U.S. patent application number 12/473852 was filed with the patent office on 2010-12-02 for method for including caller-provided subject information in the caller-id display of enterprise telephones.
This patent application is currently assigned to AVAYA INC.. Invention is credited to Paul Roller Michaelis, Charles C. Wrobel.
Application Number | 20100303219 12/473852 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43220227 |
Filed Date | 2010-12-02 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100303219 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Michaelis; Paul Roller ; et
al. |
December 2, 2010 |
METHOD FOR INCLUDING CALLER-PROVIDED SUBJECT INFORMATION IN THE
CALLER-ID DISPLAY OF ENTERPRISE TELEPHONES
Abstract
Say John on a PSTN needs to contact Chuck. Chuck's telephone is
a SIP, H.323, DCP, or analog endpoint, connected to the PSTN via an
enterprise network and gateway. John already knows Chuck's number.
Before dialing Chuck's phone number, John navigates to a URL that
includes something unique to Chuck in its name, such as
www.xyzco.com/303-555-1212 or www.xyzco.com/chuck. The webpage of
the URL contains two fields: number you will be calling from and
subject. John enters his number and then enters the subject "Sale
going through!" John then dials Chuck's number. The enterprise
network receives the call and the associated Caller-ID via its PSTN
gateway, maps the inbound Caller-ID to the information provided by
John, routes the call to Chuck's phone, and causes the display on
Chuck's phone to show John's Caller-ID and the subject of the call.
Chuck thinks the subject may be important and therefore decides to
answer.
Inventors: |
Michaelis; Paul Roller;
(Louisville, CO) ; Wrobel; Charles C.; (newcastle,
WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SHERIDAN ROSS P.C.
1560 BROADWAY, SUITE 1200
DENVER
CO
80202
US
|
Assignee: |
AVAYA INC.
Basking Ridge
NJ
|
Family ID: |
43220227 |
Appl. No.: |
12/473852 |
Filed: |
May 28, 2009 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
379/93.23 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M 2203/2038 20130101;
H04M 3/42059 20130101; H04M 3/5191 20130101; H04M 3/42042 20130101;
H04M 3/4365 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
379/93.23 |
International
Class: |
H04M 11/00 20060101
H04M011/00 |
Claims
1. A method for enhanced communication comprising: receiving
information, the information having been entered on an interface on
a communications endpoint; receiving an inbound call over the plain
old telephone system; mapping the inbound call placed over the
plain old telephone system to the received information, wherein the
received information was received via a distributed network.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the distributed network is the
internet.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is one or more of
name, calling from number, pre-configured text, presence
information, GPS information, nickname, subject information, and a
message.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is one or more of
displayed to and played to a callee.
5. The method of claim 1, further comprising routing the inbound
call based on the information.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising one or more of
forwarding the received information to another destination and
displaying the information on a Caller-ID Call Waiting display.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping is based on one or
more of caller-ID information, timing information received
information and plain old telephone system information.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping is used to route the
inbound call to a customer service agent in a call center.
9. A computer-readable storage media having stored thereon
instruction that perform the steps in claim 1.
10. One or more means for performing the steps in claim 1.
11. A system for enhanced communication comprising: a message
mapping module that receives information, the information having
been entered on an interface on a communications endpoint and maps
an inbound call placed over the plain old telephone system to the
received information, wherein the received information was received
via a distributed network.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the distributed network is the
internet.
13. The system of claim 11, wherein the information is one or more
of name, calling from number, pre-configured text, presence
information, GPS information, nickname, subject information, and a
message.
14. The system of claim 11, wherein the information is one or more
of displayed to and played to a callee.
15. The system of claim 11, further comprising an enterprise
network that cooperates with the message mapping module to route
the inbound call based on the information.
16. The system of claim 11, wherein the received information is one
or more of forwarded to another destination based on call
forwarding information provided by an enterprise network and
displayed in a Caller-ID Call Waiting display.
17. The system of claim 11, wherein the mapping is based on one or
more of caller-ID information, timing information received
information and plain old telephone system information.
18. The system of claim 11, wherein the mapping is used to route
the inbound call to a customer service agent in a call center.
19. The system of claim 11, further comprising a message server
that provides an interface into which the information is
entered.
20. The system of claim 11, further comprising a directory module
that provides callee information.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] One exemplary aspect of the present invention is directed
toward communications, and more specifically toward providing
information associated with a call. Even more particularly, one
exemplary aspect is directed toward providing caller-provided
subject information in a Caller-ID display of a callee.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Caller-ID, also known as Caller-Identification (CID) or
alternatively Calling Number Identification (CNID) is a public
telephone service provided over the plain old telephone service
(POTS) lines that transmits a caller's number to the called party's
telephone equipment during the ringing signal, or when the call is
being setup before the call is answered. Caller-ID can optionally
provide a name, either personal or company, with the calling
telephone number, with the Caller-ID information optionally being
shown on the display on the called party's telephone.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Called parties may want to know the purpose of an incoming
call, and not just who is calling, in order to decide whether to
answer the call or, for example, let the call go to voicemail or be
unanswered. Solutions such as the Avaya one-X Speech.TM. allows a
calling party to record a subject by voice, for playback to the
called party before the called party accepts the call. However,
this solution requires the called party to go off-hook in order to
hear the subject.
[0004] Some voicemail systems allow messages to be tagged with a
textual subject line. However, the only way this has become
feasible with call-answer messages has been through speech-to-text
conversion.
[0005] When calling into a contact center, a calling party may want
to speak with a specific agent. Keeping in mind that the agent's
name is probably now known by the caller, the IVR, or automated
attendant-based approach of "use your dial pad to enter the name of
the party you seek" is not feasible. While some solutions allow
callers to request a specific skill set, such as a fire insurance
specialist, those solutions do not permit a specific individual to
be requested, such as "the customer service representative who
helped me on December 1."
[0006] FCC rules prohibit using the PSTN to send anything other
than Caller-ID to the called party prior to the call party going
off-hook. Keeping in mind that toll charges do not start until the
called party answers, the purpose of this rule is to prevent people
from being able to use the PSTN to send information for free.
Therefore, any solution that permits calling parties to include a
"subject" or "topic" is part of the pre-answer information must not
utilize the PSTN to transmit this information.
[0007] One exemplary aspect of this invention is interesting in the
manner in which it solves the dilemma of the FCC rules prohibiting
using the PSTN to send anything other than Caller-ID to the called
party prior to the called party going off-hook. In accordance with
an exemplary embodiment, the calling party uses an Internet-based
mechanism to provide the subject to be displayed to the called
party.
[0008] For example, John on the PSTN needs to contact Chuck.
Chuck's telephone is a SIP, H..323, DCP (Digital Communication
Protocol), soft phone, digital endpoint, or analog endpoint,
connected to the PSTN via an enterprise network and gateway. John
already knows Chuck's number. Before dialing Chuck's phone number,
John navigates to a URL that, in an exemplary embodiment, includes
something unique to Chuck in its name, such as
www.xyzcompany.com/303-555-1212 or www.xyzcompany.com/chuck. The
webpage of the URL contains two fields: number you will be calling
from and subject. John enters his phone number and then enters the
subject "the buffet was a bad idea." John then dials Chuck's
number. The enterprise network receives the call and the associated
Caller-ID via its PSTN gateway, maps the inbound Caller-ID to the
information provided by John via the Internet, routes the call to
Chuck's phone, and causes the display on Chuck's phone to show
John's Caller-ID and the subject of the call. Chuck thinks the
subject may be important and therefore decides to answer.
[0009] In another exemplary embodiment, Bill on the PSTN needs to
contact Paul. Paul's telephone is a SIP, H..323, DCP, digital
endpoint, soft phone, or analog endpoint, connected to the PSTN via
an enterprise network and gateway. Bill does not know Paul's
number. Bill navigates to a corporate URL that contains three
fields: Person you are trying to reach, number you will be calling
from, and subject. Bill enters Paul's name, the number he is
calling from, and the subject "I need the money you owe me." Bill
then dials the number for the corporate switchboard. The enterprise
network receives the call and the associated Caller-ID via its PSTN
gateway, maps the inbound Caller-ID to the information provided by
Bill via the Internet, does a database look-up to find Paul's phone
number, and then causes the display on Paul's phone to show Bill's
Caller-ID and the subject of the call. Paul sees the Caller-ID and
subject (i.e., "I need the money you owe me.") and decides not to
answer the phone. Bill's call is routed to Paul's voicemail
mailbox. An optional embodiment includes the ability for the
message that Bill leaves to be tagged automatically with the
subject of the call as entered by Bill.
[0010] In another exemplary embodiment, a customer had been helped
previously by a female, Japanese-speaking contact center agent. The
customer now wishes to work with that agent again since she knows
the history of the customer's issue. Unfortunately, the customer
does not know the agent's name. The customer navigates to a
specific URL that is associated with a contact center. The URL
contains two fields: number you will be calling from and specific
requests. The customer enters their phone number and their request
for the female, Japanese-speaking agent which was spoken with on
the previous call. The customer then uses their phone to call the
contact center. The contact center network receives a call and the
associated Caller-ID via its PSTN gateway, maps the inbound
Caller-ID to the information provided by the customer via the
Internet, parses the request that had been entered by the customer,
and then routes the call and the customers supplementary
information appropriately.
[0011] In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, one
implementation would allow text-based call logs to store the
subject along with the Caller-ID and time-of-call information. In
contact centers, the data entered into the specific request field
could be additional information for advocate-based routing. In yet
another exemplary embodiment, if called parties activate
call-forwarding to another within-enterprise extension, the subject
information could appear at the entered extension as well. In an
embodiment where a call that enters an enterprise network must
leave the network again in order to reach the called party, the
subject entered by the caller could be sent from the enterprise
network as, for example, an IM or SMS message to the forwarded
destination, thereby avoiding conflict with the FCC rules.
[0012] As discussed, current Caller-ID techniques utilize the PSTN
to provide "subject" information as an identifiable field
associated with a phone call. Because FCC rules prohibit using the
PSTN to send anything other than Caller-ID to the called party
prior to the called party going off-hook, this necessarily means
that the called party, or a proxy acting on behalf of the called
party, must answer the call in order to obtain this information. In
accordance with one exemplary embodiment, the Internet is utilized
as a "back door" through which information can be provided in a
manner that does not violate FCC regulations.
[0013] In accordance with other exemplary embodiment,
within-enterprise call server capabilities are leveraged to allow
for the display of information entered by the caller to be shown on
the called party's communication device; this call server can be
considered a point-of-convergence for the inbound PST and provided
information and the inbound internet-provided information, such
that a standard display-equipped telephone (analog, digital, or IP)
can present the full set of information to a called party without
requiring the called party to have an endpoint that is enabled for
IM, email, or the like.
[0014] Another exemplary aspect of the invention allows the message
from the caller to be sent via one or more of IM, text message,
email or the like. Moreover, the calling party can set up the
Caller-ID information prior to actually making the call via the
PSTN.
[0015] In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, a callee
can inform at least one of the PSTN or the internet domain network
interface to provide the message to the callee in real-time via an
internet protocol. In addition, on exemplary embodiment allows
automated population of the "subject line" that will be provided to
the callee. This automatic population can include one or more
pre-configured text, presence information, GPS information, or in
general, any information obtainable by the caller or caller's
endpoint.
[0016] Moreover, an appropriate interface can be provided to the
caller with the activation of this interface triggered by electing
to place a phone call. For example, this interface can "pop up"
when a caller goes off-hook to dial an outbound call, with the
interface including various fields into which the caller can
provide information that will be displayed to the called party.
[0017] Accordingly, aspects of this invention are directed towards
enhanced communications.
[0018] More specifically, aspects of this invention are directed
toward providing enhanced Caller-ID information.
[0019] Even further aspects of the invention are directed towards
synchronizing a PSTN call with information received via another
communications medium.
[0020] Even further aspects of the invention are directed towards
synchronizing a PSTN call with information received via an internet
connection.
[0021] Additional aspects of the invention are directed toward
providing Caller-ID information received via the internet in
conjunction with a received PSTN telephone call.
[0022] Even further aspects of the invention are directed toward
using Caller-ID entered information to assist with call
routing.
[0023] Additional aspects of the invention are directed toward
automatically providing a user interface while an entry of subject
information to be displayed to a called party.
[0024] Further aspects of the invention are directed toward
providing supplementary Caller-ID information via one or more of
SMS, instant messaging, text messaging, or the like.
[0025] Even further aspects of the invention are directed toward
analyzing the caller-provided information in an enterprise provided
environment or call-center type environment to assist with
advocate-based routing, call center queue placement, and the like.
Further aspects of the invention related to providing an interface
on a phone, such as a cell phone that allows entry of the subject
information. This subject information could then be forwarded via
one or more of a non-PSTN communications channel, SMS, IM, internet
or other modality to the called party as discussed herein.
[0026] Additional aspects of this invention relate to providing the
disclosed capabilities as a telco-provided service.
[0027] Additional aspects of this invention relate to buffering the
information entered by the caller such that the entered information
arrives contemporaneously with the received PSTN communication.
[0028] Even further aspects of the invention relate to intelligent
routing based on a correlation of Caller-ID and entered call number
information.
[0029] Still further aspects of the invention relate to process for
correlating the caller-entered information through the PSTN
communication via one or more Caller-ID numbers, Caller-ID name and
information from the caller.
[0030] The present invention can provide a number of advantages
depending on the particular configuration. These and other
advantages will be apparent from the disclosure of the invention(s)
contained herein.
[0031] The phrases "at least one", "one or more", and "and/or" are
open-ended expressions that are both conjunctive and disjunctive in
operation. For example, each of the expressions "at least one of A,
B and C", "at least one of A, B, or C", "one or more of A, B, and
C", "one or more of A, B, or C" and "A, B, and/or C" means A alone,
B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C
together, or A, B and C together.
[0032] The term "a" or "an" entity refers to one or more of that
entity. As such, the terms "a" (or "an"), "one or more" and "at
least one" can be used interchangeably herein. It is also to be
noted that the terms "comprising", "including", and "having" can be
used interchangeably.
[0033] The term "automatic" and variations thereof, as used herein,
refers to any process or operation done without material human
input when the process or operation is performed. However, a
process or operation can be automatic even if performance of the
process or operation uses human input, whether material or
immaterial, received before performance of the process or
operation. Human input is deemed to be material if such input
influences how the process or operation will be performed. Human
input that consents to the performance of the process or operation
is not deemed to be "material."
[0034] The term "computer-readable medium" as used herein refers to
any tangible storage and/or transmission medium that participate in
providing instructions to a processor for execution. Such a medium
may take many forms, including but not limited to, non-volatile
media, volatile media, and transmission media. Non-volatile media
includes, for example, NVRAM, or magnetic or optical disks.
Volatile media includes dynamic memory, such as main memory. Common
forms of computer-readable media include, for example, a floppy
disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other
magnetic medium, magneto-optical medium, a CD-ROM, any other
optical medium, punch cards, paper tape, any other physical medium
with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM, and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, a
solid state medium like a memory card, any other memory chip or
cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any other
medium from which a computer can read. A digital file attachment to
e-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of
archives is considered a distribution medium equivalent to a
tangible storage medium. When the computer-readable media is
configured as a database, it is to be understood that the database
may be any type of database, such as relational, hierarchical,
object-oriented, and/or the like.
[0035] While circuit or packet-switched types of communications can
be used with the present invention, the concepts and techniques
disclosed herein are applicable to other protocols.
[0036] Accordingly, the invention is considered to include a
tangible storage medium or distribution medium and prior
art-recognized equivalents and successor media, in which the
software implementations of the present invention are stored.
[0037] The terms "determine," "calculate" and "compute," and
variations thereof, as used herein, are used interchangeably and
include any type of methodology, process, mathematical operation or
technique.
[0038] The term "module" as used herein refers to any known or
later developed hardware, software, firmware, artificial
intelligence, fuzzy logic, or combination of hardware and software
that is capable of performing the functionality associated with
that element. Also, while the invention is described in terms of
exemplary embodiments, it should be appreciated that individual
aspects of the invention can be separately claimed.
[0039] The preceding is a simplified summary of the invention to
provide an understanding of some aspects of the invention. This
summary is neither an extensive nor exhaustive overview of the
invention and its various embodiments. It is intended neither to
identify key or critical elements of the invention nor to delineate
the scope of the invention but to present selected concepts of the
invention in a simplified form as an introduction to the more
detailed description presented below. As will be appreciated, other
embodiments of the invention are possible utilizing, alone or in
combination, one or more of the features set forth above or
described in detail below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0040] The exemplary embodiments of the invention will be described
in detail, with reference to the following figures, wherein:
[0041] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communications architecture
according to this invention;
[0042] FIG. 2 illustrates a second exemplary communications
architecture according to this invention;
[0043] FIG. 3 illustrates a third exemplary communications
architecture according to this invention;
[0044] FIG. 4 illustrates a fourth exemplary communications
architecture according to this invention;
[0045] FIG. 5 is a flowchart outlining an exemplary method of
providing caller-based information to a callee according to this
invention;
[0046] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary automated
method of providing caller information into a callee according to
this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0047] The invention will be described below in relation to a
communications environment. Although well suited for use with
circuit-switched or packet-switched networks, the invention is not
limited to use with any particular type of communications system or
configuration of system elements and those skilled in the art will
recognize that the disclosed techniques may be used in any
application in which it is desirable to provide enhanced
communications. For example, the systems and methods disclosed
herein will also work well with SIP-based communications systems
and endpoints. Moreover, the various endpoints described herein can
be any communications device such as a telephone, speakerphone,
cellular phone, SIP-enabled endpoint, softphone, PDA, conference
system, video conference system, wired or wireless communication
device, or in general any communications device that is capable of
sending and/or receiving voice and/or data communications.
[0048] The exemplary systems and methods of this invention will
also be described in relation to software, modules, and associated
hardware and network(s). In order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring
the present invention, the following description omits well-known
structures, components and devices that may be shown in block
diagram form, are well known, or are otherwise summarized.
[0049] For purposes of explanation, numerous details are set forth
in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present
invention. It should be appreciated however, that the present
invention may be practiced in a variety of ways beyond the specific
details set forth herein.
[0050] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary communications environment
according to this invention. The communications environment 100, in
addition to well-known components, includes caller 110, message GUI
120, message server 130, gateway 140, enterprise network 150,
callee 160, message mapping module 170, PSTN 10, and Internet
network 15 and links 5.
[0051] In operation, the caller 110 accesses a user interface
provided by the message GUI 120. The message GUI 120 can provide an
interface that provides, for example, a field 125 to enter the
calling from number as well as the message. The entered information
is stored on the message server 130 for forwarding to the callee
160.
[0052] Next, the caller 110 places a call via the PSTN network 10
that is routed through gateway 140, and enterprise network 150, to
the callee 160. The message mapping module 170 associates the call
arriving via the PSTN and the message sent via the Internet 15 by
the message server 130. This mapping can be performed, for example,
by the message mapping module 170 comparing the PSTN-based caller
ID information to that entered by the caller in flied 125. The
information entered by the caller 110 and to the message GUI 120 is
then displayed to the callee 140, such as on a display at the
callee's endpoint.
[0053] The message mapping module 170 can be operated in a
plurality of different ways. For example, and in accordance with a
first exemplary embodiment, the entered calling from number can be
associated with the inbound PSTN call by the message mapping module
170 receiving the caller-ID information provided by the telco
servicing the PSTN. In another exemplary embodiment, the message
mapping module 170 could perform a lookup of the caller-ID
information entered by the caller and determine a name associated
with that caller-ID. This, in a similar manner, could be mapped to
a name provided by the telco-provided caller-ID information.
[0054] In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, the calling
from number could be automatically populated by the message server
130 into the message GUI 120 on behalf of the caller 110. As
another example, the message mapping module 170 could include
intelligence that allows for the mapping to occur even if there is
not a one-to-one correlation between the information entered by the
caller, and the information provided by the PSTN. For example,
assume a caller 110 is calling from a company that pools all
outbound calls on one or more trunks. The caller-ID information
associated with these trunks is a "main" telephone number and, for
example, the name of the company. Therefore, if the caller 110
enters their direct dial extension, a one-to-one mapping may not be
directly possible. However, the message mapping module 170 could be
provided with, for example, contact information, such as an address
book, that includes such things as name, telephone number, work
address, home address, employer information, and the like, of all
the individuals the callee 160 normally communicates with.
Therefore, when a call arrives via the PSTN for caller 160, and the
caller information ID provided by the PSTN is a company name
associated with the outbound trunk on which the call was routed,
the message mapping module 170 could compare that company name to
individuals stored in an address-book and determine who that caller
may be. For example, a first tier of analysis could compare company
names, a second tier of analysis could compare area codes, a third
tier of analysis could compare the first, three-digit portion of
the local number, and the like until the message mapping module 170
has a predetermined degree of confidence that it can map the
information entered by the caller to an inbound PSTN call. In
addition to this type of information, timing information can also
be used to assist with this mapping. For example, a time stamp can
be associated with the information the caller 110 enters into the
message server 130. This time stamp can be forwarded to the message
mapping module 170 to assist with correlating the inbound PSTN call
to the caller-entered information.
[0055] FIG. 2 illustrates the second exemplary communications
environment 200. In addition to well known componentry, the
communications environment 200 includes caller 210, message GUI
220, message server 240, directory module 230, gateway 250,
enterprise network 260, callee 270 and message mapping and tagging
module 280. The communications environment 200 also includes the
PSTN 10, Internet network 15 and links 5.
[0056] In operation, the caller 210 may know whom they are trying
to reach, but they may not know their phone number. In accordance
with this exemplary embodiment, the message GUI 220, cooperating
with the directory module 230, could provide to the caller 210 an
interface that allows for the entry of the name of the individual
they are trying to reach or company, the calling from number, as
well as their message. Upon receipt of this information, the
message GUI 220, in cooperation with the directory module 230,
could provide a looked-up telephone number to the caller 210. This
telephone number could be provided one or more of visually to the
caller 210 on a display and provided automatically such that the
caller could click on the number, to initiate the call to the
callee 270 via the PSTN 10. The gateway 250 and enterprise network
260 receive the call from the caller 210 and the associated
caller-ID via its PSTN gateway, and, with the cooperation of the
message mapping and tagging module 280, maps the inbound caller-ID
to the information provided by the caller 210 via the message GUI
220. Message mapping and tagging module 280 does a database look-up
to find the callees phone number, and then causes the display on
the callees phone to show the caller's caller-ID and the subject of
the call. In the event, for example, that the callee 270 opts not
to answer the inbound call from the caller 210, a voicemail left by
the caller 210 can be tagged, with the cooperation of the message
mapping and tagging module 280, such that the information entered
by the caller 210 into the message GUI 220 is stored with the
voicemail. Then, upon retrieval of this voicemail, the information
entered by the caller 210 into the message GUI 220 can be shown to
the callee 270. Optionally, the subject information could be played
to the callee with the assistance of a text-to-speech converter
(not shown).
[0057] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary communications environment
300. The communications environment 300 includes similar components
to those described above, in addition to a call center 360 and a
call logging module 390.
[0058] In operation, the caller 310 can navigate to a directory
provided by the directory module 330, such as through the entry of
the URL. The directory module 330 cooperating with the message GUI
320 provides the caller 310 with one or more populatable fields.
These populatable fields could be populated with information such
as "who are you trying to reach" "what is your calling from number"
and "what is your request," "what is your account number," or the
like. This information can be entered by the caller 310 via the
message GUI 320 with the caller 310 then placing the call via the
PSTN 10 and gateway 330 to the call center 360. The call center 360
receives the call via the PSTN and the associated caller-ID via its
PSTN gateway 330, with the message mapping and tagging module 380
mapping the inbound caller-ID to the information provided by the
caller 310 into the message GUI 320. The message mapping and
tagging module 380 parses the request that had been entered by the
caller 310 and then routes the PSTN call and the message entered
via the GUI 320 to, for example, an appropriate agent 370.
[0059] In addition, the call logging module 390 can be used to log
the supplemental information entered by the caller 310 as well as,
with the cooperation of the message mapping and tagging module 380,
information such as where the call was routed, at what time,
duration of the call, and in general any information associated
with the communication.
[0060] FIG. 4 outlines an exemplary communications environment 400
that in addition to similar componentry described above, also
includes an SMS/IM module 460. Similar to the above environments,
the caller 410 enters information via the message GUI 420 that,
with the cooperation of the message server 430, is forwarded via
the Internet 15 to a message mapping module 450 contemporaneously
with a call from the caller 410 via the PSTN 10 to the callee 440.
In accordance with this exemplary embodiment, the supplemental
information entered by the caller 410 can be forwarded via one or
more of SMS or IM, with the cooperation of the SMS/IM module 460,
to the callee 440. Then, in cooperation with the message mapping
module 450, this information could be displayed in conjunction with
the receipt of the received PSTN call.
[0061] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary methodology for forwarding
caller-provided information to a callee according to this
invention. In particular, control begins in step S500 and continues
to step S510. In step S510, the caller can access a user interface.
Next, in step S520, either manually or automatically the user
interface is provided with the number the caller is calling from,
as well as the message for the callee. Then, in step S530, the
caller places a call via the PSTN to the callee. Control then
continues to step S540.
[0062] In step S540, the call arriving via the PSTN is associated
with the message sent via the network. Next, in step S550, a
determination is made as to whether any optional handling should be
performed. Examples of this optional handling includes, for
example, routing the call to a particular callee based on the
content of the message as illustrated in step S552, forwarding the
message entered by the caller via one or more of SMS or IM as
illustrated in step S554, and associating the information entered
by the caller with a voicemail left by the caller for the callee as
illustrated in step S556.
[0063] In step S560, the message entered by the caller is
displayed, and/or optionally played, to the callee. Next, in step
S570, the call is answered, with control continuing to step S580
where the control sequence ends.
[0064] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary automated or semi-automated
methodology for providing information associated with a caller to a
callee, via a communications channel other than the PSTN. In
particular, control begins in step S600 and continues to step S610.
In step S610, a destination is selected for the call. Then, in step
S620, a number associated with that destination can optionally be
automatically retrieved. Control then continues to step S630.
[0065] In step S630, a message interface can automatically be
provided that allows message entry by the user. For example, upon a
phone going off-hook, the UI could automatically be displayed to a
caller to allow for entry of information, such as a calling from
number, and message. Next, in step S640, a message could optionally
automatically be populated. For example, as discussed above,
information that could be auto-populated could include one or more
of caller-ID associated with the callers endpoint, GPS information,
presence information, predetermined information entered by a
caller, e.g., name, nickname, etc, or in general any information
available to the callers endpoint. Then, in step S650, the call is
placed via the PSTN and the message forwarded via a network to the
called party. In this exemplary embodiment, the initiating of the
call via the PSTN is automatically triggered upon the completion of
the entry of the information for the message. Control then
continues to step S660.
[0066] In step S660, a determination is made whether one or more
optional handling are required. Examples of this optional handling
includes, for example, routing the call to a particular callee
based on the content of the message as illustrated in step S672,
forwarding the message entered by the caller via one or more of SMS
or IM as illustrated in step S674, and associating the information
entered by the caller with a voicemail left by the caller for the
callee as illustrated in step S676.
[0067] In step S680, the message entered by the caller is displayed
to the callee. Next, in step S690, the call is answered, with
control continuing to step S695 where the control sequence
ends.
[0068] A number of variations and modifications of the invention
can be used. It would be possible to provide or claims for some
features of the invention without providing or claiming others.
[0069] For example, another exemplary embodiment also works with
CIDCW. (Caller ID on Call Waiting displays the number and
optionally the name of an incoming caller when the user is already
on the phone). Just as the above-described embodiments are capable
of replacing the name with a subject for CID, these embodiments can
be extended to work the same way with CIDCW. For example, Paul is
on a long conference call and Paul's wife calls to say that she
won't be able to pick up their son from school. She thus can use
the techniques disclosed herein to send a message "Can't pick up
Bobbie." This way, Paul even though he is on a long conference
call, is capable of getting the message in a timely manner without
having to answer his wife's call.
[0070] The exemplary systems and methods of this invention have
been described in relation to enhancing communications. However, to
avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention, the
description omits a number of known structures and devices. This
omission is not to be construed as a limitation of the scope of the
claimed invention. Specific details are set forth to provide an
understanding of the present invention. It should however be
appreciated that the present invention may be practiced in a
variety of ways beyond the specific detail set forth herein.
[0071] Furthermore, while the exemplary embodiments illustrated
herein show various components of the system collocated; certain
components of the system can be located remotely, at distant
portions of a distributed network, such as a LAN, cable network,
and/or the Internet, or within a dedicated system. Thus, it should
be appreciated, that the components of the system can be combined
in to one or more devices, such as a gateway, or collocated on a
particular node of a distributed network, such as an analog and/or
digital communications network, a packet-switch network, a
circuit-switched network or a cable network.
[0072] It will be appreciated from the preceding description, and
for reasons of computational efficiency, that the components of the
system can be arranged at any location within a distributed network
of components without affecting the operation of the system. For
example, the various components can be located in a switch such as
a PBX and media server, gateway, a cable provider, enterprise
system, in one or more communications devices, at one or more
users' premises, or some combination thereof. Similarly, one or
more functional portions of the system could be distributed between
a communications device(s) and an associated computing device.
[0073] Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the various
links, such as links 5, connecting the elements can be wired or
wireless links, or any combination thereof, or any other known or
later developed element(s) that is capable of supplying and/or
communicating data to and from the connected elements. These wired
or wireless links can also be secure links and may be capable of
communicating encrypted information. Transmission media used as
links, for example, can be any suitable carrier for electrical
signals, including coaxial cables, copper wire and fiber optics,
and may take the form of acoustic or light waves, such as those
generated during radio-wave and infra-red data communications.
[0074] Also, while the flowcharts have been discussed and
illustrated in relation to a particular sequence of events, it
should be appreciated that changes, additions, and omissions to
this sequence can occur without materially affecting the operation
of the invention.
[0075] In yet another embodiment, the systems and methods of this
invention can be implemented in conjunction with a special purpose
computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and
peripheral integrated circuit element(s), an ASIC or other
integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a hard-wired
electronic or logic circuit such as discrete element circuit, a
programmable logic device or gate array such as PLD, PLA, FPGA,
PAL, special purpose computer, any comparable means, or the like.
In general, any device(s) or means capable of implementing the
methodology illustrated herein can be used to implement the various
aspects of this invention.
[0076] Exemplary hardware that can be used for the present
invention includes computers, handheld devices, telephones (e.g.,
cellular, Internet enabled, digital, analog, hybrids, and others),
and other hardware known in the art. Some of these devices include
processors (e.g., a single or multiple microprocessors), memory,
nonvolatile storage, input devices, and output devices.
Furthermore, alternative software implementations including, but
not limited to, distributed processing or component/object
distributed processing, parallel processing, or virtual machine
processing can also be constructed to implement the methods
described herein.
[0077] In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be
readily implemented in conjunction with software using object or
object-oriented software development environments that provide
portable source code that can be used on a variety of computer or
workstation platforms. Alternatively, the disclosed system may be
implemented partially or fully in hardware using standard logic
circuits or VLSI design. Whether software or hardware is used to
implement the systems in accordance with this invention is
dependent on the speed and/or efficiency requirements of the
system, the particular function, and the particular software or
hardware systems or microprocessor or microcomputer systems being
utilized.
[0078] In yet another embodiment, the disclosed methods may be
partially implemented in software that can be stored on a storage
medium, executed on programmed general-purpose computer with the
cooperation of a controller and memory, a special purpose computer,
a microprocessor, or the like. In these instances, the systems and
methods of this invention can be implemented as a program embedded
on personal computer such as an applet, JAVA.RTM. or CGI script, as
a resource residing on a server or computer workstation, as a
routine embedded in a dedicated measurement system, system
component, or the like. The system can also be implemented by
physically incorporating the system and/or method into a software
and/or hardware system.
[0079] Although the present invention describes components and
functions implemented in the embodiments with reference to
particular standards and protocols, the invention is not limited to
such standards and protocols. Other similar standards and protocols
not mentioned herein are in existence and are considered to be
included in the present invention. Moreover, the standards and
protocols mentioned herein and other similar standards and
protocols not mentioned herein are periodically superseded by
faster or more effective equivalents having essentially the same
functions. Such replacement standards and protocols having the same
functions are considered equivalents included in the present
invention.
[0080] The present invention, in various embodiments,
configurations, and aspects, includes components, methods,
processes, systems and/or apparatus substantially as depicted and
described herein, including various embodiments, subcombinations,
and subsets thereof. Those of skill in the art will understand how
to make and use the present invention after understanding the
present disclosure. The present invention, in various embodiments,
configurations, and aspects, includes providing devices and
processes in the absence of items not depicted and/or described
herein or in various embodiments, configurations, or aspects
hereof, including in the absence of such items as may have been
used in previous devices or processes, e.g., for improving
performance, achieving ease and\or reducing cost of
implementation.
[0081] The foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented
for purposes of illustration and description. The foregoing is not
intended to limit the invention to the form or forms disclosed
herein. In the foregoing Detailed Description for example, various
features of the invention are grouped together in one or more
embodiments, configurations, or aspects for the purpose of
streamlining the disclosure. The features of the embodiments,
configurations, or aspects of the invention may be combined in
alternate embodiments, configurations, or aspects other than those
discussed above. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted
as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more
features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the
following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all
features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment, configuration,
or aspect. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into
this Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a
separate preferred embodiment of the invention.
[0082] Moreover, though the description of the invention has
included description of one or more embodiments, configurations, or
aspects and certain variations and modifications, other variations,
combinations, and modifications are within the scope of the
invention, e.g., as may be within the skill and knowledge of those
in the art, after understanding the present disclosure. It is
intended to obtain rights which include alternative embodiments,
configurations, or aspects to the extent permitted, including
alternate, interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions,
ranges or steps to those claimed, whether or not such alternate,
interchangeable and/or equivalent structures, functions, ranges or
steps are disclosed herein, and without intending to publicly
dedicate any patentable subject matter.
* * * * *
References