Methods and systems for call management with user intervention

• US 8,774,380 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2008
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.), Verizon Services Corporation (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kunuturi, Nagendra, Penumatsa, Ravi, Rajagopalan, Mahesh, Reding, Craig L, Wurster, John H., Chakraverty, Sandeep, Chingon, Robert A, Brennan, Stephen P, Helbling, Christopher L, Reformato, John R, Pinto, Byron M
• Primary Examiner(s): Gauthier, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US12/256,583
• Publication Number:
  US 20090060155A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,084 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.01, 379/88.03, 379/88.12, 379/88.19, 379/142.03, 379/142.04, 379/142.08, 379/196, 379/201.12, 379/202.01, 379/207.02, 379/210.02, 379/211.02, 379/220.01, 370/217, 370/259, 370/352, 455/428, 709/246
• US Class Current: 379/142.04
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• 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 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message
• 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

Methods and systems for managing a call in real-time are disclosed. Methods and systems consistent with the present invention manage a call in real-time based on input from a user. A service center receives information pertaining to a call to the user from a service control point and sends a notification of the call to a device associated with the user. The service center receives a response to the notification from the user. Thereafter, the service center instructs the service control point to connect the call based on the response.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a service control point, information pertaining to a call to a user;

retrieving, using the information pertaining to the call, data corresponding to the user;

selecting, from a plurality of devices, a device associated with the user based on the retrieved data;

sending, to the selected device, a notification of the call, where the notification includes displayable user-selectable options for managing the call;

receiving, responsive to the notification, a selection from the user of at least one of the user-selectable options; and

instructing the service control point to connect the call based on the selected at least one user-selectable option.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

intercepting the call at a switch prior to the receiving the information pertaining to the call.

3. The method of claim 2, where the switch intercepts the call upon encountering a trigger.

4. The method of claim 3, where the trigger is a terminating attempt trigger.

5. The method of claim 3, where the trigger is a specific digit string trigger.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

sending an announcement to the switch by the service control point.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

playing the announcement for a calling party while the service control point is waiting for the selection from the user.

8. The method of claim 1, where the information pertaining to the call comprises at least one of call state data, a call intercept indicator, a voice mail indicator, time zone data, a user identifier, called number data, calling name data, calling number data, or calling party number presentation information.

9. The method of claim 1, where the receiving the information comprises receiving the information pertaining to the call via a Generic Data Interface.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, prior to sending the notification, user-selectable options that are enabled for the user based on the retrieved data.

11. The method of claim 1, where the retrieved data comprises an indication of an access point associated with the user.

12. The method of claim 1, where the retrieved data comprises at least one of an indication of an access point that the customer is using, a call block list, a list of forwarding devices, a list of forwarding numbers, voice mail preferences, or a list of recordings.

13. The method of claim 1, where the retrieving comprises:

determining a user identifier using called number data; and

finding an indication of an access point being used by the user, using the user identifier.

14. The method of claim 1, where the notification comprises an indication of a calling number and a called number.

15. The method of claim 1, where the user-selectable options comprise at least one of sending the call to voice mail, forwarding the call to another device, performing a call screening operation, accepting the call, playing an announcement, placing the call on hold, scheduling a call-back operation, performing an automatic call-back operation, performing a call block operation, or initiating a conference call.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to receive, from a service control point, information pertaining to a call to a user;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to retrieve, using the information pertaining to the call, data corresponding to the user;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to send, to the user terminal, a notification of the call, where the notification includes displayable call management features identified from the retrieved data corresponding to the user;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to determine whether a response to the notification has been received from the user within a predetermined amount of time;

one or more instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to connect the call, when no response to the notification has been received from the user within the predetermined amount of time, to the user terminal; and

one or more instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to route the call, when the response to the notification has been received within the predetermined amount of time, based on information included in the response.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

one or more instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to determine whether the user is currently using a user terminal connected to the service control point via a data network; and

one or more instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to log the call, when the user is not currently using the user terminal connected to the service control point via the data network, and not to retrieve the data corresponding to the user, send the notification, connect the call, or route the call.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the response to the notification includes a selection of at least one of the call management features, and the one or more instructions to route the call include one or more instructions to perform the selected at least one management feature.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

one or more instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to remove the displayable call management features from the notification when no response to the notification has been received within the predetermined amount of time and before the call is connected to the user terminal.

20. A system for call management responsive to user input, comprising:

a server system coupled to a service control point, where the server system is configured to;

receive, from the service control point, information pertaining to a call to a user;

determine, using the information pertaining to the call, whether the user is currently using a user terminal connected to the service control point via a data network;

retrieve, when the user is currently using the user terminal, data corresponding to the user;

send, to the user terminal, a notification of the call, where the notification includes displayable call management features identified from the retrieved data corresponding to the user;

determine whether a response to the notification has been received from the user;

connect the call, when no response to the notification has been received from the user, to the user terminal; and

route the call, when the response to the notification has been received from the user, based on information included in the response.

21. The system of claim 20, where the server system is further configured to:

connect the call to the user terminal when no response to the notification has been received from the user within a predetermined amount of time, and

route the call based on information included in the response when the response to the notification has been received from the user within the predetermined amount of time.

22. The system of claim 20, where the server system is further configured to:

log the call, when the user is not currently using the user terminal.

23. The system of claim 20, where the response to the notification includes a selection of at least one of the call management features, and the server system is further configured to route the call and perform the selected at least one management feature.

24. The system of claim 20, where the server system is further configured to:

remove the displayable call management features from the notification when no response to the notification has been received within the predetermined amount of time and before the call is connected to the user terminal.

25. A method comprising:

receiving, at a first server and from a service control point, information pertaining to a call to a user, the service control point being operable to determine how the call is connected;

sending, from a second server, a notification of the call to a device associated with the user, where the notification includes a plurality of user-selectable call disposition options;

receiving, at the first server, a response to the notification from the user; and

instructing the service control point to connect the call based on the response.

26. The method of claim 25, where the call disposition options comprise at least one of sending the call to voice mail, forwarding the call to another device associated with the user, performing a call screening operation, accepting the call, playing an announcement, placing the call on hold, scheduling a call-back operation, performing an automatic call-back operation, performing a call block operation, or initiating a conference call.

27. The method of claim 26, where the response includes a selection, from the user, of one of the at least one of the sending the call to voice mail, forwarding the call to another device associated with the user, performing a call screening operation, accepting the call, playing an announcement, placing the call on hold, scheduling a call-back operation, performing an automatic call-back operation, performing a call block operation, or initiating a conference call.