Creation of context for communications based on previous interactions

• US 8,271,543 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2008
• Issued: 09/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Butt, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Chbouki, Tarek
• Application Number:
  US12/021,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20090193038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,695 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/803
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

In one embodiment, an identification (ID) of a person involved in a current communication is utilized to access a communication log to determine an active time interval of a previous communication with the same person. The active time interval is utilized to identify the context material of the previous communication and access to the context material is provided during the current communication.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a call to initiate a current communication, with the call including a caller identification (CID) identifying a caller;

accessing, using a processor executing context creation software, a locally maintained communication log, where the communication log includes entries each including a CID, a start time of a communication and an indication of the length of the communication, to determine an active time interval between start and finish times of a previous communication identified by the CID of the caller participating in a current communication;

searching, using the processor executing the context creation software and using only the start and finish times, a usage log, that is not part of the communication log, maintained locally by an application program that is not part of the context creation software, where the usage log includes entries each including an identifier of resource material accessed and an indication of the time that the resource material was accessed, to identify resource material accessed between the start and finish times of the active time interval; and

providing, using the processor executing the context creation software, access to identified resource material while the current communication is ongoing.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

displaying, using the processor, one or more pointers to the identified resource material in a user interface.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

storing, using the processor, all identified resource material for the CID in a context database; and

applying, using the processor, a heuristic algorithm to the context database to determine which pointers to display.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein applying the heuristic algorithm comprises:

applying, using the processor, a most frequently used algorithm.

5. An apparatus comprising:

a memory storing context creation program code;

an external interface;

a processor coupled to the memory and the external interface, with the processor configured to execute the context creation program code to utilize the external interface to search one or more locally maintained communication logs, call logs or email logs to determine one or more active time intervals, each time interval having a start time and a finish time, of a communication identified by a caller identification (CID) included in a received call identification of a caller participating in a current communication, with the processor further configured to execute the context creation program code to utilize the external interface to search, using only the start and finish times, one or more usage logs, not included in the communication logs, maintained locally by an application program that is not part of the context creation program code, where each usage log includes entries each including an identifier of resource material accessed and an indication of the time that the resource material was accessed, to identify resource material accessed between the start and finish times of the one or more active time intervals and with the processor further configured to execute the context creation program code to provide access to identified resource material while the current communication is ongoing.

6. The apparatus of claim 5:

with the processor further configured to execute the context creation program code to display one or more pointers to identified resource material in a user interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 6:

with the processor further configured to execute the context creation program code to store all identified resource material in a context database; and

with the processor further configured to execute the context creation program code to apply a heuristic algorithm to the context database to determine which pointers to display.

8. The apparatus of claim 7:

with the processor further configured to execute the context creation program code to apply a most frequently used algorithm.

9. One or more non-transitory computer readable storage media with an executable context creation program stored thereon, wherein the program instructs a processor to:

access a locally maintained communication log, where the communication log includes entries each including an caller identification (CID), a start time of a communication and an indication of the length of the communication, to determine an active time interval between start and finish times of a previous communication identified by a (CID) included in a received call identifying a caller participating in a current conversation;

search, using only the start and finish times, a usage log, that is not part of the communication log, maintained locally by an application program that is not part of the context creation program, where the usage log includes entries each including an identifier of resource material accessed and an indication of the time that the resource material was accessed, to identify identified resource material accessed between the start and finish times of the active time interval; and

provide access to identified resource material while the current communication is ongoing.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 9 wherein the context creation program further instructs the processor to:

display one or more pointers to the identified resource material in a user interface.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 10 wherein the context creation program further instructs the processor to:

store all identified resource material for the CID in a context database; and

apply a heuristic algorithm to the context database to determine which pointers to display.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer readable storage media of claim 11 wherein the context creation program that instructs the processor to apply the heuristic algorithm further instructs the processor to:

apply a most frequently used algorithm.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a memory storing context creation program code, a locally maintained communication log having entries including a caller identification (CID), a start time and indication of the length of the communication, and a usage log, that is not part of the communication log, maintained locally by an application program that is not part of the context creation program code having entries including an identifier of resource material accessed and an indication of the time when the resource material was accessed; and

a processor, coupled to access the memory, configured to execute the context creation program code to utilize a (CID) included in a received call identifying a caller participating in a current conversation to access the communication log to determine an active time interval between start and finish times of a previous communication identified by the CID of the caller participating in a current conversation, to search, using only the start and finish times, the usage log to identify resource material accessed between the start and finish times of the active time interval, and to provide access to identified resource material while the current communication is ongoing.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 with the processor further configured to execute the context creation program code to:

display one or more pointers to the identified resource material in a user interface.