SYSTEM FOR MANAGING A SCOPE OF COMMUNICATIONS OF A COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20080305764A1
• Filed: 06/11/2007
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: PEARSON, LARRY B., WALTER, EDWARD
• Application Number:
  US11/761,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20080305764A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading

Abstract

A system for managing a scope of communications of a communication device is disclosed. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, communication device having a controller element to receive one or more entries in a contact book of a second communication device, and limit a scope of communications with other communication devices according to the one or more contact book entries received. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium in a communication device, comprising computer instructions for:

creating a contact book with a plurality of entries in the communication device;

classifying a portion of the plurality of entries of the contact book for use by a second communication device; and

submitting to the second communication device the portion of the plurality of entries of the contact book, wherein a scope of communications of the second communication device is limited to the portion of the plurality of entries of the contact book.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:

modifying a field in at least one of the plurality of entries of the contact book with a marker that identifies the second communication device; and

classifying the portion of the plurality of entries of the contact book from the at least one of the plurality of entries comprising the marker.

3. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of entries stores a name of a party and at least one among a plurality of communication identifiers of the party.

4. The storage medium of claim 3, wherein the plurality of communication identifiers comprise one or more telephone numbers, one or more email addresses, one or more instant messaging addresses, one or more Internet addresses, and a communication preference for communicating with the party.

5. The storage medium of claim 4, wherein the communication preference comprises an option to direct the second communication device to only receive incoming messages associated with one of the communication identifiers of the party, only transmit outgoing messages to one of the communication identifies of the party, or both.

6. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the second communication device can only respond to a communication request having a communication identifier that is identified in the portion of the plurality of entries, wherein the communication request comprises at least one among a telephone call, an email, and an instant messaging request.

7. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for receiving a communication log from the second communication device, wherein the communication log comprises one or more communication identifiers associated with the portion of the plurality of entries of the contact book.

8. The storage medium of claim 7, comprising computer instructions for identifying from the communication log a tally of communication sessions for each entry in the portion of the plurality of entries of the contact book.

9. The storage medium of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:

receiving an update to the portion of the plurality of entries of the contact book; and

submitting the updated portion to the second communication device, wherein the scope of communications of the second communication device is limited to the updated portion.

10. A first communication device, comprising a controller element to:

receive one or more entries in a contact book of a second communication device; and

limit a scope of communications with other communication devices according to the one or more contact book entries received.

11. The first communication device of claim 10, wherein the controller element recognizes an exception to the scope of communications for a communication identifier associated with an emergency response center.

12. The first communication device of claim 10, wherein each of the one or more entries comprises a name of a party and at least one among a plurality of communication identifiers of the party.

13. The first communication device of claim 12, wherein the plurality of communication identifiers comprise one or more telephone numbers, one or more email addresses, one or more instant messaging addresses, one or more Internet addresses, and a communication preference for communicating with the party.

14. The first communication device of claim 13, wherein the controller element retrieves the communication preference of each of the one or more entries to determine the scope of communications for each of said entries, and wherein the communication preference comprises an option to direct the first communication device to only receive incoming messages associated with one of the communication identifiers of the party, only transmit outgoing messages to one of the communication identifies of the party, or both.

15. The first communication device of claim 10, wherein the controller element:

generates a communication log comprising information collected for each of one or more communication sessions associated with one or more communication identifiers in the one or more entries received from the second communication device; and

transmits the communication log to the second communication device.

16. The first communication device of claim 10, wherein the one or more entries of the contact book comprise a communication schedule for enabling communications.

17. A voicemail system, comprising a controller element to record one or more voicemail messages based on a call redirected from an unresponsive first communication device having a limited scope of communications with other communication devices defined by a portion of a contact book of a second communication device supplied to the first communication device.

18. The voicemail system of claim 17, wherein the controller element records the one or more voicemail messages of the first communication device in a voicemail account accessible by a user of the second communication device.

19. The voicemail system of claim 18, wherein controller element:

prevents a user of the first communication device from deleting one or more of the recorded one or more voicemail messages;

presents responsive to a request by the user of the first communication device an audio signal of a select one of the recorded one or more voicemail messages; and

deletes responsive to a request by the user of the second communication device one or more of the recorded one or more voicemail messages.

20. The voicemail system of claim 18, wherein the controller element configures the voicemail account according to a directive given by the user of the second communication device.

21. The voicemail system of claim 18, wherein the controller element configures the voicemail account to accept voicemail messages according to a schedule given by the user of the second communication device.