Systems and methods for managing electronic communications using various negotiation techniques

• US 20020069249A1
• Filed: 10/30/2001
• Published: 06/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Pedersen, Elin R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,747,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/663 Preventing unauthorised calls to a telephone set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/38 Displays
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2011 Service processing based on information specified by a party before or during a call, e.g. information, tone or routing selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/2072 Schedules, e.g. personal calendars
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42365 Presence services providing information on the willingness to communicate or the ability to communicate in terms of media capability or network connectivity
• 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 3/436 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53366 Message disposing or creating aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53391 dependent on calling party

Abstract

Systems and methods for negotiating a future communication are provided to facilitate interaction between persons who wish to interact but who presently may not be in a position or find it desirable to do so. Each party may be provided with an interaction manager that allows the parties to negotiate future time(s) for future communication by ascertaining mutually available free time and selecting from among these times. The parties may also elect to defer a communication until a particular communication channel becomes available.

Claims

1. A method of negotiating a future communication between a first party and a second party, comprising:

receiving from the first party a request for future communication with the second party;

obtaining schedule information for both the first party and the second party based on the request for future communication; and

determining at least one mutually available time for establishing communication between the first party and the second party using the obtained schedule information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the schedule information includes obtaining schedule information from at least one electronic calendar system for at least the second party.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the schedule information includes a plurality of times, each time being either free time having no scheduled activity expected to take place at that time or scheduled time having at least one scheduled activity expected to take place at that time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining at least one mutually available time comprises determining at least one occasion for which free time for each of the first party and the second party is mutually available.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein determining at least one mutually available time comprises negotiating between an interaction manager associated with the first party and an interaction manager associated with the second party.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

sending the interaction manager associated with the first party a list of at least one occasion of mutually-available free time;

displaying at least one time from the list of at least one occasion of mutually-available free time on the interaction manager associated with the first party; and

selecting a desired time for future communication from among the displayed at least one occasion of mutually-available free time in response to an input from the first party.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising sending an indication to the second interaction manager indicative of the selected preferred time for future communication.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein negotiating the future communication takes place in response to an unsuccessful attempt at interaction between the first party and the second party.

9. A method for deferring communication between a first party and a second party, comprising:

receiving a deferral request for a deferred communication from the first party;

identifying a desired communication channel associated with the deferral request; and

waiting until at least one of the desired communication channel becomes available or a predetermined time period has elapsed.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising sending a message to the first party in response to the identified desired communication channel at least one of being or becoming available.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein deferring communication comprises performing the receiving identifying and waiting steps using an interaction manager associated with the first party and an interaction manager associated with the second party.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein deferring communication takes place in response to an unsuccessful attempt at interaction between the first party and the second party.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the message to the first party indicates s that the identified desired communication channel is available.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising sending a message to the first party when the identified desired communication channel becomes available

15. The method of claim 14, wherein deferring communication comprises performing the receiving identifying and waiting steps using an interaction manager associated with the first party and an interaction manager associated with the second party.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein deferring communication takes place in response to an unsuccessful attempt at interaction between the first party and the second party.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the input interface obtains schedule information from at least one electronic calendar system for at least one of the first party and the second party.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the schedule information includes a plurality of times, each time being one of free time having no scheduled activity expected to take place within that time or scheduled time having at least one scheduled activity expected to take place within that time.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the controller determines at least one mutually available time by determining at least one occasion for which a free time between the first party and the second party is mutually available.

21. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

an output interface that sends to an interaction manager associated with the first party a list of at least one occasion of mutually-available free time;

an output device that outputs to the first party at least one occasion from the list of at least one occasion of mutually-available free time via the interaction manager associated with the first party; and

a selection component that allows a desired time for future communication to be selected from among the displayed at least one occasion of mutually-available free time in response to an input from the first party.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising a second output interface that sends an indication to a second interaction manager associated with the second party that is indicative of the selected desired time for future communication.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the system negotiates the future communication in response to an unsuccessful attempt at interaction between the first party and the second party.

25. The system of claim 24, further comprising an output interface that sends, in response to a signal from the controller, a message to the first party that the identified desired communication channel is available if the identified preferred communication channel is at least one of available or becoming available.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the controller processes a deferral request in response to an unsuccessful attempt at interaction between the first party and the second party.

27. The system of claim 24, further comprising an output interface that sends a message to the first party that the identified desired communication channel has become available in response to a signal from the controller.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the controller processes a deferral request in response to an unsuccessful attempt at interaction between the first party and the second party.

29. The system of claim 27, wherein the deferral request from the first party is automatically generated by an interaction manager of the first party.

17. A system that negotiates a future communication between a first party and a second party, comprising:

an input interface that receives a request from the first party for future communication with the second party;

a controller that obtains schedule information for both the first party and the second party based on the request for future communication, and that determines at least one mutually available time for establishing communication between the first party and the second party based on the schedule information.

24. A system for deferring communication between a first party and a second party, comprising:

an input interface that receives a deferral request from the first party; and

a controller that identifies a desired communication channel associated with the deferral request and that waits until at least one of the desired communication channel becomes available or a predetermined time period has elapsed.