Communications system that provides user-selectable data when user is on-hold

• US 8,064,888 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2007
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Michael M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro; Nick
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, MAHENDRA R
• Application Number:
  US11/787,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20080254774A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,685 Days
• Field of Search: 715/210, 715/782, 715/234, 715/251, 404/11, 707/5, 707/104, 707/E17, 455/414, 340/825
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4285 Notifying, informing or entertaining a held party while on hold, e.g. Music On Hold

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing user-selectable data when a user is on hold are provided. A communications system can automatically detect when a user is placed on hold. Additionally, a user can indicate when he/she has been placed on hold. After it has been determined that a user is placed on hold, the system can select adaptive information according to predetermined selection criteria and present that adaptive information to the user. A system can also generate contextual data which is related to the content of a current communication and use that contextual data (in addition to any predetermined selection criteria) to select adaptive information that is relevant to a user'"'"'s communications. Contextual data can be generated before a user is placed on hold by analyzing a communications signal in order to identify keywords that are based on the content of that communication.

Claims

1. A method performed in a cellular telephone of a user for presenting user-specific adaptive information to the user while the user is on hold, the method comprising:

determining that the user is on hold;

identifying a party that put the user on hold;

selecting user-specific adaptive information from a data storage in the user'"'"'s cellular telephone based on identification of the party, wherein the user-specific adaptive information includes at least one of personal information about the party, information in the user'"'"'s calendar about the party, and information about a previous communication between the user and the party; and

presenting the user-specific adaptive information to the user in response to determining that the user is on hold.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the user is no longer on hold; and

terminating presentation of the user-specific adaptive information in response to determining that the user is no longer on hold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining that the user is on hold while connected to a node and the method further comprises:

preventing the node from ending the on hold status until the user-specific adaptive information has been presented.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the user is on hold comprises monitoring received audio from the party for sound which indicates that the user has been placed on hold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the user is on hold comprises monitoring received audio from the party for a frequency component which indicates when the user is on hold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-specific adaptive information is music.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-specific adaptive information is presented audibly.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-specific adaptive information is presented graphically.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the user is no longer on hold comprises monitoring received audio from the party for sound which indicates that the party has taken the user off hold.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein determining that the user is no longer on hold comprises monitoring received audio from the party for a frequency component which indicates when the user is no longer on hold.

11. A method performed in a cellular telephone of a user for presenting user-specific adaptive information to the user while the user is on hold, the method comprising:

analyzing received audio to generate contextual data;

determining that the user is on hold;

identifying a party that put the user on hold; and

presenting user-specific adaptive information from a data storage in the user'"'"'s cellular telephone to the user in response to determining that the user is on hold, wherein the user-specific adaptive information is based on the contextual data and on identification of the party, and includes at least one of personal information about the party, information in the user'"'"'s calendar about the party, and information about a previous communication between the user and the party.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining that the user is no longer on hold; and

terminating presentation of the user-specific adaptive information in response to determining that the user is no longer on hold.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein analyzing received audio comprises identifying keywords.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the contextual data comprises:

keywords;

number of occurrences of each keyword; and

the most recent time that each keyword was identified in the received audio.

15. A cellular telephone comprising:

communications circuitry operable to communicate with other devices;

processor circuitry operable to identify one of the other devices that put a user of the cellular telephone on hold and to select user-specific adaptive information from a data storage in the user'"'"'s cellular telephone based on identification of a party associated with the other device, wherein the user-specific adaptive information includes at least one of personal information about the party, information in the user'"'"'s calendar about the party, and information about a previous communication between the user and the party; and

user interface circuitry operable to present at least a portion of the user-specific adaptive information to the user while the user is on hold.

16. The device of claim 15, further comprising:

storage circuitry operable to store user-specific adaptive information which can be selected by the processor circuitry.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the communications circuitry is operable to determine if a user of the device is on hold.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the processor circuitry is operable to determine if a user of the device is on hold.

19. A communications system comprising:

a cellular telephone operable to identify a communications device that put the cellular telephone on hold and to present user-specific adaptive information to a user of the cellular telephone from a data storage in the user'"'"'s cellular telephone in response to the user being on hold, wherein the user-specific adaptive information is selected based on identification of a party associated with the communications device and includes at least one of personal information about the party, information in the user'"'"'s calendar about the party, and information about a previous communication between the user and the party;

a communications network operable to communicate with a plurality of communications devices; and

the communications device operable to communicate with the cellular telephone.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the communications network is a cellular telephone network and the communications device is a cellular telephone.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the cellular telephone comprises storage circuitry operable to store user-specific adaptive information.

22. A method for using a cellular telephone to provide user-specific adaptive information during a hold event, the method comprising:

establishing a connection between the cellular telephone and a second device;

receiving indication of a hold event from the second device; and

providing media content to a user of the cellular telephone from a data storage in the user'"'"'s cellular telephone during the hold event based on identification of a party associated with the second device, and wherein the media content includes at least one of personal information about the party, information in the user'"'"'s calendar about the party, and information about a previous communication between the user and the party.