Method and apparatus for delivering data from an information provider using the public switched network
US5999526A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 26, 1996 |
| Grant date | Dec 7, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 26, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L69/329
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
The customer performs a search or otherwise defines selected data maintained by the information provider. Once the selected data is identified, the information provider maintains the requested data, typically by maintaining pointers identiying the data, but delays delivery of the requested data until the scheduled delivery time, such as a particular day and time requested by the customer or a non-peak period as determined by the information provider. When the information provider determines that delivery is appropriate, it makes a request for a suppressed ringing connection to a switching system. The switching system responds to the request for connection by creating a suppressed ringing connection where a silent alert tone or digital alert signal is transmitted to the customer premise equipment. The customer premise equipment includes a receiving system that receives one or more tones from the switching system over the suppressed ringing connection and becomes active. Upon being activated, the receiving system causes the customer's computer or portions of the computer such as a particular memory to power-up such that the computer can receive the data from the information provider.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.