Method and system for forwarding communications

• US 8,027,700 B2
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Russell, Alicia Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): Shedrick; Charles
• Application Number:
  US12/790,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20100240343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 455/417, 455/462, 455/459, 455/519, 37921103-21105
• US Class Current: 455/552.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1091 Fixed mobile conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308

Abstract

A method includes receiving an identification value from a wireless beacon at a mobile device when the mobile device is within a detection area of the wireless beacon. The method also includes determining whether the wireless beacon is a recognized wireless beacon based on the identification value using a look up table accessible to the mobile device. An alternate communication address is selected from the look up table based on the identification value received from the wireless beacon, and communications addressed to the mobile device are redirected to the alternate communication address.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an identification value from a wireless beacon device at a mobile device when the mobile device is within a detection area of the wireless beacon device, wherein the identification value identifies the wireless beacon device;

determining, at the mobile device, whether the wireless beacon device is a recognized wireless beacon device based on the identification value using a look up table accessible to the mobile device;

selecting, at the mobile device, an alternate communication address that is associated with a second communication device from the look up table based on the identification value received from the wireless beacon device, wherein the second communication device is different from the wireless beacon device; and

in response to selecting the alternate communication address at the mobile device, causing communications addressed to the mobile device to be redirected to the second communication device via the alternate communication address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the communications addressed to the mobile device to be redirected to the alternate communication address comprises sending a forwarding request to a wireless switch from the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identification value comprises a user selected identification.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises a mobile telephone device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device receives the identification value using a Bluetooth receiver.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining to cease redirecting communications to the alternate communication address; and

causing redirection of the communications to the alternate communication address to cease.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the determination to cease redirecting the communications is made in response to determining that the mobile device has ceased to receive the identification value from the wireless beacon device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the determination to cease redirecting the communications is made in response to a user action.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises a multi-mode telephone capable of communicating via a wireline network and via a wireless network, and wherein the alternate communication address is a network address of the mobile device on the wireline network.

10. A system, comprising:

a wireless communication device comprising a first receiver to facilitate two-way voice communication using a first wireless protocol, a second receiver to facilitate monitoring of wireless information using a second wireless protocol, and a communications interface, the wireless communication device comprising;

a first control module to provide a first request to forward communications to an alternate communication device when an identifier received by the second receiver from a wireless beacon device is recognized based on the identifier matching an entry in a look up table accessible to the wireless communication device, wherein the identifier identifies the wireless beacon device and wherein a network address of the alternate communication device is determined based on the identifier.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the alternate communication device is proximal to the wireless beacon device.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising a second control module to provide a second request to cease forwarding communications to the alternate communication device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the second control module sends the second request in response to detecting that the wireless communication device has moved out of range of the wireless beacon device.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein, when the first control module receives a second identifier associated with a second wireless beacon device, the first control module determines whether the second identifier is recognized based on the look up table, and, when the second identifier is recognized, the first control module provides a second request to forward communications to a second alternate communication device, wherein the second identifier identifies the second wireless beacon device, wherein the second alternate communication device is proximal to the second wireless beacon device, and wherein a second network address of the second alternate communication device is determined based on the second identifier.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the identifier includes a user-selected identifier.

16. A wireless beacon device, comprising:

a wireless communication interface configured to wirelessly transmit a unique identification of the wireless beacon device to a mobile device located within a wireless coverage area of the wireless beacon device, wherein, when the wireless beacon device is recognized by the mobile device based on the unique identification and based on a look up table accessible to the mobile device, the mobile device selects an alternate network address corresponding to a second communication device based on the unique identification and forwards external communications to the second communication device via the alternate network address while the mobile device is within the wireless coverage area of the wireless beacon device, and wherein the unique identifier identifies the wireless beacon device.

17. The wireless beacon device of claim 16, wherein the unique identification includes a user-selected identification.

18. The wireless beacon device of claim 16, wherein, when a second mobile device enters the wireless coverage area of the wireless beacon device, the second mobile device determines whether the unique identification is recognized based on a look up table accessible to the second mobile device, and, when the unique identification is recognized by the second mobile device, the second mobile device selects the alternate network address corresponding to the unique identification and forwards external communications to the alternate network address while the second mobile device is within the wireless coverage area of the wireless beacon device.

19. The wireless beacon device of claim 18, wherein a communication device associated with the alternate network address provides a first distinctive notification of receipt of a first external communication redirected from the mobile device and a second distinctive notification of receipt of a second external communication redirected from the second mobile device.

20. The wireless beacon device of claim 16, wherein the wireless beacon device requests a user password before sending the unique identification.