Managing contacts in a communication network

• US 20040225679A1
• Filed: 05/05/2003
• Published: 11/11/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Oran, David R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,533,126 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/18 Comparators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6009 Personal information, e.g. profiles or personal directories being only provided to authorised persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42093 Notifying the calling party of information on the called or connected party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• 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 3/436 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 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

Managing contacts involves receiving data corresponding to a user. The data includes information associated with communication devices or communication services. Contacts associated with the user are generated in accordance with the data. An indication is associated with each of the one or more contacts, where the indication corresponds to a processing rule specifying a condition and an action to be performed if the condition is satisfied. At least one contact is provided to process a communication session associated with the user in accordance with the indication of the provided contact.

Claims

1. A method for managing a plurality of contacts, comprising:

receiving data corresponding to a user, the data comprising information associated with at least one of one or more communication devices and one or more communication services;

generating one or more contacts associated with the user in accordance with the data;

associating an indication with each of the one or more contacts, the indication corresponding to a processing rule specifying a condition and an action to be performed if the condition is satisfied; and

providing at least one contact to process the communication session associated with the user in accordance with the indication of the at least one contact.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the data corresponding to the user comprises receiving a notification that a first of the communication devices is registered with a server; and

generating the one or more contacts associated with the user in accordance with the data comprises automatically generating a contact associated with the first communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the data corresponding to the user comprises receiving data associated with a second of the communication devices, the second communication device not registered with a server; and

generating the one or more contacts associated with the user in accordance with the data comprises generating a contact associated with the second communication device in accordance with the data associated with the second communication device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication associated with a contact comprises a member selected from a group consisting of:

a registration activity indication indicating registration activity of the contact;

a redirect indication specifying whether to accept or reject a redirect from the contact;

an access control list specifying one or more other users having permission to add the contact to one or more contact sets associated with the one or more other users; and

a presence indication indicating a presence of the contact.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a set of users associated with the user comprising a first user;

receiving a selection of a second user of the set of users;

displaying a set of contacts associated with the second user that can be selected by the first user;

receiving a selection of a contact of the set of contacts; and

associating the selected contact with the first user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to change the one or more contacts; and

performing an action selected from a group consisting of adding a new contact to the one or more contacts, modifying a contact of the one or more contacts, deleting a contact of the one or more contacts.

7. A system for managing a plurality of contacts, comprising:

a database operable to store data corresponding to a user, the data comprising information associated with at least one of one or more communication devices and one or more communication services; and

a server coupled to the database and operable to;

generate one or more contacts associated with the user in accordance with the data;

associate an indication with each of the one or more contacts, the indication corresponding to a processing rule specifying a condition and an action to be performed if the condition is satisfied; and

provide at least one contact to process a communication session associated with the user in accordance with the indication of the at least one contact.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the data corresponding to the user comprises a notification that a first of the communication devices is registered with a server; and

the server is operable to generate the one or more contacts associated with the user in accordance with the data by automatically generating a contact associated with the first communication device.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein:

the data corresponding to the user comprises data associated with a second of the communication devices, the second communication device not registered with a server; and

the server is operable to generate the one or more contacts associated with the user in accordance with the data by generating a contact associated with the second communication device in accordance with the data associated with the second communication device.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the indication associated with a contact comprises a member selected from a group consisting of:

a registration activity indication indicating registration activity of the contact;

a redirect indication specifying whether to accept or reject a redirect from the contact;

an access control list specifying one or more other users having permission to add the contact to one or more contact sets associated with the one or more other users; and

a presence indication indicating a presence of the contact.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the server is further operable to:

display a set of users associated with the user comprising a first user;

receive a selection of a second user of the set of users;

display a set of contacts associated with the second user that can be selected by the first user;

receive a selection of a contact of the set of contacts; and

associate the selected contact with the first user.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the server is further operable to:

receive a request to change the one or more contacts; and

perform an action selected from a group consisting of adding a new contact to the one or more contacts, modifying a contact of the one or more contacts, deleting a contact of the one or more contacts.

13. Logic for managing a plurality of contacts, the logic embodied in a medium and operable to:

receive data corresponding to a user, the data comprising information associated with at least one of one or more communication devices and one or more communication services;

generate one or more contacts associated with the user in accordance with the data;

associate an indication with each of the one or more contacts, the indication corresponding to a processing rule specifying a condition and an action to be performed if the condition is satisfied; and

provide at least one contact to process a communication session associated with the user in accordance with the indication of the at least one contact.

14. The logic of claim 13, operable to:

receive the data corresponding to the user by receiving a notification that a first of the communication devices is registered with a server; and

generate the one or more contacts associated with the user in accordance with the data by automatically generating a contact associated with the first communication device.

15. The logic of claim 13, operable to:

receive the data corresponding to the user by receiving data associated with a second of the communication devices, the second communication device not registered with a server; and

generate the one or more contacts associated with the user in accordance with the data by generating a contact associated with the second communication device in accordance with the data associated with the second communication device.

16. The logic of claim 13, wherein the indication associated with a contact comprises a member selected from a group consisting of:

a registration activity indication indicating registration activity of the contact;

a redirect indication specifying whether to accept or reject a redirect from the contact;

an access control list specifying one or more other users having permission to add the contact to one or more contact sets associated with the one or more other users; and

a presence indication indicating a presence of the contact.

17. The logic of claim 13, further operable to:

display a set of users associated with the user comprising a first user;

receive a selection of a second user of the set of users;

display a set of contacts associated with the second user that can be selected by the first user;

receive a selection of a contact of the set of contacts; and

associate the selected contact with the first user.

18. The logic of claim 13, further operable to:

receive a request to change the one or more contacts; and

perform an action selected from a group consisting of adding a new contact to the one or more contacts, modifying a contact of the one or more contacts, deleting a contact of the one or more contacts.

19. A system for managing a plurality of contacts, comprising:

means for receiving data corresponding to a user, the data comprising information associated with at least one of one or more communication devices and one or more communication services;

means for generating one or more contacts associated with the user in accordance with the data;

means for associating an indication with each of the one or more contacts, the indication corresponding to a processing rule specifying a condition and an action to be performed if the condition is satisfied; and

means for providing at least one contact to process a communication session associated with the user in accordance with the indication of the at least one contact.

20. A method for managing a plurality of contacts, comprising:

receiving data corresponding to a user, the data comprising information associated with at least one of one or more communication devices and one or more communication services, the data received by receiving a notification that a first of the communication devices is registered with a server, and by receiving data associated with a second of the communication devices, the second communication device not registered with the server;

generating one or more contacts associated with the user in accordance with the data by automatically generating a contact associated with the first communication device, and by generating a contact associated with the second communication device in accordance with the data associated with the second communication device;

associating an indication with each of the one or more contacts, the indication corresponding to a processing rule specifying a condition and an action to be performed if the condition is satisfied, the indication associated with a contact comprising a member selected from a group consisting of a registration activity indication indicating registration activity of the contact, a redirect indication specifying whether to accept or reject a redirect from the contact, an access control list specifying one or more other users having permission to add the contact to one or more contact sets associated with the one or more other users, and a presence indication indicating a presence of the contact;

providing at least one contact to process a communication session associated with the user in accordance with the indication of the at least one contact; and

displaying a set of users associated with the user comprising a first user, receiving a selection of a second user of the set of users, displaying a set of contacts associated with the second user that can be selected by the first user, receiving a selection of a contact of the set of contacts, and associating the selected contact with the first user; and

receiving a request to change the one or more contacts, and performing an action selected from a group consisting of adding a new contact to the one or more contacts, modifying a contact of the one or more contacts, deleting a contact of the one or more contacts.

21. A method for managing contact information, comprising:

displaying a plurality of contacts associated with a user;

receiving one or more selected contacts selected from the plurality of contacts;

displaying a grouping element describing a plurality of grouping options, each grouping option for grouping the selected contacts;

receiving a selected grouping option;

grouping the selected contacts according to the selected grouping option; and

processing a call according to the grouped selected contacts.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

displaying a forking option comprising an option selected from a group consisting of a parallel option and a series option, the parallel option operable to parallel fork the selected contacts, the series option operable to series fork the selected contacts;

receiving a selected forking option; and

forking the selected contacts according to the selected forking option.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

displaying a routing option comprising an option selected from a group consisting of a reject option, a divert option, and a forward option, the reject option operable to reject the call, the divert option operable to divert the call, the forward option operable to forward the call;

receiving a selected routing option; and

routing the call according to the selected routing option.