Systems and methods for managing electronic communications

• US 6,842,512 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2001
• Issued: 01/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Pedersen, Elin Ronby
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Quoc D
• Application Number:
  US09/794,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20020118807A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,413 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142.01, 379/142.04, 379/142.05, 379/142.06, 379/142.07, 379/201.01, 379/201.06, 379/201.1, 379/207.15, 379/210.01, 379/211.02, 379/213.01, 379/214.01, 379/67.1, 379/70, 379/71, 379/88.02, 379/88.04, 379/88.11, 379/88.17, 379/88.18, 379/88.19, 709/102, 709/313, 709/315, 709/318
• US Class Current: 379/142.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• 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 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53366 Message disposing or creating aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53391 dependent on calling party

Abstract

An interaction manager system and method are provided to aid a caller in communicating with a callee. An interaction space is provided to a caller'"'"'s communication device. This interaction space can include visibility information that informs the caller about the status of the callee, accessibility information that provides the caller with a list of communication channels available to the caller, and continuity information that includes information and action facilitation data that reflect the ongoing interaction between the caller and the callee.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating interaction between a caller and a callee, comprising:

receiving an interaction request;

obtaining a caller identifier of the caller from the received interaction request;

retrieving information from at least one data source using the caller identifier;

determining information data usable to generate a response message for the caller based on the information and data specific to the callee, the data specific to the callee including status data of the callee that is extracted, in response to the interaction request, from a plurality of information sources, the information sources each containing an aspect of a status of the callee; and

generating the response message based on the determined information data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the caller identifier comprises obtaining the caller identifier based on at least one of Automatic Number Identification (ANI), cookie information, and biometric information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the response message includes visibility information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the response message includes accessibility information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the accessibility information includes at least one communication channel associated with the callee.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the response message comprises providing the at least one communication channel as a hypertext link.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data specific to the callee includes callee status data.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the callee status data includes at least some of activity data, location data, and social context data.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining the location data at least in part from scheduling data.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining the social context data at least in part from scheduling data.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining the callee status data at least in part from signals generated by sensors.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the caller and the callee are human.

7. A method of facilitating interaction between a caller and a callee, comprising:

receiving an interaction request;

obtaining a caller identifier of the caller from the received interaction request;

retrieving information from at least one data source using the caller identifier; and

generating a response message for the caller based on the information and data specific to the callee, wherein the response message includes continuity information, the continuity information including information extracted, in response to the interaction request, from shared activities between the caller and the callee.

14. A system that facilitates interaction between a caller and a callee, comprising:

an input interface that receives an interaction request;

an identification module that obtains a caller identifier of the caller from the received interaction request and retrieves information from at least one data source using the caller identifier; and

a message generator that determines information data usable to generate a response message for the caller based on the information and data specific to the callee and that generates the response message based on the determined information data, the data specific to the callee including status data of the callee that is extracted, in response to the interaction request, from a plurality of information sources, the information sources each containing an aspect of a status of the callee.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the identification module obtains the caller identifier based on at least one of Automatic Number Identification (ANI), cookie information, and biometric information.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the response message includes visibility information.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the response message includes accessibility information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the accessibility information includes at least one communication channel associated with the callee.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the response message includes at least one communication channel as a hypertext link.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein the callee specific data includes callee status data.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the callee status data includes at least some of activity data, location data, and social context data.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the message generator determines the location data at least in part from scheduling data.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the message generator determines the social context data at least in part from scheduling data.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the message generator determines the callee status data at least in part from signals generated by sensors.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein the caller and the callee are human.

27. The system of claim 14, wherein the system is hosted by a third party service provider.

20. A system that facilitates interaction between a caller and a callee, comprising:

an input interface that receives an interaction request;

an identification module that obtains a caller identifier of the caller from the received interaction request and retrieves information from at least one data source using the caller identifier; and

a message generator that generates a response message for the caller based on the information and data specific to the callee, wherein the response message includes continuity information, the continuity information including information extracted, in response to the interaction request, from shared activities between the caller and the callee.

28. A method of facilitating interaction between a caller and a callee, comprising:

receiving an interaction request;

obtaining a caller identifier of the caller from the received interaction request;

retrieving caller information using the caller identifier;

extracting callee information from a plurality of callee information sources, based on the retrieved caller information; and

generating a response message for the caller based on information and data specific to the callee, the data specific to the callee including status data, wherein the response message includes continuity information extracted from shared activities between the caller and the callee.