Calling assistance system and method

• US 6,580,790 B1
• Filed: 02/09/2000
• Issued: 06/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Henry, Paul S., Luo, Hui
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US09/500,492
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 379/201.11, 379/201.06, 379/201.07, 379/221.14, 379/196, 379/211.01, 379/88.22, 379/88.25
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4935 Connection initiated by DAS system

Abstract

A method for providing a called party'"'"'s telephone number in response to some online identifying information provided by a calling party. The calling party provides an entire or at least a portion of an electronic mail address, screen name or login name belonging to the called party. The electronic mail address, screen name or login name is associated with the called party'"'"'s telephone number. The number is provided to the calling party and the calling party may be connected to the called party directly via the telephone network.

Claims

1. A method for providing a called party'"'"'s telephone number in response to identifying information provided about the called party by a calling party, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving, from the calling party, the called party'"'"'s identifying information, the identifying information being at least a portion of the called party'"'"'s online identifying information;

determining the called party'"'"'s telephone number from the online identifying information provided by the calling party; and

providing, to the calling party, the called party'"'"'s telephone number.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the called party'"'"'s online identifying information is received from a telephone keypad input.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the called party'"'"'s identifying information is the called party'"'"'s electronic mail address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the called party'"'"'s identifying information is at least a portion of the called party'"'"'s screen name.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving, from the calling party, the called party'"'"'s identifying information, is via a telephone interactive voice response unit.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the called party'"'"'s online identifying information are received as speech.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining the called party'"'"'s telephone number from the called party'"'"'s online identifying information includes the step of searching a database which contains a plurality of electronic mail addresses associated with a plurality of telephone numbers.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of providing, to the calling party, the called party'"'"'s telephone number includes the step of establishing a telephone communication between the called party and the calling party.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

associating a plurality of called party'"'"'s online identifying information with a plurality of telephone numbers.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

connecting the calling party to the called party'"'"'s voice mailbox.

11. A system for providing a called party'"'"'s telephone number to one or more calling parties, comprising:

means for receiving the called party'"'"'s identifying information, wherein the called party'"'"'s identifying information is at least a portion of the called party'"'"'s online identifying information;

means for determining the called party'"'"'s telephone from the called party'"'"'s online identifying information provided by the calling party; and

means for providing the called party'"'"'s telephone number to the calling party.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

means for associating a plurality of called party identifying information with a plurality of telephone numbers associated with each respective called party.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the called party'"'"'s online identifying information is at least a portion of an electronic mail address used by the called party.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the called party online identifying information is a screen name used by the called party.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the called party'"'"'s online identifying information is a login name used by the called party.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

means for providing the called party'"'"'s identifying information, wherein the means for providing the called party'"'"'s identifying information includes a telephone keypad.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the means for receiving the called party'"'"'s identifying information includes a speech recognition component.

18. A method for determining a called party'"'"'s telephone number from online identifying information provided by a calling party, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving at least a portion of some online identifying information about the called party;

determining what telephone number corresponds to the called party'"'"'s online identifying information; and

providing the called party'"'"'s telephone number to the calling party.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of:

establishing a communication link between the parties.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the online identifying information is at least a portion of one of an electronic mail address, a screen name and a login name.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the online identifying information about the called party is provided via a telephone keypad.