Automatic connection and access controls for communications devices

• US 20050288002A1
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Published: 12/29/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Paben, Jeremy, Sparks, J. Steven
• Granted Patent: US 7,603,108 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42374 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• 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

Abstract

The invention provides a call system and methods whereby users can establish a predetermined list of contacts and whereby those contacts can be reached by the touch of a single button on a communications device. The system in accordance with the invention will also determine whether the designated contacts are available and directly connect the user to an available contact. The invention also allows users to establish a set of access rules governing when and who may be contacted using the communications device.

Claims

1. A method for automatically establishing a connection in a communications network to at least one predetermined contact, comprising the steps of:

receiving a contact request signal;

accessing a contacts database based upon at least one instruction of the contact request signal, the contacts database including the at least one predetermined contact;

determining the availability of the at least one predetermined contact; and

establishing an automatic connection with the at least one predetermined contact determined to be available.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the contact request signal is received from at least one communications device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the instruction includes at least one of an instruction to retrieve a contact name, an instruction to retrieve a contact telephone number, an instruction to retrieve at least one contact corresponding to an urgency level and an instruction to retrieve a contact location.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining step includes determining whether the at least one predetermined contact is available based upon at least one of a location, a strength of cellular signal and an availability of cellular signal.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of displaying the at least one available contact to a requesting user'"'"'s communications device.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining step includes retrieving a plurality of available contacts and displaying the plurality of available contacts.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of establishing an automatic connection further includes determining whether such connection violates predetermined access rules.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the predetermined contacts has a corresponding urgency level.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of establishing a predetermined contacts database.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of establishing a predetermining contacts database includes providing at least one of a contact name, a contact location information and a corresponding urgency level.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of tallying each automatic connection in order to generate a bill.

12. A system for establishing an automatic connection in a communications network to at least one predetermined contact, comprising:

a contacts application for receiving and processing a request to establish an automatic connection;

a contacts database accessible by the contacts application, the contacts database storing at least one predetermined contact; and

a presence application for determining whether the at least one predetermined contact meets predetermined rules for presence, wherein the contacts application initiates a call to the at least one predetermined contact.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the contacts application initiates a complete call signal based upon a determination that at least one predetermined contact is available.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the contacts application initiates a complete call signal based upon a determination that predetermined access control rules are met.

15. A system for establishing an automatic connection in a communications network to at least one predetermined contact, comprising:

a memory for storing at least one contact telephone number;

at least one designated priority call key; and

a microprocessor connected to the memory and the at least one designated priority key for controlling the storage of the at least one contact telephone number, determining the availability of at least one contact and initiating a call to the at least one contact.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the memory also includes at least one of access rules and a location corresponding to the at least one contact telephone number.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein contact information for at least one available contact is displayed.

18. A system for establishing access controls in a communications network, comprising:

an access controls application;

a access controls database which includes predetermined access control rules, wherein the access controls application determines whether the predetermined access control rules are violated and initiates a disallow call signal based upon a violation of the predetermined access control rules.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the predetermined access control rules include at least one of a time restriction, an inbound telephone number restriction and an outbound telephone number restriction.

20. The system according to claim 18, further comprising a billing application for tallying each application of the access control rules in order to generate a bill.