METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INTERMEDIATION OF MEETINGS AND CALLS

• US 20030191676A1
• Filed: 10/14/1999
• Published: 10/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Laura Majerus
• Original Assignee: Laura Majerus
• Inventors: TEMPLETON, BRADLEY S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,175,904 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.19
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42323 PBX's with CTI arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/432 Arrangements for calling a subscriber at a specific time, e.g. morning call service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 : Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and system for assisting in the intermediation of realtime meetings, including telephone calls and face to face meetings. A user informs his system that he wishes to, for example, make a telephone call. The system sends a request for a realtime meeting to the specified target. Both the target and the requester queue the request. When both the requester and the target are mutually available, the realtime meeting can take place. Some embodiments cause this to happen automatically, some prompt the user to take action, such as dialing the telephone. Some embodiments allow the user to choose from among queued requests.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for the intermediation of real time meetings, comprising:

receiving an indication by a requester system that a requester wants to request a realtime meeting with a target;

sending to the target a request to conduct a real time meeting;

queuing the request by the requester system; and

connecting the requester and the target when the requester and the target are mutually available.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising dequeuing the request when the realtime meeting successfully completes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a system of the target is polled to determine the target'"'"'s availability.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the system of the target sends the target'"'"'s availability status to the requester.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a system of the requester is polled to determine the requester'"'"'s availability.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the system of the requester sends the requester'"'"'s availability status to the target.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein mutual availability is determined by checking the availability of the requester and the target.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a request is sent to a plurality of targets and mutual availability is determined when the requester and a quorum of the targets are available.

9. A computer-implemented method for the intermediation of realtime meetings, comprising:

receiving, by a target system from a requester system, an indication that a requester wants to request a realtime meeting with a target;

queuing the request by the target system; and

connecting the requester and the target when the requester and the target are mutually available.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising dequeuing the request when the realtime meeting successfully completes.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein a system of the target is polled to determine the target'"'"'s availability.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the system of the target sends the target'"'"'s availability status to the requester.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein a system of the requester is polled to determine the requester'"'"'s availability.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the system of the requester sends the requester'"'"'s availability status to the target.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein mutual availability is determined by checking the availability of the requester and the target.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein a request is sent to a plurality of targets and mutual availability is determined when the requester and a quorum of the targets are available.

17. A computer-implemented method for the intermediation of realtime meetings, comprising:

providing a data structure to hold requests for realtime meetings sent from a requester to a target;

reviewing the held requests to determine whether the requester and the target are mutually available; and

taking steps to cause the realtime meeting to occur, when the requester and the target are mutually available.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the realtime meeting has a highest priority of the requested realtime meetings.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein a highest priority request is determined by sorting on one or more of the following:

who desired the call;

relationship with the user;

user-specified priority factors;

elapsed time since the RTM was requested;

expiration time on RTM request;

expected remaining time of availability;

anticipated call duration;

past history;

difficulty of reaching requester.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein availability of a user is determined by monitoring the activity of a user to determine whether the user is physically present;

and

if the user is physically present, displaying at least one request identifying a requester that had previously requested a realtime meeting with the user.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the realtime meeting is conducted using a telephone.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the realtime meeting is conducted using Internet telephony.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the realtime meeting is specified as being a face to face meeting.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein a determination of whether the user is physically present is made by checking one or more of:

start or end of a call;

other use of phone;

recent activity at computer input devices;

conversation near microphone;

lights turned on/off;

weight in chair or on floor;

a motion sensor;

opening/closing of door;

spoken commands;

computer keyboard/mouse based commands;

touchtone commands; and

scheduled periods of availability.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein a determination of availability is made by monitoring the activity of the user.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein a determination of availability is made by monitoring the activity of the user'"'"'s environment.

27. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

allowing the target to rate callers and to filter callers based on his own previously assigned ratings.