Performing routing of a phone call based on mutual contacts of a contact list

• US 8,385,531 B2
• Filed: 05/06/2008
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chavez, Timothy R., Eisinger, Jacob D., Hollinger, Michael C., King, Jennifer E., Lauridsen, Christina K., Morgan, Fabian F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Joseph J
• Application Number:
  US12/115,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20090279680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,757 Days
• Field of Search: 379/221.01, 379/221.02, 379/221.05, 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/212.01, 379/201.02, 455/445, 455/446, 455/417
• US Class Current: 379/221.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• 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 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• 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 method, system, and computer program for routing an outgoing communication in real time is presented. A communication is received from a caller to an intended receiving wireless telecommunication device. In response to the communication failing to connect to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, scan of other alternate telecommunication devices is initiated to determine if other communication devices are available for receiving a re-route of the original communication. If an alternate telecommunication device is available to receive the communication, then the communication is rerouted to the preferred alternate telecommunication device based on the alternate telecommunication device being a mutual contact of the contact list of the caller telecommunication device and the mapping profile of the intended receiving telecommunication device.

Claims

1. A method of routing an incoming communication, the method comprising:

a caller telecommunication device transmitting a communication from a caller using the caller telecommunication device to an intended receiving wireless telecommunication device;

the caller telecommunication device determining that a user of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device is unavailable;

in response to the caller telecommunication device determining that the user of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device is unavailable, the caller telecommunication device requesting a mapping profile of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device; and

in response to the caller telecommunication device receiving the mapping profile of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, the caller telecommunication device;

identifying one or more alternate telecommunication devices listed in both the mapping profile of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device and a caller contact list of the caller telecommunication device,

determining if a first alternate telecommunication device of the one or more alternate telecommunication devices is within a predefined proximity to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device by triggering the first alternate telecommunication device to transmit a short range wireless query signal to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, and

in response to the first alternate telecommunication device being within the predefined proximity to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, re-routing the communication to the first alternate telecommunication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the caller contact list further comprises:

a plurality of contact listings, wherein each of the contact listings corresponds to a known alternate telecommunication device that is known to the caller telecommunication device, and wherein each contact listing comprises at least one of the group consisting of;

a name of a user of the known alternate telecommunication device;

a personal information profile of the user of the known alternate telecommunication device;

a phone number of the known alternate telecommunication device;

an email address of the user of the known alternate telecommunication device; and

a media access control (MAC) number of the known alternate telecommunication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mapping profile further comprises:

a plurality of contact listings, wherein each of the contact listings corresponds to a known alternate telecommunication device that is known to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, and wherein each contact listing comprises at least one of the group consisting of;

a name of a user of the known alternate telecommunication device;

a personal information profile of the user of the known alternate telecommunication device;

a phone number of the known alternate telecommunication device;

an email address of the user of the known alternate telecommunication device; and

a media access control (MAC) number of the known alternate telecommunication device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the re-routing of the communication to the first alternate telecommunication device failing, the caller telecommunication device re-routing the communication to a second alternate telecommunication device that is within the predefined proximity to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the caller telecommunication device retrieving the mapping profile of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device from a host carrier of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the mapping profile of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device is autonomously uploaded to the host carrier at regular intervals specified by software internal to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the mapping profile of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device is manually uploaded to the host carrier by a user of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device.

8. A caller telecommunication device comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to transmit a communication from a caller using the caller telecommunication device to an intended receiving wireless telecommunication device;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to determine that a user of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device is unavailable;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to in response to the caller telecommunication device determining that the user of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device is unavailable, request a mapping profile of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to, in response to the caller telecommunication device receiving the mapping profile of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device;

identify one or more alternate telecommunication devices listed in both the mapping profile of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device and a caller contact list of the caller telecommunication device;

determine if a first alternate telecommunication device of the one or more alternate telecommunication devices is within a predefined proximity to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device by triggering the first alternate telecommunication device to transmit a short range wireless query signal to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device; and

in response to the first alternate telecommunication device being within the predefined proximity to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, re-route the communication to the first alternate telecommunication device.

9. The caller telecommunication device of claim 8, wherein the caller contact list comprises a plurality of contact listings, wherein each of the contact listings corresponds to a known alternate telecommunication device that is known to the caller telecommunication device, and wherein each contact listing comprises at least one of the group consisting of:

a name of a user of the known alternate telecommunication device;

a personal information profile of the user of the known alternate telecommunication device;

a phone number of the known alternate telecommunication device;

an email address of the user of the known alternate telecommunication device; and

a media access control (MAC) number of the known alternate telecommunication device.

10. The caller telecommunication device of claim 8, wherein the mapping profile further comprises a plurality of contact listings each of which corresponds to an alternate telecommunication device known to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, each contact listing comprising at least one of the group consisting of:

a name of a user of the known alternate telecommunication device;

a personal information profile of the user of the known alternate telecommunication device;

a phone number of the known alternate telecommunication device;

an email address of the user of the known alternate telecommunication device; and

a media access control (MAC) number of the known alternate telecommunication device.

11. The caller telecommunication device of claim 8, wherein the communication is a phone call, wherein the caller telecommunication device further comprises:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to, in response to successfully re-routing the communication to the first alternate telecommunication device, maintain a connection between the caller telecommunication device and the first alternate telecommunication device for a duration of the communication.

12. The caller telecommunication device of claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, to retrieve the mapping profile of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device from a host carrier of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device.

13. The caller telecommunication device of claim 12, wherein the mapping profile of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device is autonomously uploaded to the host carrier at regular intervals specified by software internal to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device.

14. The caller telecommunication device of claim 12, wherein the mapping profile of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device is manually uploaded to the host carrier by a user of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device.

15. A computer program product comprising:

one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, to transmit a communication from a caller using a caller telecommunication device to an intended receiving wireless telecommunication device;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices, to determine that a user of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device is unavailable;

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices to, in response to determining that the user of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device is unavailable, request a mapping profile of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device; and

program instructions, stored on at least one of the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices to, in response to the caller telecommunication device receiving the mapping profile of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device;

identify one or more alternate telecommunication devices listed in both the mapping profile of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device and the caller contact list of the caller telecommunication device;

determine if a first alternate telecommunication device of the one or more alternate telecommunication devices is within a predefined proximity to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device by triggering the first alternate telecommunication device to transmit a short range wireless query signal to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device′ and

in response to the first alternate telecommunication device being within the predefined proximity to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, re-route the communication to the first alternate telecommunication device.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the contact list further comprises a plurality of contact listings a plurality of contact listings, wherein each of the contact listings corresponds to a known alternate telecommunication device that is known to the caller telecommunication device, and wherein each contact listing comprises at least one of the group consisting of:

a name of a user of the known alternate telecommunication device;

a personal information profile of the user of the known alternate telecommunication device;

a phone number of the known alternate telecommunication device;

an email address of the user of the known alternate telecommunication device; and

a media access control (MAC) number of the known alternate telecommunication device.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the mapping profile further comprises a plurality of contact listings, wherein each of the contact listings corresponds to an alternate telecommunication device known to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device, and wherein each contact listing comprises at least one of the group consisting of:

a name of a user of the known alternate telecommunication device;

a personal information profile of the user of the known alternate telecommunication device;

a phone number of the known alternate telecommunication device;

an email address of the user of the known alternate telecommunication device; and

a media access control (MAC) number of the known alternate telecommunication device.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the communication is a phone call, the computer program product further comprising program instructions to, in response to successfully re-routing the communication to the first alternate telecommunication device succeeding, maintain a connection between the caller telecommunication device and the first alternate telecommunication device for a duration of the communication.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising program instructions to retrieve the mapping profile of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device from a host carrier of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the mapping profile of the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device is autonomously uploaded to the host carrier at regular intervals specified by software internal to the intended receiving wireless telecommunication device.