Systems and Methods For Implementing Location Based Contact Routing

• US 20120094677A1
• Filed: 10/17/2011
• Published: 04/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Relay Inc. (Publicis Groupe SA)
• Original Assignee: Bandwidth Inc.
• Inventors: Brownworth, L. Anders, Mulcahy, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,670,771 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/445
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/005 Routing actions in the presence of nodes in sleep or doze mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/04 based on wireless node resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/34 Modification of an existing route
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/00 Access restriction access security to prevent unauthorised access H04W12/08; Network selection; Access point selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

The location of a mobile terminal associated with a user is determined using GPS or by monitoring signals generated and received by the mobile terminal, etc. Coordinates for at least one hot spot defined by the user are accessed to determine whether the location of the mobile terminal is within the hot spot. When an incoming contact is received for the user, a determination is made as to whether there are any contact routing rules associates with the user. If so, the record of contact routing rules associated with the user is accessed. If the record of contact routing rules includes at least one contact routing rule assigned to a hot spot, the contact is routed according to the at least one contact routing rule, based on whether or not the mobile terminal is determined to be within the hot spot.

Claims

1. A method for location based contact routing in a telecommunications network, the method comprising:

determining a location of a mobile terminal associated with a user;

accessing coordinates for a hot spot defined by the user and determining that the location of the mobile terminal is within the hot spot;

receiving an incoming contact for the user;

accessing a record of contact routing rules associated with the user, the record including at least one contact routing rule assigned to the hot spot; and

routing the contact according to the at least one contact routing rule assigned to the hot spot.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the contact is a phone call, video call, a text message or a multimedia message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the mobile terminal is determined by monitoring the location of the mobile terminal using a global position system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the location of the mobile terminal is determined by monitoring signals generated and communicated by the mobile terminal to triangulate the position of the mobile terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user manipulates a graphical user interface to define the coordinates of the hot spot.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user defines the hot spot by inputting an address and defining an area or volume that includes the input address.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user defines the hot spot by identifying a pin point on an interactive map and defining an area or volume that includes the pin point

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a new location of the mobile terminal associated with the user; and

accessing coordinates for the hot spot and determining that the new location of the mobile terminal is within the hot spot.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one contact routing rule assigned with the hot spot is defined by the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one contact routing rule assigned to the hot spot specifies that the contact is to be routed to a designated device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one contact routing rule assigned to the hot spot specifies that the contact is to be routed to one or more designated devices simultaneously.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one contact routing rule assigned to the hot spot specifies that the contact is to be routed to a first device and, if the first device does not respond to the contact within a period of time, then the contact is to be routed to a second device.

13. A contact server for implementing location based contact routing in a telecommunications network comprising:

a network interface for connecting the contact server to a packet-based network comprising at least a segment of the telecommunications network;

a memory for storing one or more program modules; and

a processor for executing the one or more program modules, wherein the one or more program modules comprise computer-executable instructions for causing the call server to;

receive an incoming contact for a user of a mobile terminal;

access a record of contact routing rules associated with the user, the record including at least one contact routing rule assigned to a hot spot defined by the user;

access information indicating that the mobile terminal is within the hot spot; and

route the contact according to the at least one contact routing rule assigned to the hot spot.

14. The contact server of claim 13, wherein the one or more program modules further comprise computer-executable instructions for causing the call server to identify a record of one or more contact routing rules associated with the user.

15. The contact server of claim 13, wherein accessing information indicating that the mobile terminal is within the hot spot comprises communicating with an API server to obtain information determining whether the mobile terminal is located within the hot spot.

16. The contact server of claim 13, wherein accessing information indicating that the mobile terminal is within the hot spot comprises communicating with the mobile terminal to obtain information determining whether the mobile terminal is located within the hot spot.

17. The contact server of claim 13, wherein accessing information indicating that the mobile terminal is within the hot spot comprises accessing the memory to obtain information determining whether the mobile terminal is located within the hot spot.

18. The contact server of claim 13, wherein the incoming contact for the user of the mobile terminal is a phone call, video call, a text message or a multimedia message.

19. The contact sever of claim 13, wherein routing the contact according to the at least one contact routing rule assigned to the hot spot comprises routing the contact to a designated device.

20. The contact sever of claim 13, wherein routing the contact according to the at least one contact routing rule assigned to the hot spot comprises routing the contact to one or more designated devices simultaneously.

21. The contact sever of claim 13, wherein routing the contact according to the at least one contact routing rule assigned to the hot spot comprises routing the contact to a first device and, if the first device does not respond to the contact within a period of time, then routing the contact to a second device.

22. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer-executable instructions for executing location based contact routing in a telecommunications network, the computer-executable instructions performing steps comprising:

determining a location of a mobile terminal associated with a user;

accessing coordinates for a hot spot defined by the user and determining that the location of the mobile terminal is within the hot spot;

receiving an incoming contact for the user;

accessing a record of contact routing rules associated with the user, the record including at least one contact routing rule assigned to the hot spot; and

routing the contact according to the at least one contact routing rule assigned to the hot spot.