Location-Based Forwarding of a Communication

• US 20120027192A1
• Filed: 10/10/2011
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Contractor, Sunil H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,620,347 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/211.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/14 with services dependent on location where the service is an information service H04M2242/15; services independent of location H04M3/42229
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

The invention provides a method and a system for forwarding a telephone call. The inventive method includes receiving a telephone call from a calling party line to a called party line, determining a location of the called party, determining a proximity of the location of the called party to one or more subscriber locations, and directing the telephone call to the one or more subscriber locations based on the determined proximity. The subscriber locations may be predefined by the called party. The location of the called party may be determined using a global position system and/or a radio frequency signal, for example.

Claims

1. A method for forwarding a telephonic communication, comprising:

receiving the telephonic communication directed at a receiving party at a first telephone number, wherein the first telephone number;

determining whether the receiving party subscribes to a location-based telephonic forwarding service;

responsive to determining that the receiving party subscribes to the telephonic forwarding service, determining a current location of the receiving party;

determining whether the current location within a predetermined range of a first alternate location in a plurality of alternate locations, wherein the first alternate location corresponds to a second telephone number; and

responsive to determining that the current location is within the predetermined range of the first alternate location, forwarding the telephonic communication from the first telephone number to the second telephone number.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the current location does not match the first alternate location, determining whether the current location is within the predetermined range of a second alternate location in the plurality of alternate locations, wherein the second alternate location corresponds to a third telephone number; and

responsive to determining that the current location is within the predetermined range of the second alternate location, forwarding the telephonic communication from the first telephone number to the third telephone number.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the current location is within the predetermined range of a second alternate location in the plurality of alternate locations, wherein the second alternate location corresponds to a third telephone number; and

responsive to determining that the current location is within the predetermined range of the first alternate location and the second alternate location, forwarding the telephonic communication from the first telephone number to the second telephone number and the third telephone number.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the current location is within the predetermined range of none of the plurality of alternate locations; and

responsive to determining that the current location is within the predetermined range of none of the plurality of alternate locations, forwarding the telephonic communication from the first telephone number to a default telephone number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of alternate locations are predefined by the receiving party.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of alternate locations are defined in real-time by a provider of the location-based telephonic forwarding service.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the current location of the receiving party comprises intermittently receiving the current location of the receiving party from a transponder provided to the receiving party.

8. A system for forwarding a telephonic communication, comprising:

a memory for storing a program containing code for forwarding the telephonic communication; and

a processor functionally coupled to the memory, the processor being responsive to computer-executable instructions contained in the program and configured to at least

receive the telephonic communication directed at a receiving party at a first telephone number, wherein the first telephone number,

determine whether the receiving party subscribes to a location-based telephonic forwarding service,

responsive to determining that the receiving party subscribes to the telephonic forwarding service, determine a current location of the receiving party,

determine whether the current location within a predetermined range of a first alternate location in a plurality of alternate locations, wherein the first alternate location corresponds to a second telephone number, and

responsive to determining that the current location is within the predetermined range of the first alternate location, forward the telephonic communication from the first telephone number to the second telephone number.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to at least:

responsive to determining that the current location does not match the first alternate location, determine whether the current location is within the predetermined range of a second alternate location in the plurality of alternate locations, wherein the second alternate location corresponds to a third telephone number; and

responsive to determining that the current location is within the predetermined range of the second alternate location, forward the telephonic communication from the first telephone number to the third telephone number.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to at least:

determine whether the current location is within the predetermined range of a second alternate location in the plurality of alternate locations, wherein the second alternate location corresponds to a third telephone number; and

responsive to determining that the current location is within the predetermined range of the first alternate location and the second alternate location, forward the telephonic communication from the first telephone number to the second telephone number and the third telephone number.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to at least:

determine whether the current location is within the predetermined range of none of the plurality of alternate locations; and

responsive to determining that the current location is within the predetermined range of none of the plurality of alternate locations, forward the telephonic communication from the first telephone number to a default telephone number.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of alternate locations are predefined by the receiving party.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of alternate locations are defined in real-time by a provider of the location-based telephonic forwarding service.

14. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor to provide a method for directing a communication, the method comprising:

receiving the telephonic communication directed at a receiving party at a first telephone number, wherein the first telephone number;

determining whether the receiving party subscribes to a location-based telephonic forwarding service;

responsive to determining that the receiving party subscribes to the telephonic forwarding service, determining a current location of the receiving party;

determining whether the current location within a predetermined range of a first alternate location in a plurality of alternate locations, wherein the first alternate location corresponds to a second telephone number; and

responsive to determining that the current location is within the predetermined range of the first alternate location, forwarding the telephonic communication from the first telephone number to the second telephone number.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the current location does not match the first alternate location, determining whether the current location is within the predetermined range of a second alternate location in the plurality of alternate locations, wherein the second alternate location corresponds to a third telephone number; and

responsive to determining that the current location is within the predetermined range of the second alternate location, forwarding the telephonic communication from the first telephone number to the third telephone number.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising:

determining whether the current location is within the predetermined range of a second alternate location in the plurality of alternate locations, wherein the second alternate location corresponds to a third telephone number; and

responsive to determining that the current location is within the predetermined range of the first alternate location and the second alternate location, forwarding the telephonic communication from the first telephone number to the second telephone number and the third telephone number.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising:

determining whether the current location is within the predetermined range of none of the plurality of alternate locations; and

responsive to determining that the current location is within the predetermined range of none of the plurality of alternate locations, forwarding the telephonic communication from the first telephone number to a default telephone number.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the plurality of alternate locations are predefined by the receiving party.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the plurality of alternate locations are defined in real-time by a provider of the location-based telephonic forwarding service.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein determining the current location of the receiving party comprises intermittently receiving the current location of the receiving party from a transponder provided to the receiving party.