Call handling using non-speech cues via a personal assistant
First Claim
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1. A call handling system, comprising:
- a user terminal;
a call handling device adapted to establish connection between a user telephone and a telephone network, said call handling device including a transceiver for allowing two-way communication between the user terminal and the call handling device;
a presence signal identifying a status of the user'"'"'s present ability to answer an incoming call to the user telephone;
wherein said call handling device includes a processor and is operative to direct an incoming call intended for placement to the user telephone and to handle the incoming call in response to said presence signal by one of directing the incoming call to the user telephone or sending a first message about the incoming call to the user terminal, the call handling device further operative to send a second message from the user terminal to the caller of the incoming call indicating at least one of how or when the incoming call will be answered by the user; and
means for allowing a two-way messaging dialogue between said user device and the caller of the incoming call, the two-way messaging dialogue being different from the two-way communication created by answering the incoming call, whereby the user can request and receive information from the caller regarding the nature of the call before answering the call using the two-way messaging dialogue.
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Abstract
A call handling system includes a call handling device arranged between a user'"'"'s phone and a telephone network. The call handling device detects an incoming call to the user'"'"'s phone and forwards a message to the user including information about the incoming call to a mobile device held by a user over a two-way interface. Furthermore, the call handling device allows the user to send instructions regarding how to handle the call from the mobile device over the two-way interface.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A call handling system, comprising:
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a user terminal; a call handling device adapted to establish connection between a user telephone and a telephone network, said call handling device including a transceiver for allowing two-way communication between the user terminal and the call handling device; a presence signal identifying a status of the user'"'"'s present ability to answer an incoming call to the user telephone; wherein said call handling device includes a processor and is operative to direct an incoming call intended for placement to the user telephone and to handle the incoming call in response to said presence signal by one of directing the incoming call to the user telephone or sending a first message about the incoming call to the user terminal, the call handling device further operative to send a second message from the user terminal to the caller of the incoming call indicating at least one of how or when the incoming call will be answered by the user; and means for allowing a two-way messaging dialogue between said user device and the caller of the incoming call, the two-way messaging dialogue being different from the two-way communication created by answering the incoming call, whereby the user can request and receive information from the caller regarding the nature of the call before answering the call using the two-way messaging dialogue. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 25, 27)
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13. A method for handling incoming telephone calls intended for placement to a user telephone in a telephone system having a call handling device and a mobile user terminal, the call handling device adapted to establish connection between the user telephone and a telephone network, said method comprising the steps of:
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detecting, by the call handling device, an incoming call to the user telephone; determining, by the call handling device, whether to direct the incoming call to the user telephone or to forward a first message about the incoming call to the user device; if it is determined to forward a first message, then sending, by the call handling device, the first message including call information about the incoming call to the user device over a communication interface; allowing a two-way messaging dialogue between the mobile user terminal and the caller, the two-way messaging dialogue being different from the two-way communication created by answering the incoming call, and sending, by the user, a request to the caller for information regarding the nature of the call via the two-way messaging dialogue before answering the call; and sending, by the user, a second message from the user device to the caller of the incoming call through the call handling device in response to the first message, the second message indicating at least one of how or when the incoming call will be answered by the user, wherein said step of determining whether to direct the incoming call to the user telephone comprises identifying a presence of the user at the user telephone, the presence indicating the user'"'"'s present ability to answer an incoming call to the user telephone, and using the identified presence as a factor in determining whether to direct the incoming call to the user telephone. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 28)
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Specification