Identifier technique for communication interchange

Abstract

A method and a communication interchange enhancement system for implementing an enhanced user interface for a communication interchange includes but is not limited to a method including to providing an identifier associated with a third-party participant related to the communication interchange; matching the identifier with the third-party participant in a database storing one or more lists of possible third-party participants; obtaining context data associated with the identifier regarding a group-type characteristic of the third-party participant for purposes of communication interchange with at least another participant; and enabling a user interface to display the group-type characteristic.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method for implementing an enhanced user interface for a communication interchange, the method comprising:
 providing an identifier associated with a third-party participant related to the communication interchange;   matching the identifier with the third-party participant in a database storing one or more lists of possible third-party participants;   obtaining context data associated with the identifier regarding a group-type characteristic of the third-party participant for purposes of communication interchange with at least another participant; and   enabling a user interface to display the group-type characteristic.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the providing an identifier associated with a third-party participant related to the communication interchange includes:
 providing the identifier in a data packet over a communications network.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the providing an identifier associated with a third-party participant related to the communication interchange includes:
 providing the identifier over a communications network during one or more of a real-time voice conversation, a conference call, a voice mail access, an instant messaging session, an internet chat session, a voice mail transfer, a voice mail interchange, a conversion of a voice mail to a text message, and/or a conversion of a text message to a voice message.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the providing an identifier associated with a third-party participant related to the communication interchange includes:
 providing the identifier as a caller identifier (CID) over a communications network.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the matching the identifier with the third-party participant in a database storing one or more lists of possible third-party participants includes:
 conveying an alphanumeric matching of the identifier including statistical probabilities for a match from the database storing the one or more lists of possible third-party participants.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein obtaining context data associated with the identifier regarding a group-type characteristic of the third-party participant for purposes of communication interchange with at least another participant includes:
 generating the context data by extracting from the database one or more groups of which the third party participant is a member.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the generating the context data by extracting from the database one or more groups of which the third party participant is a member includes:
 extracting from the database the one or more groups of which the third party participant is a member wherein the third party participant is a sole member of a given group in the one or more groups and/or the third party participant is one of a plurality of members of a given group of the one or more groups.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the obtaining context data associated with the identifier regarding a group-type characteristic of the third-party participant for purposes of communication interchange with at least another participant includes:
 generating the group-type characteristic of the third-party participant by searching one or more of the database storing one or more lists of possible third-party participants, a computing device coupled to one or more participants of the communication interchange, and/or a server coupled to the communications network.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the obtaining context data associated with the identifier regarding a group-type characteristic of the third-party participant for purposes of communication interchange with at least another participant includes:
 displaying the context data associated with the identifier regarding the group-type characteristic of the third-party participant during a message composition.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the obtaining context data associated with the identifier regarding a group-type characteristic of the third-party participant for purposes of communication interchange with at least another participant includes:
 providing an option to allow display of the context data to the at least another participant of the communication interchange.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the providing an option to allow display of the context data to the at least another participant of the communication interchange includes:
 providing the option to allow display of the context data during one or more of a conference call, an internet chat, and/or a conversation over a mobile communication network.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein obtaining context data associated with the identifier regarding a group-type characteristic of the third-party participant for purposes of communication interchange with at least another participant includes:
 generating the context data by extracting from the database one or more group-type characteristics shared by the third-party participant and the at least another participant.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the generating the context data by extracting from the database one or more group-type characteristics shared by the third-party participant and the at least another participant includes:
 extracting the one or more group-type characteristics shared by the third-party participant and the at least another participant including an indication of one or more of a familial relationship, a work relationship, an educational relationship, a contact relationship, a sales relationship, a network relationship, an environmental relationship, a proximity relationship, a contrary relationship, a religious relationship, a fiduciary relationship, and/or a political relationship.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enabling a user interface to display the group-type characteristic includes:
 instantiating the user interface as a pop-up display during the communication interchange.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enabling a user interface to display the group-type characteristic includes:
 enabling display of the group-type characteristic to the at least another participant when the at least another participant is a recipient in the communication interchange.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enabling a user interface to display the group-type characteristic includes:
 displaying the group-type characteristic to two or more participants of the communication interchange.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enabling a user interface to display the group-type characteristic includes:
 providing an interactive option to the user interface to enable adding and/or commenting on the group-type characteristic.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enabling a user interface to display the group-type characteristic includes:
 enabling the user interface to allow selectively generating the group-type characteristic from the context data.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enabling a user interface to display the group-type characteristic includes:
 enabling the user interface to allow input of context data to the database before and/or during and/or after the communication interchange.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the enabling a user interface to display the group-type characteristic includes:
 enabling the user interface to selectively generate the group-type characteristic from the context data.