Enhanced alerting system

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, by an application server of a network, confirmation from a service profile database that a called communications device is subscribed to an alerting service, the obtaining being in response to a request from a calling communications device to participate in a first call session between the calling communications device and the called communications device;

obtaining, by the application server in response to the confirmation, identity information corresponding to the calling communications device from a name database;

generating, by the application server, an announcement based on the identity information corresponding to the calling communications device and a service profile associated with the called device obtained from the service profile database;

establishing, by the application server, a second call session between the application server and the called communications device;

sending the announcement to the called communications device, from the application server, during the second call session; and

sending, by the application server, an invitation for the called communications device to participate in the first call session in response to a reply to the announcement, the reply being received by the application server from the called communications device.

2. The method, as recited in claim 1 , wherein the announcement comprises a name associated with the calling communications device in an audio format.

3. The method, as recited in claim 2 , further comprising:

associating the name in the audio format with the calling communications device.

4. The method, as recited in claim 2 , wherein the name in the audio format comprises a prerecorded spoken rendition.

5. The method, as recited in claim 2 , wherein the generating comprises:

converting the name from text to the audio format.

6. The method, as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

releasing the second call session, by the application server, in response to the reply to the announcement; and

receiving, subsequent to releasing the second call session, a response from the called communications device corresponding to the request to participate in the first call session.

7. The method, as recited in claim 1 , wherein the application server is an element of a network, the network coupling the calling and called communications devices.

8. The method, as recited in claim 7 , wherein the establishing comprises:

requesting the second call session by the application server.

9. The method, as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

establishing the first call session subsequent to releasing the second call session.

10. The method, as recited in claim 9 , wherein establishing the first call session comprises establishing a duplex communications path between the calling communications device and the called communications device prior to voice or data communications from the called communications device to the calling communications device.

11. The method, as recited in claim 9 , further comprising:

billing the first call session in response to the establishment of the first call session.

12. The method, as recited in claim 1 , wherein the announcement associated with the calling communications device comprises information associated with the calling communications device in at least one of an image format and a video format.

13. The method, as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

setting the service profile by a user of the called communications device.

14. The method, as recited in claim 1 ,

wherein the announcement is generated based on user preferences in the service profile associated with the called communications device.

15. The method, as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

forwarding, by the application server the reply from the called communications device to the calling communications device.

16. The method, as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

forwarding to the called communications device, by the application server, an acknowledgement of the calling communications device of acceptance of the second call session by the called communications device.

17. A communications system comprising:

a service profile database of an alerting service, the service profile database being configured to store a service profile corresponding to a called communications device; and

an alerting facility operable to establish, in response to a request from a calling communications device to participate in a first call session between the calling communications device and a called communications device, a second call session between the alerting facility and the called communications device, the alerting facility being further operable to send to the called communications device, during the second call session, an announcement, the alerting facility being further operable to send an invitation for the called communications device to participate in the first call session in response to the alerting facility receiving a reply to the announcement, the reply being received by the alerting facility from the called communications device,

the alerting facility being further operable to generate the announcement based on identity information corresponding to the calling communications device obtained from a name database and the service profile corresponding to the called communications device obtained from the service profile database, in response to confirmation from the service profile database that the called communications device is subscribed to the alerting service.

18. The communications system, as recited in claim 17 , wherein the announcement comprises a name associated with the calling communications device in an audio format.

19. The communications system, as recited in claim 17 , further comprising:

a provider-independent and standardized server coupled to the alerting facility.

20. The communications system, as recited in claim 17 , wherein the second call session is established and released prior to a response from the called communications device corresponding to the request.

21. The communications system, as recited in claim 17 ,

wherein the service profile database stores prerecorded names in an audio format, at least one of the names being stored in the service profile database corresponding to the calling communications device.

22. The communications system, as recited in claim 17 , wherein the name is provided to the alerting facility in a text format and the name is converted into an audio format.

23. The communications system, as recited in claim 17 , wherein the alerting facility retrieves the name from the name database, the name database being external to the network.

24. The communications system, as recited in claim 17 ,

wherein the alerting facility comprises a computer program product executable,

wherein the computer program product executable is encoded in one or more computer readable media selected from the set of disk, tape, or other magnetic, optical, or electronic storage medium.

25. An apparatus comprising:

a service profile storage means configured to store service profile information for an alerting service; and

means for establishing, in response to a request from a calling communications device to participate in a first call session between the calling communications device and a called communications device, a second call session between an application server and the called communications device, the means for establishing being configured to obtain from the service profile storage means confirmation that the called communications device is subscribed to the alerting service, the means for establishing being further configured to

send to the called communications device, during the second call session, an announcement generated based on identity information corresponding to the calling communications device obtained from a name database and a service profile associated with the called device obtained from the service profile storage means, and the means for establishing being further configured to send an invitation for the called communications device to participate in the first call session in response to receiving a reply to the announcement from the called communications device.

26. The apparatus, as recited in claim 25 ,

wherein the means for establishing generates the announcement comprising a name in an audio format.