System and method for incremental do-not-disturb

• US 8,340,263 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2007
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rondeau, David E., Brunton, Jill B., Toner, Victoria M., Fisher, Jenny Lou, Blair, Randall Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZENATI, AMAL S
• Application Number:
  US11/809,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20080298575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,035 Days
• Field of Search: 378/194, 379/194, 455/414.1, 455/412.1
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/14 Delay circuits; Timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• 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 3/54 Arrangements for diverting calls for one subscriber to another predetermined subscriber based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; to voice mail H04M3/53308

Abstract

A system and method for incremental do-not-disturb. User input is received to activate the incremental do-not-disturb. The incremental do-not-disturb is activated for a time period in response to receiving the user input to activate the incremental do-not-disturb. The incoming calls are diverted during the time period in response to activating the incremental do-not-disturb.

Claims

1. A method for incremental do-not-disturb, comprising:

receiving user input at a telephone associated with activating the incremental do-not-disturb on the telephone, the user input specifying a time period for maintaining the incremental do-not-disturb on the telephone, wherein the user input is one or more successive taps applied to the telephone, wherein each tap increments the time period by a predetermined amount of time;

activating the incremental do-not-disturb for the time period in response to a determination that the telephone has been tossed by the user based on a measurement of an accelerometer integrated within the telephone; and

diverting incoming calls from the telephone during the time period in response to activating the incremental do-not-disturb.

2. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

receiving a plurality of do-not-disturb activation signals, wherein each of the do-not-disturb activation signals represents a time increment added to the time period to generate a new time period.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving, activating, and diverting are performed by any of a home locator record, a wireless phone, a voice over Internet protocol phone, a class 5 switch, and a standard telephone.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

processing the incoming calls normally in response to the time period expiring.

5. The method according to claim 1,

wherein the one or more successive taps are applied to a predetermined corner of a touch screen of the telephone.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more successive taps are applied in a predetermined pattern.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein diverting further comprises:

playing an incremental do-not-disturb message in response to receiving an incoming call.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined pattern is Morse code for specifying the time period for maintaining the incremental do-not-disturb on the telephone.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

sending the incoming call to voicemail after playing the incremental do-not-disturb message.

10. A telephone enabled for incremental do-not-disturb, comprising:

a touch sensor for detecting one or more successive taps applied to the telephone;

a processor that executes instruction to;

detect the one or more successive taps applied to the telephone;

increment a time period applied to the incremental do-not-disturb feature by a predetermined amount of time per each tap; and

count down the time period, wherein enabling the incremental do-not-disturb feature causes the telephone not to ring during the time period;

an accelerometer, wherein the processor further executes instructions to determine whether the telephone has been tossed by a user based on measurements obtained by the accelerometer and enable the incremental do-not-disturb in response to a determination that the telephone has been tossed by the user.

11. The telephone according to claim 10, wherein the processor further executes instructions to play an incremental do-not-disturb message to a calling party before the time period has expired.

12. The telephone according to claim 11, wherein the incremental do-not-disturb message automatically specifies the time remaining in the time period to the calling party.

13. The telephone according to claim 11, wherein the processor further executes instructions to send an incoming call to voicemail after playing the incremental do-not-disturb message.

14. The telephone according to claim 10, wherein the one or more successive taps are applied to a predetermined corner of a touch screen of the telephone.