System and method for providing advanced call forwarding functionality

• US 8,462,932 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2012
• Issued: 06/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Toner, Victoria M., Hawkins, Johnny, Schermerhorn, Rich, Gupta, Shekhar, Roberts, Mike A.
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US13/445,694
• Publication Number:
  US 20120196606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 379/211.02, 379/207.16, 455/440
• US Class Current: 379/211.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72513 On hold, intercom or transfer communication modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1091 Fixed mobile conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments include a method of determining a particular communications device to signal in order to contact a user associated with an organization. The method includes storing a plurality of device locations in memory. Each device location is associated with a facility of the organization and is also associated with one of a plurality of communications devices. The method includes receiving a current location of a wireless device associated with the user, comparing the received current location and one or more of the device locations, and determining the distance between the current location and the one or more of the device. The method involves selecting the particular communications device to signal from the plurality of communications devices in response to the determined distance. A ring signal is sent to the particular communications device in order to contact the user associated with the organization.

Claims

1. A method for providing telephone services, said method comprising:

storing, in a data storage unit, at least one telephone number and associated set of location coordinates of a first set of telephones;

associating, using a processor, the first set of telephones with a wireless telephone of a user, wherein associating the first set of telephones with the wireless telephone includes associating a predetermined range with each telephone of the first set of telephones;

determining, using the processor, whether the wireless telephone of the user is located within the predetermined range of at least one telephone of the first set of telephones in response to receiving a call request to the wireless telephone; and

causing a call associated with the call request to be routed to the at least one telephone of the first set of telephones in response to a determination that the wireless telephone is located within the predetermined range of the at least one telephone of the first set of telephones.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one telephone number and associated set of location coordinates of the first set of telephones is received one at a time from the user using the wireless telephone for providing the location coordinates and the predetermined range.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one telephone number and associated set of location coordinates of the first set of telephones is selected by the user from a list of previously stored telephone sets.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising providing a graphical user interface for enabling the user to search for an organization, wherein the list of previously stored telephone sets includes a list that includes at least one telephone number and associated set of location coordinates associated with at least one telephone of the organization.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising causing the call associated with the call request to be routed to the wireless telephone in response to a determination that the at least one telephone of the first set of telephones is not answered or busy.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising causing the call associated with the call request to be routed to the wireless telephone in response to a determination that the wireless telephone is not located within the predetermined range of the at least one telephone of the first set of telephones.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined range associated with each telephone of the first set of telephones is the same for each telephone of the first set of telephones.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising generating a distinctive ring on the at least one telephone of the first set of telephones in response to a determination that the wireless telephone is located within the predetermined range of the at least one telephone of the first set of telephones, the distinctive ring indicating to the user that the call request has been routed from the wireless telephone to the at least one telephone of the first set of telephones.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising enabling the user to select the distinctive ring.

10. A system for providing telephone services, said system comprising:

a data storage unit that stores at least one telephone number and associated set of location coordinates of a first set of telephones;

memory that stores executable instructions;

a processor that executes the executable instructions to;

associate the first set of telephones with a wireless telephone of a user, wherein associating the first set of telephones with the wireless telephone includes associating a predetermined range with each telephone of the first set of telephones;

determine whether the wireless telephone of the user is located within the predetermined range of at least one telephone of the first set of telephones in response to receiving a call request to the wireless telephone; and

route a call associated with the call request to the at least one telephone of the first set of telephones in response to a determination that the wireless telephone is located within the predetermined range of the at least one telephone of the first set of telephones.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the processor further executes the executable instructions to receive the at least one telephone number and associated set of location coordinates of the first set of telephones one at a time from the user using the wireless telephone for providing the location coordinates and the predetermined range.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the data storage unit stores a list of previously stored telephone sets;

and

wherein the processor further executes the executable instructions to receive a user-selection of the first set of telephones from the list of previously stored telephone sets.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the list of previously stored telephone sets includes a list that includes at least one telephone number and associated set of location coordinates associated with at least one telephone of an organization.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the processor further executes the executable instructions to provide a graphical user interface for enabling the user to search for the organization.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the graphical user interface is provided via an application downloaded to the wireless telephone.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein the predetermined range associated with each telephone of the first set of telephones is the same for each telephone of the first set of telephones.

17. The system according to claim 10, wherein the processor further executes the executable instructions to generate a distinctive ring on the at least one telephone of the first set of telephones in response to a determination that the wireless telephone is located within the predetermined range of the at least one telephone of the first set of telephones, the distinctive ring indicating to the user that the call request has been routed from the wireless telephone to the at least one telephone of the first set of telephones.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the processor further executes the executable instructions to receive a user selection of the distinctive ring.

19. A method of determining a particular communications device to signal in order to contact a user associated with an organization, the method comprising:

storing a plurality of device locations in memory, each device location being associated with a facility of the organization and being further associated with one of a plurality of communications devices;

receiving a current location of a wireless device associated with the user;

comparing using a processor the received current location and one or more of the device locations;

determining using the processor the distance between the current location and the one or more of the device locations in response to the comparison;

selecting the particular communications device to signal from the plurality of communications devices in response to the determined distance; and

sending a ring signal to the particular communications device in order to contact the user associated with the organization.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the determined distance is less than a predetermined distance for selecting the particular communications device.