital communication processor 142
determines whether
the sender is included on the gray list of the recipient (218b). If the sender
is included on the
gray list, the digital communication processor 142 proceeds to operation 220.
If the sender is
not included on the white or gray lists, the digital cormnunication processor
142 executes the
default response algorithm by sending a query to the recipient computer system
120 asl~ing
~5 the recipient whether to authorize or reject the source audio identifier
(218c).
The recipient computer system 120 receives the query (218d) and enables the
recipient to perceive and respond to the query (218e). For example, the
recipient may
perceive the query in a pop-up window that includes an option to authorize the
source audio
identifier and an option to reject the source audio identifier. The pop-up
window may
2o display all or a portion of the sender profile. Additionally or
alternatively, the pop-up
window may present options to add the sender to the white, gray, or blaclc
lists of the
recipient. Once the recipient responds to the query by selecting one or more
options, the
recipient computer system 120 sends the response to the digital communication
processor
142 (218g). An example of a user interface that may be used to query the
recipient is shown
25 in Fig. 3B.
If the selected options include adding the sender to the white, gray, or
blaclc lists of
the recipient, the digital communication processor may access the
configuration data store
146 and add the sender user identifier to the appropriate list or lists
associated with the
recipient user identifier. The digital communication processor 142 also
determines whether
3o the selected options correspond to authorization or rejection of the
digital communication
(218h). If the selected options reject the digital communication, the digital
communication
19
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processor 142 discards the digital communication (218i). If the selected
options authorize
the digital communication, the digital communication processor 142 determines
whether the
selected options correspond to authorization or rejection of the source audio
identifier (218j).
If the selected options authorize the source audio identifier, the digital
communication
processor 142 proceeds to operation 228. If the selected options reject the
sender audio
identifier the digital communication processor 142 proceeds to operation 220.
Fig. 3B shows a user interface 300 that may be presented to the user by the
recipient
computer system 120 upon receipt of an incoming message with an accompanying
source
audio identifier. The user interface 300 includes a statement 310 informing
the user of the
1 o existence of an incoming message with an accompanying source audio
identifier and includes
sender profile information 320. The sender profile information 320 may include
the name of
the sender 321 (e.g., Bob Devane), the IM handle of the sender 322 (e.g.,
BobD123), the e-
mail address of the sender 323 (e.g., BobDev@hotmail.com), the direct number
of the sender
324 (e.g., (703) 123-4567), the time and date when the message is being sent
326 (e.g., 5:45
EDT on 5/17102), and other sender profile information 325. The other sender
profile
information 325 may include, for example, the geographic location of the
sender (e.g.,
Dunes, VA) and information stored in an address book or calendar that is
accessible based on
the identity of the sender (e.g., Meeting scheduled with Bob on Saturday 7-12-
03). Such
information may be stored locally at the recipient computer system 120 or may
be accessible
2o from a remote device (e.g., DCHS 140) across the data network 130. In
another
implementation, the user interface 300 includes a subset of the sender profile
information 320
displayed in Fig. 3B.
The user interface 300 also includes a set of option buttons 330 that may be
selected
by the user to react to the message. The option buttons 330 may include, for
example, an
25 option button to sample the source audio identifier 331, an option button
to take the message
and authorize the source audio identifier 332, an option button to take the
message and use an
audio identifier other than the source audio identifier (e.g., a default audio
identifier) 334,
and a.n option button to not take the message 336. The option buttons may be
selected to
control the disposition of the current message.
3o The user may select button 331 to hear or otherwise perceive the source
audio
identifier prior to deciding how to dispose of the incoming message. Hearing
the source
CA 02518121 2005-09-02
WO 2004/079929 PCT/US2004/006334
audio identifier enables the user to malce a more informed decision regarding
whether to
authorize or reject the audio identifier. The user may then select one of the
other buttons
332, 334, 336 to dispose of the message.
Selecting the option button 332 to talce the message with the source audio
identifier
results in the digital connnunication and source audio identifier being
perceived by the
recipient. Selecting the option button 445 to talce the message with a default
audio identifier
results in the digital communication and a default audio identifier being
perceived by the
recipient. In yet another implementation, upon selecting button 334, the
recipient is
prompted to specify an audio identifier or, alternatively, specify no audio
identifier to
o indicate receipt of the current digital communication from the sender. The
recipient-
specified audio identifier may be used for future communication received from
the sender if
checlcbox 335 is selected as discussed below. Selecting the option button to
not take the
message 336 results in the recipient neither perceiving the digital
communication nor the
source audio identifier. In another implementation, the user interface 300
includes an option
button to take the message without any audio identifier being played or
otherwise perceived
by the recipient. The user interface 300 closes or is otherwise disabled upon
the recipient
selecting one of the option buttons 330.
Next to the option buttons 332, 334, and 336 are checlcboxes 333, 335, and
337,
respectively. Unlike the option buttons 330 which handle disposition of the
current digital
2o communication received from the sender, the checkboxes 333, 335, and 337
may be selected
(i.e., "checked") to control the disposition of future digital communications
received from the
sender. The user interface 300 allows the user to select none or one of the
three checkboxes.
If the recipient selects checlcbox 333, the sender user identifier is placed
on the white list of
the recipient upon selection of one of the option buttons 330. If the
recipient selects
2s checkbox 335, the sender user identifier is placed on the gray list of the
recipient upon
selection of one of the option buttons 330. If the recipient selects option
337, the sender user
identifier is placed on the black list of the recipient upon selection of one
of the option
buttons 330. Additionally or alternatively, the user interface 300 may include
checlcboxes or
buttons (not shoran) that enable the user to specify that the source audio
identifier or default
3o audio identifier should be played only upon receipt of future
communications that are at the
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beginning of a communication session with a sender rather than upon receipt of
every future
communication from the sender in a communication session.
If the recipient does not select any of the checlcboxes 333, 335, or 337, any
future
digital commmucation received from the sender associated with a source audio
identifier will
s result in displaying the user interface 300 again and once again prompting
the recipient to
select options regarding how the digital communication will be processed.
Alternatively, the
user interface 300 may be displayed only once for a given communication
session, and thus,
not selecting any of the checlcboxes 333, 335, and 337 results in displaying
the user interface
300 again only at the beginning of a future communication session with the
sender.
o The user interface 300 may vary depending on the capabilities of the
recipient
computer system 120. A recipient computer system 120 with more limited
capabilities may
provide less sender profile information 320 and less options 330 wlule
recipient computer
systems 120 with greater capabilities may provide more sender profile
information 320 and
more options 330.
15 Referring again to Fig. 2, if the recipient rejects the source audio
identifier, the digital
communication processor 142 sends or enables the recipient computer system 120
to access
the sender profile and the digital communication (220). The recipient computer
system 120
accesses or receives the sender profile and digital communication (222),
stores the sender
profile (224), and enables the recipient to perceive the digital communication
and the sender
2o profile (226). The recipient may perceive the digital communication and the
sender profile
through a user interface specific to the type of digital communication
received. For example,
if the digital communication is an instant message, the instant message may be
displayed in a
dialog window and the sender profile may be accessed by the user by selecting
the IM handle
of the sender in the dialog window or in another window displaying a list of
IM handles (e.g.,
25 a buddy list) selected by or otherwise associated with the recipient. If
the digital
communication is an e-mail message, the e-mail header information may be
displayed in an
Inbox list, the e-mail contents may be displayed upon selection of the e-mail
from the list,
and the sender profile information may be displayed upon selection of the e-
mail address of
the sender.
3o If the recipient authorizes digital communications with source audio
identifiers from
the sender, the digital communication processor 142 accesses the source audio
identifier
22
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corresponding to the sender user identifier from the audio identifier data
store 146 (228).
The digital communication processor 142 sends or enables the recipient
computer system 120
to access the sender profile, the digital communication, and the source audio
identifier (230).
The recipient computer system 120 accesses or receives the sender profile,
source
audio identifier, and digital communication (232), and stores the sender
profile and source
audio identifier (234). The source audio identifier and sender profile may be
stored,
temporarily or permanently, in a data store that is part of the recipient
computer system 120
or is remote but communicatively coupled to the recipient computer system 120.
In another
implementation, the recipient computer system 120 renders but does not store
the source
audio identifier.
The recipient computer system 120 enables the recipient to perceive the source
audio
identifier (236) prior to or concurrent with enabling the recipient to
perceive the digital
communication and sender profile (238). The recipient computer system 120 may
enable the
recipient to perceive the source audio identifier by converting the audio
identifier to audio
~s which may be heard by the recipient. The audio is heard shortly after
receipt of the digital
communication and thereby informs the recipient that a digital communication
has been
received from that particular sender.
In another implementation of process 200, the digital communication processor
142
does not retrieve a sender profile and does not send or enable the recipient
computer system
20 120 access to the sender profile. Instead the digital communication
processor 142 sends the
digital communication without a sender profile and, if applicable, with a
source audio
identifier to the recipient computer system 120.
Fig. 4 shows a process 400 for enabling a presentation of a source audio
identifier
upon receipt of a digital communication received through a digital
communication handling
25 system after a communication session has already begun and the source audio
identifier has
already been stored by the recipient computer system. For convenience,
particular
components described with respect to Fig. 1 are referenced as performing the
process 400.
However, similar methodologies may be applied in other implementations where
different
components are used to define the structure of the system, or where the
functionality is
3o distributed differently among the components shown by Fig. 1. Process 400
is used to
process the digital communications sent after sending the first digital
communication in the
23
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commiuucation session between the sender computer system 110 and the recipient
computer
system 120. Process 400 assumes that the recipient computer system 120
authorizes and has
already stored the source audio identifier.
The sender computer system 110 sends a digital communication addressed to the
s recipient computer system 120 (402). The digital communication includes or
may be
associated with a sender user identifier and a recipient user identifier. The
digital
cormnunication processor 142 receives the digital communication (404) and
determines
whether the user corresponding to the recipient user identifier is still
logged in or is otherwise
still available to receive digital communications from the sender computer
system 110 (406).
1o The digital communication processor 142 may query or otherwise access a
login system or a
presence detection system that may be local or remote to the DCHS 140.
If the recipient is no longer logged in, online, or otherwise available to
receive digital
communications, the digital communication processor 142 may either discard the
digital
communication or deposit the digital communication in a data store associated
with the
15 recipient user identifier for later retrieval by the recipient (408). In
some implementations,
the digital communication processor 142 sends a notification message to the
sender computer
system 110 indicating that the recipient is no longer available (not shown).
If the recipient is
logged in, online, or otherwise available to receive digital communications,
the digital
communication processor 142 sends or enables the recipient computer system 120
to access
2o the digital communication (410).
The recipient computer system 120 receives or accesses the digital
communication
(412) and accesses the stored source audio identifier corresponding to the
sender user
identifier of the received digital communication (414). The recipient computer
system 120
enables the recipient to perceive the source audio identifier (416) prior to
or concurrent to
2s enabling the recipient to perceive the digital communication (418).
Process 400 assumes that the recipient computer system 120 has already
received and
stored a source audio identifier corresponding to the sender of the digital
communication.
However, if such a source audio identifier had not been stored by the
recipient computer
system 120, the recipient computer system 120 may request and receive the
source audio
3o identifier from the DCP 142. The recipient computer system 120 also may
request and
receive a soluce audio identifier in an implementation in which the source
audio identifier
24
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used to indicate receipt of a first corrununication in a communication session
is different than
the source audio identifier used to indicate receipt of subsequent
communications in the
cornrmmication session. Fig. 5 shows a process 500 for enabling a presentation
of a source
audio identifier upon receipt of a digital communication received through a
digital
communication handling system wherein the source audio identifier is stored at
the sender
computer system and the recipient communication exchange preferences are
stored at the
recipient computer system. For convenience, particular components described
with respect
to Fig. 5 are referenced as performing the process 500. However, similar
methodologies may
be applied in other implementations where different components are used to
define the
1 o structure of the system, or where the functionality is distributed
differently among the
components shown by Fig. 1. Process 500 is different from processes 200 and
400 in that the
sender computer system 110, rather than the DCHP 140, stores the source audio
identifiers
and the recipient computer system 110, rather than the DCHP 140, stores and
applies the
recipient communication exchange preferences. Process 500 minimizes the
processing
demands on the DCHP 140 by pushing the storage and intelligence to the sender
and
recipient computer systems.
The sender computer system 110 sends a digital communication addressed to the
recipient computer system 120 and a source audio identifier (502). The digital
communication includes or may be associated with a sender user identifier and
a recipient
2o user identifier. The digital communication processor 142 receives the
digital communication
and source audio identifier (504) and determines whether the user
corresponding to the
recipient user identifier is logged in or is otherwise available to receive
digital
cormnunications fiom the sender computer system 110 (506). The digital
communication
processor 142 may query or otherwise access a login system or a presence
detection system
that may be local or remote to the DCHS 140.
If the recipient is not logged in, online, or otherwise available to receive
digital
communications, the digital communication processor 142 may either discard the
digital
connnunication or deposit the digital communication in a data store associated
with the
recipient user identifier for later retrieval by the recipient (508). In some
implementations,
3o the digital communication processor 142 sends a notification message to the
sender computer
system 110 indicating that the recipient is not available. If the recipient is
logged in, online,
CA 02518121 2005-09-02
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or otherwise available to receive digital communications, the digital
communication
processor 142 sends or enables the recipient computer system 120 to access the
digital
communication and the source audio identifier (510).
The recipient computer system 120 receives or accesses the digital
communication
and source audio identifier (512). The recipient computer system 120 accesses
the recipient
communication exchange preferences and determines whether the recipient
authorizes digital
communications sent by the sender (i.e., determines whether the sender user
identifier is
included on the recipient's blaclc list) (514). If the recipient does not
authorize digital
communications from the sender, the digital communication is discarded (516).
In some
1 o implementations, the digital communication processor 142 may additionally
send a
notification message to the sender computer system 110 indicating that the
digital
communication was not sent to the recipient. If the recipient authorizes
digital
communications from the sender, the digital communication processor 142
determines
whether the recipient authorizes digital communications with source audio
identifiers based
15 on the recipient communication exchange preferences (518).
Fig. 6 shows one implementation of operation 518 using an exemplary default
response algoritlun that asks the recipient whether to authorize or reject the
source audio
identifier. The recipient computer system 120 determines whether the sender is
included on
the white list of the recipient (518a). If the sender is included on the white
list, the recipient
2o computer system 120 proceeds to operation 520. If the sender is not
included on the white
list, the recipient computer system 120 determines whether the sender is
included on the gray
list of the recipient (518b). If the sender is included on the gray list, the
recipient computer
system 120 proceeds to operation 522.
If the sender is not included on the white or gray lists, the recipient
computer system
25 120 executes the default response algorithm by enabling the recipient to
perceive and
respond to a query aslcing the recipient whether to authorize or reject the
source audio
identifier (518c). The recipient may perceive the query (518c) in a user
interface lilce the one
shov~m in Fig. 3B. Once the recipient responds to the query by selecting one
or more options
(518c), the recipient computer system 120 determines whether the selected
options
3o correspond to authorization or rejection of the digital communication
(518d). If the selected
options reject the digital communication, the recipient computer system 120
discards the
26
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digital communication (518e). If the selected options authorize the digital
communication,
the recipient computer system 120 determines whether the selected options
correspond to
authorization or rejection of the source audio identifier (518fJ. If the
selected options
authorize the source audio identifier, the recipient computer system 120
proceeds to
operation 520. If the selected options do not authorize the source audio
identifier, the
recipient computer system 120 proceeds to operation 522.
Referring baclc to Fig. 5, if the recipient authorizes digital communications
with
source audio identifiers (518), the recipient computer system 120 enables the
recipient to
perceive the source audio identifier received with the digital communication
(520) prior to or
concurrent to enabling the recipient to perceive the digital communication
(522). In another
implementation, the recipient computer system 120 stores the source audio
identifier prior to
enabling the recipient to perceive the source audio identifier. If the
recipient does not
authorize digital communications with source audio identifiers (i.e., the
sender user identifier
is included on the gray list of the recipient), the recipient computer system
120 enables the
recipient to perceive the digital communication (522) without enabling the
recipient to
perceive the received source audio identifier.
The process 500 may be performed for each digital communication sent in a
communication session between the sender computer system 110 and the recipient
computer
system 120. Alternatively, the process 500 may be performed for the first
digital
2o cormnunication sent in the communication session. The recipient computer
system 120 may
store the source audio identifier, and the sender computer system 110 may then
send
subsequent digital communications without the source audio identifier. The
recipient
computer system 120 may then process the subsequent digital communications in
accordance
with the determined recipient communication exchange preferences, access the
stored source
audio identifier, and enable the recipient to perceive the stored source audio
identifier if
appropriate.
In another implementation, the sender computer system 110 also sends a sender
profile with the source audio identifier and the digital communication. The
sender profile is
received by the recipient computer system 120 along with the digital
communication and
3o source audio identifier. All or part of the sender profile may be stored
and perceived by the
27
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recipient if the recipient computer system 120 determines that the recipient
authorizes digital
communications from the sender.
In yet another implementation, the digital communication processor 142, rather
than
the sender computer system 110, stores the source audio identifiers (e.g., the
source audio
identifiers may be stored in the audio identifier data store 144), and the
recipient computer
system 120 stores and applies user communication exchange preferences. In this
implementation, the sender computer system 110 sends a digital communication
without a
source audio identifier, and the digital communication processor 142 receives
the digital
communication, determines whether the recipient is available to receive
digital
communications, and, if the recipient is available, accesses and sends a
source audio
identifier to the recipient computer system 120 in addition to sending the
digital
cormnunication. The recipient computer system 120 receives the source audio
identifier and
digital communication and processes the source audio identifier and digital
communication
in accordance with operations 512-522.
Referring to Fig. 7, a system 700 for enabling the exchange of digital
communications with source audio identifiers includes a sender computer system
710 that
sends a digital cormnunication and source audio identifier to a recipient
computer system 720
through a network 730. The sender computer system 710 and recipient computer
system 720
respectively include devices 71 OA, 720A that communicate with controllers 71
OB, 720B
over a data pathway 710C, 720C. Examples of each element within the
communications
system 700 of Fig. 7 are described broadly above with respect to Fig. 1. In
particular, the
sender computer system 710, the recipient computer system 720, and the
networlc 730
typically have attributes comparable to those described above with respect to
the sender
computer system 110, the recipient computer system 120, and the network 130 of
Fig. 1,
respectively.
The sender computer system 710, however, differs from the sender computer
system
110 in that the sender computer system 710 does not send digital
communications to a digital
cormmnications handling system (140 in Fig. 1). Rather, the sender computer
system 710
directly sends digital communications and a source audio identifier to the
recipient computer
3o system 720 through a direct comlection. The direct connection may be, for
example, an open
socket comzection (i.e., peer-to-peer socket connection) such as, for example,
an open
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Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) comiection. Both the sender computer
system 710 and
the recipient computer system 720 may include a WinsockApplication Program
Interface
(API) for establishing the direct connection. In one implementation, the
digital
commmzications sent by sender computer system 710 are instant messages.
Fig. 8 shows a process 800 for enabling a presentation of a source audio
identifier
upon receipt of a digital cormnunication received from the sender computer
system over a
direct comlection. For convenience, particular components described with
respect to Fig. 7
are referenced as performing the process 800. However, similar methodologies
may be
applied in other implementations where different components are used to define
the structure
of the system, or where the functionality is distributed differently among the
components
shown by Fig. 7.
. The sender computer system 710 sends or enables the recipient computer
system 720
to access a digital communication and a source audio identifier (802). The
recipient
computer system 720 receives or accesses the digital communication and source
audio
identifier (804). The recipient computer system 720 accesses the recipient
communication
exchange preferences and determines whether the recipient authorizes digital
communications sent by the sender (i.e., determines whether the sender user
identifier is
included on the recipient's blaclc list) (806). If the recipient does not
authorize digital
communications from the sender, the digital communication is discarded (808).
In some
2o implementations, the recipient computer system 720 may additionally send a
notification
message to the sender computer system 710 indicating that the digital
communication was
discarded (not shown). If the recipient authorizes digital communications from
the sender,
the digital coimnunication processor 142 determines whether the recipient
authorizes digital
communications with source audio identifiers based on the recipient
communication
25 exchange preferences (i.e., white and gray lists and the default response
algorithm) (810).
If the recipient authorizes digital communications with source audio
identifiers, the
recipient computer system 720 enables the recipient to perceive the source
audio identifier
received with the digital communication (812) prior to or concurrent to
enabling the recipient
to perceive the digital cormnunication (814). In another implementation, the
recipient
3o computer system 720 stores the source audio identifier prior to enabling
the recipient to
perceive the source audio identifier. If the recipient does not authorize
digital
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communications with source audio identifiers (e.g., the sender user identifier
is included on
the gray list of the recipient), the recipient computer system 720 enables the
recipient to
perceive the digital communication (814) without enabling the recipient to
perceive the
received source audio identifier.
The process 800 may be performed for each digital communication sent in a
communication session between the sender computer system 710 and the recipient
computer
system 720. Alternatively, the process 800 may be performed for the first
digital
connnunication sent in the communication session. The recipient computer
system 720 may
store the source audio identifier, and the sender computer system 710 may then
send
1 o subsequent digital communications without the source audio identifier. The
recipient
computer system 720 may then process the subsequent digital communications in
accordance
with the determined recipient communication exchange preferences, access the
stored source
audio identifier, and enable the recipient to perceive the stored source audio
identifier if
appropriate.
15 In another implementation, the sender computer system 710 also sends a
sender
profile with the source audio identifier and the digital communication. The
sender profile is
received by the recipient computer system 720 along with the digital
communication and
source audio identifier. All or part of the sender profile may be stored and
perceived by the
recipient if the recipient computer system 720 determines that the recipient
authorizes digital
2o communications from the sender.
The above systems and processes may be used for both voice and data
communication contexts. Figs. 9-11 illustrate one possible implementation of
source audio
identifiers used in a voice communication context.
Referring to Fig. 9, a telephone system 100 for enabling telephone calls with
source
2s audio identifiers includes a caller phone 910 that communicates with a call
recipient phone
920 tluough a telephone network 930. The telephone network 930 may access an
audio
identifier data store 944 and a configuration data store 946. In some
implementations, the
audio identifier data store 944 and the configuration data store 946 are part
of the telephone
network 93 0.
3o The caller phone 910 and the call recipient phone 920 may be landline
telephones that
allow com~.nunications over the telephone network 930. In another
implementation, the
CA 02518121 2005-09-02
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caller phone 910 and/or the call destination phone 920 may be mobile
telephones or mobile
personal digital assista~lts (PDAs) with embedded cellular phone technology.
The caller phone 910 is configured to place a call to the call recipient phone
920
across the telephone network 930. In another implementation, the caller phone
910 may
additionally be configured to send a source audio identifier to the caller
recipient phone 920
as part of the call setup. The caller phone 910 may send the source audio
identifier as an in-
band or out-of band signal through the telephone network 930. In a cellular or
mobile phone
system, the caller phone 910 may, for example, send the source audio
identifier as a message
using Multimedia Message Service (MMS) or Short Message Service (SMS) prior to
or
1 o concurrent to sending the call setup request. The MMS or SMS message
typically includes
the sender user identifier and may contain some or all of the sender profile.
In another
implementation, the caller phone 910 and the call recipient phone 920 have
Internet access
and the caller phone 910 may send the source audio identifier over the
Internet to the call
recipient phone 920.
When the source audio identifier is sent as an out-of band signal, the caller
phone 910
may receive the source audio identifier before or after receiving the ringing
signal from the
telephone network 930. If the caller phone 910 has received multiple source
audio identifiers
prior to receiving the ringing signal, the caller phone 910 identifies the
appropriate source
audio identifier based on the caller identity information (e.g., Automatic
Number
2o Identification (ANI) information). If the caller phone 910 has not received
a source audio
identifier upon receiving the ringing signal from the telephone networlc 930,
the caller phone
910 may wait a short predetermined amount of time to receive the source audio
identifier. If
no source audio identifier is received after expiration of the predetermined
amount of time,
the caller phone 910 may use a default ringing signal.
The call recipient phone 920 is configured to receive an incoming call and a
source
audio identifier from the telephone network 930 and enable a recipient to
perceive the
incoming call and, if applicable, the source audio identifier. The call
recipient phone 920
may be configured to store the source audio identifier and enable the
recipient to perceive the
source audio identifier as a ringing signal that indicates an incoming call
from the
3o corresponding caller. For example, the source audio identifier may be
stored as a set of full
music or standard ring tones. The call recipient phone 920 also may be
configured to store
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default ringing signals that are played if the caller does not send a source
audio identifier or,
alternatively, if the caller sends a source audio identifier, but the call
recipient does not allow
the source audio identifier to be played. The default ringing signals may vary
based on the
direct number of the caller phone 910. In a cellular or mobile phone system,
the call
s recipient phone 920 may, for example, receive the source audio identifier in
an MMS or SMS
message prior to or concurrent to receiving the incoming call. In another
implementation, the
call recipient phone 920 has Internet access and receives the source audio
identifier over the
Internet prior to or concurrent to receiving the incoming call. The call
recipient phone 920
plays the source audio identifier upon receiving a ringing signal from the
telephone network
~0 930.
In yet another implementation, the call recipient phone 920 may determine
whether or
not to play the source audio identifier as a ringing signal and whether or not
to accept the
call. In this implementation, the call recipient phone 920 is configured to
store user
cormnunication exchange preferences and determine whether to allow the source
audio
15 identifier to be played in accordance with the user communication exchange
preferences.
The telephone network 930 is configured to enable direct or indirect voice
cormnunications between the caller phone 910 and the call destination phone
920. The
telephone networlc 930 may include a circuit-switched voice network, a packet-
switched data
networlc, or any other networlc able to carry voice. For example, circuit-
switched voice
2o networlcs may include the Public Switched Telephone Networlc (PSTN), and
paclcet-switched
data networks may include networks based on the Internet protocol (IP) or
asynchronous
transfer mode (ATM), and may support voice using, for example, Voice-over-IP,
Voice-over-
ATM, or other comparable protocols used for voice data cormnunications.
The telephone network 930 may be configured to receive the direct number of
the call
25 recipient phone from the caller phone 910, access a configuration data
store 942 to determine
whether the caller has registered for source audio identifier service, access
a corresponding
source audio identifier, and send a call setup request and a source audio
identifier, if
applicable, to the call recipient phone 920. The source audio identifier may
be sent as an in-
band or out-of band signal prior to or concurrent to sending the call setup
request to the caller
3o phone 910. In one implementation, the telephone networlc 930 is configured
to process MMS
or SMS messages and transmit the source audio identifier as an MMS or SMS
message. In
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another implementation, the telephone network 930 may send the source audio
identifier to
the call recipient phone 920 over the Internet prior to or concurrent to
setting up the call. The
call recipient phone 920 plays the source audio identifier upon receiving a
ringing signal
from the telephone networlc 930 corresponding to the caller, e.g., using the
ANI information
s associated with the caller telephone number as a means for coordinating the
incoming call
and the source audio identifier.
In another implementation, the telephone networlc 930 may be configured to
receive
the source audio identifier from the caller phone 910 during call setup as an
in-band or out-
of band signal. For example, the telephone network 930 may be configured to
receive the
1o source audio identifier or a linlc to the source audio identifier as an
additional component of
the call destination phone number received from the caller phone 910 through a
signal path.
The audio identifier data store 942 and the configuration data store 946 are
described
broadly above with respect to Fig. 1. In particular, the audio identifier data
store 942 and the
configuration data store 946 typically have attributes comparable to those
described above
~ s with respect to the audio identifier data store 142 and the configuration
data store 146 of Fig.
1, respectively. The audio identifier data store 942 is configured to store
the source audio
identifiers as, for example, standard or full music ring tones encoded as
digital data and
indexed by the direct number of the caller phone. The configuration data store
946 is
configured to store caller service profiles which indicate the telephone
services enabled on
2o the phone line of the caller. The caller service profiles include an
indication whether the
caller has registered for source audio identifier service and may be indexed
by direct number
of the caller phone. The configuration data store 946 also may store user
profiles and user
communication exchange preferences. The audio identifier data store 942 and
the
configuration data store 946 may be integrated in a single data store.
2s Fig. 10 shows a process 1000 for enabling a presentation of a source audio
identifier
as a ringing signal to indicate an incoming call from a caller. For
convenience, particular
components described with respect to Fig. 9 are referenced as performing the
process 1000.
However, similar methodologies may be applied in other implementations where
different
components are used to define the structure of the system, or where the
functionality is
3o distributed differently among the components shov~m by Fig. 9.
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The user of the caller phone 910 dials or otherwise specifies the direct
number of the
call recipient phone 920 (1002). The telephone network 930 receives the direct
number of
the call recipient phone 920 and identifies the direct number of the caller
phone 910 (1004).
The telephone network 930 determines whether the call recipient phone line is
available to
s receive a call (1006). If the call recipient phone line is busy or otherwise
unavailable to
receive a phone call, the telephone networlc processes the call in accordance
with the status of
the call recipient phone line (e.g., by sending a busy signal to the caller
phone 910) (1008).
If the call recipient phone line is available to receive a phone call, the
telephone
network 930 accesses the caller service profile from the configuration data
store 946 (1010)
1 o and determines whether the caller is registered for source audio
identifier service based on
the caller service profile (1012). If the caller is not registered for source
audio identifier
service the telephone network 930 sets up the call and sends a ring tone
trigger to the call
recipient phone 920 (1026).
If the caller is registered for source audio identifier service, the telephone
network
1s 930 accesses the user communication exchange preferences corresponding to
the direct
number of the call recipient phone from the configuration data store 146
(1014) and
determines whether the call recipient allows the source audio identifier to be
played (1016).
Determining whether the call recipient allows the source audio identifier to
be played is
accomplished in the same manner as discussed above with respect to operation
218 in Figs. 2
2o and 3A, wherein the telephone network 930 performs the function of the
digital
communication processor 142 and the call recipient phone 920 performs the
function of the
recipient computer system 120. The user interface 300 also may be displayed by
the call
recipient phone 920 when the sender user identifier is not included on the
gray, white, or
black lists of the recipient. In this implementation, the message is an
incoming call and a
25 special ringing tone is used to inform the recipient of the call and inform
the recipient that the
caller has a source audio identifier. The call recipient may then decide
whether to accept the
call and whether to authorize the source audio identifier or ring tone of the
caller by
interacting with the user interface 300 .
If the call recipient does not allow the source audio identifier to be played,
the
3o telephone network 930 sets up the call and sends a ring tone trigger to the
call recipient
phone 920 (1026). If the call recipient allows the source audio identifier to
be played, the
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telephone network 930 accesses the source audio identifier corresponding to
the direct
number of the caller phone from the audio identifier data store 944 (1018) and
sends the
source audio identifier to the call recipient phone 920 (1020) prior to or
concurrent to setting
up the call and sending a ring tone trigger to the call recipient phone
(1026).
The call recipient phone 920 receives the source audio identifier (1024) and
stores the
source audio identifier (1026). Once the call is setup and the call recipient
phone 920
receives the ring tone trigger, the call recipient phone 920 identifies the
caller typically using
ANI information (1028) and determines whether a source audio identifier is
available for the
call (1030). If a source audio identifier is not available for the call, the
call recipient phone
920 makes the ring tone perceivable by the call recipient by, for example,
playing a generic
or default ring tone (1034). If a source audio identifier is available for the
call, the call
recipient phone 920 modifies the ring tone to include the source audio
identifier (e.g., by
using the source audio identifier as the ring tone or by concatenating the
source audio
identifier with the generic or default ring tone) (1032). The call recipient
phone 920 then
malces the modified ring tone perceivable by the call recipient by playing the
modified ring
tone (1034).
Fig. 11 shows a process 1100 for enabling a presentation of a source audio
identifier
as a ringing signal that indicates an incoming call from a caller, wherein the
caller phone
sends the source audio identifier to the call recipient phone through a
telephone network. For
2o convenience, particular components described with respect to Fig. 9 are
referenced as
performing the process 1100. However, similar methodologies may be applied in
other
implementations where different components are used to define the structure of
the system,
or where the functionality is distributed differently among the components
shown by Fig. 9.
The user of the caller phone 910 dials or otherwise specifies the direct
number of the
2s call recipient phone 920 and specifies the source audio identifier (1102).
The telephone
network 930 receives the direct number of the call recipient phone 920 and the
source audio
identifier (1104). The telephone network 930 determines whether the call
recipient phone
line is available to receive a call (1106). If the call recipient phone line
is busy or otherwise
mavailable to receive a phone call, the telephone network 130 processes the
call in
3o accordance with the status of the call recipient phone line (e.g., by
sending a busy signal to
the caller phone 910) (1108). If the call recipient phone line is available to
receive a phone
CA 02518121 2005-09-02
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call, the telephone network 130 sends the source audio identifier to the call
recipient phone
920 (1110) prior to or concurrent to setting up the call and sending a ring
tone trigger to the
call recipient phone 920 (1120).
The call recipient phone 920 receives the source audio identifier (1112) and
s determines whether the call recipient allows the source audio identifier to
be played (1114).
Determining whether the call recipient allows the source audio identifier to
be played may be
accomplished in the manner discussed above with respect to operation 518 in
Figs. 5 and 6,
wherein the telephone network 930 performs the function of the digital
communication
processor 142 and the call recipient phone 920 performs the function of the
recipient
computer system 120.
If the call recipient does not allow the source audio identifier to be played,
the call
recipient phone 920 discards the source audio identifier (1116). If the call
recipient allows
the source audio identifier to be played, the call recipient phone stores the
source audio
identifier (1118).
15 Once the call is setup and the call recipient phone 920 receives the ring
tone trigger,
the call recipient phone 920 identifies the caller typically using ANI
information (1122) and
determines whether a source audio identifier is available for the call (1124).
If a source audio
identifier is not available for the call, the call recipient phone 920 makes
the ring tone
perceivable by the call recipient by, for example, playing a generic or
default ring tone
20 (1128). If a source audio identifier is available for the call, the call
recipient phone 920
modifies the ring tone to include the source audio identifier (e.g., by using
the source audio
identifier as the ring tone or by concatenating the source audio identifier
with the generic or
default ring tone) (1126). The call recipient phone 920 then malces the
modified ring tone
perceivable by the call recipient by playing the modified ring tone (1128).
25 In yet another implementation, the telephone network 930, rather than the
caller
phone 910, stores the source audio identifiers (e.g., the source audio
identifiers may be stored
in the audio identifier data store 144), and the call recipient phone 920
stores and applies user
communication exchange preferences. In this implementation, the caller phone
910 sends a
digital communication without a source audio identifier, and the telephone
networlc 930
3o receives the digital communication, determines whether the recipient phone
line is available
to receive an incoming call, and, if the recipient phone line is available,
accesses and sends a
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source audio identifier to the call recipient phone 920 in addition to setting
up the call. The
call recipient phone 920 receives the source audio identifier and processes
the source audio
identifier in accordance with operations 1112-1128.
The source audio identifier may be a single sound that identifies the sender
or,
alternatively, may be a concatenated audio message formed from multiple sounds
that are
concatenated together to identify one or more characteristics of the sender or
of the
communication in addition, or as an alternative to the sender identity. As
shown in Fig. 12,
in one possible implementation, the concatenated audio message 1200 includes a
first sound
1210 signifying a characteristic or trait of the sender or communication
followed by a second
sound 1220 that identifies the individual sender (e.g., the spolcen version of
the sender's
name). The identity sounds are chosen to identify the individual sender while
the
characteristic sounds are chosen to describe, qualify, or characterize the
sender.
Characteristic sounds may include, but are not limited to, a sound that
identifies the location
from which the sender is calling/sending (e.g. from California, home, work, or
school), a job
group to which the sender belongs (e.g., a doctor, a lawyer, an electrician, a
mechanic, or a
plumber), an organization to which the member belongs or works (e.g., the
Porsche Club of
America, the National Rifle Association, the Rotary Club, Ford Motor Company,
Microsoft,
and Cooper Power Systems), other group membership by the sender (e.g., buddy
group in a
recipient's instant message buddy list or category in the recipient's content
list), the urgency
or importance of the digital communication or call (e.g., a low-pitched sound
may indicate
that the call is not urgent while a high-pitched sound may indicate that the
call is very
urgent), the type of call or digital communication (e.g., a social call, a
business call, an e-
mail, an instant message, a call wishing the recipient a happy birthday, or a
call wishing the
recipient a happy amiversary), the type of communication device used to send
the digital
2s communication (e.g., a desktop personal computer, a pager, a PDA, or a
mobile phone), the
online status of the sender (e.g., online or oftline), the availability to
receive communications
over different communication devices including a cell phone, PDA, or desktop
computer, the
availability to receive different types of communications (e-mails, phone
calls, IMs)), the
wunber of degrees of separation between the senders and recipient, or the
satisfaction or
3o dissatisfaction of a degrees separation threshold by sender.
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The concatenated audio message may be formed of any combination of identity
and/or characteristic sounds. For example, a concatenated audio message may be
formed
solely of identity sounds or, alternatively, may be formed solely of
characteristic sounds.
Referring to Fig. 13, the concatenated audio message 1300 may provide multiple
levels of information regarding the sender/caller or the communication sent by
the sender by
concatenating multiple different characteristic sounds 1310 and identity
sounds 1320. Fig.
13, shows the characteristic sounds 1310 concatenated at the beginning of the
concatenated
audio message 1300 a~zd the identity sounds 1320 concatenated at the end of
the concatenated
audio message 1300. However, any order of concatenation is possible. As more
sounds are
1o concatenated, the sender is able to provide the call recipient with
increasing levels of
information. When the concatenated audio message is used as a ring tone, the
concatenated
sounds may be played multiple times in succession until the recipient answers
the phone or
the call is otherwise disposed of.
The length of each concatenated sound within the concatenated audio message
may
~ 5 be specified by the sender. The sender computer system 110, 510 or the
caller phone 910
may enable the sender to limit the length and number of concatenated sounds
that may be
sent. Additionally or alternatively, the digital communication processor 142
or the telephone
networl~ 930 may limit the total length of the concatenated audio message or
the total number
and length of each pauticular concatenated somld in the concatenated audio
message.
2o The length of each concatenated sound within the concatenated audio message
also
may be specified by the recipient. The concatenated audio message may be
encoded such
that the recipient computer system 120, 520 or the call recipient phone 920
recognizes and
distinguishes between each concatenated sound. The recipient computer system
120, 520 or
the call recipient phone 920 may enable the recipient to control whether each
concatenated
25 sound is played and the length of each concatenated sound. The recipient
may control the
playbaclc of each concatenated sound while the concatenated sounds are playing
(e.g., may
select a function on the call recipient phone 920 or the recipient computer
system 120, 520 to
skip to the next concatenated sound), or, additionally or alternatively, the
recipient may setup
user commmication exchange preferences that specify the length, number, and
type of
3o concatenated soiuids that are played upon receipt of a concatenated audio
message.
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In another implementation, the digital communication processor 142 or the
telephone
network 920 processes the concatenated audio message in accordance with the
user
communication exchange preferences of the recipient prior to sending the
concatenated audio
message to the recipient computer system 120, 520 or to the call recipient
phone 920. In yet
another implementation, the length of the concatenated audio message that is
played is a
default or a preselected value and is not specified by the recipient or the
sender. The length
also may be varied on a per-group or a per-user basis.
The concatenated audio message also may be concatenated with one or more
recipient-specified sounds. The recipient-specified sounds may be
characteristic sounds or
identity sounds. For example, the recipient may select or define a
characteristic sound that
indicates that the sender is a member of the buddy list of the recipient. When
a recipient
receives an Instant Message from a sender listed in the buddy list of the
recipient, a
concatenated audio message may be formed by concatenating a recipient-
specified buddy list
characteristic sound to the end of the sender-specified sound(s). By listening
to the
~ 5 concatenated audio message, the recipient is able to both identify the
sender and determine
that the sender is a member of the buddy list of the recipient. The
characteristic sound may
be modified to indicate that the sender belongs to the co-worker or family
groups in the
buddy list of the recipient or, alternatively, to indicate that the sender
belongs to any arbitrary
group defined by the recipient, by the recipient computer system 120, 520, or
by the call
2o recipient phone 920.
The recipient also may specify identity sounds. For example, a recipient may
specify
an identity sound saying "DaBigBoss!" to indicate receipt of a corrununication
from the
recipient's boss. If the boss has chosen a sender-specified identity sound
saying "John", the
recipient hears "DaBigBoss! John" upon receipt of a digital communication or a
call from the
25 bOSS.
Fig. 14 shows a concatenated audio message 1400 that includes sender-specified
sounds 1410 concatenated with one or more recipient-specified characteristic
sounds 1420
and one or more recipient-specified identity sounds 1430. Fig. 15A shows
another example
of a concatenated audio message 1500 formed by mixing and concatenating sender-
specified
3o sounds 1510 and recipient-specified sounds 1520. The order in which the
sounds are
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concatenated may be varied. For example, the sounds specified by the recipient
may appear
first, followed by the sounds specified by the sender.
In another implementation, all or some of the sounds in the concatenated audio
message are not specified by the recipient or by the sender but rather are
more globally
defined. For example, the sounds may be defined by the DCHS 140, by the
telephone
networlc 930, or by another system communicatively coupled to the recipient
computer
system 120, 520 or to the call recipient phone 920.
Fig. 16 shows a process 1600 for creating and enabling perception of a
concatenated
audio message that includes recipient-specified sounds. Process 1600 may be
performed by
the recipient computer system 120, 520 or by the call recipient phone 920.
Additionally or
alternatively, process 1600 may be performed by the digital communication
processor 142 or
by the telephone networlc 930.
A source audio identifier is received or accessed (1610). The accessing of the
source
audio identifier may correspond to operation 228 of process 200, operation 512
of process
~5 500, operation 804 of process 800, operation 1018 of process 1000, or
operation 1104 of
process 1100. The identity of the sender and characteristics of the sender or
communication
are determined (1620). The identity of the sender may be determined from the
sender user
identifier of the digital communication, the direct number of the call, or
from sender identity
information included or received with the source audio identifier. The
recipient computer
2o system 120, 520, the call recipient phone 920, the digital communication
processor 142, or
the telephone network 930 may determine the identity or characteristics of the
caller/sender
or communication by accessing the configuration data store 144, 944 or by
accessing one or
more local or remote data stores or computer systems (including messaging
systems) that
store or are able to access and provide identity and characteristics
information regarding the
25 caller or the cormnunication. For example, the call recipient phone 920 or
the recipient
computer system 120, 520 may access local storage to determine that the
caller/sender is in
the address boolc of the recipient and is designated as a coworlcer in that
address book.
Additionally or alternatively, the call recipient phone 920 or the recipient
computer system
120, 520 may access an instant messaging system to determine that the
recipient is online and
so available to receive instant messages.
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Identity and characteristic sounds may be accessed based on the determined
identity
and characteristics (1630). The identity and characteristic sounds are
specified by the
recipient and may be stored in the audio identifier data store 144, 944 or in
a data storage
included with or accessible to the recipient computer system 120, 520, the
call recipient
phone 920, the digital communication processor 142, or the telephone network
930. The
accessed sowlds are concatenated together with the source audio identifier to
form a
concatenated audio message with recipient-specified sounds (1640). For
example, the call
recipient phone 920 or the recipient computer system 120, 520 may access a
characteristic
sound corresponding to one second of a somber funeral march to indicate that
the
sender/caller is a coworker and may access a second characteristic sound
corresponding to a
high-pitched bell sound that indicates that the sender/caller is online and
available to receive
instant messages. Referring to Fig. 15B, if the source audio identifier
corresponds to the
sound of a rooster, the concatenated audio message 1520 corresponds to one
second of a
somber fweral march followed by the sound of a rooster which is, in turn,
followed by a
~ s high-pitched bell sound.
Operations 1620-1640 may occur, for example, after operation 228 and before
operation 230 of process 200; after operation 518 and before operation 520 of
process 500;
after operation 810 and before operation 812 of process 800; after operation
1018 and before
operation 1020 of process 1000; or after operation 1116 and before operation
1120 of process.
20 1100.
Once the concatenated audio message with recipient-specified sounds is formed,
the
recipient is enabled to perceive the concatenated audio message (1650).
Operation 1650
corresponds to operations 230-236 of process 200, operation 520 of process
500, operation
812 of process 800, operations 1020 and 1024-1028 of operation 1000, and
operations 1120
2s and 1122 of process 1100, wherein the source audio identifier is now the
concatenated audio
message in the above operations.
Concatenated audio messages may be used in communications systems that do not
use sender-specified sounds. In this implementation, the recipient computer
system 120, 520,
the call recipient phone 920, the telephone network 930, or the digital
communication
so processor 142 receives or otherwise accesses a call or digital
communication from a sender
rather than accessing a source audio identifier as specified by operation
1610. Operations
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1620-1650 are then performed to generate and enable perception of a
concatenated audio
message. The concatenated audio message, however, does not include a source
audio
identifier.
Concatenated audio messages also may be used to audibly inform a user of
commwlication-related events that are not related to the receipt of a
communication. For
example, concatenated audio messages may be used in an instant messaging
context to
audibly inform a user of presence state changes of a member of the buddy list
of the user
(i.e., a "buddy"). For instance, the typical door opening/door closing sound
that is played to
a user when a buddy signs on or off is an event identity sound and may be
concatenated with
o an event characteristic sound indicating precisely which buddy is signing on
or off or that a
buddy within a particular-buddy category or having a particular characteristic
is signing on or
off. Furthermore, another event characteristic sound indicating that the user
is a member of
the family or co-workers subgroups of the buddy list of the user also may be
concatenated to
the door opening/door closing sound to further audibly classify the user
signing on or off
1 s Fig. 17 shows a concatenated audio message for an event 1700. The
concatenated
audio message for an event 1700 may include any combination of event identity
sounds 1710
and event characteristic sounds 1720. The event identity sounds 1710
identifies the specific
event and are typically unique to that event. The event characteristic sounds
1720 further
describe, qualify, and classify the event and are typically applicable to
multiple different
2o events. The concatenated audio message for an event 1700 also may
optionally include any
combination of user identity sounds 1730 and/or characteristic sounds (not
shown).
Fig. 18 shows a process 1800 for creating and enabling perception of a
concatenated
audio message upon detection of the occurrence of an event. Process 1800 may
be
performed by the recipient computer system 120, 520 or by the call recipient
phone 920.
25 Additionally or alternatively, process 1800 may be performed by the digital
cormnunication
processor 142 or by the telephone networlc 930.
The occurrence of an event is detected (1810). The identity of the event and
characteristics of the event are determined (1620). The identity of the event
is typically
traclced by the application that generates the event and may be identified
through interactions
3o with that application. Characteristics of that event also may be tracked by
that application
and determined either through interactions with that application or by
accessing data storage
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devices or systems communicatively coupled to the recipient computer system
120, 520, the
call recipient phone 920, the digital communication processor 142, or the
telephone network
930.
The event identity and event characteristic sounds may be accessed based on
the
s determined identity and characteristics of the event (1830). The event
identity and event
characteristic sounds may be stored in the audio identifier data store 144,
944 or in a data
storage included with or accessible to the recipient computer system 120, 520,
the call
recipient phone 920, the digital communication processor 142, or the telephone
networlc 930.
The accessed sounds are concatenated together to form a concatenated audio
message (1840).
Once the concatenated audio message is formed, the user is enabled to perceive
the
concatenated audio message (1650). The call recipient phone 920 or the
recipient computer
system 120, 520 typically plays the concatenated audio message upon occurrence
of the
event and, thereby, enables the user to hear the concatenated audio message
and identify the
event and its characteristics.
15 In a more general implementation, concatenated audio messages may be used
in any
applications, not just communication-related applications, which inform users
of the
occurrence of events wherein the events may be described as belonging to
multiple
associated, nested, or hierarchical classes. The concatenated audio message
may include an
event identity sound that identifies the event and one or more event
characteristic sounds that
2o indicate the classes and subclasses in which the event is categorized.
A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it will be
~.mderstood that various modifications may be made. For example, the source
audio identifier
may be a video identifier, rather than an audio identifier, and may be
perceived by the
recipient each time a digital communication or call is received from the
sender. Additionally
25 or alternatively, the sender identifier may be an audiovisual presentation
or any other non-
textual form of identifier that may be perceived by the recipient as an
indicator of the identity
of the sender. The source audio identifier may be larger than 2 megabits in
size or smaller
than 120 lcilobits in size. The source audio identifier, when converted to
audio, may produce
more than 2 seconds of sound or less than one second of sound.
3o The~following is a list of additional implementations. One or a combination
of the
following implementations may be used to add various functions or features.
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In a first implementation, the digital communication processor 142, the
telephone
networlc 930, the sender computer system 110, 520, or the caller phone 910 may
communicate with the recipient computer system to determine whether the
recipient
computer system 120, 520 has already stored the source audio identifier prior
to sending a
s source audio identifier. If the recipient computer system 120, 520 has
already stored a source
audio identifier for the sender, no source audio identifier may be sent by the
digital
communication processor 142, by the telephone network 930, by the sender
computer system
110, 510, or by the caller phone 910.
In a second implementation, the default response algoritlun of Fig. 3A and
Fig. 6 and
1 o may include an option to store the digital communication for later
retrieval. If this option is
selected, the digital communication is stored in a data store corresponding to
the recipient
(e.g., an e-mail inbox) and may be accessed by the recipient at a later date.
The user
interface 300 of Fig. 3B also may include an option button and a check box
that may be
selected to store the cmTent digital communication and all future digital
commuucations
~5 from that sender, respectively, for later retrieval.
In a third implementation, the digital communication processor 142 may not
send the
complete digital communication to the recipient computer system 120, upon
receipt of that
digital communication from the sender computer system 110. Instead, the
digital
communication processor 142 may store the digital communication and send a
portion of the
2o digital communication to the recipient computer system 120 with or without
the source audio
identifier. The recipient may perceive the source audio identifier upon
receiving the portion
of the digital communication from the digital communication processor 142. The
recipient
perceives the portion of the digital communication and determines whether he
or she wants to
perceive the complete digital commtmication based on the perceived portion.
The recipient
25 may then choose to perceive the complete digital communication, and the
recipient computer
system 120 enables the recipient to access the complete digital communication
from the
appropriate data store. For example, in an e-mail oriented context, the
digital communication
processor 142 may receive an e-mail addressed to the recipient, may store the
e-mail in the
inbox corresponding to the recipient, and may send header information (e.g.,
sender e-mail
3o address, time a.nd date sent, subject of e-mail, and recipients of e-mail)
and, if applicable, the
source audio identifier to the recipient computer system 120. The recipient
computer system
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120 may play the source audio identifier upon receipt of the header
information and may
include all or some of the header information of the received e-mail in the
inbox list
displayed to the recipient. The recipient may then select the header
information for that e-
mail axed the recipient computer system 120 then enables the recipient to
access and perceive
s the complete e-mail stored in the inbox of the recipient.
In a fourth implementation, if the received digital communication is an e-
mail, the
concatenated audio message may include an identity or characteristic sound
that corresponds
to the "true source" of an e-mail that has been forwarded, or that corresponds
to the identities
listed in the "cc" or "bcc" fields of the e-mail header. The identity or
characteristic sound
1 o may be an alternative to or an addition to an identity sound corresponding
to the identity
listed in the "from" field of the e-mail header (i.e., the direct source of
the e-mail).
Additionally, the digital coimnunication processor 142 or the recipient
computer system 120
may automatically bypass the concatenated audio message in situations where
the recipient is
merely listed in the "cc" or "bcc" fields of the e-mail header. The volume of
the identity or
15 characteristic sounds also may be varied to signify different levels of
importance of the
recipient or e-mail. For example, if the recipient is listed in the "to" field
of the e-mail
address header, the volume may be set to the highest level while if the
recipient is listed in
the "bcc" field, the volume may be set to the lowest level. If the e-mail is
designated as
"urgent" by the sender, the volume also may be set to its highest level.
2o In a fifth implementation, the DCHS 140 or telephone network 930 may track
the
source audio identifiers that have been sent to and stored by the recipient
computer system
120 or by the call recipient phone 920. If the DCHS 140 or telephone networlc
930
determines that the source audio identifier has already been locally stored by
the recipient
computer system 120 or by the call recipient phone 920, the DCHS 140 or the
telephone
25 network 920 may not send the source audio identifier to the recipient
computer system 120 or
to the call recipient phone 920. The recipient computer system 120 or the call
recipient
phone 920 may access and play the source audio identifier based on the sender
user identifier
of the incoming call or received digital communication.
In a sixth implementation, the digital communication processor 142, the
telephone
3o network 930, the sender computer system 110, 510, or the caller phone 910
may send to the
recipient computer system 120, 520 or to the call recipient phone 920 a linlc
to the source
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audio identifier rather than sending the source audio identifier itself. The
recipient computer
system 120, 520 or the call recipient phone 920 may use the linlc to access
the source audio
identifier. The liu~ may be, for example, a Universal Resource Locator (URL)
that specifies
a web site storage location where the source audio identifier is stored.
In a seventh implementation, the digital communication processor 142 may
determine
whether the sender has an associated source audio identifier upon receipt of a
digital
communication prior to accessing or applying recipient communication exchange
preferences. If the sender or caller has an associated source audio
identifier, the digital
communication processor 142 may proceed as in operations 206-238 of process
200. If no
source audio identifier is associated with the sender, the digital
communication processor 142
may handle the digital communication or call in the same manner as an ordinary
digital
cormnunication is handled. The digital communication processor 142 may access
the audio
identifier data store 144 based on the sender user identifier to initially
determine whether the
sender has an associated source audio identifier. If no source audio
identifier corresponding
15 to the sender user identifier is stored in the audio identifier data store
144, then the sender is
deemed to not have an associated source audio identifier.
In an eighth implementation, the digital communication processor 142 or the
recipient
computer system 120 may always query the recipient regarding how to deal with
a heretofore
unknown source audio identifier. The recipient may select from among various
audio
2o identifier control options lilce the ones described with respect to Fig. 3B
to determine how to
handle the received message with source audio identifier and how to handle
future messages
with source audio identifiers received from the same source.
In a ninth implementation, the user cormnunication exchange preferences may be
stored and consulted/involced locally or remote to the sender computer system
120 or to an
25 intermediary computer system (e.g., the digital communication processor
142) in each of the
processes and systems described with respect to Figs. 2, 3A, 4, 5, and 6.
In a tenth implementation, the user interface 300 may include additional
control
options that provide a recipient with greater control over audio identifiers.
For example, the
user interface 300 may include an option that enables the source audio
identifier to be
presented upon receipt of a first digital communication fiom the soL~rce in a
cormnunication
session between the source and the recipient and enables a second audio
identifier to be
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presented upon receipt of each of the other digital communications received
from the source
during that communication session. The second audio identifier is different
than the first
audio identifier and may be designated by the recipient or by the sender.
Alternatively, the
second audio identifier may be a generic audio identifier not designated by
either the
recipient or by the sender. The user interface 300 also may include an option
that enables the
second audio identifier to be presented upon receipt of a first digital
communication in the
communication session and enables the source audio identifier to be presented
upon receipt
of each of the other digital communications received from the source during
that
cormnunication session. The user interface 300 also may include an option that
the source
1 o audio identifier or the second audio identifier is presented upon receipt
of a first digital
communication in the communication session and no audio identifier is
presented upon
receipt of each of the other digital communications received from the source
during that
communication session.
47
