Providing a shared storage space in association with a telephone call

• US 20050154784A1
• Filed: 01/13/2004
• Published: 07/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Malcolm, Jerry W., Wright, Cornell G. Jr.
• Application Number:
  US10/756,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20050154784A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication

Abstract

A method and apparatus is provided for providing a shared storage space in association with a telephone call. The method comprises receiving information associated with a telephone call involving a first party and a second party and allocating a storage space that is accessible by at least one of the first party and the second party based on at least a portion of the received information. The method further comprises allowing at least one of the first party and second party to provide electronic information intended for the other party using the storage space.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving information associated with a telephone call involving a first party and a second party;

allocating a storage space that is accessible by at least one of the first party and the second party based on at least a portion of the received information; and

allowing at least one of the first party and second party to provide electronic information intended for the other party using the storage space.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein allocating the storage space comprises allocating the storage space associated with a server on the Internet, and wherein the storage space is accessible by both the first party and the second party.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the information comprises receiving at least one of information associated with a name of a calling party, information associated with a name of a called party, information associated with a telephone number from which the telephone call originates, information associated with a telephone number to which the telephone call is made, information associated with a time of the telephone call, and information associated with a date of the telephone call.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein allocating the storage space comprises defining an electronic folder for each telephone call made by at least one of the first party and the second party, wherein each electronic folder is adapted to store electronic information that is exchanged by the first and second party during that call.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of allowing comprises allowing the second party to provide electronic information intended for the first party using the storage space.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if at least one of the first party and second party is authorized to access the storage space and wherein the act of allocating the storage space comprises allocating the storage space based on determining that at least one of the first party and second party is authorized to access the storage space.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of determining comprises determining if at least one of the first party and the second party is on a call block list and determining if at least one of the first party and the second party is a subscriber.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephone call is managed by a service provider, and wherein receiving the information comprises at least one of receiving the information provided by the service provider and accessing caller identification information associated with the telephone call.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephone call is a conference call, and wherein the act of receiving comprises receiving the information associated with the conference call involving the first party, the second party, and a third party.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of allocating comprises creating an electronic folder associated with each of the first party and the second party and further associating the two electronic folders with each other.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of allowing comprises allowing at least one of the parties to provide at least one of a text file, a graphics file, a video file, an audio file, and a multimedia file.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage space is associated with a remotely located server, and wherein the act of allowing comprises allowing the first party to upload an electronic file to the storage space by at least one of dragging and dropping the electronic file in a selected window and transferring the electronic file using a desirable file transfer protocol.

13. An article comprising one or more machine-readable storage media containing instructions that when executed enable a processor to:

receive information associated with a telephone call involving a first party and a second party;

allocate a storage space that is accessible by at least one of the first party and the second party based on at least a portion of the received information; and

allow at least the first party to provide electronic information intended for the second party using the storage space.

14. The article of claim 13, wherein the instructions when executed enable the processor to define an electronic folder for each telephone call made by at least one of the first party and the second party, wherein each electronic folder is adapted to store electronic information that is exchanged by the first and second party during that call.

15. The article of claim 13, wherein the instructions when executed enable the processor to further determine if at least one of the first party and second party is authorized to access the storage space and to allocate the storage space based on determining that at least one of the first party and second party is authorized to access the storage space.

16. The article of claim 13, wherein the instructions when executed enable the processor to determine if at least one of the first party and the second party is on a call block list and determining if at least one of the first party and the second party is a subscriber.

17. The article of claim 13, wherein the telephone call is a conference call, and wherein the instructions when executed enable the processor to receive the information associated with the conference call involving the first party, the second party, and a third party.

18. The article of claim 13, wherein the instructions when executed enable the processor to create an electronic folder associated with each of the first party and the second party and further linking the two electronic folders.

19. The article of claim 13, wherein the instructions when executed enable the processor to receive at least one of information associated with a name of a calling party, information associated with a name of a called party, information associated with a telephone number from which the telephone call originates, information associated with a telephone number to which the telephone call is made, information associated with a time of the telephone call, and information associated with a date of the telephone call.

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a storage unit; and

a control unit communicatively coupled to the storage unit, the control unit adapted to;

receive information associated with a telephone call involving a first party and a second party;

allocate a storage space in the storage unit that is accessible by at least one of the first party and the second party based on at least a portion of the received information; and

allow at least the first party to provide electronic information intended for the second party using the storage space.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the control unit is adapted to allocate the storage space that is accessible to both the first party and the second party.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the control unit is adapted to define an electronic folder for each telephone call made by at least one of the first party and the second party, wherein each electronic folder is adapted to store electronic information that is exchanged by the first and second party during that call.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the control unit is adapted to further determine if at least one of the first party and second party is authorized to access the storage space and to allocate the storage space based on determining that at least one of the first party and second party is authorized to the access storage space.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the control unit is adapted to determine if at least one of the first party and the second party is on a call block list and determining if at least one of the first party and the second party is a subscriber.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the telephone call is a conference call, and wherein the control unit is adapted to receive the information associated with the conference call involving the first party, the second party, and a third party.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the control unit is adapted to create an electronic folder associated with each of the first party and the second party and further linking the two electronic folders.

27. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the control unit is adapted to receive at least one of information associated with a name of a calling party, information associated with a name of a called party, information associated with a telephone number from which the telephone call originates, information associated with a telephone number to which the telephone call is made, information associated with a time of the telephone call, and information associated with a date of the telephone call.

28. A system, comprising:

a first processor-based device; and

a second processor-based device communicatively coupled to the first processor-based device, the second processor-based device adapted to;

receive information associated with a telephone call involving a first party and a second party;

allocate a storage space that is accessible by at least one of the first party and the second party based on at least a portion of the received information; and

allow at least the first party to at least one of provide and receive electronic information using the first-processor device to and from the storage space.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the first processor-based device and the second processor-based device are communicatively coupled over a network.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the network is the Internet and wherein the storage space is allocated on a storage unit that is remotely located from the second processor-based device.

31. A method, comprising:

accessing a storage space that is allocated based on information associated with a telephone call involving a first party and a second party, wherein the storage space is accessible to at least the first party and second party; and

accessing electronic information from the storage space, wherein the electronic information is provided by at least one of the first party and second party.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein accessing the storage space comprises gaining access to a sever by providing login information.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein accessing the storage space comprises accessing an electronic folder to which both the first party and the second party have access.