Interactive assistant for managing telephone communications

• US 8,767,925 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2013
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Reding, Craig L, Subramanian, Sathish, Sureka, Ashutosh K, Patel, Shuchi R, D'Silva, Alin L, Dromlewicz, Paula A
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US13/919,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20130279680A1
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14.08, 348/14.09, 370/467, 370/263, 370/318, 370/352, 370/522, 370/261, 379/88.12, 379/93.14, 379/202.01, 379/220.01, 379/204.01, 379/205.01, 455/557, 709/204, 709/227, 709/206, 709/328, 719/328, 345/473, 714/25, 725/106
• US Class Current: 379/88.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/247 Telephone sets including user guidance or feature selection means facilitating their use user interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones H04M1/724
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2478 Telephone terminals specially adapted for non-voice services, e.g. email, internet access centralized arrangements where telephones services are combined H04M7/0024; for recording text messages H04M3/5322; for accessing Internet H04M3/4938
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2005 Temporarily overriding a service configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2016 Call initiation by network rather than by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5009 Adding a party to an existing conference conducting a computer conference, e.g. admission detection H04L12/1822
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5018 Initiating a conference during a two-party conversation, i.e. three-party-service or three-way-call computer conference organisation arrangements H04L12/1818
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/5027 Dropping a party from a conference conducting a computer conference, e.g. admission detection H04L12/1822
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/651 Text message transmission triggered by call automatic reactions in messaging within packet-switching networks H04L51/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/62 user interface aspects of conference calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/432 Arrangements for calling a subscriber at a specific time, e.g. morning call service
• 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 3/51 : Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 : in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5322 : for recording text messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/563 : User guidance or feature selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/567 : Multimedia conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0024 : Services and arrangements where telephone services are combined with data services arrangements which combine a telephonic equipment and a computer H04M7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0045 : where the text-based messaging service is an instant messaging service

Abstract

An interactive assistant for managing telephone communications and services is disclosed. In one of many possible method embodiments, a chat interface is provided to a device associated with an intended recipient of an incoming voice call. A chat message from the intended recipient is received through the chat interface. The chat message is presented to a calling party associated with the incoming call prior to a disposition of the call being determined. In other embodiments, an interface provides controls for individually managing calls on a conference call, without affecting other calls on the conference call.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing, by a device, a user interface for presentation,

the user interface being, for managing a conference call associated with a plurality of participants,

the plurality of participants including a first participant and a second participant, and

the user interface including;

one or more first selectable controls for managing first participation, of the first participant, in the conference call, and

one or more second selectable controls for managing second participation, of the second participant, in the conference call;

identifying, by the device, a selection of a control of the one or more first selectable controls; and

managing, by the device, and based on the selection of the control of the one or more first selectable controls, the first participation in the conference call without affecting the second participation in the conference call.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding the second participant to the conference call based on a user, of the device, dragging and dropping contact information of the second participant into a particular area of the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, where managing the first participation includes:

individually muting or unmuting the first participant without affecting the second participation in the conference call.

4. The method of claim 1, where the first participation includes:

individually disconnecting the first participant from the conference call without affecting the second participation in the conference call.

5. The method of claim 1, where managing the first participation includes:

moving the first participant from the conference call to another conference call,

the moving being initiated by the customer dragging, and dropping an identifier from a first area of the user interface, associated with the conference call, to a second area of the user interface associated with the other conference call.

6. A device comprising:

a processor to;

provide, for display in a user interface, one or more first selectable controls for managing, first participation, of a first participant, in a conference call,

provide, for display in the user interface, one or more second selectable controls for managing second participation, of a second participant, in the conference call,

receive a selection of a selectable control of the one or more first selectable controls, and

manage, based on receiving the selection, the first participation in the conference call without affecting the second participation in the conference call.

7. The device of claim 6,

where the selectable control includes a mute control for muting the first participant, and

where, when managing the first participation, the processor is to:

mute the first participant based on the selection of the selectable control.

8. The device of claim 6,

where the selectable control includes a disconnect control for disconnecting the first participant from the conference call, and

where, when managing the first participation, the processor is to:

disconnect the first participant from the conference call based on selection of the selectable control.

9. The device of claim 6, where the processor is to:

identify a target telephone number based on contact information being dragged from an external application program and dropped into the user interface, and

add a third participant to the conference call based on the target telephone number.

10. The device of claim 6, where the processor is further to:

move the second participant from the conference call to another conference call based on dragging of a participant identifier from a first active call representation, associated with the conference call, and dropping of the participant identifier into a second active call representation associated with the other conference call.

11. The device of claim 6,

where the user interface is for managing a plurality of separate conference calls, and

where the plurality of separate conference calls include the conference call.

12. The device of claim 6, where the processor is further to:

add a third participant to the conference call in real time.

13. A method comprising:

establishing, by a processor, a telephone call between a plurality of users,

the plurality of users including a first user and a second user;

providing, by the processor and to a user of the plurality of users, an interface for managing the telephone call,

the interface including;

one or more first options for managing first participation of the first user in the telephone call, and

one or more second options for managing second participation of the second user in the telephone call;

receiving, at the processor, a selection of a particular option of the one or more first options for modifying the first participation in the telephone call; and

modifying, by the processor and based on receiving the selection of the particular option, the first participation in the telephone without affecting the second participation in the conference call.

14. The method of claim 13,

where the particular option includes an option to mute the first user in the telephone call, and

where modifying the first participation includes muting the first user in the telephone call.

15. The method of claim 13,

where the particular option includes an option to disconnect the first user from the telephone call, and

where modifying the first participation includes disconnecting the first user from the telephone call.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, via the interface, an indication that a third user is to be added to the telephone call; and

sending, based on the indication, an invitation to the third user to join the telephone call.

17. The method of claim 13,

where a third user initiates the telephone call, and

where the method further comprises:

receiving, via the interface, an indication that the telephone call is to be transferred from a first phone associated with the third user to a second phone associated with the third user; and

transferring, based on the indication, the telephone call from the first phone to the second phone.

18. The method of claim 17, where the interface includes a menu of telephone numbers corresponding to the first phone and the second phone.

19. The method of claim 13, where modifying the first participation in the telephone call includes disconnecting the first user from the telephone call while maintaining the telephone call liar the user and one or more other users that are participating in the call.