Universal state-aware communications

• US 8,886,722 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teletech Customer Care Management Incorporated (TTEC Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Teletech Customer Care Management Incorporated (TTEC Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Andrews, Wayne, Gechter, Jerry
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Rupal
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ma, Wing
• Application Number:
  US13/248,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20120117224A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,139 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709206-207, 379/93.01, 379/93.23, 379/106.01, 379/265.01, 379/265.03, 379/266.1
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0805 by checking availability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• 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: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• 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 3/5232 Call distribution algorithms

Abstract

A communications system for general business environments that exploits knowledge of user state to provide advantages of efficiency and control for individual users and for the business. The communications system also provides particular advantages in environments where users have multiple communication devices and for communications of a business with external parties. In other aspects, the communication system provides features of application flexibility and system fault-tolerance with broad applicability to communication systems. The communication system includes a controller that receives requests for establishing communications when a user is in an appropriate state to receive communications and communicates state of the user to other users. The controller receives a user request for establishing a communication when the user is not in the appropriate state for communication, receives a user request for a state change to the appropriate state to receive the communication, and initiates communication without changing state of the user.

Claims

1. A system for establishing communications among users, the system comprising:

a memory storing executable instructions including a controller;

a processor coupled to the memory to execute the executable instructions, the controller executed within a call process server, the processor configured to

monitor states of a plurality of users, each user associated with one or more devices,

receive a communication request from a calling user for establishing a communication session between at least two users including the calling user and at least one target user,

identify at least one associated devices of the at least one target user accessible for the communication session in view of preferences of the at least one target user, wherein the preferences indicate which one or more devices of the devices associated with the at least one target user can be accessed based on an identity of a caller user,

sending an invitation message to the identified devices of the at least one target user for the communication session,

in response to receiving an answer message for the invitation message from one of the identified devices, sending a disconnect message to the rest of the identified devices, leaving the one identified device selected for the communication session,

establish the requested communication session among the at least two users when the at least two users are each in an appropriate state for participating in the communication session, including

maintaining waiting communication data associated with a plurality of communication requests representing a plurality of waiting communication sessions pending to be established,

transmitting a waiting communication notification with information about a modification to one of the waiting communication sessions or the waiting communication data to one of the at least two users that did not request the modification,

responding to a waiting communication management request from a recipient of the waiting communication notification by updating the waiting communication data with the modification, and

responding to a change of state for a user by selecting, based on the waiting communication data, at least one of the waiting communication sessions that can be established because corresponding users are each in an appropriate state for participating in the selected communication session, wherein the requested communication session is established for the at least one target user via the one identified accessible device associated with the at least one target user of the communication request, and

sending, subsequent to completion of the communication session, a status message to one or more of the associated devices other than the one identified accessible device, the status message indicating the completion of the communication session.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to receive or poll state change messages from the at least two users indicating a change of state of the at least two users.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the request for establishing a communication session includes information specifying an appropriate state or condition of the one of the at least two users required to participate in the communication session.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the responding to the change of state comprises receiving a change message indicating the appropriate state for the one of the at least two users.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein a registration includes subscription for notification of the change of state to one or more subscribing users, wherein the responding to the change of state further comprises determining whether to send a notification message of the change of state to the subscribing users, and wherein the notification message is not sent if the requested communication session is established based on the change of state.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured with a script code including a priority with precedence of the requested communication session over the registration of the subscribing users and wherein the responding to the change of state is based on execution of the script code.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the communication session is established via a communication media including at least one of voice, video, email, instant messaging (IM), text, and a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

8. A computer implemented method for establishing communications among users, the method comprising:

monitoring states of a plurality of users by a controller executed within a call process server, each user associated with one or more devices;

receiving, at the controller, a communication request from a calling user for establishing a communication session between at least two users including the calling user and at least one target user;

identifying at least one associated device of the at least one target user accessible for the communication session in view of preferences of the at least one target user, wherein the preferences indicate which one or more devices of the devices associated with the at least one target user can be accessed based on an identity of a caller user;

sending an invitation message to the identified devices of the at least one target users for the communication session;

in response to receiving an answer message for the invitation message from one of the identified devices, sending a disconnect message to the rest of the identified devices, leaving the one identified device selected for the communication session;

establishing, by the controller, the requested communication session among the at least two users when the at least two users are each in an appropriate state for participating in the communication session, including

maintaining waiting communication data associated with a plurality of communication requests representing a plurality of waiting communication sessions pending to be established,

transmitting a waiting communication notification with information about a modification to one of the waiting communication sessions or the waiting communication data to one of the at least two users that did not request the modification,

responding to a waiting communication management request from a recipient of the waiting communication notification by updating the waiting communication data with the modification, and

responding to a change of state for a user by selecting, based on the waiting communication data, at least one of the waiting communication sessions that can be established because corresponding users are each in an appropriate state for participating in the selected communication session, wherein the requested communication session is established for the at least one target user via the one identified accessible device associated with the at least one target user of the communication request; and

sending, subsequent to completion of the communication session, a status message to one or more of the associated devices other than the one identified device, the status message indicating the completion of the communication session.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to receive or poll state change messages from the at least two users indicating a change of state of the at least two users.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the request for establishing a communication session includes information specifying an appropriate state or condition of the one of the at least two users required to participate in the communication session.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the responding to the change of state comprises receiving a change message indicating the appropriate state for the one of the at least tow users.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a registration includes subscription for notification of the change of state to one or more subscribing users, wherein the responding to the change of state further comprises determining whether to send a notification message of the change of state to the subscribing users, and wherein the notification message is not sent if the requested communication session is established based on the change of state.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured with a script code including a priority with precedence of the requested communication session over the registration of the subscribing users and wherein the responding to the change of state is based on execution of the script code.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the communication session is established via a communication media including at least one of voice, video, email, instant messaging (IM), text, and a public switched telephone network (PSTN).

15. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having instructions stored therein, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform a method for establishing communications among users, the method comprising:

monitoring states of a plurality of users, each user associated with one or more devices;

receiving a communication request from a calling user for establishing a communication session between at least two users including the calling user and at least one target user;

identifying at least one associated devices of the at least one target user accessible for the communication session in view of preferences of the at least one target user, wherein the preferences indicate which one or more devices of the devices associated with the at least one target user can be accessed based on an identity of a caller user;

sending an invitation message to the identified devices of the at least one target users for the communication session;

in response to receiving an answer message for the invitation message from one of the identified devices, sending a disconnect message to the rest of the identified devices, leaving the one identified device selected for the communication session;

establishing the requested communication session among the at least two users when the at least two users are each in an appropriate state for participating in the communication session, including

maintaining waiting communication data associated with a plurality of communication requests representing a plurality of waiting communication sessions pending to be established,

transmitting a waiting communication notification with information about a modification to one of the waiting communication sessions or the waiting communication data to one of the at least two users that did not request the modification,

responding to a waiting communication management request from a recipient of the waiting communication notification by updating the waiting communication data with the modification, and

responding to a change of state for a user by selecting, based on the waiting communication data, at least one of the waiting communication sessions that can be established because corresponding users are each in an appropriate state for participating in the selected communication session, wherein the requested communication session is established for the at least one target user via the one identified accessible devices associated with the at least one target user of the communication request; and

sending, subsequent to completion of the communication session, a status message to one or more of the associated devices other than the one identified device, the status message indicating the completion of the communication session.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the controller is configured to receive or poll state change messages from the at least two users indicating a change of state of the at least two users.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the request for establishing a communication session includes information specifying an appropriate state or condition of the one of the at least two users required to participate in the communication session.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the responding to the change of state comprises receiving a change message indicating the appropriate state for the one of the at least two users.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein a registration includes subscription for notification of the change of state to one or more subscribing users, wherein the responding to the change of state further comprises determining whether to send a notification message of the change of state to the subscribing users, and wherein the notification message is not sent if the requested communication session is established based on the change of state.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the controller is configured with a script code including a priority the precedence of the requested communication session over the registration of the subscribing users and wherein the responding to the change of state is based on execution of the script code.

21. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the communication session is established via a communication media including at least one of voice, video, email, instant messaging (IM), text, and a public switched telephone network (PSTN).