Method, system, and article for telephone notification of an online status of a user

• US 20040177278A1
• Filed: 03/19/2004
• Published: 09/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Properties, L.P.
• Inventors: Lipton, Marc Ira
• Application Number:
  US10/804,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20040177278A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• 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

Abstract

One or more members of a group are notified of an online status of a user. If a member of the group is off-line and has enabled a telephone notification option, a telephone message indicating the online status of the user is sent to the member. If the member of the group is online, an online message indicating the online status of the user is sent to the member.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting an online status of a user;

determining that a first member of a group associated with the user is off-line;

placing a telephone call to a first telephone number associated with the first member based on said determining; and

sending a message within the telephone call, the message indicating the online status of the user.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that a first-member-initiated telephone notification option is enabled.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that a second member of the group associated with the user is off-line; and

determining that a second-member-initiated telephone notification option is disabled.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

inhibiting placing a telephone call to a second telephone number associated with the second member.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that a user-initiated notification option is enabled.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the message comprises an audio message.

7. A method comprising:

detecting an online status of a user;

determining that a user-initiated notification option is enabled;

determining that a first member of a group associated with the user is off-line;

determining that a first-member-initiated telephone notification option is enabled;

placing a telephone call to a first telephone number associated with the first member;

sending an audio message within the telephone call, the audio message indicating the online status of the user;

determining that a second member of the group associated with the user is off-line;

determining that a second-member-initiated telephone notification option is disabled; and

inhibiting placing a telephone call to a second telephone number associated with the second member.

8. A computer-readable medium whose contents direct a computer to:

detect an online status of a user;

determine that a first member of a group associated with the user is off-line;

place a telephone call to a first telephone number associated with the first member; and

send a message within the telephone call, the message indicating the online status of the user.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the contents further direct the computer to determine that a first-member-initiated telephone notification option is enabled.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the contents further direct the computer to:

determine that a second member of the group associated with the user is off-line; and

determine that a second-member-initiated telephone notification option is disabled.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10 wherein the contents further direct the computer to inhibit placing a telephone call to a second telephone number associated with the second member.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the contents further direct the computer to determine that a user-initiated notification option is enabled.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8 wherein the message comprises an audio message.

14. A server operative to detect an online status of a user, to determine that a first member of a group associated with the user is off-line, to place a telephone call to a first telephone number associated with the first member, and to send a message within the telephone call, the message indicating the online status of the user.

15. The server of claim 14 further operative to determine that a first-member-initiated telephone notification option is enabled.

16. The server of claim 15 further operative to determine that a second member of the group associated with the user is off-line, and to determine that a second-member-initiated telephone notification option is disabled.

17. The server of claim 16 further operative to inhibit placing a telephone call to a second telephone number associated with the second member.

18. The server of claim 14 further operative to determine that a user-initiated notification option is enabled.

19. The server of claim 14 wherein the message comprises an audio message.