Enhanced call pickup

• US 20050238157A1
• Filed: 04/21/2004
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patel, Labhesh, Sarkar, Shantanu, Shaffer, Shmuel, FitzGerald, Cary W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,751,545 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/211.10
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1046 Call controllers; Call servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42212 Call pickup comprising simultaneous alerting H04M3/46
• 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 3/465 Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method for enhanced call pickup includes accessing data indicating a current status of each of one or more users in a call pickup group (CPG) with respect to an incoming phone call to a phone number corresponding to the CPG and communicating the data to one or more endpoints of one or more users in the CPG for display to one or more users in the CPG. A display of the data to a first user in the CPG facilitates the first user determining a current status of each of one or more second users in the CPG to facilitate a decision by the first user regarding whether to pick up the incoming phone call.

Claims

1. A system for enhanced call pickup, the system comprising one or more processing units collectively operable to:

access data indicating a current status of each of one or more users in a call pickup group (CPG) with respect to an incoming phone call to a phone number corresponding to the CPG; and

communicate the data to one or more endpoints of one or more users in the CPG for display to one or more users in the CPG, a display of the data to a first user in the CPG facilitating the first user determining a current status of each of one or more second users in the CPG to facilitate a decision by the first user regarding whether to pick up the incoming phone call.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein data indicating a current status of a user in the CPG with respect to the incoming phone call comprises one or more of:

data identifying the user;

data indicating a current availability of the user;

data indicating a current presence status of the user;

data indicating a current call status of the user;

data indicating a bandwidth limitation preventing transfer of the incoming phone call to the user;

data indicating a preference of the user with respect to picking up the incoming phone call; and

data indicating whether the user intends to pick up the incoming phone call.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the CPG comprises a hunt group.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are collectively operable to automatically and without user input access and communicate the data in response to the incoming phone call.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are collectively operable to access the data and communicate the data to a particular user in the CPG in response to a request for the data from the particular user.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are collectively operable to:

receive input from the first user in the CPG comprising one or more of;

a first indication of a preference of the first user with respect to picking up the incoming phone call; and

a second indication of whether the first user intends to pick up the incoming phone call; and

communicate the input from the first user to one or more endpoints of one or more second users in the CPG for display to one or more second users in the CPG, a display of the input from the first user facilitating a second user determining a current status of the first user to facilitate a decision by the second user regarding whether to pick up the incoming phone call.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are operable to communicate with one or more endpoints of one or more users in the CPG using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising the one or more endpoints of the one or more users in the CPG, each of the endpoints being operable to receive the data from the one or more processing units and display the data to a user in the CPG.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein a user communicates a current status of the user using one or more of a graphical user interface (GUI) and a button at an endpoint of the user.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are operable to select one of a plurality of pregenerated messages conveying a call status of a user and communicate the selected message to indicate the call status of the user.

11. A method for enhanced call pickup, the method comprising:

accessing data indicating a current status of each of one or more users in a call pickup group (CPG) with respect to an incoming phone call to a phone number corresponding to the CPG; and

communicating the data to one or more endpoints of one or more users in the CPG for display to one or more users in the CPG, a display of the data to a first user in the CPG facilitating the first user determining a current status of each of one or more second users in the CPG to facilitate a decision by the first user regarding whether to pick up the incoming phone call.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein data indicating a current status of a user in the CPG with respect to the incoming phone call comprises one or more of:

data identifying the user;

data indicating a current availability of the user;

data indicating a current presence status of the user;

data indicating a current call status of the user;

data indicating a bandwidth limitation preventing transfer of the incoming phone call to the user;

data indicating a preference of the user with respect to picking up the incoming phone call; and

data indicating whether the user intends to pick up the incoming phone call.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the CPG comprises a hunt group.

14. The method of claim 11, comprising automatically and without user input accessing and communicating the data in response to the incoming phone call.

15. The method of claim 11, comprising accessing the data and communicating the data to a particular user in the CPG in response to a request for the data from the particular user.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving input from the first user in the CPG comprising one or more of;

a first indication of a preference of the first user with respect to picking up the incoming phone call; and

a second indication of whether the first user intends to pick up the incoming phone call; and

communicating the input from the first user to one or more endpoints of one or more second users in the CPG for display to one or more second users in the CPG, a display of the input from the first user facilitating a second user determining a current status of the first user to facilitate a decision by the second user regarding whether to pick up the incoming phone call.

17. The method of claim 11, comprising communicating with one or more endpoints of one or more users in the CPG using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving the data and displaying the data to a user in the CPG.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein a user communicates a current status of the user using one or more of a graphical user interface (GUI) and a button at an endpoint of the user.

20. The method of claim 11, comprising selecting one of a plurality of pregenerated messages conveying a call status of a user and communicate the selected message to indicate the call status of the user.

21. Logic for enhanced call pickup, the logic embodied in media and when executed operable to:

access data indicating a current status of each of one or more users in a call pickup group (CPG) with respect to an incoming phone call to a phone number corresponding to the CPG; and

communicate the data to one or more endpoints of one or more users in the CPG for display to one or more users in the CPG, a display of the data to a first user in the CPG facilitating the first user determining a current status of each of one or more second users in the CPG to facilitate a decision by the first user regarding whether to pick up the incoming phone call.

22. The logic of claim 21, wherein data indicating a current status of a user in the CPG with respect to the incoming phone call comprises one or more of:

data identifying the user;

data indicating a current availability of the user;

data indicating a current presence status of the user;

data indicating a current call status of the user;

data indicating a bandwidth limitation preventing transfer of the incoming phone call to the user;

data indicating a preference of the user with respect to picking up the incoming phone call; and

data indicating whether the user intends to pick up the incoming phone call.

23. The logic of claim 21, wherein the CPG comprises a hunt group.

24. The logic of claim 21, operable to automatically and without user input access and communicate the data in response to the incoming phone call.

25. The logic of claim 21, operable to access the data and communicate the data to a particular user in the CPG in response to a request for the data from the particular user.

26. The logic of claim 21, operable to:

receive input from the first user in the CPG comprising one or more of;

a first indication of a preference of the first user with respect to picking up the incoming phone call; and

a second indication of whether the first user intends to pick up the incoming phone call; and

communicate the input from the first user to one or more endpoints of one or more second users in the CPG for display to one or more second users in the CPG, a display of the input from the first user facilitating a second user determining a current status of the first user to facilitate a decision by the second user regarding whether to pick up the incoming phone call.

27. The logic of claim 21, operable to communicate with one or more endpoints of one or more users in the CPG using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

28. The logic of claim 21, further operable to receive the data and display the data to a user in the CPG.

29. The logic of claim 21, wherein a user communicates a current status of the user using one or more of a graphical user interface (GUI) and a button at an endpoint of the user.

30. The logic of claim 21, operable to select one of a plurality of pregenerated messages conveying a call status of a user and communicate the selected message to indicate the call status of the user.

31. A system for enhanced call pickup, the system comprising one or more processing units collectively operable to:

in response to an incoming phone call to a phone number corresponding to a call pickup group (CPG), automatically and without user input;

access data indicating a current status of each of one or more users in a CPG with respect to an incoming phone call to a phone number corresponding to the CPG, the data comprising one or more of;

data identifying the user;

data indicating a current availability of the user;

data indicating a current presence status of the user;

data indicating a bandwidth limitation preventing transfer of the incoming phone call to the user; and

data indicating a current call status of the user;

using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), communicate the data to one or more endpoints of one or more users in the CPG for display to one or more users in the CPG, a display of the data to a first user in the CPG facilitating the first user determining a current status of each of one or more second users in the CPG to facilitate a decision by the first user regarding whether to pick up the incoming phone call;

using SIP, receive input from the first user in the CPG comprising one or more of;

a first indication of a preference of the first user with respect to picking up the incoming phone call; and

a second indication of whether the first user intends to pick up the incoming phone call; and

using SIP, communicate the input from the first user to one or more endpoints of one or more second users in the CPG for display to one or more second users in the CPG, a display of the input from the first user facilitating a second user determining a current status of the first user to facilitate a decision by the second user regarding whether to pick up the incoming phone call.

32. A system for enhanced call pickup, the system comprising:

means for accessing data indicating a current status of each of one or more users in a call pickup group (CPG) with respect to an incoming phone call to a phone number corresponding to the CPG; and

means for communicating the data to one or more endpoints of one or more users in the CPG for display to one or more users in the CPG, a display of the data to a first user in the CPG facilitating the first user determining a current status of each of one or more second users in the CPG to facilitate a decision by the first user regarding whether to pick up the incoming phone call.