Smart secretary for routing call objects in a telephony network

• US 7,143,182 B1
• Filed: 10/27/2000
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gits, Peter Michael, Seavey, Dale J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bates, Kevin T
• Application Number:
  US09/698,779
• Time in Patent Office: 2,223 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238, 709/204, 709/200, 379/90.01, 379/93.01, 379/265.02, 379/265.11, 379/265.13, 379/201.03, 379/201.09, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.X, 455/4, 455/17
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/527 Centralised call answering arrangements not requiring operator intervention
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/0029 Provisions for intelligent networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/66 Traffic distributors

Abstract

A message-processing agent receives an object from a space in a Scalable Infrastructure system. The message-processing agent determines the destination of the object and checks a preference setting for the destination. The message-processing agent then routes the object to its destination as determined by the preference settings, possibly altering the destination in favor of an alternate destination indicated by the preference settings.

Claims

1. A method for routing calls in a communications system, comprising:

receiving a call object in a persistent store identifying an incoming phone call for a recipient, wherein the persistent store allows insertion of objects without loss of attributes and has a notification service;

translating the call object into a smart secretary object that the persistent store can operate upon;

identifying the recipient from the smart secretary object;

determining if an object exists within a community that includes the persistent store that provides preferences for the recipient;

if an object does not exist that provides preferences for the recipient;

translating the smart secretary object to a call object for a phone associated with the recipient; and

ringing the phone associated with the recipient; and

if an object does exist that provides preferences for the recipient, routing the call according to the preferences of the recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising examining call data associated with a call to avoid routing loops.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein routing the call according to preferences of the recipient further comprises:

routing the call to a different recipient;

determining if an object exists that provides preferences for the different recipient; and

routing the call according to preferences for the different recipient.

4. The method of claim 3, the method further comprising returning to the preferences of the recipient after completing the routing of the call according to the preferences of the different recipient, if there is no answer at any numbers identified by the preferences of the different recipient.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein routing the call according to the preferences of the recipient further comprises routing the call sequentially to numbers identified by the preferences of the recipient.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein routing the call according to the preferences of the recipient further comprises broadcasting the call to number identified by the preferences of the recipient.