UNIFIED ALERTING METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 20010055963A1
• Filed: 05/03/1999
• Published: 12/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: CLOUTIER, JOCELYN
• Granted Patent: US 6,459,913 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/417
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/12 Inter-network notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

This invention provides for a unified alerting system that alerts the subscriber via one or more devices. The unified alerting system receives alert events from services subscribed to by the subscriber, filters the alert events and alerts the subscriber via one or more devices identified in a subscriber profile. The alert event is filtered by if-then-else statements that contain conditions and actions. Conditions have Boolean values and the actions set various control variables or may be further if-then-else statements. In this way, the subscriber may specify complex conditions that process each alert event to determine whether the subscriber should be alerted via one of the available devices. The subscriber profile specifies possible devices through which the subscriber may be alerted via a schedule corresponding to each of the devices. The profile also includes a priority level for each of the devices when multiple devices are available. The unified alerting device may also perform various conversions such as voice-to-text and text-to-voice so that messages may be sent in an alert regardless of the capabilities of the devices used.

Claims

1. A method for alerting a subscriber in a communication network, comprising:

receiving an alert event from the network;

filtering the alert event; and

alerting the subscriber with an alert via a device based on a subscriber profile and a result of the filtering.

2. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the filtering step makes a decision whether to alert the subscriber, the decision being made by evaluating one or more if-then-else statements based on one or more conditions and one or more actions.

3. The method of

claim 2

, further comprising:

evaluating one or more conditions to obtain Boolean values, where each of the conditions evaluate to a Boolean value; and

taking one or more actions based on the Boolean values.

4. The method of

claim 3

, wherein a condition is a regular expression of one or more variables combined with operators, each of the variables having a quantity that may be evaluated.

5. The method of

claim 2

, wherein an action includes setting a value of a variable or evaluating additional one or more conditions and taking additional one or more actions based on results of the evaluations of the additional one or more conditions.

6. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the subscriber profile includes a schedule of availability for one or more devices, the schedule specifying a date and time for each of the devices that may be used to alert the subscriber.

7. The method of

claim 6

, wherein the subscriber profile includes a priority specification, the priority specification indicating a priority of each of devices that are available for a common period of time.

8. The method of

claim 7

, further comprising:

selecting a device from the subscriber profile that has a highest priority among those devices that may receive an information type that matches an information type of a communication corresponding to the alert event; and

alerting the subscriber using the information type of the communication via the selected device.

9. The method of

claim 8

, wherein the information type includes text, voice and video.

10. The method of

claim 1

, wherein the alert includes at least one of an audio signal, a text message or a video message.

11. The method of

claim 10

, further comprising:

extracting information from a communication corresponding to the alert event; and

one of;

including extracted information with the alert, or

sending the extracted information as the alert.

12. The method of

claim 1

, further comprising one of:

waiting for a predetermined amount of time before performing the alerting step;

or

not performing the alerting step during a pre-specified period of time.

13. The method of

claim 1

, further comprising:

receiving a portion of a communication corresponding to the alert event in one information type; and

generating the alert for the device in another information type, where information types include text, voice and video.

14. A unified alerting device that alerts a subscriber in a communication network, comprising:

a database;

a network interface; and

a controller coupled to the database and the network interface, the controller receiving an alert event from the network via the network interface, filtering the alert event, and alerting the subscriber via a device based on a subscriber profile retrieved from the database and a result of the filtering.

15. The device of

claim 14

, wherein the controller makes a decision whether to alert the subscriber, the decision being made by evaluating one or more if-then-else statements based on one or more conditions and one or more actions.

16. The device of

claim 15

, wherein the controller evaluates one or more conditions to obtain Boolean values, where each of the conditions evaluate to a Boolean value, and takes one or more actions based on the Boolean values.

17. The device of

claim 16

, wherein a condition is a regular expression of one or more variables combined with operators, each of the variables having a quantity that may be evaluated.

18. The device of

claim 15

, wherein an action includes setting a value of a variable or evaluating additional one or more conditions and taking additional one or more actions based on results of the evaluations of the additional one or more conditions.

19. The device of

claim 14

, wherein the subscriber profile includes a schedule of availability for one or more devices, the schedule specifies a date and time for each of the devices that may be used to alert the subscriber.

20. The device of

claim 19

, wherein the subscriber profile includes a priority specification, the priority specification indicating a priority of each of devices that are available for a common period of time.

21. The device of

claim 20

, wherein the controller selects a device from the subscriber profile that has a highest priority among those devices that may receive an information type that matches an information type of a communication corresponding to the alert event, and alerts the subscriber using the information type of the communication via the selected device.

22. The device of

claim 21

, wherein the information type includes text, voice and video.

23. The device of

claim 14

, wherein the alert include at least one of an audio signal, a text message or a video message.

24. The device of

claim 14

, wherein the controller receives a portion of a communication corresponding to the alert event in one information type, and generates the alert for the device in another information type, where information types include text, voice and video.