ROUTING MESSAGES USING PRESENCE INFORMATION

• US 20070299927A1
• Filed: 09/10/2007
• Published: 12/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Knauerhase, Robert
• Application Number:
  US11/852,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20070299927A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• 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

Routing a message (e.g., text message, voice message, etc.) based on the accessibility of an intended recipient'"'"'s associated communication channels (e.g., email, fax, instant message, cell, landline, etc.) may involve discovering information relating to an accessibility state of one or more communication channels associated with the message recipient; maintaining a data repository comprising the discovered accessibility state information; and routing a message to the message recipient based on information in the data repository.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method comprising:

discovering information relating to an accessibility state of one or more communication channels associated with a message recipient;

maintaining a data repository comprising the accessibility state information discovered by said discovering information;

maintaining a calendaring system storing calendar information about the message recipient that facilitates context-appropriate message routing decisions to be made; and

routing a message to the message recipient based on information in the data repository and the calendaring system.

2. Machine-readable instructions, embodied in a medium or a propagated signal, for causing the machine to perform operations comprising:

discover information relating to an accessibility state of one or more communication channels associated with a message recipient;

maintain a data repository comprising the accessibility state information discovered by said discover information operation;

maintain a calendaring system storing calendar information about the message recipient that facilitates context-appropriate message routing decisions to be made; and

route a message to the message recipient based on information in the data repository and the calendaring system.

3. A message-routing system comprising:

one or more discovery processes configured to discover information relating to an accessibility state of one or more communication channels associated with a message recipient;

a data repository configured to store the accessibility state information discovered by said one or more discovery processes;

a calendaring system coupled to the data repository that stores calendar information about the message recipient that facilitates context-appropriate message routing decisions to be made; and

a message routing decision process configured to route a message to the message recipient based on information in the data repository and the calendaring system.

4. A machine-implemented method comprising:

discovering information relating to an accessibility state of one or more communication channels associated with a message recipient, the discovering information comprising accessing an e-mail system to determine whether the message recipient is currently logged in;

maintaining a data repository comprising the accessibility state information discovered by said discovering information; and

routing a message to the message recipient based on information in the data repository.

5. Machine-readable instructions, embodied in a medium or a propagated signal, for causing the machine to perform operations comprising:

discover information relating to an accessibility state of one or more communication channels associated with a message recipient by accessing an e-mail system to determine whether the message recipient is currently logged in;

maintain a data repository comprising the accessibility state information discovered by said discover information operation; and

route a message to the message recipient based on information in the data repository.

6. A message-routing system comprising:

one or more discovery processes configured to discover information relating to an accessibility state of one or more communication channels associated with a message recipient by accessing an e-mail system indicating that the message recipient is currently logged in;

a data repository configured to store the accessibility state information discovered by said one or more discovery processes; and

a message routing decision process configured to route a message to the message recipient based on information in the data repository.

7. A machine-implemented method comprising:

discovering information relating to an accessibility state of one or more communication channels associated with a message recipient, wherein at least one of the communication channels is the Internet and the discovering information comprises pinging an IP address associated with the message recipient and confirming that a response is received from the IP address;

maintaining a data repository comprising the accessibility state information discovered by said discovering information; and

routing a message to the message recipient based on information in the data repository.

8. A machine-implemented method comprising:

discovering information relating to an accessibility state of one or more communication channels associated with the message recipient;

maintaining a data repository comprising the accessibility state information by said discovering;

accessing an online scheduling program to determine the availability of the message recipient; and

routing a message to the message recipient based on information in the data repository and the availability of the message recipient determined from the online scheduling program.

9. Machine-readable instructions, embodied in a medium or a propagated signal, for causing the machine to perform operations comprising:

receive a device-independent identifier uniquely identifying a message recipient;

discover information relating to an accessibility state of one or more communication channels associated with the message recipient;

maintain a data repository comprising the accessibility state information discovered by said discover information operation;

access an online scheduling program to determine the availability of the message recipient; and

route a message to the message recipient based on information in the data repository and the availability of the message recipient determined from the online scheduling program.