Systems and methods for receiving telephone calls via instant messaging

• US 8,553,857 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2007
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Global LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Hanson, Joel, O'Brien, Mark, Moey, Tony, Kirchner, Mike, Galvin, Tom, Maurer, Donald J., Fergus, Don
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US11/758,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20070230673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,317 Days
• Field of Search: 379/90.01, 379/93.24, 379/100.08, 379/207.03, 379/211.02, 379/88.14, 379/88.17, 379/88.13, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/90.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/103 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/60 Medium conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4281 when the called subscriber is connected to a data network using his telephone line, e.g. dial-up connection, Internet browsing
• 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 3/533 Voice mail 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0045 where the text-based messaging service is an instant messaging service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0057 : Services where the data services network provides a telephone service in addition or as an alternative, e.g. for backup purposes, to the telephone service provided by the telephone services network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1205 : where the types of switching equipement comprises PSTN/ISDN equipment and switching equipment of networks other than PSTN/ISDN, e.g. Internet Protocol networks

Abstract

A system establishes a telephone call between a calling party and a called party. The system receives a telephone call connection request, including identification of the called party, from the calling party and determines, based on the identification information, if the called party is currently connected to a data network. If the called party is currently connected to the data network, the system establishes the telephone call between the calling party and an instant messaging client of the called party.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a voice communication session between a calling party and a called party the method comprising:

receiving a first call leg initiated by the calling party over a telephony network, wherein the voice communication session is to include a first call leg and a second call leg;

prompting the calling party for input corresponding to call treatment of the first call leg if the second call leg cannot be established over a data network to the called party via an instant messaging application; and

performing the call treatment on the first call leg based on the input wherein the call treatment includes establishing the voice communication session for the called party at a communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the call treatment further includes leaving a voice message for or sending a facsimile message to the called party.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the voice message or the facsimile message is provided as an email attachment for the called party.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending an instant message, by an automated call processor, to the called party to determine whether the called party wants to establish the voice communication session with the calling party.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein prompting the calling party for input is responsive to a determination that the called party is not currently on-line.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein profile information for the called party is used to determine how the called party should be contacted.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein if the profile information indicates that the called party should not be contacted via instant messaging, and a determination of a contact destination is made responsive to a time parameter.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the time parameter comprises a particular day or days of the week and/or a particular time of day.

9. An apparatus for establishing a voice communication session between a calling party and a called party the apparatus comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive a first call leg initiated by the calling party over a telephony network, wherein the voice communication session is to include a first call leg and a second call leg; and

at least one processor configured to prompt the calling party for input corresponding to call treatment of the first call leg if the second call leg cannot be established over a data network to the called party via an instant messaging application, and to initiate execution of the call treatment on the first call leg based on the input, wherein the call treatment includes establishing the voice communication session for the called party at a communication device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the call treatment further includes leaving a voice message for or sending a facsimile message to the called party.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the voice message or the facsimile message is provided as an email attachment for the called party.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising an automatic call processor (ACP) configured to send an instant message to the called party to determine whether the called party wants to establish the voice communication session with the calling party.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the ACP is further configured to determine an alias associated with the called party.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the determination of the alias by the ACP is performed by using a telephone number and/or personal identification number (PIN) provided by the calling party at the onset of the voice communication session.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the ACP is configured to determine the alias by querying a database and compare the information provided by the calling party with information in the database.

16. A system for establishing a voice communication session between a calling party and a called party the system comprising:

a server configured to store profile information associated with the called party; and

an automated call processor (ACP) configured to initiate a first call leg over a telephony network, wherein the voice communication session is to include the first call leg and a second call leg, to prompt the calling party for input corresponding to call treatment of the first call leg if the profile information indicates that the second call leg cannot be established over a data network to the called party via an instant messaging application, and to initiate execution of the call treatment on the first call leg based on the input wherein the call treatment includes establishing the voice communication session for the called party at a communication device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the call treatment further includes leaving a voice message for or sending a facsimile message to the called party.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the voice message or the facsimile message is provided as an email attachment for the called party.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the ACP sends an instant message to the called party to determine whether the called party wants to establish the voice communication session with the calling party.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein prompting the calling party for input is responsive to a determination by the ACP that the called party is not currently on-line.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein profile information for the called party is used to determine how the called party should be contacted.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein if the profile information indicates that the called party should not be contacted via instant messaging, a determination of a contact destination is made by the ACP responsive to a time parameter.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the time parameter comprises a particular day or days of the week and/or a particular time of day.