Methods and apparatus for management of user presence in communication activities

• US 8,838,803 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2007
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Labs Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bennett, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Daftuar, Saket K
• Application Number:
  US11/960,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20090165089A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,462 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/220, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/226, 709/227, 709/228, 709/229, 706/14, 706/45, 706/46, 707/104.1, 707/3, 707/5, 707/9, 707/10, 707/102, 707/705, 707/732, 707/733, 707/734, 707/999.003, 707/999.005, 707/999.009, 707/999.01, 707/999.102, 707/999.107, 705/26, 705 37- 38, 705/39, 705/40, 705 50- 69, 705/75, 726 3- 10, 726 16- 21, 726 27- 30
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/9994 Distributed or remote access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Systems and techniques for mediating user communications. A user persona manager maintains one or more user profiles and manages user interactions with other parties and with service providers based on user preferences associated with the user profile or profiles selected for a particular interaction. The persona manager receives a single set of user authentication information to establish the user identity, and provides previously stored information to other parties and service providers as appropriate, and otherwise conducts user interactions involving communications initiated by or on behalf of the user. The persona manager also examines interactions initiated by others, selects user profiles appropriate to the interactions, and routes and responds to the interactions based on information stored in the user profiles.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a communication exchange including a non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the communication exchange to receive communications from a user directed to online service providers including a banking service provider and an on-line auction service provider and to receive communications to be directed to the user from the online service providers; and

a persona manager including a non-transitory memory storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the persona manager to monitor user interactions with online service providers to manage the user interactions according to predetermined user preferences stored as a plurality of user profiles associated with the user, including selecting a particular user profile from the plurality of user profiles based on an online service provider with which the user is interacting, and applying preferences from the particular user profile appropriate to the nature and context of the communications from the user;

wherein the instructions further cause the persona manager to monitor the user'"'"'s public presence on an online service provider with which the user engages and to respond to interactions affecting the user according to user preferences in the particular user profile;

wherein the instructions further cause the persona manager to automatically supply user information appropriate to communications initiated by the user, the user information including banking authentication information for identifying the user in communications with the banking service provider, and further including on-line auction authentication information for identifying the user in communications with the on-line auction service provider;

wherein the instructions further cause the persona manager to release the user information to online service providers according to user preferences associated with user profiles selected for interactions involving the online service providers, the communications with the online service provider comprising communications with a person, the preferences including categories of information and categories of persons authorized to receive information in each of the categories of information, the user information including user identities using genuine user information or using pseudonymous user information depending on the category of the person to whom the information is to be released; and

wherein the instructions further cause the persona manager to receive a communication originated by an originating on-line service provider, to determine, by examining the communication, an identity of the originating on-line service provider, to retrieve, after receiving the communication, one of the user profiles including rules for routing the communication based on the identity of the originating on-line service provider and on a content of the communication, to automatically select, according to the retrieved user profile, a routing destination from a plurality of user routing destinations including an instant messaging account, an email account and a telephone call, and to automatically route the communication to the routing destination selected from the plurality of user routing destinations according to the retrieved user profile, based on the identity of the originator and on the content of the communication.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the persona manager receives a single set of user authentication information identifying the user and establishing a trust relationship between the persona manager and the user.

3. The system claim 1, wherein the persona manager authenticates the person as authorized to receive information based on inclusion in specified categories.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein authentication of a party as authorized to receive information includes receiving authentication information identifying the party with a particular organization.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the persona manager selects the particular user profile based on conditions relating to the context in which the interaction occurs.

10. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the instructions stored in the non-transitory memory of the persona manager additionally cause the persona manager to:

recognize as useful information a program identification number initially supplied to the user by an on-line service provider during the communications; and

storing the program identification number in one of the user profiles.

6. A method for managing a user presence in communication activities conducted via a data network, comprising:

by a processor, establishing a trust relationship with a user by receiving from the user via the data network a single set of user authentication information identifying the user;

by a processor, monitoring user interactions with online service providers including a banking service provider and an on-line auction service provider, to manage the user interactions according to predetermined user preferences stored in a user information database as a plurality of user profiles associated with the user, the profiles including banking authentication information and on-line auction authentication information;

by a processor, receiving from the user via the data network an initiation of a first communication with the banking service provider;

by a processor, automatically accessing the banking authentication information in the user information database;

by a processor, automatically transmitting via the data network the banking authentication information to the banking service provider for identifying the user in the first communication with the banking service provider;

by a processor, receiving from the user via the data network an initiation of a second communication with the on-line auction service provider;

by a processor, automatically accessing the on-line auction authentication information in the user information database;

by a processor, automatically transmitting via the data network the on-line auction authentication information to the on-line auction service provider for identifying the user in the second communication with the on-line auction service provider;

by a processor, receiving from the banking service provider via the data network a third communication originated by the banking service provider;

by a processor, determining an identity of an originator of the third communication by examining the third communication;

by a processor, after receiving the third communication, automatically retrieving from the user information database one of the plurality of user profiles including rules for routing the third communication based on the identity of the originator and on a content of the third communication;

by a processor, automatically selecting a routing destination from a plurality of user routing destinations including an instant messaging account, an email account and a telephone call, according to the rules from the user information database;

routing the third communication to the routing destination;

by a processor, monitoring the user'"'"'s public presence on an online service provider with which the user engages and responding to interactions affecting the user according to user preferences in the user profile; and

by a processor, releasing information to online service providers according to user preferences associated with user profiles selected for interactions involving the online service providers, the user interactions with the online service provider comprising communications with a person, the preferences including categories of information and categories of persons authorized to receive information in each of the categories of information, the user information including user identities using genuine user information or using pseudonymous user information depending on the category of the person to whom the information is to be released.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the person is authorized to receive information based on inclusion in specified categories.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein authentication of a party as authorized to receive information includes receiving authentication information identifying the party with a particular organization.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

selecting the particular user profile based on conditions relating to the context in which the interaction occurs.