System and method for computerized status monitor and use in a telephone network

• US 6,430,289 B1
• Filed: 04/13/1999
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Liffick, Stephen Mitchell
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US09/291,693
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.06, 379/209.07, 379/201.08, 379/201.1, 379/210.11, 379/142.15, 379/196, 379/197, 379/198, 379/199, 379/900, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• 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: H04M 7/0015 First party call control architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0018 Computer Telephony Resource Boards
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0021 Details of Application Programming Interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0027 Collaboration services where a computer is used for data transfer and the telephone is used for telephonic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0033 Notification or handling of incoming calls by a computer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/90 Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony

Abstract

A telecommunication system combines telephone technology and computer. network technology to monitor a caller and callee'"'"'s computer activity and to access call processing criteria selected by the caller and callee and stored on the computer network. A component of the telephone system, such as a central office switch, accesses the caller and callee call processing criteria. The system evaluates the call processing criteria and, when conditions for both caller and callee are met, the telephone system initiates a telephone call between the caller and callee. The call processing criteria may include accepting all calls, no calls, or calls only from specified parties. In addition, the call processing criteria can vary in accordance with the time of day or an individual'"'"'s personal preferences, or status, such as when an individual is in a meeting. A user'"'"'s computer activity may also be monitored and the computer status as idle or active may be reported to the computer network as part of the call processing criteria.

Claims

1. In a system that includes a telephone network and a computer network with one or more users, wherein each user is connected through a user computer the computer network and is logically connected through the computer network to the telephone network, a method of determining when to establish telephone communication between two parties, at least one of whom is a user connected to said computer network, comprising:

at the computer network, receiving information from the telephone network that a first party from whom a call is originating desires to establish telephone communication with a second party;

at the computer network, monitoring activity of a user computer connected to the computer network and associated with the second party;

at the computer network, storing a set of pre-determined rules for determining when the second party is available to take a call from the first party;

at the computer network, using the set of a pre-determined rules to process i) the information received from the telephone network regarding the call being originated by the first party, and ii) information regarding the monitored activity of the user computer of the second party, to determine when the second party is available to take the call originated by the first party; and

using the information processed at the computer network to facilitate connecting the call originated by the first party through the telephone network to the second party.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising, at the computer network, monitor activity of a user computer connected to the computer network and associated with the first party, wherein using the set of pre-determined rules is also performed using information regarding the monitored activity of the user computer of the first party.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein using the information processed at the computer network to facilitate connecting the call comprises sending control signals to the telephone network to cause the telephone network to connect the call.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the predetermined rules are associated with an affiliation list of the second party and wherein the first party is referenced by the buddy list.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein monitoring activity of a user computer connected to the computer network and associated with the second party comprises monitoring activity of an input device of the user computer.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the pre-defined rules specify whether the second party accepts telephone calls from the first party.

7. In a system that includes a telephone network and a computer network with one or more users, and wherein each user is connected through a user computer to the computer network and is logically connected through the computer network to the telephone network, a computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium for carrying computer executable instructions for implementing at the computer network a method of determining when to establish. telephone communication between two parties, at least one of whom is a user connected to said computer network, and wherein said method comprises;

at the computer network, receiving information from the telephone network that a first party from whom a call is originating desires to establish telephone communication with a second party;

at the computer network, monitoring activity of a user computer connected to the computer network and associated with the second party;

at the computer network, storing a set of predetermined rules for determining when the second party is available to take a call from the first party; and

at the computer network, using the set of predetermined rules to process i) the information received from the telephone network regarding the call being originated by the first party, and ii) information regarding the monitored activity of the user computer of the second party, to determine when the second party is available to take the call originated by the first party.

8. A computer program product as recited in claim 7, wherein the method further comprises using the information processed at the computer network to facilitate connecting the call originated by the first party through the telephone network to the second party.

9. A computer program product as recited in claim 7, wherein the pre-determined rules specify whether the second party accepts telephone calls from the first party.

10. A computer program product as recited in claim 7, wherein the pre-determined rules define how the telephone call is to be processed based on the time of the day of the telephone call.

11. A computer program product as recited in claim 7, wherein the method further comprises, at the computer network, monitoring activity of a user computer connected to the computer network and associated with the first party, wherein using the set of pre-determined rules is also performed using information regarding the monitored activity of the user computer of the first party.

12. In a system that includes a telephone network and a computer network with one or more users, and wherein each user is connected through a user computer to the computer network and is logically connected through the computer network to the telephone network, a method of determining when to establish telephone communication between two parties, each of whom is a user connected to said computer network, comprising:

at the computer network, monitoring activity of the user computers associated with both a first and a second party;

at the computer network, receiving information from the telephone network that the first party is originating a call to the second party;

at the computer network, storing a set of pre-determined rules for determining when the second party is available to take a call from the first party;

at the computer network, using the set of pre-determined rules to process i) the information received from the telephone network regarding the call being originated by the first party, and ii) information regarding the monitored activity of the user computers of the first and second parties, to determine when the second party is available to take the call originated by the first party; and

using the information processed at the computer network to facilitate connecting the call originated by the first party through the telephone network to the second party.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein using the information processed at the computer network to facilitate connecting the call comprises sending control signals to the telephone network to cause the telephone network to connect the call.

14. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the pre-determined rules are associated with an affiliation list of the second party and wherein the first party is referenced by the buddy list.

15. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein monitoring activity of a user computer connected to the computer network and associated with the second party comprises monitoring activity of an input device of the user computer associated with the second party.

16. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the pre-defined rules specify whether the second party accepts telephone calls from the first party.

17. In a system that includes a telephone network and a computer network with one or more users, and wherein each user is connected through a user computer to the computer network and is logically connected through the computer network to the telephone network, a computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium for carrying computer executable instructions for implementing at the computer network a method of determining when to establish telephone communication between two parties, each of whom is a user connected to said computer network, wherein said method comprises;

at the computer network, monitoring activity of the user computers associated with both the first and second parties;

at the computer network, receiving information from the telephone network that the first party is originating a call to the second party;

at the computer network, storing a set of pre-determined rules for determining when the second party is available to take a call from the first party; and

at the computer network, using the set of pre-determined rules to process i) the information received from the telephone network regarding the call being originated by the first party, and ii) information regarding the monitored activity of the user computers of the first and second parties, to determine when the second party is available to take the call originated by the first party.

18. A computer program product as recited in claim 17, wherein the method further comprises using the information processed at the computer network to facilitate connecting the call originated by the first party through the telephone network to the second party.

19. A computer program product as recited in claim 17, wherein the pre-determined rules specify whether the second party accepts telephone calls from the first party.

20. A computer program product as recited in claim 17, wherein the pre-determined rules define how the telephone call is to be processed based on the time of the day of the telephone call.