System and method for announcing and routing incoming telephone calls using a distributed voice application execution system architecture

• US 9,253,301 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2010
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xtone Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Xtone Incorporated
• Inventors: Dhawan, Vishal, Price, Timothy M., Sindhwani, Manoj
• Primary Examiner(s): ZENATI, AMAL S
• Application Number:
  US12/717,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20100158215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,161 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 379/201.02, 379/201.03, 379/221.15, 379/93.02
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/006 Call diverting means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2478 Telephone terminals specially adapted for non-voice services, e.g. email, internet access centralized arrangements where telephones services are combined H04M7/0024; for recording text messages H04M3/5322; for accessing Internet H04M3/4938
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/578 associated with a synthesized vocal announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/74 with voice recognition means voice activated dialling H04M1/271; voice recognition algorithms G10L15/00
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for announcing and handling incoming telephone calls utilizes a distributed processing architecture. The distributed processing architecture makes use of local devices that can be located at various different locations where the user is often located. For instance, local devices could be at a user'"'"'s home, a user'"'"'s office and/or on a user'"'"'s mobile device. The local devices are linked such than when there is an incoming telephone call directed to any one of multiple telephone numbers associated with the user, an announcement of the incoming call is provided at all of the user'"'"'s locations. The user is also able to specify how the incoming call is to be handled on a call-by-call basis. The user may also be able to specify default call handling instructions so that an incoming telephone call directed to one of the user'"'"'s telephone numbers is received by a device normally associated with a different one of the user'"'"'s telephone numbers. The system allows the user to selectively forward incoming telephone calls to another specified number on a call-by-call basis.

Claims

1. A method of handling an incoming telephony communication sent by a calling party, comprising:

receiving an incoming telephony communication at a mobile telephony device which has at least some components of a voice applications agent loaded thereon;

causing a voice application to run, wherein the voice applications agent causes the voice application to run in response to receipt of the incoming telephony communication, and wherein at least some components of the voice application are loaded on the mobile telephony device; and

handling the incoming telephony communication, wherein the voice application performs the handling step, and where the handling step comprises;

playing a message to the calling party; and

instructing a telephony service to cause the incoming telephone communication to be forwarded to a forwarding telephone number.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the incoming telephony communication is an incoming telephone call.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein handling the incoming telephony communication comprises the voice application obtaining information about an identity of the calling party.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein handling the incoming telephony communication further includes the voice application causing the mobile telephony device to play an announcement of the telephone call to the called party, the announcement including information about the identity of the calling party.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein obtaining information about the identity of the calling party comprises the voice application:

playing an audio message to the calling party that asks for the identity of the calling party; and

receiving a spoken response provided by the calling party.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein handling the incoming telephony communication further comprises the voice application interpreting the received spoken response.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the message played to the calling party is based on information about the identity of the calling party.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile telephony device is associated with a first user, and wherein handling the incoming telephony communication includes the voice application causing an alert regarding the incoming telephone communication to be given at a local device other than the mobile telephony device, the local device also being associated with the first user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein handling the incoming telephony communication further comprises the voice application:

receiving a message from the local device asking that the incoming telephony communication be re-directed to the local device; and

instructing a telephony service to cause the incoming telephone communication to be forwarded to a forwarding telephone number comprises instructing a telephony service to cause the incoming telephony communication to be redirected to the local device.

8. A method of handling an incoming telephony communication sent by a calling party, comprising:

receiving an incoming telephony communication at a mobile telephony device which has at least some components of a voice applications agent loaded thereon;

causing a voice application to run, wherein the voice applications agent causes the voice application to run in response to receipt of the incoming telephony communication, and wherein at least some components of the voice application are loaded on the mobile telephony device; and

handling the incoming telephony communication, wherein the voice application performs the handling step, and wherein handling the incoming telephony communication comprises the voice application;

playing an audio message to the calling party that asks the calling party to identify a purpose of the call;

receiving a spoken response provided by the calling party; and

causing the mobile telephony device to play a message to the called party which provides information about the call that was obtained during the receiving step.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein handling the incoming telephony communication further comprises the voice application interpreting the received spoken response, and wherein the causing step comprises causing the mobile telephony device to play a message to the called party which provides information obtained during the interpreting step.

12. A method of handling an incoming telephony communication sent by a calling party, comprising:

receiving an incoming telephony communication at a mobile telephony device which has at least some components of a voice applications agent loaded thereon;

causing a voice application to run, wherein the voice applications agent causes the voice application to run in response to receipt of the incoming telephony communication, and wherein at least some components of the voice application are loaded on the mobile telephony device; and

handling the incoming telephony communication, wherein the voice application performs the handling step, and wherein handling the incoming telephony communication comprises the voice application;

causing the mobile telephony device to play an announcement regarding the incoming telephony communication to a user of the first local device;

receiving spoken input from the user of the mobile telephony device; and

handling the incoming telephony communication based on the received spoken input.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein handling the incoming telephony communication further comprises the voice application interpreting the received spoken input from the user, and wherein handling the incoming telephony communication based on the received spoken input comprises handling the incoming telephony communication based on the interpretation of the received spoken input.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the voice application employs speech recognition assets of a remote device which is accessible via a data network to perform the interpreting step.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by one or more processors of a mobile telephony device and/or one or more processors of at least one computer server in communication with the mobile telephony device, cause the mobile telephony device and/or the at least one computer server to perform a method of handling an incoming telephony communication sent by a calling party, the method comprising:

receiving an incoming telephony communication at a mobile telephony device which has at least some components of a voice applications agent loaded thereon;

causing a voice application to run, wherein the voice applications agent causes the voice application to run in response to receipt of the incoming telephony communication, and wherein at least some components of the voice application are loaded on the mobile telephony device; and

handling the incoming telephony communication, wherein the voice application performs the handling step, and where the handling step comprises;

playing a message to the calling party; and

instructing a telephony service to cause the incoming telephone communication to be forwarded to a forwarding telephone number.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the incoming telephony communication is an incoming telephone call.