A METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING DATA FROM AN INFORMATION PROVIDER USING THE PUBLIC SWITCHED NETWORK

摘要

The customer performs a search or otherwise defines selected data maintained by the information provider. Once the selected data is identified, th e information provider maintains the requested data, typically by maintaining poin ters identifying the data, but delays delivery of the requested data until the schedu led 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 suppr essed ringing connection to a switching system. The switching system responds to the request for connection by creating a suppressed ringing connection where a silen t alert tone or digital alert signal is transmitted to the customer premise equipm ent. 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 suc h that the computer can receive the data from the information provider.