METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PERFORMING CALLER BASED ROUTING OF A PHONE CALL

• US 20090280818A1
• Filed: 05/06/2008
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lauridsen, Christina K., Hollinger, Michael C., Chavez, Timothy R., Eisinger, Jacob D., King, Jennifer E., Morgan, Fabian F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,280,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2094 Proximity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program for routing an outgoing voice call in real time is presented. A call is received from a caller to an intended receiving wireless telecommunication device. In response to the call failing to connect to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, a caller initiated short range wireless query signal is transmitted to determine if an other wireless communication device is within a predefined proximity to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device. If the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device receives a response from an other proximate telecommunication device indicating that the proximate telecommunication device is within the predefined proximity to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, then the call is rerouted to the proximate telecommunication device based on preferences internal to the caller telecommunication device. These preferences may be stored on the caller telecommunication device or remotely stored on the host carrier network.

Claims

1. A method of routing an outgoing phone call, the method comprising:

transmitting a call from a caller who is using a caller telecommunication device to an intended receiving wireless telecommunication device; and

in response to the call failing to connect to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, transmitting an instruction from the caller telecommunication device to a first proximate telecommunication device, wherein the instruction directs the first proximate telecommunication device to perform the steps of;

determining if the first proximate telecommunication device is within a predefined proximity of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device;

in response to determining that the first proximate telecommunication device is within the predefined proximity of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, connecting the call from the caller telecommunication device to the first proximate wireless telecommunication device; and

in response to determining that the first proximate telecommunication device is outside the predefined proximity of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, connecting the call from the caller telecommunication device to a second proximate wireless telecommunication device that is within the predefined proximity of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first proximate telecommunication device and the second proximate telecommunication device are pre-selected by the caller according to historical rankings of past successes and failures in re-routing the call to the first proximate telecommunication device and the second proximate telecommunication device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

simultaneously rerouting the call to the first proximate telecommunication device and the second proximate telecommunication device; and

connecting the call to a first-responding device from the first proximate telecommunication device and the second proximate telecommunication device, wherein the first-responding device is a first device to accept a rerouting of the call.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first proximate telecommunication device is pre-selected according to a caller-defined criteria that has been established by the caller, wherein the caller-defined criteria is based on the first proximate telecommunication device being in a same wireless service network as the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first proximate telecommunication device is pre-selected according to a caller-defined smart list on the first proximate telecommunication device, wherein the caller-defined smart list is a plurality of preferences of routing an outgoing communication that has been pre-established by the caller.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the caller-defined smart list is stored on the caller telecommunication device.

7. A caller telecommunication device comprising:

a telecommunications transceiver for communicating over a phone system, wherein the telecommunications transceiver transmits a call from a caller, who is using the caller telecommunication device, to an intended receiving wireless telecommunication device; and

computing logic configured for, in response to the call failing to connect to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, transmitting an instruction from the caller telecommunication device to a first proximate telecommunication device, wherein the instruction directs the first proximate telecommunication device to perform the steps of;

utilizing a short range wireless transceiver to determine if the first proximate telecommunication device is within a predefined proximity of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device;

in response to determining that the first proximate telecommunication device is within the predefined proximity of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, connecting the call from the caller telecommunication device to the first proximate wireless telecommunication device; and

in response to determining that the first proximate telecommunication device is outside the predefined proximity of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, connecting the call from the caller telecommunication device to a second proximate wireless telecommunication device that has been determined by the short range wireless transceiver to be within the predefined proximity of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device.

8. The caller telecommunication device of claim 7, wherein the first proximate telecommunication device and the second proximate telecommunication device are pre-selected by the caller according to historical rankings of past successes and failures in re-routing the call to the first proximate telecommunication device and the second proximate telecommunication device.

9. The caller telecommunication device of claim 7, wherein the processing logic further:

simultaneously reroutes the call to first proximate telecommunication device and the second proximate telecommunication device; and

connects the call to a first-responding device from the first proximate telecommunication device and the second proximate telecommunication device, wherein the first-responding device is a first device to accept the rerouting of the call.

10. The caller telecommunication device of claim 7, wherein the first proximate telecommunication device is pre-selected according to a caller-defined criteria that has been established by the caller, wherein the caller-defined criteria is based on the first proximate telecommunication device being in a same wireless service network as the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device.

11. The caller telecommunication device of claim 7, wherein the first proximate telecommunication device is pre-selected according to a caller-defined smart list on the first proximate telecommunication device, wherein the caller-defined smart list is a plurality of preferences of routing an outgoing communication that has been pre-established by the caller.

12. The caller telecommunication device of claim 11, wherein the caller-defined smart list is stored on the caller telecommunication device.

13. A computer-readable medium having stored a plurality of instructions processable by a machine embodied therein, wherein said plurality of instructions, when processed by said machine, causes said machine to perform a method, said method comprising:

transmitting a call from a caller who is using a caller telecommunication device to an intended receiving wireless telecommunication device; and

in response to the call failing to connect to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, transmitting an instruction from the caller telecommunication device to a caller-defined first proximate telecommunication device, wherein the instruction from the caller device instructs the first proximate telecommunication device to;

determine if the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device is within a predefined proximity of the first proximate telecommunication device;

attempt to connect the call from the caller telecommunication device to a first proximate telecommunication device;

in response to the attempt to connect the call to the first proximate telecommunication device succeeding, maintain a connection of the call between the caller telecommunication device and the first proximate telecommunication device; and

in response to the attempt to connect the call to the first proximate telecommunication device failing, connect the call to a second proximate telecommunication device.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first proximate telecommunication device and the second proximate telecommunication device are pre-selected by the caller according to historical rankings of past successes and failures in re-routing the call to the first proximate telecommunication device and the second proximate telecommunication device.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

simultaneously rerouting the call to the first proximate telecommunication device and the second proximate telecommunication device; and

connecting the call to a first-responding device from the first proximate telecommunication device and the second proximate telecommunication device, wherein the first-responding device is a first device to accept a rerouting of the call.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first proximate telecommunication device is pre-selected according to a caller-defined criteria that has been established by the caller, wherein the caller-defined criteria is based on the first proximate telecommunication device being in a same wireless service network as the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first proximate telecommunication device is pre-selected according to a caller-defined smart list on the first proximate telecommunication device, wherein the caller-defined smart list is a plurality of preferences of routing an outgoing communication that has been pre-established by the caller.

18. The caller telecommunication device of claim 17, wherein the caller-defined smart list is stored on the caller telecommunication device.