Call notification with rich caller identification

• US 8,942,368 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2013
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chatterjee, Saurav, Perfetto, Josh, Rana, Hemendra, Fullarton, Paul, Shah, Ankur
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Khai N
• Application Number:
  US13/911,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20130344849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.17, 379/211.01, 379/211.02, 379/212.01, 379/215.01
• US Class Current: 379/212.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/1091 Fixed mobile conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2044 Group features, e.g. closed user group
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• 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 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42008 Systems for anonymous communication between parties, e.g. by use of disposal contact identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42246 where the subscriber uses a multi-mode terminal which moves and accesses different networks with at least one network having a wireline access including cordless PBX
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42314 in private branch exchanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4234 Remote access to features of PBX or home telephone systems-teleworking in a PBX
• 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 3/436 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 3/44 Additional connecting arrangements for providing access to frequently-wanted subscribers, e.g. abbreviated dialling at the subscriber's set H04M1/27; automatic redialling H04M3/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/46 Arrangements for calling a number of substations in a predetermined sequence until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/465 Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5233 Operator skill based call distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0069 comprising a residential gateway, e.g. those which provide an adapter for POTS or ISDN terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1235 where one of the core networks is a wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 : Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

Communication systems and methods are described that include call notification with rich caller identification. Components of the communication systems are configured to receive a call for a user via an enterprise voice channel. A call request is automatically generated in response to event data of the received call. The call request includes caller data from enterprise databases or directories. The caller data provides identifying information of the caller to the user via the call request. The call request can include response options by which the user can participate in the call. The call request is routed to a target device of the user via a data channel of the host enterprise. The target device provides the user with multiple action or response options via the call request. The response options include for example accepting the call, delaying the call, forwarding the call, ignoring the call, and ignoring the caller.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from an associated caller, a call via a first voice channel to a telephone of an associated user;

generating, via a server facilitator, a call request in response to call event data associated with the call, wherein the call request includes caller identification data received from a directory stored in a memory, the caller identification data relating to information of the associated caller;

routing the call request via the server facilitator to a target device via a data channel associated with the telephone without transferring the received call via a second voice channel to the target device, while concurrently directing the call via the first voice channel to the telephone associated with the target device;

generating a plurality of call response relative to the call options at the target device; and

canceling the call request, via the server facilitator, by sending a notification to the target device via the data channel responsive to determining the call was answered at the telephone before a selected call response was received from the target device via the data channel.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically answering the call at the target device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of call response options include postponing the call.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the routing includes distributed routing of the call request to at least one other target device of at least one second associated user, wherein the distributed routing includes one or more of routing to the at least one second associated user instead of the routing to a first user and routing to the at least one second associated user in addition to the routing to the first user.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

detecting termination of the call prior to the accepting; and

initiating a return call to the associated caller via the voice channel.

6. A method comprising:

receiving, from an associated caller, a call via a first voice channel to a telephone of an associated user;

generating, via a server facilitator, a call request in response to call event data associated with the call, wherein the call request includes caller identification data received from a directory stored in a memory, the caller identification data relating to information of the associated caller;

routing the call request via the server facilitator to a target device via a data channel associated with the telephone without transferring the received call via a second voice channel to the target device, while concurrently directing the call via the first voice channel to the telephone associated with the target device;

generating a plurality of call response relative to the call options at the target device; and

;

selectively decoupling the call transferred to the target device and retransferring the call to a voicemail box of the telephone responsive to an absence of a response message from the target device confirming within a predetermined time that the target device answered the call and after transferring the call to the target device.

7. A system comprising:

a server coupled with an enterprise and at least one communication network, the server including a facilitator; and

a communication device including a client;

wherein the facilitator is operable to;

receive call event data for calls to a telephone of an associated user received via a first voice channel;

generate call requests including caller data and a plurality of call responses, wherein the plurality of call response options include accepting the call;

route call requests to the client via a data channel without transferring the received call via a second voice channel to the client, while concurrently directing the call via the first voice channel to the telephone associated with the client;

selectively transfer calls to the client via the second voice channel responsive to receiving the accepting the call response from the client before determining the call was answered at the telephone;

cancel call requests by sending a notification to the client via the data channel responsive to determining the received call was answered via the first voice channel at the telephone before a selected call response was received via the data channel; and

, selectively decouple calls that transferred to the client and retransfer the call to a voicemail box of the telephone responsive to an absence of a response message from the client confirming within a predetermined time that the client answered the call and after the transferring call to the client.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the facilitator is operable to notify the caller that a user to whom the call is directed is unavailable to accept the call responsive to receiving the postpone the call response.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the facilitator is operable to direct the call to a voicemail box of the user.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein operable to notify includes operable to specify a future time at which the user will be available to accept the call.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of call responses include postponing the call.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the facilitator is operable to:

generate a reminder message of the call in response to the postponing, wherein the reminder message includes the future time; and

transfer the reminder message to the client.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the facilitator is operable to:

detect termination of the call prior to the postponing;

and initiate a return call to the caller via the voice channel.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium including executable instructions which, when executed in a processing system, provides call notification by:

receiving from an associated caller a call via a first voice channel to a telephone of an associated user;

generating a call request in response to call event data of the call, wherein the call request includes caller identification data received from a directory stored in a memory, the caller identification data relating to information of the associated caller;

routing the call request to a target device via a data channel associated with the telephone without transferring the received call via a second voice channel to the target device, while concurrently directing the call via the first voice channel to the telephone associated with the target device;

generating a plurality of call response options at the target device; and

selectively decoupling the call transferred to the target device and retransferring the call to a voicemail box of the telephone responsive to an absence of a response message from the target device confirming within a predetermined time that the target device answered the call and after transferring the call to the target device.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising automatically answering the call at the target device.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the plurality of call response options include postponing the call.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the routing includes distributed routing of the call request to at least one other target device of at least one second associated user, wherein the distributed routing includes one or more of routing to the at least one second associated user instead of the routing to a first user and routing to the at least one second associated user in addition to the routing to the first user.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium including executable instructions which, when executed in a processing system, provide call notification by:

receiving iving from an associated caller a call via a first voice channel to a telephone of an associated user;

generating a call request in response to call event data of the call, wherein the call request includes caller identification data received from a directory stored in a memory, the caller identification data relating to information of the associated caller;

routing the call request to a target device via a data channel associated with the telephone without transferring the received call via a second voice channel to the target device, while concurrently directing the call via the first voice channel to the telephone associated with the target device;

generating a plurality of call response options at the target device; and

canceling the call request by sending a notification to the target device via the data channel responsive to determining the call was answered at the telephone before a selected call response was received from the target device via the data channel.