Systems and methods for facilitating communications involving hearing-impaired parties

• US 7,142,642 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2004
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MCI Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Johnson, Steven C., McClelland, William A., Haldeman, Kurt P., Logan, Mark R., Dudley, Benjamin W., Heidelbauer, Chris R., Ivanov, Ivaylo I.
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US10/979,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20050129185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• Field of Search: 379/52, 379/93.15, 379/93.35, 379/93.09, 379/93.17, 379/93.21, 379/93.23, 379/93.24, 379/93.34, 379/90.01, 379/218.02, 379/207.02, 379/142.01, 379/142.06, 704/206, 704/227, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/52
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42391 where the subscribers are hearing-impaired persons, e.g. telephone devices for the deaf

Abstract

A method for providing communication services for the hearing-impaired may include receiving a telephone call having a terminating number associated with a hearing-impaired party. The method may also include forwarding the telephone call to a communication assistant and establishing a communication link from the communication assistant to the hearing-impaired party based on the terminating number.

Claims

1. A method for providing communication services, comprising:

receiving a first telephone call from a first hearing party, the first telephone call having a terminating number corresponding to a telephone number associated with a hearing-impaired party;

storing information identifying a plurality of communication methods by which the hearing-impaired party wishes to communicate, a first one of the communication methods being instant messaging;

forwarding the first telephone call to a first communication assistant; and

establishing a communication link, using the stored information, from the first communication assistant to the hearing-impaired party based on the terminating number.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication methods further comprises a second method, the method further comprising:

receiving information from the hearing-impaired party indicating an order with respect to attempting to establish the communications link via the first and second communication methods.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a second one of communication methods comprises an Internet-based communication method.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a second one of the communication methods comprises a wireless communication method.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning the telephone number to the hearing-impaired party;

providing instructions to the hearing-impaired party associated with activating the assigned telephone number;

receiving information from the hearing-impaired party in response to the instructions; and

determining whether to activate the assigned telephone number based on the received information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining whether to activate the assigned telephone number comprises:

determining whether the received information was sent from an instant messaging screen name that corresponds to information provided by the hearing-impaired party.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing comprises:

attempting to establish a communication link with the hearing-impaired party via the first communication method in response to the first telephone call, and

attempting to establish a communication link with the hearing-impaired party via a second communication method when the first communication method is not successful.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing comprises establishing the communication link to the hearing-impaired party without requesting information from the first hearing party.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second telephone call from a second hearing party, the second telephone call having the terminating number corresponding to the telephone number associated with the hearing-impaired party;

forwarding the second telephone call to a second communication assistant;

attempting to establish a communication link from the second communication assistant to the hearing-impaired party based on the terminating number;

storing a message from the second hearing party when the hearing-impaired party is not available; and

providing an indication to a user device associated with the hearing-impaired party that the message is stored.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

providing the message to the hearing-impaired party at a later time.

11. A system, comprising:

a server configured to;

receive a first telephone call from a first hearing party, the first telephone call having a terminating number,

identify a communication assistant, and

forward the first telephone call;

a database configured to;

store a plurality of telephone numbers and at least one method associated with each of the plurality of telephone numbers, the at least one method identifying a method by which a hearing-impaired party wishes to communicate and wherein a first one of the at least one method is instant messaging; and

a first device associated with the communication assistant, the first device being configured to;

receive the forwarded first telephone call, and

establish a communication link with a hearing-impaired party based on the terminating number and information stored in the database.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one method further comprises a second method and the database is further configured to:

store information identifying an order with respect to attempting to establish communications with the hearing-impaired party via the first and second methods.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein a second one of the at least one method comprises an Internet-based communication method.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein a second one of the at least one method comprises using short message service.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein a second one of the at least one method comprises using a video relay service.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is further configured to:

provide instructions to the hearing-impaired party associated with activating an assigned telephone number,

receive information from the hearing-impaired party in response to the instructions, and

determine whether to activate the assigned telephone number based on the received information.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein when determining whether to activate the assigned telephone number, the server is configured to:

determine whether the received information was sent via an instant messaging screen name that corresponds to information provided by the hearing-impaired party.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein when establishing the communication link, the first device is configured to:

access the database to identify a preferred method of communicating with the hearing-impaired party, and

establish the communication link using the preferred method.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein when establishing the communication link, the first device is configured to:

attempt to establish a communication link with the hearing-impaired party via the first method in response to the first telephone call, and

attempt to establish a communication link with the hearing-impaired party via a second method when the first method is not successful.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein when establishing the communication link, the first device is configured to:

establish the communication link without receiving information from the first hearing party.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein the server is further configured to:

receive a second telephone call from a second hearing party, the second telephone call having the terminating number, and

forward the second telephone call; and

wherein the first device is further configured to;

receive the forwarded second telephone call,

attempt to establish a communication link from the communication assistant to the hearing-impaired party based on the terminating number, and

store a message from the second hearing party when the hearing-impaired party is not available.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the first device is further configured to:

provide an indication to a user device associated with the hearing-impaired party that the message is stored, and

allow the hearing-impaired party to retrieve the message.

23. A system, comprising:

means for receiving a telephone call from a hearing party, the telephone call having a terminating number corresponding to a telephone number assigned to a hearing-impaired party;

means for forwarding the telephone call to a first device;

means for storing a plurality of telephone numbers and at least one method associated with the plurality of telephone numbers, the at least one method corresponding to a preferred method of communicating with a hearing-impaired party, wherein the at least one method associated with at least some of the plurality of telephone numbers is instant messaging; and

means for establishing a communication link from the first device to the hearing-impaired party based on the terminating number and information stored by the means for storing.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the at least one method comprises a plurality of methods and the means for establishing comprises:

means for attempting to establish a communication link with the hearing-impaired party via a first one of the plurality of methods in response to the telephone call, and

means for attempting to establish a communication link with the hearing-impaired party via a second one of the plurality of methods when the first method is not successful.

25. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

means for storing messages for the hearing-impaired party when the hearing-impaired party is not available; and

means for providing an indication to a user device associated with the hearing-impaired party that at least one message is stored.

26. A method, comprising:

receiving a first telephone call from a first party, the first telephone call having a terminating number corresponding to a telephone number associated with a hearing-impaired party;

accessing a database comprising a plurality of telephone numbers and at least one communication method associated with each of the plurality of telephone numbers wherein the at least one communication method associated with at least some of the plurality of telephone numbers is instant messaging or video relay service;

identifying a first communication method associated with the hearing-impaired party based on information in the database; and

establishing a communication link to the hearing-impaired party based on the terminating number and using the first communication method.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the establishing comprises:

establishing the communication link without interacting with the first party to receive information from the first party.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the identifying a first communication method comprises:

identifying a communication method associated with the terminating number.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the first communication method comprises a preferred communication method selected by the hearing-impaired party.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

assigning the telephone number to the hearing-impaired party; and

validating the telephone number.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the validating comprises:

providing instructions to the hearing-impaired party associated with activating the assigned telephone number,

receiving information from the hearing-impaired party in response to the instructions, and

determining whether to activate the assigned telephone number based on the received information.

32. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

providing a plurality of options to the hearing-impaired party, each of the options representing a communication method;

receiving a selection from the hearing-impaired party corresponding to a first one of the options; and

storing information corresponding to the first option with the telephone number assigned to the hearing-impaired party, and wherein the identifying the first communication method comprises;

identifying the first option.

33. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

receiving a second telephone call from a second party, the second telephone call having the terminating number corresponding to the telephone number associated with the hearing-impaired party;

attempting to establish a communication link to the hearing-impaired party, in response to the second telephone call, using the first communication method;

attempting to establish a communication link to the hearing-impaired party using at least one other communication method, in response to the second telephone call, when the first communication method is not successful; and

storing a message from the second party for the hearing-impaired party when the communication link to the hearing-impaired party is not established via the first communication method or the at least one other communication method.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

providing an indication to a user device associated with the hearing-impaired party that the message is stored; and

allowing the hearing-impaired party to retrieve the stored message.

35. A method, comprising:

receiving first information identifying a plurality of methods by which a hearing-impaired party wishes to communicate;

receiving second information identifying an order with respect to attempting to establish communications with the hearing-impaired party via the plurality of methods, a first one of the plurality of methods being instant messaging or video relay;

storing the first and second information;

receiving a telephone call from a hearing party, the telephone call having a terminating number corresponding to a telephone number associated with the hearing-impaired party; and

establishing a communication link, using the stored first and second information, from a communication assistant to the hearing-impaired party based on the terminating number.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

providing at least one user interface to the hearing-impaired party for inputting the first and second information.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

assigning a telephone number to the hearing-impaired party; and

providing instructions to the hearing-impaired party associated with activating the assigned telephone number.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising:

receiving information from the hearing-impaired party in response to the instructions; and

determining whether to activate the assigned telephone number based on the received information.

39. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

assigning a toll free telephone number to the hearing-impaired party.

40. A system, comprising:

processing logic configured to;

receive first information identifying at least one method by which a hearing-impaired party wishes to communicate, a first one of the at least one method being instant messaging or video relay, and

receive second information identifying an order with respect to attempting to establish communications with the hearing-impaired party via the at least one method; and

a memory configured to;

store the first and second information,

wherein the processing logic is further configured to;

receive a telephone call from a hearing party, the telephone call having a terminating number corresponding to a telephone number associated with the hearing-impaired party, and

establish a communication link, using the stored first and second information, from a communication assistant to the hearing-impaired party based on the terminating number.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the processing logic is further configured to:

provide at least one user interface to the hearing-impaired party for inputting the first and second information.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein the processing logic is further configured to:

assign a telephone number to the hearing-impaired party, and

provide instructions to the hearing-impaired party associated with activating the assigned telephone number.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the processing logic is further configured to:

receive information from the hearing-impaired party in response to the instructions, and

determine whether to activate the assigned telephone number based on the received information.