Call waiting using external notification and presence detection

• US 8,130,931 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Spencer, Bradford L., Murphy, Stephen Vaughan
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai N
• Application Number:
  US11/830,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20070274497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,681 Days
• Field of Search: 379/211.02, 379/201.01, 379/201.02, 379/201.05, 379/211.04, 379/215.01
• US Class Current: 379/215.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/06 Recording class or number of calling , i.e. A-party or called party , i.e. B-party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0045 where the text-based messaging service is an instant messaging service

Abstract

Alerting an intended recipient of a phone call includes identifying an account based on a phone call received from a caller and accessing configuration data related to the account. The configuration data is used to identify an identity associated with the account. One or more external online service provider systems are queried across a network to determine whether the identity is available to receive an electronic communication associated with the phone call. The electronic communication associated with the phone call is sent across the network to the one or more external online service provider systems conditioned on whether the identity is determined to be available to receive the electronic communication. The one or more external online service provider systems send the electronic communication to the identity.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for alerting an intended recipient of a phone call, the method comprising:

identifying an account based on a phone call received from a caller;

accessing configuration data related to the account;

identifying several identities associated with the account based on the configuration data accessed, the several identities including a first identity and a second identity;

accessing identity-level call preferences for the first identity;

determining whether the first identity is available to receive a first electronic communication associated with the phone call based on the identity-level call preferences for the first identity;

sending to the first identity the first electronic communication associated with the phone call conditioned on determining that the first identity is available to receive the first electronic communication;

accessing identity-level call preferences for the second identity, the identity-level call preferences for the second identity being different from the identity-level call preferences for the first identity;

determining whether the second identity is available to receive a second electronic communication associated with the phone call based on the identity-level call preferences for the second identity;

sending to the second identity the second electronic communication associated with the phone call conditioned on determining that the second identity is available to receive the second electronic communication;

receiving a third electronic communication from the first identity, responding to the first electronic communication;

receiving a fourth electronic communication from the second identity, responding to the second electronic communication;

resolving a conflict between the third electronic communication and the fourth electronic communication; and

handling the phone call based on the conflict resolution.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the account based on the phone call comprises identifying the account based on a call destination telephone number to which the call is directed.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving call origin information that includes a caller phone number.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein at least a portion of the call origin information is sent to the first identity if the first identity is determined to be available to receive the first electronic communication, and at least a portion of the call origin information is sent to the second identity if the second identity is determined to be available to receive the second electronic communication, such that the first electronic communication and the second electronic communication each include at least a portion of the call origin information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining whether the first identity is available to receive the first electronic communication includes determining whether the first identity is online; and

determining whether the second identity is available to receive the second electronic communication includes determining whether the second identity is online.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein identifying several identities including a first identity and a second identity comprises identifying several screen names for an instant messaging application including a first screen name and a second screen name.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

accessing identity-level call preferences for the first identity comprises accessing a first block list maintained for the first identity;

determining whether the first identity is available to receive the first electronic communication comprises;

determining whether a phone number of the caller is included in the first block list, and

determining that the first identity is not available conditioned on the phone number of the caller being included in the first block list;

accessing identity-level call preferences for the second identity comprises accessing a second block list maintained for the second identity, the second block list being different from the first block list; and

determining whether the second identity is available to receive the second electronic communication comprises;

determining whether the phone number of the caller is included in the second block list, and

determining that the second identity is not available conditioned on the phone number of the caller being included in the second block list.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

accessing identity-level call preferences for the first identity comprises accessing first parental controls associated with the first identity; and

accessing identity-level call preferences for the second identity comprises accessing second parental controls associated with the second identity, the second parental controls being different from the first parental controls.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

determining whether the first identity is available to receive the first electronic communication comprises determining whether the first parental controls effect restrictions for a phone number of the caller; and

determining whether the second identity is available to receive the second electronic communication comprises determining whether the second parental controls effect restrictions for the phone number of the caller.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein:

determining whether the first identity is available to receive the first electronic communication comprises determining whether the first parental controls effect restrictions for a phone number of the caller based on a time of day in which the call was received; and

determining whether the second identity is available to receive the second electronic communication comprises determining whether the second parental controls effect restrictions for the phone number of the caller based on the time of day in which the call was received.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

accessing identity-level call preferences for the first identity comprises accessing a first preferred caller list maintained for the first identity;

determining whether the first identity is available to receive the first electronic communication comprises;

determining whether a phone number of the caller is included in the first preferred caller list, and

determining that the first identity is available to receive the first electronic communication and available to receive the phone call at a first preferred communication device conditioned on the phone number of the caller being included in the first preferred caller list;

accessing identity-level call preferences for the second identity comprises accessing a second preferred caller list maintained for the second identity, the second preferred caller list being different from the first preferred caller list; and

determining whether the second identity is available to receive the second electronic communication comprises;

determining whether the phone number of the caller is included in the second preferred caller list, and

determining that the second identity is available to receive the second electronic communication and available to receive the phone call at a second preferred communication device conditioned on the phone number of the caller being included in the second preferred caller list.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

determining whether the first identity is available to receive the first electronic communication comprises querying one or more external online service providers across a network to determine whether the first identity is available to receive the first electronic communication; and

sending to the first identity the first electronic communication comprises sending across the network to the one or more external online service provider systems the first electronic communication conditioned on whether the first identity is determined to be available to receive the first electronic communication.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein

accessing identity-level call preferences for the first identity comprises accessing call notification distribution preferences for the first identity;

and

determining whether the first identity is available to receive a first electronic communication comprises determining, based on the call notification distribution preferences, that the first identity is available to receive the first electronic communication through a first external online service provider system and not available to receive the first electronic communication through a second external online service provider system.

14. A computer system for alerting an intended recipient of a phone call, the computer system comprising:

a data store for storing configuration data;

a telephony interface element configured to receive a phone call from a caller; and

a call processing element configured to;

identify an account based on the phone call;

access the data store to retrieve configuration data related to the account;

identify several identities associated with the account based on the configuration data accessed, the several identities including a first identity and a second identity;

access identity-level call preferences for the first identity;

determine whether the first identity is available to receive a first electronic communication associated with the phone call based on the identity-level call preferences for the first identity;

send to the first identity the first electronic communication associated with the phone call conditioned on determining that the first identity is available to receive the first electronic communication;

access identity-level call preferences for the second identity, the identity-level call preferences for the second identity being different from the identity-level call preferences for the first identity;

determine whether the second identity is available to receive a second electronic communication associated with the phone call based on the identity-level call preferences for the second identity;

send to the second identity the second electronic communication associated with the phone call conditioned on determining that the second identity is available to receive the second electronic communication;

receive a third electronic communication from the first identity, responding to the first electronic communication;

receive a fourth electronic communication from the second identity, responding to the second electronic communication;

resolve a conflict between the third electronic communication and the fourth electronic communication; and

handle the phone call based on the conflict resolution.

15. A computer-implemented method for alerting an intended recipient of a phone call, the method comprising:

identifying an account based on a phone call received from a caller;

accessing configuration data related to the account;

identifying several identities associated with the account based on the configuration data accessed, the several identities including a first identity and a second identity;

accessing identity-level call preferences for the first identity;

determining first message contents for a first electronic communication associated with the call based on the identity-level call preferences for the first identity;

sending the first electronic communication to the first identity;

accessing identity-level call preferences for the second identity;

determining second message contents for a second electronic communication associated with the call based on the identity-level call preferences for the second identity, the second message contents being different from the first message contents; and

sending the second electronic communication to the second identity;

receiving a third electronic communication from the first identity, responding to the first electronic communication;

receiving a fourth electronic communication from the second identity, responding to the second electronic communication;

resolving a conflict between the third electronic communication and the fourth electronic communication; and

handling the phone call based on the conflict resolution.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein identifying an account based on a phone call comprises identifying an account based on a call destination telephone number to which the call is directed.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving call origin information that includes a caller phone number.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first electronic communication and the second electronic communication each include at least a portion of the call origin information.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein identifying several identities including the first identity and the second identity includes identifying a first user identifier through which an online status of a first user may be determined and a second user identifier through which an online status of a second user may be determined.

20. The method of claim 19, identifying several identities including a first identity and a second identity comprises identifying several screen names for an instant messaging application including a first screen name and a second screen name.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein:

determining first message contents comprises determining contents configured to inspire a first call notification display for presentation to a first user by a first call destination computer system, the first call notification display being configured to notify the first user of the phone call; and

determining second message contents comprises determining contents configured to inspire a second call notification display for presentation to a second user by a second call destination computer system, the second call notification display being configured to notify the second user of the phone call and being different from the first call notification display.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein:

determining contents configured to inspire a first call notification display includes determining, based on the identity-level call preferences for the first identity, first call processing options for display in the first call notification display, the first call processing options being selectable by the first user to process the phone call; and

determining contents configured to inspire a second call notification display includes determining, based on the identity-level call preferences for the second identity, second call processing options for display in the second call notification display, the second call processing options being selectable by the second user to process the phone call.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein determining the second call processing options includes determining second call processing options that include at least one option that is not included in the first call processing options.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein:

determining the first call processing options includes determining first call processing options that are specified by the first user, and

determining the second call processing options includes determining second call processing options that are specified by the second user.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein determining the first call processing options includes determining first call processing options that include an option selectable to forward the call to another phone number.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein determining the first call processing options includes determining first call processing options that include an option selectable to ignore the call.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein determining the first call processing options includes determining first call processing options that include an option selectable to send an audio message to the caller.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein determining the first call processing options includes determining first call processing options that include an option selectable to send an audio message to the caller that is selectable by the first identity from among multiple different audio messages.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein determining first call processing options includes determining first call processing options that include an option selectable to send an audio message to the caller that is selectable by the first identity from among multiple different audio messages, the multiple different audio messages including an audio message that informs the caller that the call is being redirected to another phone number.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein determining first call processing options includes determining first call processing options that include an option selectable to send an audio message to the caller that is selectable by the first identity from among multiple different audio messages, the multiple different audio messages including an audio message that informs the caller that the call will be answered by a call recipient shortly.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein determining the first call processing options includes determining first call processing options that include an option selectable to take a message from the caller.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising recording an audio message from the caller as audio data, sending the audio data to the first call destination computer system while the caller is leaving the audio message, and, before the caller finishes leaving the audio message, enabling perception by the first user of the transmitted audio data.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising enabling the first user to react to the phone call in response to the audio message.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein enabling the first user to react to the phone call includes generating a call screening message in response to the received phone call and sending the call screening message to the first call destination computer system before the phone call is terminated.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the call screening message includes contents configured to inspire a first call screening display that includes first call screening options selectable by the first user to react to the phone call while the caller is leaving the audio message and before the caller finishes leaving the audio message.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the first call screening options include an option selectable to send the phone call to a call destination.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the call screening options include an option selectable to send an outbound audio message to be perceived by the caller.

38. A computer system for alerting an intended recipient of a phone call, the computer system comprising:

a data store for storing configuration data;

a telephony interface element configured to receive a phone call from a caller; and

a call processing element configured to;

identify an account based on a phone call received from a caller;

access the data store to retrieve configuration data related to the account;

identify several identities associated with the account based on the configuration data accessed, the several identities including a first identity and a second identity;

access identity-level call preferences for the first identity;

determine first message contents for a first electronic communication associated with the call based on the identity-level call preferences for the first identity;

send the first electronic communication to the first identity;

access identity-level call preferences for the second identity;

determine second message contents for a second electronic communication associated with the call based on the identity-level call preferences for the second identity, the second message contents being different from the first message contents;

send the second electronic communication to the second identity;

receive a third electronic communication from the first identity, responding to the first electronic communication;

receive a fourth electronic communication from the second identity, responding to the second electronic communication;

resolve a conflict between the third electronic communication and the fourth electronic communication; and

handle the phone call based on the conflict resolution.