SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR INITIATING COMMUNICATIONS WITH CONTACTS BASED ON A COMMUNICATION SPECIFICATION

• US 20120135718A1
• Filed: 12/08/2010
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jolly Seven, Series 70 of Allied Security Trust I (Allied Security Trust)
• Original Assignee: Modena Enterprises, LLC (Concert Technology Corporation)
• Inventors: Amidon, Christopher M., Curtis, Scott, Kandekar, Kunal, Katpelly, Ravi Reddy
• Granted Patent: US 9,215,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods and systems for initiating communications with contacts based on a communication specification. According to an aspect, a method may include receiving a communication specification. The communication specification may include identification of one or more contacts, a communication persistence parameter, a geographic location, an event, a date, and a communication channel. The method may also include determining one or more contacts based on the communication specification. Further, the method may include initiating multiple communications with the contacts via at least one communication channel. A communication channel may be a telephone call, an email, a text message, an instant message, and the like.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a communication specification;

determining at least one contact based on the communication specification; and

initiating a plurality of communications with the at least one contact via at least one communication channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a communication specification comprises receiving identification of one or more of the at least one contact, a communication persistence parameter, a geographic location, an event, a date, and a communication channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a communication specification comprises receiving identification of a first contact,

wherein the method further comprises determining a geographic relationship between the first contact and a second contact, and

wherein initiating a plurality of communications comprises initiating a communication with the second contact via the at least one communication channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining at least one contact comprises determining a plurality of contacts, and

wherein the method further comprises presenting the plurality of contacts to a user of a computing device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving selection of a subset of the plurality of contacts for communication, and

wherein initiating a plurality of communications comprises initiating the plurality of communications with the selected subset of the plurality of contacts.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving selection of an order for communicating with the plurality of contacts, and

wherein initiating a plurality of communications comprises initiating the plurality of communications with the contacts in the selected order.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining at least one contact comprises determining a plurality of contacts,

wherein initiating a plurality of communications comprises initiating the plurality of communications with the plurality of contacts, and

wherein the method further comprises:

determining that one of the communications has been accepted by a recipient device associated with one of the contacts; and

in response to determining that one of the communications has been accepted, discontinuing the other initiated communications.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, in response to determining that one of the communications has been accepted, deleting a history of the other initiated communications.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating a plurality of communications comprises initiating the plurality of communications via at least one of a telephone call, an email, a text message, and an instant message.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting to a user a user interface guide, and

wherein receiving a communication specification comprises receiving user input into the user interface guide for specifying the communication specification.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the at least one communication channel.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the at least one communication channel comprises determining the at least one communication channel based on the communication specification.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving a communication specification comprises receiving identification of one or more of the at least one contact, a communication persistence parameter, a geographic location, an event, a date, and a communication channel.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a communication specification comprises receiving identification of a geographic location, and

wherein determining at least one contact comprises determining the at least one contact within a predetermined distance of the geographic location.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein determining at least one contact comprises dynamically determining the at least one contact based on the communication specification, and

wherein initiating a plurality of communications comprises dynamically initiating the plurality of communications with the at least one contact via the at least one communication channel.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising reinitiating the plurality of communications until at least one of the communications is accepted.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that one of the communications has been accepted by a first recipient device associated with a first contact; and

in response to determining that one of the communications has been accepted, notifying a second recipient device associated with a second contact of the accepted communication.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising, requesting that the second recipient device join in the second communication in response to determining that one of the communications has been accepted.

19. A method comprising:

communicating with an originator of a communication;

presenting to a user at least one contact associated with the communication;

receiving user input for joining the at least one contact to the communication; and

in response to receiving the user input, initiating one or more communications with the at least one contact via at least one communication channel.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the communication specifies the at least one contact.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving user input comprises receiving user input that specifies the at least one communication channel.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein initiating one or more communications comprises initiating at least one telephone call with the at least one contact.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising joining a computing device of the at least one contact in the communication with the originator of the communication.

24. A system comprising:

a communication manager configured to;

receive a communication specification; and

determine at least one contact based on the communication specification; and

a communication interface configured to initiate a plurality of communications with the at least one contact via at least one communication channel.

25. A system comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive a communication; and

a communication manager configured to;

present to a user at least one contact associated with the communication;

receive user input for joining the at least one contact to the communication; and

control the communication interface to initiate one or more communications with the at least one contact via at least one communication channel in response to receiving the user input.

26. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for performing the following steps:

receiving a communication specification;

determining at least one contact based on the communication specification; and

initiating a plurality of communications with the at least one contact via at least one communication channel.

27. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions for performing the following steps:

communicating with an originator of a communication;

presenting to a user at least one contact associated with the communication;

receiving user input for joining the at least one contact to the communication; and

in response to receiving the user input, initiating one or more communications with the at least one contact via at least one communication channel.