Phone batch calling task management system

• US 7,684,552 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2006
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Modu Limited (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Engel, Sariel, Baum, Erez, Weisfeld, Yitzhak Tzahi, Engel, Gilad, Pomerantz, Itzhak
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S
• Application Number:
  US11/543,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20070154008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 379/216.01, 379/210.01
• US Class Current: 379/201.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2473 Telephone terminals interfacing a personal computer, e.g. using an API (Application Programming Interface) details of API H04M7/0021
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2749 Automatic dialling or redialling systems, e.g. on off-hook or redial on busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72502 with one base station connected to a single line

Abstract

A system and method for postponing and managing outgoing calling tasks for on or off-site retrieval are presented. More precisely a system and method are presented to compile a list of pending calling tasks, transfer a task to a calling device and prompt a user to make a call. Optionally the list may contain synchronized sublists, one sublist on a personal computer and a second sublist an a mobile calling device. At the completion of a calling task or other event, the list is automatically updated.

Claims

1. A system for management of a calling task for a user comprising:

a) a list that contains at least one record, each record of said list including a name and each record of said list representing a pending calling task to a party associated with said name;

b) a first device comprising;

a computer processor for controlling operation of the first device; and

a computer-readable storage medium storing program code for causing said computer processor;

(i) to create and maintain said list,

(ii) to enable a user to add as a record to the list, at any given time, a call postponed by the user, and

(iii) to automatically designate, from time to time, one of said at least one record as being a currently active record; and

c) a second device, communicatively coupled with said first device, configured to initiate an outgoing call to the party associated with the name included in said currently active record, at any desired time upon activation of a postponed calls function by the user,

wherein the program code causes said computer processor to automatically designate the call postponed by the user as being the currently active record at a time later than the given time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the program code causes said computer processor to facilitate adding of a new record containing a particular name to said list by dragging and dropping an object associated with said particular name into an icon associated with said list.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said object is selected from the group consisting of a contact from a contact list, a received e-mail message, a sent e-mail message, a dialed Voice over IP telephone conversation, a segment of text, an Outlook task, and an Outlook appointment.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said new record includes a telephone number and said telephone number is associated with said new record using inclusion and linking.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the program code further causes said computer processor to maintain said list by performing at least one maintenance operation selected from the group consisting of deleting a defunct record, adding a new record, downloading a new record from said second device, and downloading a new record from a third device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the program code further causes said computer processor to convert a reminder of an approaching appointment into said currently active record.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one record of said list further includes an alternative telephone number.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one party is a plurality of people and at least one pending calling task corresponds to a conference call.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said second device is further configured to present said name included in said currently active record to the user and to receive a response, from the user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said response is selected from the group consisting of initiating said outgoing call, skipping said currently active record and deleting said currently active record from said list.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein said second device is further configured to employ a mode of presentation of said name included in said currently active record, corresponding to a state of said second device.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the program code further causes said computer processor to add a new record to said list in response to an instruction of a person from a plurality of authorized persons.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the program code further causes said computer processor to receive said instruction over a network.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising

d) a third device, communicatively coupled with said first device, configured to convey said instruction to said first device.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said currently active record further includes a time interval acceptable to initiate said outgoing call.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the program code causes said computer processor to skip said outgoing call when a current time is outside of said time interval.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said current time is adjusted according to a caller time zone and a time zone of said party.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the program code further causes said computer processor to perform a maintenance operation on said list in response to an incident.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein said incident is a member of the group consisting of initiating of said outgoing call, initiating of a call to a party associated with one of said records, receiving a call from a party associated with one of said records, receiving an SMS message from a party associated with one of said records, receiving an e-mail from a party associated with one of said records, receiving an instruction conveyed via a data communication service from an authorized person, receiving an instruction from an automatic list cleaning algorithm, receiving by said second device of an unanswered telephone call, initiating on said second device of an unanswered call, initiating on said second device of a call to a party associated with one of said records, downloading information from a third device and receiving a scheduled instruction.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the program code causes said computer processor to add a new record to said list in response to an occurrence.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein said occurrence is a member of the group consisting of an Outlook scheduled notice, a time lapse since a previous call, a missed call, and an unanswered call.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein said first device and said second device are included in a mobile phone.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein said second device is a mobile device and said first device is separate from said mobile device, the system further comprising:

d) a communication channel for transferring said currently active record from said first device to said mobile device.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein said first device is located at a site and said second device is configured to initiate said outgoing call off said site, the system further comprising:

d) a communication channel for transferring said currently active record from said first device to said second device.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein said second device is independent from said first device and wherein said list includes a first sublist residing in said first device and a second sublist residing in said second device the system further comprising:

d) a communication channel for synchronizing said first sublist and said second sublist.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the program code causes said computer processor to detect a record which is contained only in said first sublist and to effect said synchronizing by performing at least one operation selected from the group consisting of copying said record from said first sublist to said second sublist, moving said record from said first sublist to said second sublist and deleting said record from said first sublist.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein said second device is configured to maintain said second sublist.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein said second device is configured to perform a maintenance operation in response to an incident.

29. The system of claim 23, wherein said first device is a personal computer and said second device is a mobile phone.

30. A computer processor-based method for postponing an outgoing calling task for a user, the method comprising:

a) compiling, by a computer processor controlled electronic device, a list containing at least one record, wherein each record of said list includes a name and wherein each record of said list represents a pending calling task to a party associated with said name, comprising;

enabling, by the electronic device, a user to add as a record to the list, at any given time, a postponed call; and

automatically designating, by the electronic device, from time to time, one of said at least one record as being a currently active record;

b) transferring, by the electronic device, said currently active record to a second device, and

c) initiating, automatically by said second device, an outgoing call to the party associated with the name included in said currently active record, at any desired time upon activation of a postponed calls function by the user,

wherein said automatically designating automatically designates the call postponed by the user as being the currently active record at a time later than the given time.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

d) adding a record to said list in response to the user dragging and dropping an object associated with a name into an icon associated with said list.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

e) prompting by said second device of the user to initiate said outgoing call, and

wherein said initiating is performed subsequent to said prompting.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein said second device is a mobile device.

34. A computer processor-based method for postponing an outgoing calling task for a user, the method comprising the steps of:

a) compiling, by a computer processor controlled electronic associated therewith, comprising;

enabling, by the electronic device, a user to add as a record to the list, at any given time, a call postponed by the user; and

automatically designating, by the electronic device, at a time later than the given time, one of said at least two records as being a currently active record;

b) transferring, by the electronic device, said currently active record to a second device; and

c) initiating, automatically by said second device, an outgoing call to the party associated with said currently active record at any desired time upon activation of a postponed calls function by the user,

wherein, upon completion of said outgoing call, said automatically designating automatically designates another record from said at least two records as being the currently active record.