Method and system for managing a user profile for use in a personal number service

• US 6,324,274 B1
• Filed: 04/01/1998
• Issued: 11/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: McDonald, Paul, Akester, Richard J
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S.
• Application Number:
  US09/051,115
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• Field of Search: 379/219, 379/220, 379/230, 379/231, 379/233, 379/265, 379/309, 379/201.02, 379/201.06, 379/201.07, 379/201.1, 379/207.12, 379/220.01, 379/221.08, 379/265.01, 379/265.02, 379/913
• US Class Current: 379/201.02
• 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: H04Q 2213/13513 UPT - personal as opposed to terminal mobility, inc. number portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13541 routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/913 Person locator or person-specific

Abstract

A user profile for use, for example in a personal numbering service, has an associated confidence value for each of the destination terminal numbers in the profile, a confidence value representing the confidence of a call being successfully answered at the associated network terminal. When a service using the profile needs to route a call for a user, the corresponding profile is accessed and the call is routed to the destination terminal number having the highest confidence value. The profile is managed to modify the confidence values depending upon the outcome of the call, and also upon registration of a personal number user at a network terminal. The confidence values are probabilities and when one confidence value is increased because of a successful outcome, the other values are adjusted. The confidence values can be a function of time to represent lessening confidence that a user is still at the network terminal of his last registration.

Claims

1. A method of managing a called user-associated profile system comprising a plurality of calling user-associated profiles, each profile storing for a respective associated calling user a plurality of terminal numbers associated with the called user, and each of the terminal numbers being associated with a respective function, the called user-associated profile system being for use for determining the routing in a network for extending a call made to the called user from a said respective associated calling user, the method comprising the steps of:

storing, in each of said calling user-associated profiles, a respective confidence value in association with each of said terminal numbers, each respective confidence value representing the confidence that a call to the terminal corresponding to the associated terminal number will result in a match between a function sought by the calling user when making that call and the respective function provided by a person answering the call at that terminal;

selecting, for use by the network in routing said call, a terminal number from the said profile on the basis of the highest confidence value; and

modifying at least one of said respective confidence values of the said profile on the basis of the actual outcome of a call routed to the terminal corresponding to the selected terminal number, the actual outcome representing the likelihood that the calling user will not need to make a further call seeking access to the associated function, that likelihood being determined by the person answering the call at that terminal.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein said modifying step comprises decreasing the respective confidence value associated with said selected terminal number.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said modifying step comprises increasing the respective confidence values associated with at least one of the terminal numbers other than said selected terminal number.

4. A method of claim 1 wherein the routing of said call is determined after the call is made.

5. A called user-associated profile system for determining the routing in a network for extending a call made to the called user associated with the profile system from a calling user associated with a profile thereof;

the called user-associated profile system comprising;

a plurality of said calling user-associated profiles, each profile being arranged for association with a respective calling user and comprising a respective first storage means for storing a plurality of terminal numbers, and a respective second storage means for storing a corresponding plurality of associated confidence values, each respective confidence value representing the confidence that a call to the terminal corresponding to the associated terminal number will result in a match between a function sought by the calling user when making that call and a respective function provided by a person answering the call at that terminal;

selection means responsive to the occurrence of a said call to select from the profile associated with the calling user the terminal number having the highest confidence value; and

modification means arranged to modify at least one of said respective confidence values on the basis of the actual outcome of said call routed to the terminal corresponding to the selected terminal number, the actual outcome representing the likelihood that the calling user will not need to make a further call seeking access to the associated function, that likelihood being determined by the person answering the call at that terminal.

6. A system as in claim 5 wherein the modification means is operative in response to receipt of a signal from the terminal corresponding to the selected terminal number, said signal being indicative of said likelihood and sent by the person answering the call.

7. A system as in claim 6 wherein the modification means is arranged to decrease the respective confidence value associated with said selected terminal number.

8. A system as in claim 7 wherein the modification means is also arranged to increase the respective confidence values associated with at least one of the terminal numbers other than said selected terminal number.

9. A system of claim 5 wherein the routing of said call is determined after the call is made.

10. A method of operating a personal numbering service in a network having a personal number profile system comprising a plurality of personal number-associated profiles, each profile storing for a respective personal number user of the personal numbering service a plurality of destination terminal numbers, the personal number profile system being for use for determining the routing in a network of a call to a said personal number user, the method comprising the steps of:

storing, in each of said personal number-associated profiles, a respective confidence value in association with each of said destination terminal numbers, each respective confidence value representing the confidence that a call to the terminal corresponding to the associated destination terminal number will be answered by the respective personal number user;

receiving at the network a call originated from a caller to a said personal number user;

retrieving from signalling information of that call the personal number of the called personal number user;

accessing the profile associated with that retrieved personal number;

selecting from that accessed profile, for use by the network in routing that call, a destination terminal number on the basis of the highest confidence value;

routing that call to that selected destination terminal number; and

modifying at least one of said respective confidence values of said corresponding profile on the basis of the actual outcome of a call routed to the terminal corresponding to the selected destination terminal number, the actual outcome being either achieved when the call is answered, or non-achieved when there is no answer and the call is abandoned.

11. A method as in claim 10, wherein, the modifying step is performed upon receipt by the personal numbering service of authentication information provided by the person answering the call and authenticating that person as the called personal number user, and modifies said at least one of said respective confidence values on the basis that the actual outcome is fully achieved.

12. A method as in claim 10 wherein, the modifying step is performed upon receipt by the personal numbering service of information provided by the person answering the call and indicating that that person is answering as the called personal number user'"'"'s representative, and modifies said at least one of said respective confidence values on the basis that the actual outcome is partially achieved.

13. A method as in claim 10 wherein, the modifying step is performed upon receipt by the personal numbering service of signalling information indicative that the call has been answered, and modifies said at least one of said respective confidence values on the basis that the actual outcome is fully achieved.

14. A method as in claim 10 wherein, when the actual outcome is at least partially achieved, and wherein the modifying step comprises increasing the confidence value associated with said selected destination terminal number.

15. A method as in claim 10 wherein, when the actual outcome is at least partially achieved and wherein the modifying step comprises decreasing the respective confidence values associated with at least one of the destination terminal numbers other than said selected destination terminal number.

16. A method as in claim 10 wherein, when the actual outcome is non-achieved, the modifying step comprises decreasing the respective confidence value associated with said selected destination terminal number.

17. A method of claim 10 wherein the modifying step is performed by a person answering the call.

18. A user profile system for use in a network for operating a personal numbering service whereby the routing of a call to a personal number user is determined by that user'"'"'s associated profile, the profile system comprising:

a plurality of personal number-associated profiles, each profile being arranged for association with a respective personal number user and comprising a respective first storage means for storing a plurality of destination terminal numbers, and a respective second storage means for storing a corresponding plurality of associated confidence values, each respective confidence value representing the confidence that a call to the destination terminal corresponding to the associated destination terminal number will be answered by the personal number user;

selection means responsive to the occurrence of a said call to select from the profile associated with the personal number user the destination terminal number having the highest confidence value; and

modification means arranged to modify at least one of said respective confidence values on the basis of the actual outcome of said call routed to the terminal corresponding to the selected destination terminal number, the actual outcome being either achieved when the call is answered, or non-achieved when there is no answer and the call is abandoned.

19. A system as in claim 18 wherein, when the call is answered, the actual outcome is either partially achieved when the call is answered by a person not being the called user, or fully achieved when the called user answers the call.

20. A system as in claim 19 wherein, the modification means is operative in response to receipt of a signal from the destination terminal corresponding to the selected destination terminal number, said signal being indicative of whether said actual outcome is partially achieved or fully achieved.

21. A system as in claim 18 wherein, the modification means is operative to perform modification on the basis of a fully achieved outcome in response to a successful match of authentication information received from that destination terminal with authentication information stored in the profile associated with that personal number user.

22. A system as in claim 18 wherein, the modification means is operative to perform modification on the basis of a fully achieved outcome in response to receipt of an indication that the call has been answered.

23. A system as in claim 18 wherein, the modification means is operative to perform modification on the basis of a partially achieved outcome in response to receipt of information provided by the person answering the call and indicative that that person is answering as that personal number user'"'"'s representative.

24. A system as in claim 19 wherein, the modification means is responsive to receipt of a signal indicative that said actual outcome is at least partially achieved to decrease the respective confidence values associated with at least one of the destination terminal numbers other than said selected destination terminal number.

25. A system of claim 18 wherein the modification means is used by a person answering the call to modify at least one of said confidence values.

26. A user profile system for use in a network for operating a personal numbering service whereby the routing of a call to a personal number user is determined by that user'"'"'s associated profile, the profile system comprising:

a plurality of personal number-associated profiles, each profile being arranged for association with a respective personal number user and comprising a respective first storage means for storing a plurality of destination terminal numbers, and a respective second storage means for storing a corresponding plurality of associated confidence values, each respective confidence value representing the confidence that a call to the destination terminal corresponding to the associated destination terminal number will be answered by the personal number user;

selection means responsive to the occurrence of a said call to select from the profile associated with the personal number user the destination terminal number having the highest confidence value; and

modification means arranged to modify at least one of said respective confidence values upon receipt from the terminal corresponding to the selected destination terminal number of call outcome information indicative that the actual outcome is that said call has been achieved.

27. A system of claim 26 wherein the routing of said call is determined after the call is made.

28. A system of claim 26 wherein the modification means is used by a person answering the call to modify at least one of said confidence values.

29. A user profile system for use in a network for operating a personal numbering service whereby the routing of call to a personal number user is determined by that user'"'"'s associated profile, the profile system comprising:

a plurality of personal number-associated profiles, each profile being arranged for association with a respective personal number user and comprising a respective first storage means for storing a plurality of destination terminal numbers, and a respective second storage means for storing a corresponding plurality of associated confidence values, each respective confidence value representing the confidence that a call to the destination terminal corresponding to the associated destination terminal number will be answered by the personal number user;

selection means responsive to the occurrence of a said call to select from the profile associated with the personal number user the destination terminal number having the highest confidence value; and

modification means arranged to modify at least one of said respective confidence values upon receipt of a network-generated signal indicative that the actual outcome is that there is no answer and the call is abandoned.

30. A system as in claim 29 wherein said modification means is responsive to receipt of said signal to decrease the confidence value associated with said selected destination terminal number.

31. A system of claim 29 wherein the routing of said call is determined after the call is made.

32. A system of claim 29 wherein the modification means is used by a person answering the call to modify at least one of said confidence values.