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

• US 8,270,589 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2008
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• 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
• Application Number:
  US12/342,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20090098878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 37921101-21102, 455/445, 455/456.1
• 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 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 an RFID signal from an RFID tag located with the user;

means for determining the user'"'"'s location in dependence upon the RFID signal including means for receiving three or more RFID signals respectively at three or more RFID reader locations from the RFID tag, and means for determining for each of the three or more RFID reader locations a distance between the RFID reader and the RFID tag;

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

a computer memory configured to store a preferences database, said computer memory configured to be accessible via a network;

means for identifying a device-based preference for the user based on the user'"'"'s location including means for selecting a device-based preferences record from said preferences database;

means for selecting one of the plurality of available telephony devices in dependence upon the device-based preference including means for reading from a device-based preferences record an indication of a preferred telephony device type based on the user'"'"'s location; and

means for forwarding the call to the selected telephony device;

wherein said device-based preference is one of a plurality of device-based preferences associated with the user and stored in said preferences database.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said means for determining that the call is intended for the user provides a caller prompt for the user'"'"'s name and receives from the caller an indication of the user'"'"'s name.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for determining a priority of the call;

wherein the device-based preferences record uses the priority of the call as one criteria for selecting one of the plurality of telephony devices.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a first device-based preferences record specifies a second one of the plurality of telephony devices even though a first one of the plurality of telephony devices is closer to the user'"'"'s location.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein a second device-based preferences record specifies a third one of the plurality of telephony devices if the user'"'"'s location is within a predefined distance from said third one of the plurality of telephony devices.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of device-based preferences is based on an input from the user indicating at least one user-specified device-based preference.

7. A computer program product for routing telecommunications to a user, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory 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 an RFID signal from an RFID tag located with the user;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining the user'"'"'s location in dependence upon the RFID signal including means, recorded on the recording medium, for receiving three or more RFID signals respectively at three or more RFID reader locations from the RFID tag, and means, recorded on the recording medium, for determining for each of the three or more RFID reader locations a distance between the RFID reader and the RFID tag;

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 accessing via a network a preferences database stored on a computer memory;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for identifying a device-based preference for the user based on the user'"'"'s location including means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting a device-based preferences record from preferences database;

means, recorded on the recording medium, for selecting one of the plurality of available telephony devices in dependence upon the device-based preference including means, recorded on the recording medium, for reading from a device-based preferences record an indication of a preferred telephony device type based on the user'"'"'s location; and

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

wherein said device-based preference is one of a plurality of device-based preferences associated with the user and stored in said preferences database.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein said means for determining that the call is intended for the user provides a caller prompt for the user'"'"'s name and receives from the caller an indication of the user'"'"'s name.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising:

means for determining a priority of the call;

wherein the device-based preferences record uses the priority of the call as one criteria for selecting one of the plurality of telephony devices.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein a first device-based preferences record specifies a second one of the plurality of telephony devices even though a first one of the plurality of telephony devices is closer to the user'"'"'s location.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein a second device-based preferences record specifies a third one of the plurality of telephony devices if the user'"'"'s location is within a predefined distance from said third one of the plurality of telephony devices.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein at least one of said plurality of device-based preferences is based on an input from the user indicating at least one user-specified device-based preference.

13. A method of routing telecommunications to a user, the method comprising:

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 including receiving three or more RFID signals respectively at three or more RFID reader locations from the RFID tag, and determining for each of the three or more RFID reader locations a distance between the RFID reader and the RFID tag;

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

accessing a preferences database stored on a computer memory accessible via a network;

identifying a device-based preference for the user based on the user'"'"'s location including selecting a device-based preferences record from the preferences database;

selecting one of the plurality of available telephony devices in dependence upon the device-based preference including reading from a device-based preferences record an indication of a preferred telephony device type based on the user'"'"'s location; and

forwarding the call to the selected telephony device;

wherein said device-based preference is one of a plurality of device-based preferences associated with the user and stored in said preferences database.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said means for determining that the call is intended for the user provides a caller prompt for the user'"'"'s name and receives from the caller an indication of the user'"'"'s name.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a priority of the call;

wherein the device-based preferences record uses the priority of the call as one criteria for selecting one of the plurality of telephony devices.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein a first device-based preferences record specifies a second one of the plurality of telephony devices even though a first one of the plurality of telephony devices is closer to the user'"'"'s location.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein a second device-based preferences record specifies a third one of the plurality of telephony devices if the user'"'"'s location is within a predefined distance from said third one of the plurality of telephony devices.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one of said plurality of device-based preferences is based on an input from the user indicating at least one user-specified device-based preference.