This is a continuation, of prior application Ser. No. 09/248,613, filed Feb. 11, 1999, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to telecommunications, and in particular, to a method and system for passing information tokens to and from customer terminal equipment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many organizations and businesses provide services and information using telephonic interactive voice response (IVR) and/or automated call distribution (ACD) systems. As is known in the art, these systems iterate a caller through a menu of voice prompts to gather information from the caller. Typically, the caller can enter the requested information by either spoken response or touch-tone dialing. In the case of an IVR system, the entered information is used to provide an automated service to the caller, such as the playback of pre-recorded information, or the automated sale of goods or services. In an ACD system, the caller information can be used to route the caller to a specific operator and/or to provide caller information to the operator prior to servicing the call. Although conventional IVR and ACD systems represent a significant improvement over manually-operated dial-up service centers, repeat callers often find the interactive menus to be tiresome and overly time-consuming. Specifically, on subsequent calls, repeat callers typically find themselves entering much of the same data entered during earlier calls, such as their names, addresses, phone numbers, and the like.

To overcome the problem of repetitive data entry, information service systems have been developed that store personalized information of individual callers. U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,459 discloses an information service system that stores personalized profiles for callers. The '459 system relies on a unique identifier received during call setup to automatically retrieve the caller's profile. The profile can include generic information about the caller, such as name, address, or the like, as well as particular information about the callers previous selection or use history. Accordingly, the pre-existing profiles can reduce call processing delays and eliminate redundant data entry for repeat callers.

However, the '459 system suffers a drawback in that it must store and maintain profiles for a multitude of callers. This not only requires substantial computer storage resources, but also presents a problem of maintaining the data integrity of the profiles. For example, a caller, having previously used the service, may move, causing a change in home address and phone number. This would require the service provider to update the caller's profile. As such, storing caller profiles within the service system can increase operating costs. Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system of providing an automated dial-up service that enjoys the benefits of caller profiles, but reduces the burden of maintaining and storing such profiles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is pointed out with particularity in the appended claims. However, other features of the invention will become more apparent, and the invention will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1

is a block diagram illustrating a telecommunications system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2

is a flowchart diagram illustrating a method of operating the system of

FIG. 1

in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3

is a detailed block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the caller customer premises equipment (CPE) shown in

FIG. 1

;

FIG. 4

is a flowchart diagram illustrating a method of operating the caller CPE of

FIG. 3

in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5

is a block diagram illustrating a telecommunications system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6

is a block diagram illustrating a telecommunications system in accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7

is a detailed block diagram illustrating the caller CPE shown in

FIG. 6

; and

FIG. 8

is a block diagram illustrating a telecommunications system in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention relates to interactive telecommunications services. To overcome the above described limitations of conventional telephonic service systems, the present invention uses a data file or “cookie” file in the context of the telephone service. A “cookie” file is essentially a computer-readable data file containing information tokens, which can represent caller information, preferences, or the like. A caller customer premises equipment (CPE), such as an intelligent telephone, can be adapted to store cookie files, create generic cookie templates, and transfer and receive cookie files to and from remote dial-up service systems. The remote service system can be likewise adapted to utilize caller cookie files.

A cookie file can contain generic information, such as the caller's name, home and/or business address, phone number, e-mail address, or the like. In addition, a cookie file can be created and stored for each particular remote service system. In such cases, each cookie file could include information pertaining only to the particular remote service, as well as the generic information normally included in the cookie template.

An advantage of a telephone service using cookie files is that repeat callers would not be subjected to manually re-entering data every time they call. Another advantage is that service providers would not be required to store and maintain caller profiles. A further advantage is that callers could easily update generic information in cookie files locally stored in the caller CPE.

Turning now to the drawings, and in particular to

FIG. 1

, there is illustrated a telecommunications system

10

in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The system

10

includes a caller CPE

12

, a caller voice-over-data (VOD) modem

14

, a telephone network

15

, a called party CPE

24

, and a called party VOD modem

22

.

The telephone network

15

can include a public switched telephone network (PSTN)

18

, a caller central office (CO)

16

and a remote CO

20

.

The caller CPE

12

can be any terminal device adapted to store, transmit and receive cookie files, such as an intelligent telephone, a video phone, a computer, or the like. An intelligent telephone is a terminal device that provides conventional telephony voice service in conjunction with computer-based functionality, such as the ability to transfer and internally store data files. The VOD modems

14

,

22

permit voice and data from the CPEs

12

,

24

to be simultaneously transferred over the telephone network

15

.

The CPEs

12

,

24

can communicate with the VOD modems

14

,

22

, respectively, using a standard interface, such as an RS-232 interface, a personal computer (PC) parallel port, a PC bus, a universal serial bus, or the like. The VOD modems

14

,

22

can communicate with the COs

16

,

20

using a conventional analog local-loop, an integrated services digital network (ISDN) interface, or the like. The modems

14

,

22

can include conventional jacks or connectors for providing a detachable interface to the telephone network

15

.

The VOD modems

14

,

22

can be implemented using commercially-available VOD modems, such as the MRi-1456 advanced simultaneous voice-over-data (ASVD) modem, available from MRi (UK) Ltd., of Wembley, England. Such a modem can be connected to the CPEs

12

or

24

using a conventional peripheral components interface (PCI) bus.

The COs

16

,

20

can be local exchange offices providing conventional telephone services, such as switching and call routing, to the caller and called party. The exchange offices

16

,

20

can communicate via the PSTN

18

.

The called party CPE

24

can be any telecommunications terminal device adapted to request and receive one or more cookie files from the caller CPE

12

. In addition, according to one aspect of the invention, the CPE

24

can modify received cookie files by adding, changing, or deleting information tokens contained therein, and then returning the modified cookie files to the caller CPE

12

.

An information token is a computer-usable representation of a piece of information. For example, a token can represent a name, address, number, letter, keystrokes, time, file name, software variable, or the like. A cookie file can include one or more information tokens.

The called CPE

24

can be a dial-up caller service system interfaced to the VOD modem

22

so that the service system can simultaneously transfer voice and data over the telephone network

15

. For example, the service system can be a conventional personal computer (PC) or communications server including an MRi ASVD modem card, a conventional analog telephone card for providing phone service to an operator, and a software program for reading and writing cookie files to and from the caller CPE

12

via the VOD modems

14

,

22

and the telephone network

15

. The software program can also cause the service system to modify the cookie files, as well as store the received cookie files internally within the service system.

FIG. 2

shows a flowchart diagram of a method

40

of operating a system

10

in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In step

42

, a call placed from the caller CPE

12

is connected to the called party CPE

24

. The call is connected via the VOD modems

14

,

22

and the telephone network

15

.

In step

44

, a conversation between CPE

12

and CPE

24

is established. The conversation can be a communications session between the caller and called party involving the transfer of voice and/or computer data between the CPEs

12

,

24

. Next, in step

46

, a request is made by the called CPE

24

to establish a data connection for accessing cookie files stored on the caller CPE

12

. The data connection can be established by a command issued from the called CPE

24

to its VOD modem

22

, causing the VOD modem

22

to initiate a data transfer session with the caller VOD modem

14

.

After establishing the data connection, the called party may request a cookie template (step

48

). The request can be a digital instruction transmitted by the VOD modem

22

simultaneously with a voice conversation. Upon receiving the digital instruction, the caller CPE

12

would respond by generating and transmitting a cookie file template containing generic caller information (step

50

).

In step

52

, the called party can update the cookie template file with information specific to the service provided and return the updated cookie to the caller CPE

12

. In step

54

, the caller CPE

12

can store the cookie file internally.

During subsequent calls, the called CPE

24

can retrieve the updated cookie file from the CPE

12

. This permits the caller to forego repeated entry of previously entered data or information tokens when subsequently calling the service provided by the CPE

24

.

FIG. 3

shows a detailed block diagram of the caller CPE

12

of FIG.

1

. The CPE

12

can include a microprocessor (uP)

60

, a memory

64

, a modem interface

62

, a smartcard interface

64

and a bus

67

. Also included in the CPE

12

is a telephony circuit

68

for providing conventional analog phone service.

The microprocessor

60

can be any microprocessor, microcontroller, or the like, such as one from the ×86 family of microprocessors from Intel, Corp., or the PowerPC™ family of microprocessors from Motorola, Inc. The bus

67

can be a conventional microprocessor bus such as a peripheral component interface (PCI) bus, ISA bus, ESA bus, or the like. The memory

64

can be any type of computer memory, such as a random access memory (RAM), flash memory, hard drive, zip drive, floppy drive, or the like.

The modem interface

62

permits the CPE

12

to communicate with the VOD modem

14

. Although the modem interface

62

is shown as being included in the CPE

12

, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that the modem interface

62

can be included in the VOD modem

14

itself, or alternatively, that the VOD modem

14

can be included internally within the CPE

12

.

Cookie files can be stored in the memory

64

, or alternatively, in an external memory, such as a smartcard

66

. The smartcard

66

can be any commercially-available smartcard, contactless or contact, insertable into smartcard interface

65

of the CPE

12

, such as a Multi-Function Card MCF/4K, from IBM Corporation. The smartcard interface

65

can include a commercially available smartcard reader, such as the GCI400 Smartcard Reader, from Gemplus, Corp. for reading ISO 7816 compliant smartcards. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the GCI400 can be readily configured to interface to a conventional microprocessor bus, such as the bus

67

.

The telephony circuit

68

can include conventional circuitry for providing analog telephone service. Voice signals received from the local-loop interface are converted by the telephony circuit

68

for audible presentation to the caller. In addition, the circuit

68

can provide standard end device functions, such as ring detection and generation, dual-tone multi-frequency (DTMF) dialing, line termination, power supply conditioning, and the like. The telephony circuit

68

can include an ARCOFI Chip, Part No. PSB2163, manufactured by Siemens Corporation. In such an embodiment, the ARCOFI Chip can be readily interfaced to the microprocessor

60

. The ARCOFI Chip also provides an interface to a standard loudspeaker

69

.

The memory

64

can store a software program executable by the microprocessor

60

for providing the functionality of creating, storing, and transmitting cookie files.

FIG. 4

illustrates a flowchart diagram

70

depicting the operation of the CPE

12

in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The method

70

can be implemented using computer instructions included in the above-mentioned software program routine executable by the microprocessor

60

.

In step

71

, the CPE

12

monitors the modem interface

62

for a cookie read-request transmitted by the called party CPE

24

. The read-request can include an identifier corresponding to a particular cookie file or template stored in CPE

12

. Upon receiving the read-request, the microprocessor

60

can retrieve the requested cookie file from either the smartcard

66

or memory

64

(step

72

). The cookie file is then transferred via the telephone network

15

to the called CPE

24

.

In step

73

, the CPE

12

monitors the modem interface for a cookie file write-request. A write-request is transmitted by the called party CPE

24

indicating that it is ready to transmit a modified cookie file for storage in the caller CPE

12

. In step

74

, the CPE

12

receives and stores the modified cookie file. The cookie file is received by the CPE

12

at the modem interface

62

. The microprocessor

60

causes the modem interface

62

to transfer the incoming cookie file via the bus

67

to either the smartcard storage

66

or the memory

64

.

FIG. 5

illustrates a telecommunications system

80

in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In addition to the components shown in

FIG. 1

, the system

80

of

FIG. 5

includes a server

86

communicating with the called party CPE

24

via a communication network

84

. The server

86

can be a conventional personal computer (PC), or any other computer or communications server capable of storing cookie files. The network

84

can be a conventional local area (LAN) network, such as a TCP/IP-based communications network, Ethernet, Token Ring, or the like; or alternatively, a wide area network (WAN), such as the globail Internet, an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, SONET, or the like. Among other things, the cookie server

86

permits the CPE

24

to store backup copies of the caller cookie files for later use by the service provider.

FIG. 6

illustrates a telecommunications system

100

in accordance with a further embodiment of the present. Generally, in this embodiment a digital subscriber line (DSL) communication protocol is used in conjunction with the PSTN to provide simultaneous transfer of voice information and cookie files. The DSL protocol can be either asymmetrical or symmetrical. The PSTN

106

carries voice information, while the WAN

108

can carry digitized cookie files. The system

100

includes a caller CPE

102

, a caller local central office

104

, a PSTN

106

, a WAN

108

, a called party local CO

110

and a called party CPE

112

. Although depicted as video phones, the CPEs

102

,

112

can be any terminal device adapted for using cookie files in accordance with the present invention, such as the CPEs

12

,

24

of FIG.

1

. The CPEs

102

,

112

can include asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL) modems permitting simultaneous voice and data communication therebetween. Information from the customer premises is transferred to the local COs

104

,

110

over a conventional twisted pair analog local-loop.

The DSLAMs

118

,

124

can be implemented using commercially available components such as the Fastinternet™ DSLAM system, available from Orckit, Ltd., of Tel Aviv, Israel. Such a DSLAM can be interfaced directly to the WAN

108

. The WAN

108

can be a conventional TCP/IP network, such as the global Internet, an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, SONET, or the like.

FIG. 7

illustrates a detailed block diagram of the caller CPE

102

shown in FIG.

6

. The CPE

102

,can include an asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL) modem

120

, conventional analog telephone circuit

122

, a microprocessor

123

and a memory

124

. The ADSL modem

120

, memory

124

, and microprocessor

123

communicate via a conventional microprocessor bus

126

, such as PCI bus. Analog signals representing DSL data and voice are received over the local-loop by the ADSL modem

120

and analog telephone circuit

122

. The ADSL modem

120

converts incoming signals to digital data signals that can represent the cookie files, while the analog telephone circuit

122

is responsive to voice signals.

The ADSL modem

120

can be implemented using a commercially available ADSL modem operating in conformity with the Universal ADSL Workgroup (UAWG) standard G.992.2, customarily known as G.Lite.

Alternately, a symmetrical DSL modem can be used in place of the ADSL modem. As one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate, in such an arrangement, splitters are typically included in the CPEs and COs to filter data signals and voice.

The telephony circuit

122

can provide the same functionality as described earlier for the telephone circuit

68

of FIG.

3

.

FIG. 8

illustrates a block diagram of a telecommunications system

200

in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. The system

200

includes an advanced intelligent network (AIN)

202

, the caller CPE

12

, the PSTN

18

, a telecommunications switch

214

, and the called party CPE

24

. A first telephone line

216

and a second telephone line

218

permit simultaneous calls at the called party CPE

24

.

The AIN

202

includes a service management system (SMS)

204

, a switching control point (SCP)

206

, a signal transfer point (STP)

208

, a switching service point (SSP)

210

, and a service node/intelligent peripheral (SN/IP)

212

. The AIN uses common channel signalling (CCS) for communication between the SMS, SCP, STP, and SSP. CCS is an out-of-band signalling method that utilizes packet-switched networking to allow messages to be transported on a dedicated high-speed data network, separate from the subscriber voice and data communications path. The CCS utilizes the Signalling System No.

7

(SS

7

) protocol to send messages between the AIN elements regarding call setup, line status, caller identification, and other network services, including AIN inquiries. The use of SS

7

in an AIN is well known to those skilled in the art. Also, as is known in the art, the SNIIP

212

and SSP

210

can communicate using an integrated services digital network (ISDN) interface.

AIN elements, suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present invention are commercially available from several vendors and are known to those skilled in the art. For example, the functionality of the SSP

210

, as disclosed herein, can be implemented using any AIN compatible switch, such as a 5ESS switch, available from Lucent Technologies, Inc.; the SN/IP

212

can be implemented using a Compact Service Node, available from Lucent Technologies, Inc.; and the STP

208

can be implemented using an STP available from Nortel, Inc.

In the system

200

, data files containing information tokens can be stored within the AIN

202

rather than at the caller CPE

12

. Retrieval and storage of cookie files stored within the AIN

202

can be accomplished as follows. A caller can initiate a call to the called party CPE

24

from the caller CPE

12

. The call is routed by the SSP

212

to the remote switch

214

via the PSTN

18

. The called party CPE

24

receives the incoming call over line

216

. During call setup, caller identification information can be transferred from the SSP

210

to the called party CPE

24

. The caller information can include a 10-digit phone number identifying the caller CPE

12

.

During the ensuing conversation between the caller CPE

12

and called party CPE

24

, the CPE

24

can place a second call over line

218

to access a cookie file stored within the AIN

202

. The second call is routed by the switch

214

to the SSP

210

via the PSTN

18

. The SSP

210

then connects the call to the SN/IP

212

. The SN/IP

212

can include a modem for communicating with the CPE

24

. During this second call, the. caller information about the caller CPE

12

is provided to SN/IP

212

, which in turn sends a message to the SCP

206

requesting the retrieval of a cookie file corresponding to the caller information and any other parameters included by the called CPE

24

.

Service logic within the SCP

206

accesses a database of cookie files according to the information received from the SN/IP

212

. The database can be included locally within the SCP

206

, or elsewhere within the AIN

202

, such as in the SN/IP

212

. After retrieving the requested cookie file, the SCP

206

returns the information to the SSP

210

in a message. The SN/IP

212

, transfers this message, using a modem, to the called party CPE

24

via the PSTN

18

, switch

214

and second line

218

.

In an alternative arrangement, the CPE

24

can communicate with the switch

214

using an ISDN interface. In this arrangement, voice data can be carried on the bearer channel of the ISDN connection, while cookie retrieval signalling can be carried on the signalling channel of the ISDN. This permits simultaneous voice and data transfer to/from the CPE

24

. The CPE

24

can be adapted to transmit SS

7

messages via the ISDN interface. These messages can be directly passed from the switch

214

to the STP

208

over SS

7

link

209

. The SS

7

messages can contain caller information and information about CPE

24

for retrieving a cookie file from the SCP

206

specific to the CPE

24

and the particular caller. Upon receiving the message, the STP

208

forwards the request to the SCP

206

. In response, the SCP

206

returns a cookie file to the CPE

24

using the SS

7

channel.

In another arrangement, the CPE

24

can be adapted to directly communicate with the STP

208

. In this case, the CPE

24

can use an SS

7

channel (not shown) to directly send a cookie request to the STP

208

, bypassing the switch

214

.

Upon receiving the cookie file, the CPE

24

can modify the contents thereof and return the modified file to the SCP database in a manner similar to that used to originally retrieve the file.

The CPEs disclosed herein represent examples of specific embodiments of the present invention. Accordingly, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the CPEs can be equivalently implemented using hardware components only, software components only, or any combination of hardware and software components. For example, the functionality of the CPEs can be implemented using one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), designed or configured to perform the CPE functions as disclosed herein. Alternatively, the CPE functionalities can be implemented using a combination of discrete analog and digital hardware components.

In addition, the CPEs can be configured to accept an article of manufacture, such as a computer-readable storage medium that contains software components in accordance with the present invention.

In sum, there has been disclosed herein a system and method that permits data files to be used with telephonic customer premises equipment (CPE). Because the method and system as disclosed herein can include CPEs capable of storing and transferring cookie files, it reduces the burden of maintaining customer profiles at dial-up service centers. Moreover, since profiles can be stored in CPEs at the caller's premises, the callers can readily update their profiles to maintain data integrity.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. Thus, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described above.