System and method for integrated compliance and contact management

• US 8,964,956 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2005
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gryphon Networks Corporation
• Original Assignee: Gryphon Networks Corporation
• Inventors: Fotta, Keith A., Boudrieau, Richard P.
• Primary Examiner(s): DEANE JR, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US11/302,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20070136789A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,360 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 379/210.01, 379/210.02, 379/265.09, 379196-200, 379/188, 37920201-20601
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]

Abstract

A method and system for integrating compliance and contact management between an origin and destination. An integrated control system can receive or initiate a request for a first communication contact type (e.g. phone call) between an origin and destination, the request including a first destination identifier (e.g. phone number). Depending on applicable mediation rules and lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers for the first communication contact type, the connection is either prohibited or allowed. If the first communication contact type is prohibited, a request for an alternate communication type (e-mail, mail, or facsimile) is sent to the same destination based on alternate destination identifiers. The integrated control system will either prohibit or allow the requested alternate communication contact based on one or more applicable mediation rules and lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers for each alternate communication contact type. A destination may then “opt-in” to other communication types, including the first communication type, and all mediation rules and lists for each destination identifier associated with the destination can be updated appropriately.

Claims

1. A method of integrating compliance and contact management from an origin to a destination, the method executed by a processor executing program instructions and comprising:

receiving or initiating an outgoing contact request for a first communication contact type from an origin to a destination, the request including a first destination identifier;

prohibiting or allowing the requested outgoing contact for the first communications contact type based on one or more mediation rules and lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers for the first communication contact type;

if prohibiting the requested outgoing contact for the first communication contact type, receiving or initiating outgoing contact requests through one or more alternate communication contact types from the origin to the destination, the requests including alternate destination identifiers;

prohibiting or allowing the requested outgoing contact for any of the alternate communications contact types based on one or more mediation rules and lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers for each alternate communication contact type.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a response from a destination exempting a destination identifier from the list of prohibited destination identifiers for a particular communication contact type.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

updating the list exempted destination identifiers for a destination identifier associated with the destination based on the response from the destination.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:

requesting an outgoing contact based on the new destination identifiers updated to the list of exempted destination identifiers.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the communications contact types are one of:

a phone connection, a facsimile transmission, an outgoing e-mail, text messaging, or an outgoing mailing.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the requests for communication contact types are initiated based on a predetermined priority queue.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the predetermined priority queue is based on individual destination preferences.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the compliance and contact management occurs at a central facility or a distributed access facility.

9. A control system for integrating compliance and contact management from an origin to a destination, the system comprising:

a first control module that receives an outgoing contact request for a first communication contact type from an origin to a destination, the request including a first destination identifier, and prohibits or allows the requested outgoing contact for the first communications contact type based on one or more mediation rules and lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers for the first communication contact type;

an alternate outreach unit that initiates at least a second outgoing contact request through one or more alternate communication contact types from the origin to the destination if the first outgoing contact is prohibited;

at least a second control module that receives an outgoing contact request through one or more alternate communication contact types from the origin to the destination, the requests including alternate destination identifiers, and prohibits or allows the requested outgoing contact for any of the alternate communications contact types based on one or more mediation rules and lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers for each alternate communication contact type;

at least one database for storing the mediation rules and lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers for the communication contact types.

10. The control system of claim 9 further comprising:

an update module for updating mediation rules and lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers in at least one database for each destination identifier associated with the destination based on any allowed communication contacts.

11. The control system of claim 9 wherein the communications contact types are one of:

a phone connection, a facsimile transmission, an outgoing e-mail, text messaging, or an outgoing mailing.

12. The control system of claim 9 wherein the requests for communication contact types are initiated based on a predetermined priority queue.

13. The control system of claim 12 wherein the predetermined priority queue is based on individual destination preferences.

14. The control system of claim 9, wherein the control modules and update modules exist in a single processor.

15. The control system of claim 9, wherein the control modules and update modules exist in more than one processor communicating over a network.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer readable program codes embodied therein for causing a computer to integrate compliance and contact management from an origin to a destination, the computer readable medium program codes performing functions comprising:

receiving or initiating an outgoing contact request for a first communication contact type from an origin to a destination, the request including a first destination identifier;

prohibiting or allowing the requested outgoing contact for the first communications contact type based on one or more mediation rules and lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers for the first communication contact type;

if prohibiting the requested outgoing contact for the first communication contact type, receiving or initiating outgoing contact requests through one or more alternate communication contact types from the origin to the destination, the requests including alternate destination identifiers;

prohibiting or allowing the requested outgoing contact for any of the alternate communications contact types based on one or more mediation rules and lists of prohibited and exempted destination identifiers for each alternate communication contact type.