Methods, systems, and products for processing communications

• US 9,871,914 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2016
• Issued: 01/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Daigle, Brian K.
• Primary Examiner(s): El-Zoobi, Maria
• Application Number:
  US15/130,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20160234382A1
• Time in Patent Office: 641 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2749 Automatic dialling or redialling systems, e.g. on off-hook or redial on busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/571 Blocking transmission of caller identification to called party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42008 Systems for anonymous communication between parties, e.g. by use of disposal contact identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/465 Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products provide called party identification to a calling party. A communication is processed from a calling communications address to one of a plurality of communications addresses associated with a simultaneous ring. When an answer is detected at one of the plurality of communications addresses, an answering communications address is sent to the calling communications address.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system including a processor, a request from an originating communication device, the request directed to a plurality of recipient communication devices;

obtaining, by the system, a profile according to the request;

identifying, by the system, a plurality of communications addresses from the profile, each communications address in the plurality of communications addresses associated with a recipient communication device in the plurality of recipient communication devices;

initiating, from the system, a communication request directed to each of the plurality of recipient communication devices according to the plurality of communications addresses;

identifying, by the system, a communications address from the plurality of communications addresses, the communications address associated with an accepting communication device of the plurality of recipient communication devices that accepted the communication request; and

sending, by the system, the communication address associated with the accepting communication device that accepted the communication request to the originating communication device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the originating communication device initiates a communication session according to the communication address associated with the accepting communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating of the communication request further comprises excluding from the communication request an originating communications address associated with the originating communication device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating of the communication request further comprises facilitating an alert directed to the plurality of recipient communication devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating of the communication request further comprises facilitating an alert directed selectively to the plurality of recipient communication devices.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining one or more other communications addresses of the plurality of communications addresses, the one or more other communications addresses corresponding to one or more other recipient communication devices of the plurality of recipient communication devices that did not accept the communication request.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving an alternate identifier selected according an originating communications address associated with the originating communication device to identify the communications address of the accepting communication device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising sending the alternate identifier to the originating communication device.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device storing executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

receiving a communications request from an originating communication device, the communications request directed to a recipient utilizing a plurality of recipient communication devices;

identifying a profile associated with the communications request;

retrieving a plurality of communications addresses from the profile that are associated with the plurality of recipient communication devices;

directing the communications request to each of the plurality of recipient communication devices according to the plurality of communications addresses;

identifying a communications address from the plurality of communications addresses associated with a recipient communication device of the plurality of recipient communication devices that acknowledged the communication request; and

sending the communications address associated with the recipient communication device acknowledging the communications request to the originating communication device.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the originating communication device initiates a communication session according to the communications address of the recipient communication device.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the directing of the communications request further comprises preventing an originating communications address from being provided to the plurality of recipient communication devices.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the directing of the communications request further comprises directing the communications request to the plurality of recipient communication devices.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the directing of the communications request further comprises selectively directing the communications request to the plurality of recipient communication devices.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising identifying one or more other communications addresses of the plurality of communications addresses, the one or more other communications addresses corresponding to one or more other recipient communication devices of the plurality of recipient communication devices that did not acknowledge the communications request.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising retrieving an alternate identifier selected according an originating communications address associated with the originating communication device to identify the communications address associated with the recipient communication device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising presenting the alternate identifier at the originating communication device.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:

receiving a request from a source communication device directed to a user associated with a plurality of recipient communication devices;

identifying a profile associated with the request;

obtaining a plurality of communications addresses from the profile that are associated with the plurality of recipient communication devices;

sending a communication request to each of the plurality of recipient communication devices according to the plurality of communications addresses;

identifying a communications address from the plurality of communications addresses, the communications address associated with a recipient communication device of the plurality of recipient communication devices that responded to the communication request; and

sending the communications address associated with the recipient communication device that responded to the communication request to the source communication device.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the source communication device initiates a communication session according to the communications address of the recipient communication device.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the sending the communication request further comprises directing the communication request to the plurality of recipient communication devices.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the sending the communication request further comprises selectively directing the communication request to the plurality of recipient communication devices.