System and method for identifying and establishing preferred modalities or channels for communications based on participants' preferences and contexts

• US 20060041648A1
• Filed: 10/14/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Horvitz, Eric
• Application Number:
  US11/250,848
• Publication Number:
  US 20060041648A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2066 Call type detection of indication, e.g. voice or fax, mobile of fixed, PSTN or IP
• 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 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 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 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

A system and method for identifying and establishing preferred modalities or channels for communications based on participants'"'"' preferences and capabilities is provided. In one approach, the system attempts to optimize the inferred or directly accessed preferences of a contactee given the accessed or inferred preferences, capabilities and goals of the contactor while keeping the rationale and context of the contactee private. Such optimization can be achieved using preferences and policies concerning handling the attempted contact based on a deterministic specification or through inferring context, content and task under uncertainty by employing decision-theoretic inferences to attempt to maximize the expected utility of the communication to the contactee. The methods may include a consideration of metadata within a standard schema that is transmitted along with a communication attempt, representing information about such attributes as the identity of the contactor, the task at hand, the overall context of the contactor, and the communication capabilities available to the contactor. The invocation of the communication service may be performed in a variety of ways, including single button invocations, and via a communication service that is more deeply integrated with other applications and functionalities. The service can also include automated rescheduling of communications based on a consideration of forecasts of availability of both the contactor and contactee.

Claims

1. A computer implemented system to facilitate unsolicited communications between parties, comprising:

a contact manager to transmit an offer to communicate from an unknown contactor to a contactee; and

a preference component associated with the contactee to enable an acceptance of the offer based in part upon consideration presented in the offer.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a preference component associated with the unknown contactor to describe one or more parameters of the offer.

3. The system of claim 1, the offer includes a request to at least one of listen, view, examine and interact with at least one of a commercial, political ad, survey, and infomercial.

4. The system of claim 1, the consideration includes at least one of money, gifts, rebates, perks, and discounts on other items.

5. The system of claim 1, the contact manager automatically disables further communications with the unknown contactor based upon settings in the preference component associated with the contactee.

6. The system of claim 5, the contact manager provides feedback to the unknown contactor indicating whether communications are established with the contactee.

7. The system of claim 1, at least one of the contact manager and the contactee enable further communications via acceptance of the offer.

8. The system of claim 7, the acceptance includes an agreement to communicate in the future.

9. The system of claim 7, the acceptance is based upon past consideration.

10. The system of claim 1, the preference component enables a predetermined amount of messages to be received from a predetermined number of message sources.

11. The system of claim 1, the contact manager enables a dialog session to facilitate an agreement to communicate between the unknown contactor and the contactee.

12. A computer implemented method to facilitate communications between unknown parties, comprising:

transmitting an offer having at least one incentive to induce communications between parties;

analyzing preference data associated with at least one of the parties; and

establishing communications between the parties based at least in part on the preference data, the at least one incentive, and actions between the parties.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising determining whether to present the offer to one of the parties based on the preference data.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising disabling further communications between the parties based on the preference data.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising establishing a dialog to enable further negotiations of the offer.

16. A computer implemented method to facilitate communications between unknown parties, comprising:

executing one or more contingency-based policies that guide payment and reimbursement to handle uncertainty in at least one of an identity of a contactee and content relating to communications with the contactee; and

forcing contactors to provide consideration to the contactee to access one or more modalities for communicating with the contactee.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing controls that enable the contactee to render the communications less expensive upon the contactee'"'"'s recognition of the contactor.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing controls that enable the contactee to render the communications less expensive upon following an analysis of the content of the communication.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising accepting communications from contactors who are not recognized as known entities.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising providing access to the contactee based upon an upfront consideration that may be removed by permission of the contactee following recognition of the contactor.