Universal point of contact identifier system and method

• US 8,971,508 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ayman, LLC
• Original Assignee: Ayman, LLC
• Inventors: Hariri, Ayman, Birnbaum, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): DEANE JR, WILLIAM J
• Application Number:
  US14/042,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20140029739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 519 Days
• Field of Search: 37920101-20103, 37920107-20108, 379/156, 379/202.01, 379/142.01, 379/245, 379/88.13, 379/88.2, 379/93.17, 379/93.24
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• 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 3/42263 where the same subscriber uses different terminals, i.e. nomadism
• 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 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0009 where voice calls remain entirely in the telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0054 where the data service is an electronic mail service
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/005 Personal communication services, e.g. provisions for portability of subscriber numbers

Abstract

A subscriber to a universal point of contact service designates a preferred point of contact at which a communication initiator, such as a telephone caller, can contact the subscriber. Such an initiator desiring to contact the subscriber uses the subscriber'"'"'s email address to establish a communication session with a device associated with the subscriber'"'"'s preferred point of contact. The subscriber'"'"'s email address is input to an initiating device, preferably a telephone or facsimile machine, using an entry device capable of entering an email address. A requestor unit, receiving the email address, locates a repository of the subscriber'"'"'s point of contact information, and requests that information. The repository sends the point of contact information the subscriber has designated as preferred, and the requestor unit uses that information to control a telephone switch to establish a communication session between the initiating device and the subscriber'"'"'s preferred point of contact device.

Claims

1. A method of establishing a communication session between an initiating device of an initiating user and a preferred destination device of a recipient user, the method comprising:

receiving from an initiating device an initiating user'"'"'s input of a universal point of contact identifier associated with a recipient user;

selecting a preferred point of contact from among a plurality of points of contact associated with the universal point of contact identifier based at least in part on a preference of the recipient user that identifies one of a plurality of destination devices associated with the plurality of points of contact as a preferred destination device; and

attempting to establish a communication session between the initiating device and the preferred destination device associated with the preferred point of contact.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a secondary point of contact from among the plurality of points of contact; and

attempting to establish a communication session between the initiating device and a secondary destination device associated with the secondary point of contact if the attempt to establish a communication session between the initiating device and the preferred destination device fails.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the secondary point of contact is selected at least in part based on a second preference of the recipient user that identifies one or more of the plurality of destination devices as a secondary destination device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the universal point of contact identifier is an electronic mail address of the recipient user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the universal point of contact identifier is a unique identifier associated with the recipient user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of points of contact comprise a first telephone number of a first destination device and a second telephone number of a second destination device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of points of contact comprise at least one VOIP telephone number.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the preference is a time of day at which the communication session is initiated.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the preference is a day of the week at which the communication session is initiated.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the preference is an identity of the initiating user.

11. A method of establishing a communication session between an initiating device of an initiating user and a preferred destination device of a recipient user, the method comprising:

receiving, by a requestor unit through a network interface unit, from the initiating device an input of a universal point of contact identifier associated with the recipient user;

selecting a preferred point of contact from among a plurality of points of contact associated with the universal point of contact identifier based at least in part on a preference of the recipient user that identifies one of a plurality of destination devices associated with the plurality of points of contact as a preferred destination device; and

initiating a communication session between the initiating device and the preferred destination device based on the received one of a first point of contact and a second point of contact.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the universal point of contact identifier is an electronic mail address of the recipient user.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the universal point of contact identifier is a unique identifier associated with the recipient user.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first point of contact is a first telephone number of the first destination device and the second point of contact is a second telephone number of the second destination device.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of points of contact comprise at least one VOIP telephone number.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the preference is a time of day at which the communication session is initiated.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the preference is a day of the week at which the communication session is initiated.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the preference is an identity of the initiating user.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the requestor unit comprises a storage unit that stores routing information for determining the preferred destination device.

20. A communication device that establishes a communication session between a communication device and a preferred destination device of a recipient user comprising:

an input unit that receives from an initiating user an input of a universal point of contact identifier associated with a recipient user; and

a communication unit that selects a preferred point of contact from among a plurality of points of contact associated with the universal point of contact identifier based at least in part on a preference of the recipient user that identifies one of a plurality of destination devices associated with the plurality of points of contact as a preferred destination device, and initiates a communication session between the communication device and the preferred destination device based on the received one of a first point of contact and a second point of contact.

21. The communication device of claim 20, wherein the communication unit is one of a telephone and a facsimile machine.

22. The communication device of claim 20, wherein the communication unit is a telephone and the input unit comprises a keyboard.

23. The communication device of claim 20, wherein the preference is a time of day at which the communication session is initiated.

24. The communication device of claim 20, wherein the preference is a day of the week at which the communication session is initiated.

25. The communication device of claim 20, wherein the preference is an identity of the initiating user.

26. A communication device for establishing a communication session between an initiating device of an initiating user and a preferred destination device of a recipient user comprising:

a network interface unit configured for receiving from an initiating device an input of a universal point of contact identifier associated with a recipient user; and

a control unit configured for receiving a preferred point of contact from among a plurality of points of contact associated with the universal point of contact identifier based at least in part on a preference of the recipient user that identifies one of a plurality of destination devices associated with the plurality of points of contact as a preferred destination device.

27. The communication device of claim 26, wherein the network interface unit is configured for transmitting the preferred point of contact to the initiating device.

28. The communication device of claim 26, wherein the preference is a time of day at which the communication session is initiated.

29. The communication device of claim 26, wherein the preference is a day of the week at which the communication session is initiated.

30. The communication device of claim 26, wherein the preference is an identity of the initiating user.

31. The communication device of claim 26, wherein the preference of the recipient user comprises a selection by the recipient user that identifies the one of a first destination device and a second destination device associated with the one of the first point of contact and the second point of contact as the preferred destination device.

32. The communication device of claim 31, wherein the network interface unit transmits, to the initiating device, the one of the first point of contact and the second point of contact associated with the preferred destination device.