Call urgency screening

• US 8,189,755 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2006
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RingCentral Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Siemens Enterprise Communications, Inc. (Atos SE)
• Inventors: Winikoff, Dave, Tiruthani, Saravanakumar, Scheinhart, Wolfgang
• Primary Examiner(s): Sing, Simon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohammed, Assad
• Application Number:
  US11/522,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20070172042A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,084 Days
• Field of Search: 37914204-14206, 379/201.02, 379/215.01, 379/201.1
• US Class Current: 379/201.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• 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 3/527 Centralised call answering arrangements not requiring operator intervention

Abstract

In some embodiments, a call urgency screening system may include one or more of the following features: (a) a data storage device comprising, (i) a call urgency screening program that allows a recipient to choose whether to accept a call from a caller or offer to the caller other alternate call handling of the call based on interaction with the caller and a dialog engine, and (b) a processor coupled to the data storage device that executes the call urgency screening program.

Claims

1. A method for call urgency screening comprising:

a server receiving a presence status of a user;

the server receiving call handling rules from a computing device of the user, the call handling rules being based on the presence status of the user;

the server detecting a communication request for establishing a communication connection between the user and a caller for forming a communication;

the server determining whether to provide the presence status of the user to the caller based on an identity of the caller;

if the presence status of the user is provided to the caller, the server determining whether to effect the requested communication connection between the user and the caller based on the call handling rules;

if the caller satisfies the call handling rules;

the server effecting a connection of the requested communication connection between the user and the caller;

if the caller does not satisfy the call handling rules;

the server prompting the caller to provide subject matter information about a subject matter of the requested communication connection, the server storing the subject matter information provided by the caller;

the server determining if the user wants to receive the communication based on the stored subject matter information provided by the caller,

if the user wants to receive the communication, the server forwarding the communication to the user to effect the connection of the requested communication connection between the user and the caller, and

if the user does not want to receive the communication, the server forgoing forwarding of the communication to the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if the caller does not satisfy the call handling rules the server determining if the user wants to receive the communication comprises the server initiating a real-time communication or a messaging communication via at least one communication device of the user to obtain input from the user for use in routing the requested communication connection.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising the user providing input to the server specifying to the server a preference for routing the communication in response to the server initiating the real-time communication or the messaging communication with the user, and the server routing the requested communication connection according to the preference specified by the user in the input the user provided to the server.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein if the caller does not satisfy the call handling rules, the server determining if the user wants to receive the requested communication connection based on the stored subject matter information provided by the caller comprises the server performing a search of keywords on the subject matter information provided by the caller about the subject matter of the requested communication connection.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the server monitoring a presence status of the caller and wherein the call handling rules are also based on the presence status of the caller.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the call handling rules comprise a first list of identification information associated with at least one first caller such that the at least one first caller of the first list is connectable to the user regardless of the presence status of the user, a second list of identification information associated with at least one second caller such that the at least one second caller of the second list is connectable to the user based upon the presence status of the user, and a third list of identification information associated with at least one third caller such that the at least one third caller of the third list is not connected to the user regardless of the presence status of the user and is automatically sent to a voicemail system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein if the presence status of the user is provided to the caller, said presence status provided to said caller being a presence status that is adjusted based upon the identity of the caller in accordance with predefined presence status rules set by the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein if the presence status of the user is not provided to the caller, the server providing a default presence status of the user to the caller, the default presence status being unavailable.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein if the user does not want to receive the communication, the method further comprising the server transferring the communication to a voicemail system, the server connecting the communication to a delegate of the user, or the server receiving a setting for a callback from the caller.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein if the caller does not satisfy the call handling rules, prompting the caller to provide the subject matter information about the subject matter of the requested communication connection comprises the server initiating a dialogue with the caller to receive the information from the caller, the dialogue comprising a voice conversation, an Instant Message (“

IM”

) session, a Short Message Service (“

SMS”

) session, or an inter-media dialogue.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein if the caller does not satisfy the call handling rules and if the user wants to receive the communication, the method further comprising the user communicating with the caller to determine an importance of the communication, wherein the communicating with the caller being carried out via a real-time communication, a messaging communication, or an inter-media dialogue.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the call handling rules are also based on a location of the user, a time zone of the user, device and media capability of the user, and calendar context of the user.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the server prompting the caller to provide the subject matter information about the requested communication connection comprises a virtual assistant of the server prompting the caller to provide the information.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein if the user does not want to receive the communication, the method further comprising the server forwarding the requested communication connection based on the information provided by the caller to a predetermined device of the user and the server sending a notification to the user that the requested communication connection was routed to the predetermined device.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the presence status of the user is one of in the office, on business trip, and on vacation.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the requested communication connection comprises a voice communication, a video communication, a cellular communication, an email, an IM message, or a SMS.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein if the presence status of the user is provided to the caller, the presence status of the user is an aggregated presence status.

18. A system for call urgency screening comprising:

a server; and

a computing device of a user; and

the server receiving a presence status of the user; and

the server receiving call handling rules from the computing device of the user, the call handling rules being based on the presence status of the user; and

the server detecting a communication request for establishing a connection between the computing device of the user and a caller device of the caller for a communication; and

the server determining whether to provide the presence status of the user to the caller based on an identity of the caller; and

if the presence status of the user is provided to the caller, the server determining whether to connect the caller device to the computing device of the user based on the call handling rules; and

if the caller satisfies the call handling rules;

the server connecting the computing device and the caller device for the communication;

if the caller does not satisfy the call handling rules;

the server prompting the caller to provide subject matter information about a subject matter of the communication, the server storing the subject matter information provided by the caller;

the server determining if the user wants to receive the communication based on the stored information provided by the caller,

if the user wants to receive the communication, the server forwarding the communication to the user, and

if the user does not want to receive the communication, the server forgoing forwarding of the communication to the user.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein if the server determines that the caller does not satisfy the call handling rules, the server performing a search of keywords on the stored subject matter information provided by the caller about the subject matter of the communication to determine whether the user wants to receive the communication.

20. The device of claim 18 wherein if the caller does not satisfy the call handling rules, the server contacting the computing device of the user with a real-time communication or a messaging communication, the server receiving a preference from the user for routing the communication, and the server routing the communication according to the preference specified by the user.