Unified alerting device and method for alerting a subscriber in a communication network based upon the result of logical functions

• US 6,459,913 B2
• Filed: 05/03/1999
• Issued: 10/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cloutier, Jocelyn
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): PEREZ GUTIERREZ, RAFAEL
• Application Number:
  US09/303,517
• Publication Number:
  US 20010055963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• Field of Search: 455/567, 455/417, 455/414, 379/211, 379/212, 379/210, 379/213, 379/207, 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/212.01
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/12 Inter-network notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

This invention provides for a unified alerting system that alerts the subscriber via one or more devices. The unified alerting system receives alert events from services subscribed to by the subscriber, filters the alert events and alerts the subscriber via one or more devices identified in a subscriber profile. The alert event is filtered by if-then-else statements that contain conditions and actions. Conditions have Boolean values and the actions set various control variables or may be further if-then-else statements. In this way, the subscriber may specify complex conditions that process each alert event to determine whether the subscriber should be alerted via one of the available devices. The subscriber profile specifies possible devices through which the subscriber may be alerted via a schedule corresponding to each of the devices. The profile also includes a priority level for each of the devices when multiple devices are available. The unified alerting device may also perform various conversions such as voice-to-text and text-to-voice so that messages may be sent in an alert regardless of the capabilities of the devices used.

Claims

1. A unified alerting device that alerts a subscriber in a communication network, comprising:

a database including a subscriber profile;

a network interface; and

a controller coupled to the database and the network interface, the controller receiving an alert event from the network via the network interface, filtering the alert event based on subscriber filtering data by executing a program that performs logical functions entered by the subscriber, and alerting the subscriber via a device based on the subscriber profile retrieved from the database and a result of the filtering, wherein the logical functions include a combination of one or more conditions and one or more actions, and wherein the subscriber profile includes a schedule of availability for a plurality of devices that specifies a date and time for each of the devices that may be used to alert the subscriber and a priority specification indicates a priority of each of the devices that are available for a common period of time and are accessible by the subscriber.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller selects a device from the subscriber profile that has a highest priority among those devices that may receive an information type that matches an information type of a communication corresponding to the alert event, and alerts the subscriber using the information type of the communication via the selected device.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the information type includes text, voice, and video.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller receives a portion of a communication corresponding to the alert event in one information type, and generates the alert for the device in another information type, where information types include text, voice, and video.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller makes a decision whether to alert the subscriber, the decision being made by evaluating one or more if-then-else statements based on said one or more conditions and said one or more actions.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein an action includes setting a value of a variable or evaluating additional one or more conditions and taking additional one or more actions based on results of the evaluations of the additional one or more conditions.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the controller evaluates one or more conditions to obtain Boolean values, where each of the conditions evaluate to a Boolean value, and takes one or more actions based on the Boolean values.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein a condition is a regular expression of one or more variables combined with operators, each of the variables having a quantity that may be evaluated.

9. The unified alerting device of claim 1, wherein the subscriber subscribes to multiple communication services and the unified alerting device receives an alert event from any of the subscribed services.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the controller alerts the subscriber via a second device if the subscriber is busy at the first device.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the alert include at least one of an audio signal, a text message, or a video message.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a device from the subscriber profile that has a highest priority among those devices that may receive an information type that matches an information type of a communication corresponding to the alert event; and

alerting the subscriber using the information type of the communication via the selected device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the information type includes text, voice, and video.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a portion of a communication corresponding to the alert event in one information type; and

generating the alert for the device in another information type, where information types include text, voice, and video.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising one of:

waiting for a predetermined amount of time before performing the alerting step;

or

not performing the alerting step during a pre-specified period of time.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the filtering step makes a decision whether to alert the subscriber, the decision being made by evaluating one or more if-then-else statements based on the one or more conditions and the one or more actions.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

evaluating one or more conditions to obtain Boolean values, where each of the conditions evaluate to a Boolean value; and

taking one or more actions based on the Boolean values.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein a condition is a regular expression of one or more variables combined with operators, each of the variables having a quantity that may be evaluated.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein an action includes setting a value of a variable or evaluating additional one or more conditions and taking additional one or more actions based on results of the evaluations of the additional one or more conditions.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscriber subscribes to multiple communications services and the alert event if received from any of the subscribed services.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising alerting the subscriber via a second device if the subscriber is busy at the first device.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the alert includes at least one of an audio signal, a text message, or a video message.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

extracting information from a communication corresponding to the alert event; and

one of;

including extracted information with the alert, or

sending the extracted information as the alert.

12. A method for alerting a subscriber in a communication network, comprising:

providing a subscriber profile in a database;

receiving an alert event from the network;

filtering the alert by executing a program that performs logical functions entered by the subscriber representing subscriber filtering data, said logical functions including a combination of one or more conditions and one or more actions; and

alerting the subscriber with an alert via a first device based on the subscriber profile retrieved from the database and a result of the filtering,

wherein the subscriber profile includes a schedule of availability for a plurality of devices that specifies a date and time for each of the devices that may be used to alert the subscriber, and a priority specification indicates a priority of each of the devices that are available for a common period of time and are accessible by the subscriber.

25. A unified alerting device that alerts a subscriber in a communication network, comprising:

a database including a subscriber profile;

a network interface; and

a controller coupled to the database and the network via the network interface, the controller receiving an alert event from the network interface, filtering the alert event based on subscriber filtering data by executing a program that performs logical functions entered by the subscriber, and alerting the subscriber via a device based on the subscriber profile retrieved from the database and a result of the filtering, wherein the alert event is generated based on an incoming communication to the communication network and wherein the logical functions include a combination of one or more conditions and one or more actions.

26. A method for alerting a subscriber in a communication network, comprising:

providing a subscriber profile in a database;

receiving an alert event from the network, the alert event generated based on an incoming communication to the communication network;

filtering the alert event by executing a program that performs logical functions entered by the subscriber representing filtering data, said logical functions including a combination of one or more conditions and one or more actions; and

alerting the subscriber with an alert via a device based on the subscriber profile retrieved from the database and a result of the filtering.