Customer programmable caller ID alerting indicator

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION Refer to FIG.
1.
A subscriber 80 is connected to a caller 90 by a service infrastructure 55 that includes in any operable combination a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 60, a switch 45 and its internal computing subsystems, a computer system 50 adjunct to a switch 45 (adjunct call processing system, ACPS), and an Internet and World Wide Web 100.
Each switch is controlled by an Automatic Call Processing System (ACPS) 50.
Calls from the caller 90 to the subscriber may occur over only the PSTN 60 or over the WWW 100 or over a combination of both using Voice over Internet Protocol.
On the WWW 100 there is a web server 40 that includes a computer program that provides a customer with Customer Programmable Caller ID Alerting Indicator or CIAI.
The CIAI includes a Customer Alert Database 5 with supporting access software.
For each subscribed line 10 of each CIAI subscriber 80 the database 5 includes a list of Calling Line ID phone numbers 15, each with associated audio files 20 or tones 25, and corresponding text 30 for display to CIAI subscriber 80 on a caller ID box 35 or other text display device associated with line 10 of CIAI subscriber 80.
Customer Alert Database 5 is shown on a Web server 40, but may also reside on a telephony switch 45 with its internal computing subsystems, or on a database computer system 50 adjunct with a Web server 40 or a switch 45.
The web server 40 includes a resident call control processing software program 70.
However, software program 70 may reside in either a telephone switching system itself 45 or in a call-processing system 50 adjunct to switch 45.
Program 70 conducts the call-control coordination necessary to activate Caller ID Program 75, plays selected audio files and tones 20, 25 and displays selected text files 30 to Caller ID Box 35 for use by subscriber 80.
Caller ID software program 75 is also resident in web server 40.
However, software program 70 may reside in either a telephone switching system 45 or in a call-processing system 50 adjunct to switch 45