Establishing telephone calls at specified times

• US 20020188680A1
• Filed: 06/11/2001
• Published: 12/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hartman, Michael, McCormack, Tony, Smyth, Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 8,402,088 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Web-based telephony applications have recently been developed whereby a user is able to access a web-site and click on links or buttons in order to establish a voice over internet protocol telephone call from for example, his or her PC phone, to another user at another telephone terminal (PC phone or other suitable type of telephone). By enabling a web-based telephony application to receive URIs containing time information it is possible to enable telephone calls (including conference calls) to be initiated automatically at specified times or for feature keys on a user'"'"'s telephone terminal to be programmed such that when activated at a particular time, a specified telephone call is initiated. In addition, URIs comprising time information may be used to set up “follow-me” functionality whereby all calls to a particular user are directed to different pre-specified directory numbers depending on the time of day. In another example, URIs comprising time information are used to route calls to contact-center agents in order to reduce the burden on contact center routing applications. URIs comprising time information are also advantageously used to communicate information to other entities.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a telephone call over a communications network at a specified time using a web-based telephony application, said method comprising the steps of:

(i) accessing a uniform resource identifier (URI) comprising the specified time and also comprising information about a call source and destination; and

(ii) at the time specified in the URI, instructing a telephony switch to set up a telephone call between the source and destination specified in the URI.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said step (i) of accessing a URI comprises receiving the URI from another entity selected from a web site and a software application on a user terminal.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said step (i) of accessing a URI comprises receiving the URI from a web-based conference call booking application.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said step (i) of accessing a URI comprises receiving the URI from a calendar application on a user terminal.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said URI comprises time zone information.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said information about the call destination comprises a directory number (DN).

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said URI comprises a plurality of directory numbers and a plurality of time ranges, one for each directory number.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein said step (ii) comprises instructing the telephony switch to set up a telephone call to one of the directory numbers depending on the current time and the time ranges.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises automatically programming a feature key at a telephone terminal at one of the call source and call destination with the specified time such that the properties of that feature key change at the specified time.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 which further comprises instructing the telephony switch to display the URI at a telephone terminal at the call source.

11. A web-based telephony application for establishing a telephone call over a communications network at a specified time, said web-based telephony application comprising the steps of:

(i) an input arranged to access a uniform resource identifier (URI) comprising the specified time and also comprising information about a call source and destination; and

(ii) a computer program arranged to control a telephony switch in order to set up a telephone call between the source and destination specified in the URI at the time specified in the URI.

13. A signal as claimed in claim 12 wherein said URI further comprises one or more directory numbers (DNs).

14. A signal as claimed in claim 12 wherein said URI further comprise time zone information.

15. A signal as claimed in claim 12 wherein said URI comprises a plurality of directory numbers and a plurality of time ranges, one for each directory number.

17. A web-browser as claimed in claim 16 comprising a parser arranged to parse uniform resource identifiers which comprise time information.

12. A signal for setting up a telephone call over a communications network said signal comprising a uniform resource identifier (URI) which itself comprises time information.

16. A web-browser which is arranged to receive a plurality of URIs each comprising time information and to select one of those URIs on the basis of the time information in each of the URIs.

18. A software application which is arranged to control a processor which is connected to a communications network such that uniform resource identifiers (URIs) are created which comprise time information and sent to other entities within the internet protocol communications network for the purposes of establishing a telephony call.