Method and apparatus for providing intelligent emergency paging

• US 6,801,780 B1
• Filed: 03/17/2003
• Issued: 10/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Foladare, Mark J., Weber, Roy P., Silverman, David P., Westrich, Robert S., Goldman, Shelley B., Wang, Shaoqing Q.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Simon
• Application Number:
  US10/389,600
• Time in Patent Office: 568 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.1, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/458, 455/521, 455/414.1, 379/37, 379/45, 379/51, 379/265.02, 340/7.52
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/50 Centralised arrangements for answering calls; Centralised arrangements for recording messages for absent or busy subscribers H04M3/487 takes precedence; centralised dictation systems H04M11/10; Centralised arrangements for recording messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/128 Details of addressing, directories or routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1295 Details of dual tone multiple frequency signalling

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing intelligent paging services is disclosed. A server receives a paging request from a customer. The page request may be, for example, a telephone call initiated by the customer from a telephone. The server then determines the identity of the customer who initiated the page request and (if necessary) the condition which prompted the identified customer to initiate the page request. The identity and condition information is then used to identify a predetermined list of one or more parties who should be contacted on behalf of the customer and how they should be contacted. Examples of the contact methods the server may execute include making a telephone call to a designated number via a public switched telephone network (PSTN), sending a page to a designated pager via the PSTN, and/or sending an electronic mail (e-mail) message to an Internet protocol (IP) addressable device via an IP network.

Claims

1. A method for providing intelligent paging services, comprising:

receiving a page request;

determining identity information, said identity information indicating a person who initiated said received page request;

selecting at least one predetermined paging operation using both said determined identity information and a condition associated with said person who initiated said received page request; and

executing said at least one selected predetermined paging operation, said at least one selected predetermined paging operation including altering a specified appointments calendar.

2. A method for providing intelligent paging services, comprising:

sending a page request from a first device to an intelligent paging server;

identifying a person who initiated said page request and a reason for said page request using at least one of said page request and said intelligent paging server;

selecting at least one predetermined paging operation using said identified person information and said identified reason information, said at least one predetermined paging operation indicating at least one method for contacting at least one person; and

executing said at least one selected predetermined paging operation, said at least one selected predetermined paging operation including altering a specified appointments calendar.