Message forwarding

• US 9,503,407 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2010
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Maes, Stephane H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Anwah, Olisa
• Application Number:
  US12/957,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20110142211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,183 Days
• Field of Search: 379 8801- 8823, 379/221.01, 379/211.01, 379/88.25, 379/201.02, 455/401, 455/414.4, 709/206, 709/227
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for handling a communication, for example to provide a forwarding service. According to one embodiment, handling a communication can comprise receiving and storing one or more forwarding instructions, intercepting a message from a first user to a second user at a first address, applying one or more stored forwarding instructions to the message to determine at least one second address, and forwarding the message to the second user at the second address. In some cases, the at least one second address can comprise a plurality of addresses. Additionally or alternatively, the first address can be on a first communication channel and the second address can be on a second communication channel. The message can comprise a voice call, an email, a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message, an Instant Message (IM), or another type of message.

Claims

1. A method of handling a communication, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computer system, a plurality of forwarding policies, each of the plurality of forwarding policies comprising one or more conditions and one or more actions, wherein;

at least one of the one or more conditions considers presence of a user on one or more devices; and

one or more of the plurality of forwarding policies is received from a first user;

storing, by the computer system, the plurality of forwarding policies;

intercepting, by the computer system, a message from the first user to a second user at a first address before directing the message to the second user at the first address, wherein the first address is on a first communication channel and wherein the message is selected from a group consisting of a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message, and an Instant Message (IM);

selecting one or more forwarding policies from the plurality of forwarding policies;

applying, by the computer system, the one or more forwarding policies to the message before directing the message to the second user at the first address to determine at least one second address based on at least one of the one or more conditions and at least one of the one or more actions in the one or more forwarding policies and presence information for the second user, wherein;

the at least one second address is on a second communication channel;

the second communication channel is selected from a group consisting of;

a SMS channel, an MMS channel, an IM channel, an email channel, a voice messaging channel, a video messaging channel, a fax channel, and a print exchange messaging channel; and

the second communication channel is different from the first communication channel; and

forwarding, by the computer system, the message to the second user at the at least one second address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second address comprises a plurality of addresses.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of forwarding policies comprises receiving one or more forwarding policies from a service provider.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of forwarding policies comprises receiving one or more forwarding policies via an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of forwarding policies comprises receiving one or more forwarding policies via a web site.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of forwarding policies comprises receiving one or more forwarding policies from a device of the first user.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein forwarding the message to the second user comprises forwarding the message to one or more second addresses in parallel.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein forwarding the message to the second user comprises forwarding the message to one or more second addresses in sequentially.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication channel and the second communication channel use different communication protocols.

7. A system comprising:

a communication network;

a first device communicatively coupled with the communication network and adapted to send a first message to a first address via the communication network;

a second device communicatively coupled with the communication network; and

a service provider system communicatively coupled with the communication network and adapted to;

receive a plurality of forwarding policies, each of the plurality of forwarding policies comprising one or more conditions and one or more actions, wherein;

at least one of the one or more conditions considers presence of a user on one or more devices; and

one or more of the plurality of forwarding policies is received from the first device;

store the plurality of forwarding-policies;

intercept a message from the first device to the second device at the first address before directing the message to the second device at the first address, wherein the first address is on a first communication channel and wherein the message is selected from a group consisting of a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message, and an Instant Message (IM);

select one or more forwarding policies from the plurality of forwarding policies;

apply the one or more forwarding policies to the message before directing the message to the second device at the first address to determine at least one second address based on at least one of the one or more conditions and at least one of the one or more actions in the one or more forwarding policies and presence information for the second device, wherein;

the at least one second address is on a second communication channel;

the second communication channel is selected from a group consisting of;

a SMS channel, an MMS channel, an IM channel, an email channel, a voice messaging channel, a video messaging channel, a fax channel, and a print exchange messaging channel; and

the second communication channel is different from the first communication channel; and

forward the message to the second device at the at least one second address.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one second address comprises a plurality of addresses.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the service provider system comprises a messaging enabler communicatively coupled with the communication network and wherein intercepting the message from the first device to the second device and forwarding the message to the second device are performed by the messaging enabler.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the service provider system further comprises an application communicatively coupled with the messaging enabler and wherein applying the one or more forwarding policies to the message to determine the at least one second address is performed by the application.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the service provider system comprises an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system and receiving the plurality of forwarding policies comprises receiving the plurality of forwarding policies via the IVR system.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the service provider system receives the plurality of forwarding policies via a web site.

17. The system of claim 7, wherein forwarding the message to the second device comprises forwarding the message to one or more second addresses in parallel.

18. The system of claim 7, wherein forwarding the message to the second device comprises forwarding the message to one or more second addresses in sequentially.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable memory device comprising a set of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to handle a communication by:

receiving a plurality of forwarding policies, each of the plurality of forwarding policies comprising one or more conditions and one or more actions, wherein;

at least one of the one or more conditions considers presence of a user on one or more devices; and

one or more of the plurality of forwarding policies is received from a first user;

storing the plurality of forwarding policies;

intercepting a message from the first user to a second user at a first address before directing the message to the second user at the first address, wherein the first address is on a first communication channel and wherein the message is selected from a group consisting of a Short Message Service (SMS) message, a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) message, and an Instant Message (IM);

selecting one or more forwarding policies from the plurality of forwarding policies;

applying the one or more forwarding policies to the message before directing the message to the second user at the first address to determine at least one second address based on at least one of the one or more conditions and at least one of the one or more actions in the one or more forwarding policies and presence information for the second user, wherein;

the at least one second address is on a second communication channel;

the second communication channel is selected from a group consisting of;

a SMS channel, an MMS channel, an IM channel, an email channel, a voice messaging channel, a video messaging channel, a fax channel, and a print exchange messaging channel; and

the second communication channel is different from the first communication channel; and

forwarding the message to the second user at the at least one second address.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable memory device of claim 13, wherein one or more of the forwarding policies are received from one of a web interface, a device user interface, or messages from an end device.