Intelligent filtering for contact spanning multiple access networks

• US 7,373,428 B1
• Filed: 12/14/1999
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Stringer, David Robert, Harker, Andrew Newton, Davies, Elwyn B., Parsons, Eric W., Armstrong, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIA, SYED
• Application Number:
  US09/461,492
• Time in Patent Office: 3,073 Days
• Field of Search: 709/249
• US Class Current: 709/249
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

A personal communications portal maintains presence information about a user who may be available at one or more terminal devices on one or more access networks comprising a multiple access network. The access networks may operate in different transmission modes and may utilize different signaling formats (text, graphics, voice, video, etc.). A watched party specifies preferences as to who may contact him, at what times, on what kind of network and device. A watching party requesting to contact the watched party may be given direct contact information for contacting the user, may be given indirect contact information for contacting the user without being informed of the watched party'"'"'s whereabouts, may be placed directly in communication with the watched party, or may forward a message to the user. If the caller is forwarding a message to the user or is placed in communication with the user, and if caller and user are using different transmission modes or different signaling formats, the personal communications portal mediates communication appropriately. Further, the personal communications portal may determine the watched party'"'"'s physical location based upon the presence information received from the multiple access network and possibly from information received related to events which take place outside of the multiple access network, but which are reported to the portal.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating communication between a watched party and a watching party over a multiple access network where the watching party wishes to contact the watched party and the watching party uses a first type of device on a first type of access network and the watched party uses a second type of device on a second type of access network comprising:

storing, on a personal communications portal device, a plurality of contact addresses for said watched party in a common location which is accessible via said multiple access network, each contact address being associated with corresponding ones of a plurality of different types of devices;

receiving a request from a watching party via a first type of access device on the first access network to contact said watched party, wherein said request includes an indication of a contact address associated with a watched party access device of the first type;

directing the request to the personal communications portal device having access to the stored contact addresses;

determining, by the personal communications portal device, presence information for the watched party including identifying which of said different devices are in active communication with the multiple access network;

selecting, by the personal communications portal device, one of the plurality of contact addresses associated with at least one device identified as being in active communication with the multiple access network and being of a different type than the watching party device operating in response to a watched party defined contact rule, the watched party defined contact rule associating watched party presence and user preferences with each of the plurality of contact addresses;

determining whether to permit the watching party to contact the watched party based at least in-part on which type of device is the active device and identity of the watching party; and

if it is determined to permit the watching party to contact the watched party, prompting, by the personal communications portal device, redirection of communications between the first type of device associated with the first access network and used by the watching party to the second type of device associated with the second access network and used by the watched party by forwarding the selected contact address to the watching party to enable the watching party to contact the watched party at the selected contact address in response to the watched party contact rules, whereby quickly contacting the watched party may be facilitated and controlled, and personal mobility is supported.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

providing, by the personal communications portal device, the selected contact address and a description of the device associated with the selected contact address to the watching party.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

determining that said watched party is accessible via a plurality of devices;

contacting said watched party via at least one of said plurality of devices based upon said set of watched party defined contact rules.

4. The method according to claim 3 further comprising:

providing the selected contact address and a description of the device associated with the selected contact address to the watching party.

5. The method according to claim 4 further comprising:

providing the selected contact address and a respective description of each of said plurality of devices to said watching party.

6. The method according to claim 2 further comprising determining a contextual situation of a watched party and providing a description of said contextual situation to said watching party.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a contact identifier associated with the plurality of contact addresses and converting said contact identifier into at least one of said plurality of contact addresses.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising receiving a contact identifier associated with the plurality of contact addresses and converting said contact identifier into a plurality of said plurality of contact addresses.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

controlling access to said determination that said watched party has access to said multiple access network via said at least one device based upon said watched party defined contact rules.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to contacting said watched party, automatically determining a location of said watched party.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the location of said watched party is automatically determined based at least in part on recent use of said at least one device.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the location of said watched party is automatically determined based at least in part on recent use of said at least one device.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein at least one of said plurality of contact addresses is associated with said at least one device.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising the step of selecting one of said contact addresses based at least in part on said set of watched party defined contact rules.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising the step of selecting a contact address associated with a device, that is not at the automatically determined location of the watched party.

34. The method of claim 32, further comprising the step of selecting a contact address associated with a device that is at the automatically determined location of the watched party.

35. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to contacting said watched party, determining a location of said watched party based on a plurality of sources.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the plurality of sources comprises the at least one device that said watched party uses to access said multiple access network.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising

prior to contacting said watched party, accessing a stored information about said watched party in the at least one device.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising

prior to contacting said watched party, determining the location of said watched party based on the stored information in the at least one device.

39. The method of claim 1, further comprising prior to contacting said watched party, accessing a location information of said watched party in the watched party defined contact rules.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising:

prior to contacting said watched party, determining a location of said watched party based on the location information found in the watched party defined contact rules.

10. Apparatus operable to facilitate communication between a watched party and a watching party over a multiple access network where the watching party wishes to contact the watched party and the watching party uses a first type of device on a first type of access network and the watched party uses a second type of device on a second type of access network comprising:

a personal communications portal device comprising;

a processor and memory coupled to said multiple access network, wherein said memory is configured to store contact information for contacting said watched party via a plurality of different types of devices associated with different access networks, the contact information including a plurality of different contact numbers, each corresponding to ones of a plurality of different types of devices wherein each type of device is associated with a particular access network; and

at least one watched party defined contact rule stored in said memory, the watched party defined contact rule associating watched party presence and user preferences with each of the plurality of contact numbers; and

a plurality of gateways coupled between said personal communications portal device and said plurality of access networks, wherein said plurality of gateways are configured to provide said personal communications portal device with information pertaining to a presence of said watched party on said plurality of access networks, including which of the devices is currently in active communication with at least one of the access networks,

wherein said processor is operable in response to a request from a watching party to contact said watched party via a first type of device on the first access network, wherein said request includes an indication of a contact address associated with a watched party device of the first type, to select one of the contact addresses associated with a device in active communication with at least one of the access networks in accordance with contact rules such that the selected watched party device is of a different type than the watching party device;

wherein said processor is operable to determine whether to permit the watching party to contact the watched party based at least in-part on which type of device is the active device and identity of the watching party; and

wherein, if it is determined to permit the watching party to contact the watched party, said processor prompts redirection of communications between a first access network used by the watching party and a second, different access network used by the device associated with the selected contact address such that the watched party receives the communications on a different type of device than the watching party employs to transmit the communications, thereby facilitating personal mobility.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 further comprising a plurality of watched party defined contact rules stored in said memory.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein:

said contact information includes at least one destination address of said watching party for contacting said watched party via at least one of said access networks.

13. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein:

said contact information includes at least one device type for contacting said watching party.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13 wherein:

said device type is selected from the group consisting of telephone, facsimile, pager, e-mail system, and video conference system.

15. The apparatus according to claim 12 wherein:

said subset of said contact information comprises a contact identifier which is convertible by said processor into at least one contact address for said watched party.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said contact identifier comprises a telephone number.

17. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein said contact identifier comprises a data network address.

18. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said processor is configured to limit access to a watching party to at least one set of contact information based upon said at least one watched party defined contact rule.

19. Apparatus operable to facilitate communication between a watched party and a watching party over a multiple access network where the watching party wishes to contact the watched party and the watching party uses a first type of device on a first type of access network and the watched party uses a second type of device on a second type of access network, comprising:

means for processing and storing data, coupled to said multiple access network, operable for storing contact information for contacting said watched party via a plurality of different types of devices, each associated with a particular type of access network, the contact information including a plurality of contact addresses associated with the plurality of devices;

means for generating at least one contact rule stored in said data storing means, the contact rule associating watched party presence and user preferences with each of the plurality of contact numbers;

gateway means coupled between said processor means and said plurality of access networks for providing said processing means with information pertaining to a presence of said watched party on said plurality of access networks, including which of the devices is in active communication with at least one of said access networks; and

,

wherein said processing means is further configured to provide one of the plurality of contact addresses to a watching party seeking access to the watched party in response to a watching party request and the watched party defined contact rules such that the provided contact address is associated with a watched party device that is of a different type than the watching party device;

wherein said processing means is further configured to determine whether to permit the watching party to contact the watched party based at least in-part on which type of device is the active device and identity of the watching party; and

wherein, if it is determined to permit the watching party to contact the watched party, said processing means prompts redirection of communications between a first access network used by the watching party and a second, different access network used by the device associated with the selected address such that the watched party receives the communications on a different type of device than the watching party employs to transmit the communications,

thereby facilitating personal mobility.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19 further comprising:

a plurality of watched party defined contact rules stored in said storing means.

21. The apparatus according to claim 19 wherein:

said contact information includes at least one destination address of said watching party for contacting said watched party via at least one of said access networks.

22. The apparatus according to claim 19 wherein:

said contact information includes at least one device type for contacting said watching party.

23. The apparatus according to claim 22 wherein:

said device type is selected from the group consisting of telephone, facsimile, pager, e-mail system, and video conference system.

24. The apparatus according to claim 19 wherein:

a subset of said contact information comprises a contact identifier which is convertible by said processor means into at least one contact address for said watched party.

25. The apparatus according to claim 24 wherein:

said contact identifier comprises a telephone number.

26. The apparatus according to claim 24 wherein:

said contact identifier comprises a data network address.

27. The apparatus according to claim 19 wherein said processor means is configured to limit access to a watching party to at least one set of contact information based upon said at least one watched party defined contact rule.