Universal point of contact identifier system and method
First Claim
1. A method of contacting a person using a universal point of contact identifier, the method comprising:
- (a) receiving the universal point of contact identifier input into an initiating device;
(b) locating, based on the universal point of contact identifier, a plurality of point of contact information for contacting the person;
(c) sending a request for the person'"'"'s preferred point of contact information, the request including at least a portion of the universal point of contact identifier identifying the person and including a contact type identifier identifying a type of contact requested from among a plurality of types of contact;
(d) receiving the person'"'"'s preferred point of contact information corresponding to the type of contact indicated by the contract type identifier; and
(e) automatically establishing a communication session, consistent with the type of contact indicated by the contact type identifier, between the initiating device and a preferred point of contact specified in the preferred point of contact information without sending the person'"'"'s preferred point of contact information to the initiating device.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A subscriber to a universal point of contact service designates a preferred point of contact at which a communication initiator, such as a telephone caller, can contact the subscriber. Such an initiator desiring to contact the subscriber uses the subscriber'"'"'s email address to establish a communication session with a device associated with the subscriber'"'"'s preferred point of contact. The subscriber'"'"'s email address is input to an initiating device, preferably a telephone or facsimile machine, using an entry device capable of entering an email address. A requestor unit, receiving the email address, locates a repository of the subscriber'"'"'s point of contact information, and requests that information. The repository sends the point of contact information the subscriber has designated as preferred, and the requester unit uses that information to control a telephone switch to establish a communication session between the initiating device and the subscriber'"'"'s preferred point of contact device.
64 Citations
60 Claims
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1. A method of contacting a person using a universal point of contact identifier, the method comprising:
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(a) receiving the universal point of contact identifier input into an initiating device; (b) locating, based on the universal point of contact identifier, a plurality of point of contact information for contacting the person; (c) sending a request for the person'"'"'s preferred point of contact information, the request including at least a portion of the universal point of contact identifier identifying the person and including a contact type identifier identifying a type of contact requested from among a plurality of types of contact; (d) receiving the person'"'"'s preferred point of contact information corresponding to the type of contact indicated by the contract type identifier; and (e) automatically establishing a communication session, consistent with the type of contact indicated by the contact type identifier, between the initiating device and a preferred point of contact specified in the preferred point of contact information without sending the person'"'"'s preferred point of contact information to the initiating device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 60)
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22. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium, for contacting a person having a universal point of contact identifier at the person'"'"'s preferred point of contact using the person'"'"'s universal point of contact identifier, the computer program comprising:
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program instructions for receiving the person'"'"'s universal point of contact identifier input into an initiating device; program instructions for locating, based on the person'"'"'s universal point of contact identifier, a repository containing a plurality of point of contact information for contacting the person; program instructions for sending to the repository a request for the person'"'"'s preferred point of contact information, the request including at least a portion of the universal point of contact identifier identifying the person and including a contact type identifier identifying a type of contact requested from among a plurality of types of contact; and program instructions for automatically establishing a communication session, consistent with the type of contact indicated by the contact type identifier, between the initiating device and the person'"'"'s preferred point of contact in response to receiving the person'"'"'s preferred point of contact information. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A requestor unit for connecting a communication initiator'"'"'s initiating device to a recipient'"'"'s preferred destination device, wherein the recipient has a universal point of contract identifier and the communication initiator enters the recipient'"'"'s universal point of contact identifier into the initiating device to initiate a contact with the recipient, and a repository has recorded therein a plurality of point of contact information for contacting the recipient, the requestor unit comprising:
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a network interface unit connected to a telephone network switch for receiving the universal point of contact identifier entered by the caller; a control unit connected to the network interface unit, identifying the repository in response to receipt of the recipient'"'"'s universal point of contact identifier; and a repository interface unit connected to the control unit and to a data network for sending a request to the repository for the recipient'"'"'s preferred point of contact information, the request including a contact type identifier for identifying a type of contact requested from among a plurality of types of contact, and receiving in response to the request the recipient'"'"'s preferred point of contact information, wherein in response to receiving the recipient'"'"'s preferred point of contact information the control unit operates to cause a communication session, consistent with the type of contact indicated by the contact type identifier, to be established between the initiator'"'"'s device and a device identified by the recipient'"'"'s preferred point of contact information. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A method of locating, within a repository of point of contact information, information designating a person'"'"'s preferred point of contact by an email address, the method comprising:
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receiving a signal containing identification information that uniquely identifies the person within the repository, the identification information comprising at least a portion of the email address, wherein the received signal contains an indicator of a desired type of contact from among a plurality of types of contact; locating, based on the identification information, a collection of contact information for use in contacting the person; determining from among the collection of contact information the person'"'"'s preferred point of contact based on the desired type of contact indicated by the indicator contained in the received signal; and outputting point of contact information specifying the person'"'"'s preferred point of contact. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
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47. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium, for locating, within a repository of point of contact information, information specifying a person'"'"'s preferred point of contact by using an email address, the program comprising:
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program instructions for receiving a signal containing identification information that uniquely identifies the person within the repository, the identification information comprising at least a portion of the email address, wherein the received signal contains an indicator of a desired type of contact from among a plurality of types of contact; program instructions for locating, based on the identification information, a collection of contact information for use in contacting the person; program instructions for determining from among the collection of contact information the person'"'"'s preferred point of contact based on the desired type of contact indicated by the indicator contained in the received signal; and program instructions for outputting point of contact information specifying the person'"'"'s preferred point of contact. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51)
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52. A point of contact repository, comprising:
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a server connected to a network and receiving a request for information specifying a person'"'"'s preferred point of contact, the request including at least a portion of an email address associated with the person and including a contact type identifier indicating a type of contact requested from among a plurality of types of contact; and a storage unit storing a collection of point of contact information for use in contacting the person, wherein certain of the information is designated for a preferred point of contact at which the person prefers to be contacted, wherein the server, in response to receiving the request for the person'"'"'s point of contact information, locates the person'"'"'s preferred point of contact information for the type of contact indicated by the contact type identifier, based on person'"'"'s email address, and returns the located information. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. A method of interacting with a point of contact repository having a collection of point of contact information for a person and associated with that person'"'"'s email address, the point of contact information being associated with a plurality of types of contact, the method comprising:
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identifying the person'"'"'s collection of point of contact information; and for each type of contact in the contact information designating as a preferred point of contact one of the points of contact among the person'"'"'s collection of point of contact information, wherein the preferred point of contact information is provided in response to a request initiated by a communication initiator attempting to contact the person, wherein the communication initiator initiates the request by entering the person'"'"'s email address into an initiating device, the request including a contact type identifier identifying a type of contact requested among the plurality of types of contact. - View Dependent Claims (58)
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59. A method of contacting a person using an email address, comprising:
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(a) receiving the email address input into an initiating device; (b) locating, based on the email address, a plurality of point of contact information for contacting the person; (c) sending a request for the person'"'"'s preferred point of contact information, the request including at least a portion of the email address identifying the person and a contact type identifier identifying a type of contact requested among a plurality of types of contact; (d) receiving the person'"'"'s preferred point of contact information; and (e) automatically establishing a communication session, consistent with the type of contact indicated by the contact type identifier, between the initiating device and a preferred point of contact specified in the preferred point of contact information.
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Specification