Method and apparatus for setting user communication parameters based on voice identification of users

• US 20020034280A1
• Filed: 11/30/2001
• Published: 03/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Infosino, William J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,839,410 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.02
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42068 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• 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

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for setting user communication parameters for a voice communication between a calling party and a called party, whereby at least one of the calling party and the called party include at least a first user and a second user. In the present invention, after a voice communication is established between the parties, a user communication parameter of the first user is set if the first user is determined to be a registered user in accordance with the first user'"'"'s identification. If the first user passes the communication to the second user, the communication parameter is changed to that of the second user by determining the second user'"'"'s identification. The present invention also provides a method and apparatus for setting user communication parameters based on priority information of the users if the first and second users are in the communication simultaneously. The priority may be determined by one of order of participation in the communication, pre-assigned priority and amount paid to a service provider. If the priority is the same between users, a secondary determination may be made by another one of order of participation in the communication, pre-assigned priority and amount paid to a service provider.

Claims

1. A method for setting user communication parameters for a voice communication between a calling party and a called party, wherein at least one of the calling party and the called party may include at least a first user and a second user, the first user being in the communication prior to the second user, comprising:

establishing the voice communication between the calling party and the called party;

setting the user communication parameters in accordance with communication setting information of the first user;

receiving an identification of the second user during the communication;

retrieving at least one first stored identification from a user profile database;

comparing the identification of the second user and the at least one first stored identification to determine if the identification of the second user matches the at least one first stored identification within a predetermined tolerance;

identifying the second user if the identification of the second user and the at least one first stored identification match within the predetermined tolerance; and

resetting the user communication parameters based on a result of the comparison step, the resetting step including retrieving communication setting information from the user profile database corresponding to the identified second user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein setting the user communication parameters in accordance with the communication setting information of the first user comprises:

receiving an identification of the first user;

retrieving at least one second stored identification from a user profile database;

comparing the identification of the first user and the at least one stored identification to determine if the identification of the first user matches the at least one second stored identification within a predetermined tolerance, and identifying the first user if the identification of the first user and the at least one second stored identification match within the predetermined tolerance; and

retrieving the communication setting information from the user profile database corresponding to the identified first user.

3. A method for setting user communication parameters for a voice communication between a calling party and a called party, wherein at least one of the calling party and the called party may include at least a first user and a second user, comprising:

establishing the voice communication between the calling party and the called party;

determining that a plurality of users are participating at one end of the communication;

determining that communication setting information is available for at least a first one of the users;

setting the communication parameters during the communication in accordance with the communication setting information of the first one of the users.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising obtaining a priority for each user, wherein the setting the communication parameters comprises setting the communication parameters in accordance with the communication setting information of a user having the highest priority.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the highest priority is determined in accordance with one of (a) order of participation in the communication, (b) pre-assigned priority, and (c) amount paid to a service provider.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein if there are a plurality of the users having the highest priority, the obtaining the priority further comprise obtaining a secondary priority for the users.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the secondary priority is determined in accordance with another one of (a) order of participation in the communication, (b) pre-assigned priority, and (c) amount paid to a service provider.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining that communication setting information is available for a second one of the users; and

resetting the communication parameters during the communication in accordance with the communication setting information of the second one of the users.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining that communication setting information is available for at least first one of the users comprises:

receiving an identification of a the first one of the users during the communication;

retrieving at least one first stored identification from a user profile database;

comparing the identification of the first one of the users and the at least one first stored identification to determine if the identification of the first one of the users matches the at least one second identification within a predetermined tolerance;

identifying the first one of the users if the first identification and the at least one second identification match within the predetermined tolerance; and

retrieving the communication setting information from the user profile database corresponding to the identified first one of the users.

10. An apparatus that sets user communication parameters for a voice communication between a calling party and a called party, wherein at least one of the calling party and the called party may include at least a first user and a second user, the first user being in the communication prior to the second user, comprising;

a controller; and

a user profile database that stores at least one user profile, wherein the controller establishes said voice communication between the calling party and the called party, sets the user communication parameter in accordance with communication setting information of the first user, receives an identification of the second user during the communication, retrieves at least one first stored identification from a user profile database, compares the identification of the second user and the at least one first stored identification, determines if the first identification matches the at least one second identification within a predetermined tolerance, identifies the second user if the first identification and the at least one second identification match within the predetermined tolerance, and resets the user communication parameters based on a result of the comparison by retrieving communication setting information from the user profile database corresponding to the identified second user.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller receives an identification of the first user during the communication, retrieves at least one second stored identification from a user profile database, compares the identification of the first user and the at least one second stored identification to determine if the identification of the first user matches the at least one second stored identification within a predetermined tolerance, identifies the first user if the identification of the first user and the at least one second stored identification match within the predetermined tolerance, and retrieves the communication setting information from the user profile database corresponding to the identified first user.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller obtains a priority for each user, and sets the communication parameters in accordance with the communication setting information of a user having the highest priority.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the highest priority is determined in accordance with one of (a) order of participation in the communication, (b) pre-assigned priority, and (c) amount paid to a service provider.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein if there are a plurality of users having the highest priority, the controller determines a secondary priority.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the controller determines the secondary priority in accordance with another one of (a) order of participation in the communication, (b) pre-assigned priority, and (c) amount paid to a service provider.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller determines that communication setting information is available for a second one of the users, and resets the communication parameters during the communication in accordance with the communication setting information of the second one of the users.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller receives an identification of the first one of the users during the communication, receives at least one stored identification from a user profile database, compares the identification of the first one of the users and the at least one stored identification to determine if the identification of the first one of the users matches the at least one stored identification within a predetermined tolerance, identifies the first one of the users if the identification of the first one of the users and at least one stored identification matches within the predetermined tolerance, and receives the communication setting information from the user profile database corresponding to the identified first one of the users.

12. The apparatus that sets user communication parameter for a voice communication between a calling party and a called party, wherein at least one of the calling party and the called party may include at least a first user and a second user, comprising:

a controller; and

a user profile database that stores at least one user profile, wherein the controller establishes said voice communication between the calling party and the called party, determines that a plurality of users are participating at one end of the communication, determines that communication setting information is available for at least a first one of the users, sets the communication parameter during the communication in accordance with the communication setting information of the first one of the users.