Communications control method and apparatus

• US 6,359,970 B1
• Filed: 04/16/1999
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Maverick Consulting Services Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Maverick Consulting Services Incorporated
• Inventors: Burgess, Shelia Jean
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US09/293,041
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 379/34, 379/49, 379/67.1, 379/70, 379/82, 379/88.01, 379/88.02, 379/88.08, 379/88.09, 379/88.11, 379/88.19, 379/88.2, 379/88.21, 379/93.01, 379/93.03, 379/93.17, 379/93.23, 379/142, 379/210, 379/142.01, 379/142.02, 379/142.04, 379/142.06, 379/142.07, 379/201.04, 379/373.01, 379/373.02, 379/373.03, 379/93.05
• US Class Current: 379/67.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/24 Traffic characterised by specific attributes, e.g. priority or QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set

Abstract

A communications controller is provided for empowering the user of a communications device, such as a telephone or other device, to assume control over incoming communications. Each caller is identified by unique identification information as information associated with an incoming communication. The user selects one of a plurality of different priority levels for a particular caller. The user also selects block time intervals for each priority to indicate times during which calls will not be passed to user'"'"'s communications device or other appropriate action is to be taken. When that particular caller places a call to the user, the user'"'"'s communication controller determines the caller'"'"'s identification information and recalls the priority and corresponding blocking time interval for that particular caller. The call is accordingly passed to the communication device or blocked.

Claims

1. A system for receiving incoming communications in a receiving party'"'"'s communication device comprising:

means for receiving and storing incoming communications originating source criteria, the incoming source criteria depending upon an identity of the incoming communication type and wherein the communication type is selected from the group consisting of a voice type, an internet content type, a video type, a multi-media type, a fax type, and a broadcast media type;

means for receiving and decoding an emergency condition from an incoming communication source;

means for retrieving the incoming communications originating source criteria;

means for processing the incoming communications originating source criteria and time criteria;

means for storing incoming communications; and

means for providing an indication of an incoming communication to a user of the system, as a function of the processed criteria.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising means for using the communications originating source criteria and the associated time criteria along with the current time criteria to determine a functional operation of the system.

3. The system of claim 2 and including means for initiating a scarch routine for searching the incoming communication criteria stored in the system to find a match with each incoming communication.

4. The system of claim 1 and including means for comparing the present time criteria with stored time criteria associated with a present incoming communication source criteria to determine time management functions to use for the present incoming communication.

5. The system of claim 4 and including means for determining a set of time management functions to use for a present system state.

6. The system of claim 1 and including means for applying rule based logic to system conditions to determine functional operations of the system.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the functional operations comprise:

obtaining and storing incoming communications criteria;

storing and recording communications data;

playing, storing, and recording outgoing messages (OGM);

announcing incoming communications;

user notification of incoming communication events;

obtaining and storing time criteria;

obtaining and storing associated time management functions;

obtaining and storing the receiving party'"'"'s communications device functional operations; and

invoking call forwarding.

8. The system of claim 6 in which an emergency operation is executed upon a determination of an emergency condition by the receiving party'"'"'s communication device per the receiving party'"'"'s pre-selected functional operations.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

means for receiving and storing an incoming communication emergency indication; and

means for retrieving the receiving party'"'"'s communication device operation to be executed upon an emergency condition indication.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising:

means for receiving and decoding DTMF inputs from an incoming communication source;

means for reading the emergency indication; and

means for invoking the designated device operation to be executed upon an emergency condition indication.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the incoming communication source criteria is a function of the identity of the calling party.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the incoming communication source criteria is a function of the identity of an originating call device.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the incoming communication source criteria depends on an account identity.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the incoming communication source criteria depends on a network identity.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the incoming communication source criteria depends on an identity of the incoming communication subject.

16. The system of claim 1 further comprising means for storing and processing system states by storing associated system functional operations to be used while the system is in a given state.

17. The system of clam 16 further comprising means for storing and processing said system states and for invoking associated system functional operations to be used while said system is in a given state.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the system state is selected from the group comprising:

a normal mode;

a silence mode;

an environmental mode wherein the device operates as a function of present location conditions; and

an intended usage mode wherein the device operates as a function of communications types to be supported.

19. A method for obtaining and storing communication criteria and data sent to a receiving party'"'"'s communications device to eliminate a need for a receiving party to program the communications device while tailoring the device to the receiving party'"'"'s personal needs, comprising:

supplying the receiving party with a communications device that possesses default values for device usage;

receiving incoming communication via the communications device;

storing data associated with the incoming communication in the communications device;

reviewing the incoming communications data;

selecting, by the receiving party, to delete or store the incoming communication originating source criteria, wherein the source criteria comprises data selected from a plurality of originating source criteria, a plurality of time criteria and a plurality of associated relative classification criteria and wherein the originating source criteria has at least partial influence on a present incoming communication conditional operation and including using incoming communication associated relative classification criteria and the associated time management criteria along with the device state data to revise present conditions and applying the present conditions to a set of Fuzzy Logic rules that determine the consequential operational behavior of the communications device;

selecting a relative classification or the originating source criteria upon selection of storing; and

accumulating and personalizing the originating source criteria without excessive data entry requiring by the communication device user, from the steps of selecting.

20. The method of claim 19 where the Fuzzy Logic rules include performing a specific device operation given the present associated relative classification and the associated time management functions.