Long distance phone tag service

• US 5,987,113 A
• Filed: 12/23/1996
• Issued: 11/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: James, Daniel Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Wolinsky, Scott
• Application Number:
  US08/773,521
• Time in Patent Office: 1,058 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201, 379/209, 379/211, 379/212, 379/202, 379/216, 379/219, 379/220, 379/221
• US Class Current: 379/211.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/06 Lines and connections with preferential service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

A phone service for preventing missed connections and "phone tag" that commonly happens and, in particular, helps people contact people who are traveling is disclosed. A user registers the phone number at which he or she is currently located with a service controller which maintains a database of such user registrations. The user may also prioritize the identities of other users with whom he or she wishes to contact. When the service controller determines that a first user wishes to get in contact with a second user and that both users have current locations registered in the database, then the service controller will call both users and connect them to each other.

Claims

1. In a telecommunications network, a method of effecting a service for a user to contact a desired subscriber of the service, comprising the steps of:

maintaining subscriber identifiers in association with respective network locations;

updating the subscriber identifiers of subscribers that change network location;

receiving, from the user, a contact requests including an identification of the desired subscriber, and a user network location;

updating the user network location if the user changes network location; and

automatically establishing through the network, responsive to correlating the desired subscriber identification to a particular identifier in the maintained subscriber identifiers, a call which terminates at the user network location and the network location associated with the particular subscriber identifier.

2. In a telecommunications network, a method of enabling a first person to contact a second person, comprising the steps of:

maintaining location information including network locations associated with respective identifiers;

receiving, through a call from the first person, an identification of the first person and a request to contact the second person, the request including an identification of the second person;

maintaining, responsive to the contact request, an association between the first person identification and the second person identification;

responsive to correlating the first person identification and the second person identification to respective first and second particular identifiers in the maintained location information, automatically establishing through the network a call that terminates at the network locations associated with the first and second particular identifiers and removing the maintained association between the first person identification and the second person identification; and

updating the first particular identifier in the maintained location information if the first person changes network location, and updating the second particular identifier in the maintained location information if the second person changes network location.

3. In a telecommunications network, a system for effecting a service by which a user can contact a desired subscriber of the service, comprising:

means for maintaining subscriber identifiers that identify the subscribers'"'"' respective network locations, the subscriber identifiers in the means for maintaining being updatable if a subscriber changes network location;

means for receiving, from the user, a contact request, including an identification of the desired subscriber, and a user network location; and

means for automatically establishing through the network, responsive to correlating the desired subscriber identification to a particular identifier in the maintained subscriber identifiers, a call which terminates at the user network location and the network location associated with the particular identifier.

4. In a telecommunications network, a system for enabling a first person to contact a second person, comprising:

means for maintaining location information including network locations associated with respective identifiers, the respective identifiers being updatable if the first person or the second person changes network locations;

means for receiving, through a call from the first person, an identification of the first person and a request to contact the second person, the request including an identification of the second person;

means for maintaining, responsive to the contact request, an association between the first person identification and the second person identification; and

means, responsive to correlating the first person identification and the second person identification to respective first and second particular identifiers in the maintained location information, for automatically establishing through the network a call that terminates at the network locations associated with the first and second particular identifiers and for removing the maintained association between the first person identification and the second person identification.