Routing telecommunications to a user in dependence upon device-based routing preferences

• US 8,223,946 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Agrawal, Kavita K., Bodin, William K., Rybczynski, Gregory W., Thorson, Derral C.
• Primary Examiner(s): AL AUBAIDI, RASHA S
• Application Number:
  US12/059,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20080175371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,569 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 455/456.1, 455/445
• US Class Current: 379/211.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server

Abstract

Routing telecommunications to a user including receiving a call, determining that the call is intended for the user, receiving an RFID signal from an RFID tag located with the user, determining the user'"'"'s location in dependence upon the RFID signal, identifying a plurality of available telephony devices in dependence upon the user'"'"'s location, identifying a device-based preference for the user, selecting one of the plurality of available telephony devices in dependence upon the device-based preference, and forwarding the call to the selected telephony device. In typical embodiments, determining that the call is intended for the user also includes prompting the caller for the name of the user and receiving from the caller the name of the user.

Claims

1. A method for routing telecommunications to a user, the method comprising:

receiving a call;

determining that the call is intended for the user;

receiving a plurality of RFID signals at a plurality of RFID reader locations from an RFID tag located with the user;

determining for each of the plurality of RFID reader locations an area of possible locations of the RFID tag;

determining an intersection of the areas of possible locations;

determining the user'"'"'s location in dependence upon the plurality of RFID signals;

identifying a plurality of available telephony devices in dependence upon the user'"'"'s location;

identifying a device-based preference for the user;

selecting one of the plurality of available telephony devices in dependence upon the device-based preference; and

forwarding the call to the selected telephony device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining that the call is intended for the user further comprises:

prompting the caller for the name of the user; and

receiving from the caller the name of the user.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the location of the user in dependence upon the RFID signal further comprises:

determining the location of the user in dependence upon the plurality of RFID reader locations and a rule.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining for each RFID reader an area of possible locations of the RFID tag comprises determining for each RFID reader a distance between the RFID reader and the RFID tag.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying device-based preferences for the user further comprises selecting a device-based preferences record from a preferences database.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting one of the plurality of available telephony devices in dependence upon the device-based preferences comprises:

reading from a device-based preferences record an indication of a preferred telephony device type; and

selecting a telephony device of the preferred communication device type.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting one of the plurality of available telephony devices in dependence upon the device-based preferences further comprises:

determining a priority of the call; and

selecting one of a plurality of telephony devices in dependence upon the priority of the call.

8. A system for routing telecommunications to a user, the system comprising:

means for receiving a call;

means for determining that the call is intended for the user;

means for receiving a plurality of RFID signals at a plurality of RFID reader locations from an RFID tag located with the user;

means for determining for each of the plurality of RFID reader locations an area of possible locations of the RFID tag;

means for determining an intersection of the areas of possible locations;

means for determining the user'"'"'s location in dependence upon the plurality of RFID signals;

means for identifying a plurality of available telephony devices in dependence upon the user'"'"'s location;

means for identifying a device-based preference for the user;

means for selecting one of the plurality of available telephony devices in dependence upon the device-based preference; and

means for forwarding the call to the selected telephony device.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein means for determining that the call is intended for the user further comprises:

means for prompting the caller for the name of the user; and

means for receiving from the caller the name of the user.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein means for determining the location of the user in dependence upon the RFID signal further comprises:

means for determining the location of the user in dependence upon the plurality of RFID reader locations and a rule.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein means for determining for each RFID reader an area of possible locations of the RFID tag comprises means for determining for each RFID reader a distance between the RFID reader and the RFID tag.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein means for identifying device-based preferences for the user further comprises means for selecting a device-based preferences record from a preferences database.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein means for selecting one of the plurality of available telephony devices in dependence upon the device-based preferences comprises:

means for reading from a device-based preferences record an indication of a preferred telephony device type; and

means for selecting a telephony device of the preferred communication device type.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein means for selecting one of the plurality of available telephony devices in dependence upon the device-based preferences further comprises:

means for determining a priority of the call; and

means for selecting one of a plurality of telephony devices in dependence upon the priority of the call.

15. A non-transitory computer program product for routing telecommunications to a user, the computer program product comprising:

a recording medium;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving a call;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining that the call is intended for the user;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving a plurality of RFID signals at a plurality of RFID reader locations from an RFID tag located with the user;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining for each of the plurality of RFID reader locations an area of possible locations of the RFID tag;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining an intersection of the areas of possible locations;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining the user'"'"'s location in dependence upon the RFID signal;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying a plurality of available telephony devices in dependence upon the user'"'"'s location;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying a device-based preference for the user;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting one of the plurality of available telephony devices in dependence upon the device-based preference; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for forwarding the call to the selected telephony device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining that the call is intended for the user further comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for prompting the caller for the name of the user; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving from the caller the name of the user.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining the location of the user in dependence upon the RFID signal further comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining the location of the user in dependence upon the plurality of RFID reader locations and a rule.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining for each RFID reader an area of possible locations of the RFID tag comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining for each RFID reader a distance between the RFID reader and the RFID tag.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying device-based preferences for the user further comprises means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting a device-based preferences record from a preferences database.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting one of the plurality of available telephony devices in dependence upon the device-based preferences comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for reading from a device-based preferences record an indication of a preferred telephony device type; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting a telephony device of the preferred communication device type.

21. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting one of the plurality of available telephony devices in dependence upon the device-based preferences further comprises:

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining a priority of the call; and

means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting one of a plurality of telephony devices in dependence upon the priority of the call.