Technique for assisting a user with information services at an information/call center

• US 20060018441A1
• Filed: 07/28/2005
• Published: 01/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grape Technology Group Incorporated (KGB)
• Original Assignee: Grape Technology Group Incorporated (KGB)
• Inventors: Johnson, Karen L., Huey, Christopher A., Miller, John S., Timmins, Timothy A., Ljubich, Philip A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,724,878 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.120
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/26 Devices for calling a subscriber H04M1/66 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6009 Personal information, e.g. profiles or personal directories being only provided to authorised persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• 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 3/5315 where the non-audio components are still images or video still image mailbox systems H04N1/324, intermediate storage of video signals for videophones H04N7/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53366 Message disposing or creating aspects

Abstract

A service providing information assistance may maintain for a subscriber contacts folders comprising private directories of the subscriber, and a personal profile containing the subscriber'"'"'s preferences. When a user calls the service to attempt to communicate with a desired party through the service, the service can ascertain whether the desired party has a personal profile and/or a contacts folder associated with him/her. If so, the caller is allowed to communicate with the desired party on the terms and conditions defined by the desired party in his/her personal profile and/or contacts folder. For instance, the desired party may have defined therein who should be allowed to contact him/her, when he/she should be contacted, by what communication means, and whether the caller can be told any of the desired party'"'"'s communication addresses (e.g., telephone number, email address, etc.).

Claims

1. A method for providing a communication assistance service by a communication assistance service provider comprising:

(a) receiving a communication at the communication assistance service provider from a first person who wishes to communicate with a second person;

(b) receiving from said first person identifying information associated with said second person;

(c) determining if there are contact preferences associated with said second person; and

(d) providing the communication assistance service to said first person in accordance with said contact preferences if said contact preferences exist.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said contact preferences comprise connection preferences.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said connection preferences comprise preferences respecting one or more entities which the communications assistance provider should allow to connect to said second person.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said connection preferences comprise preferences respecting the technologies which the communications assistance provider should use for establishing connections with said second person.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said technologies comprise telephony.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said telephony comprise wireless telephony.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein said technologies comprise e-mail.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein said technologies comprises instant messaging.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein said connection preferences comprise preferences respecting when the communications assistance provider should establish connections with said second person.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said preferences respecting when the communications assistance provider should establish connections with said second person comprise time of day preferences.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said preferences respecting when the communications assistance provider should establish connections with said second person comprise day of week preferences.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said preferences respecting when the communications assistance provider should establish connections with said second person comprise date-preferences.

13. The method of claim 3, wherein said connection preferences comprise different connection preferences, and whereby which of the different connection preferences is used is a function of which of said one or more entities is said first person.

14. The method of claim 3, wherein said one or more entities comprise natural persons.

15. The method of claim 3, wherein said one or more entities comprise businesses.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said contact preferences comprise disclosure preferences respecting disclosure of contact information associated with said second person.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said disclosure preferences comprise preferences respecting one or more entities to whom the communications assistance provider should disclose contact information respecting said second person.

18. The method of claim 3, wherein said contact preferences comprise disclosure preferences respecting disclosure of contact information associated with said second person.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said disclosure preferences comprise preferences respecting to which of said one or more entities the communications assistance provider should disclose contact information respecting said second person.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein said contact information comprises one or more telephone numbers.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said one or more telephone numbers comprise wireless telephone numbers.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein said contact information comprises one or more e-mail addresses.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein said contact information comprises one or more instant messaging handles.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein said disclosure preferences comprise preferences respecting when the communications assistance provider should disclose contact information respecting said second person.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said preferences respecting when the communications assistance provider should disclose contact information respecting said second person comprise time of day preferences.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein said preferences respecting when the communications assistance provider should disclose contact information respecting said second person comprise day of week preferences.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein said preferences respecting when the communications assistance provider should disclose contact information respecting said second person comprise date preferences.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein said disclosure preferences comprise different disclosure preferences, and whereby which of said different disclosure preferences is used is a function of which of said one or more entities is said first person.

29. The method of claim 3, wherein said one or more entities comprise said first person.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said communication received at said communications assistance service provider comprises a telephone call.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein said communication received at said communications assistance service provider comprises an e-mail.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein said communication received at said communications assistance service provider comprises an instant message.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein said identifying information comprises a name of said second person.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein said communications assistance service comprises connecting said first person to said second person pursuant to said contact preferences.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein said communications assistance service comprises disclosing contact information respecting said second person to said first person pursuant to said contact preferences.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein said contact preferences comprise preferences respecting the treatment a class of persons not identified in said contact preferences should receive when one of said class of persons comprises said first person.