Apparatus and method for scheduling a telephone call
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A telephone system comprising:
- an interface means for receiving a call placed by a calling party to a called party, and if the called party is unavailable, receiving a scheduling request for a future telephone call with the called party from the calling party;
calendar data stored in a computer readable medium which includes calendars of the called party and the calling party; and
an agent means, coupled to the interface means and to the computer readable medium, for, in response to the scheduling request, searching the calendars to determine a common available slot for the future telephone call, and after confirming that the common available slot is acceptable to the calling party, scheduling the future telephone call in the common available slot of the calendars.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A calendar system within a telephone system includes an interface for obtaining information from a calling party, calendar data which includes a calendar for a called party, and an agent. The agent, in response to a request to schedule a telephone call with the called party, searches the calendar of the called party to determine an available slot for the telephone call. After confirming that the available slot for the telephone call is acceptable to the calling party, the agent schedules the telephone call in the available slot of the calendar for the called party.
264 Citations
38 Claims
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1. A telephone system comprising:
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an interface means for receiving a call placed by a calling party to a called party, and if the called party is unavailable, receiving a scheduling request for a future telephone call with the called party from the calling party; calendar data stored in a computer readable medium which includes calendars of the called party and the calling party; and an agent means, coupled to the interface means and to the computer readable medium, for, in response to the scheduling request, searching the calendars to determine a common available slot for the future telephone call, and after confirming that the common available slot is acceptable to the calling party, scheduling the future telephone call in the common available slot of the calendars. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A computer implemented method for scheduling a future telephone call comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving a call placed by a calling party to a called party, and if the called party is unavailable, receiving a scheduling request for a future telephone call with the called party from the calling party, said scheduling request including data indicating an estimated duration of the future telephone call; (b) searching calendars of the called party and the calling party to determine a common available slot for the future telephone call; and
,(c) confirming that the common available slot is acceptable to the calling party, and when confirmed, performing the following substep; (c1) scheduling the future telephone call in the common available slot of the calendars. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. Storage media which stores software which, when executed on a computing system within a telephone system, performs a method for scheduling a future telephone call, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) receiving a call placed by a calling party to a called party, and if the called party is unavailable, receiving a scheduling request for a future telephone call with the called party from the calling party, said scheduling request including data indicating an estimated duration of the future telephone call; (b) searching calendars of the called party and the calling party to determine a common available slot for the future telephone call; and
,(c) confirming that the common available slot is acceptable to the calling party, and when confirmed, performing the following substep; (c1) scheduling the future telephone call in the common available slot of the calendars. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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Specification