Office accessibility information provider

• US 6,484,130 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2000
• Issued: 11/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gratz, Rosemarie M., Dwyer, Maureen B., Kanevsky, Dimitri, Zlatsin, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Hilten, John S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PRETLOW, DEMETRIUS R
• Application Number:
  US09/725,742
• Publication Number:
  US 20020065630A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 702/188, 709/200, 709/206, 709/204, 709/310, 709/317, 709/318, 379/88.18, 379/67.1, 379/100.08, 379/88.12
• US Class Current: 702/188
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A computer system including a network for obtaining complete information as to the best mode for a first person to communicate with a second person comprising means for sensing the presence of the second person in a given area and the activity in which he is engaged; means for connecting the means for sensing to the network; and means connected to the network for enabling the first person to determine the presence and status of messages in the form of e-mail or voice mail directed to the second person.

Claims

1. A computer system including a network for obtaining complete information as to the best mode for a first person to communicate with a second person, comprising:

means for sensing the presence of the second person in a given area and the activity in which he is engaged;

means for connecting the means for sensing to the network; and

means connected to the network for enabling the first person to determine the presence and status of messages in the form of e-mail or voice mail directed to the second person, wherein the means for enabling includes an e-mail server and a voice mail server, both connected to the network;

further including a situation analyzer means connected through the network to the e-mail server and to the voice mail server for analyzing the situation in a given area, wherein the situation analyzer means recognizes the situation with respect to stacked up e-mail and voice mail directed to the second person;

means for displaying the recommended best mode for communication from the first person to the second person.

2. A computer system as defined in claim 1, wherein the first and second persons are located in respective offices, and means are present in the office for sensing the presence of at least two persons in the office.

3. A computer system as defined in claim 2, in which the means for sensing is a camera.

4. A computer system as defined in claim 1, in which the situation analyzer means includes means for evaluating the situation image, as well as means for evaluating the e-mail and voice mail situation.

5. A computer system as defined in claim 4, further including means for displaying the recommended best mode for communication from the first person to the second person.

6. A process for obtaining complete information as to the best mode for a first person to communicate with a second person comprising the steps of:

sensing the presence of the second person in a given area and the activity in which he is engaged;

keeping track of messages in the form of e-mail and voice mail directed to the second person;

evaluating the situation based on the image obtained from the given area;

evaluating the situation based on the e-mail and voice mail that has not been seen or heard; and

displaying the recommended mode of communication from the evaluations obtained.