Stateful Home Phone Service

• US 20120275581A1
• Filed: 07/06/2012
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: PODER, James
• Granted Patent: US 9,191,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/88.22
• 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

This application describes a system and associated method for routing messages, such as phone calls. The destination of incoming calls may be determined based on a variety of factors, such as the state of the callee'"'"'s security system, the date and time, the identity of the caller, and the number of recent call attempts by the caller. Potential destinations include all or a subset of the phones associated with a subscriber and outside phones, such as cellular phones operated by third parties. The rules used to route calls may be defined or modified via a web interface.

Claims

1. A message routing method, comprising:

receiving, at a message routing computing device, a first telephone call to a first number;

routing the first telephone call to cause a first telephone at a premises to ring without causing a second telephone at the premises to ring based at least in part on a first set of information received from a security system of the premises;

receiving, at the message routing computing device, a second telephone call to the first number; and

routing the second telephone call to cause the first telephone and the second telephone at the premises to ring simultaneously based at least in part on a second set of information received from the security system of the premises.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein routing the first telephone call is performed by:

identifying an intended recipient of the first telephone call;

determining a location associated with the intended recipient; and

selecting a device to receive the first telephone call based on an indication of the presence or absence of movement at the location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of information received from the security system includes an indication of a state of the security system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of information received from the security system includes an indication of who placed the security system into its current state.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing in a memory, by the routing device, information identifying phone call routing destinations based on different alarm settings of the security system.

6. One or more computer-readable media storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause the following to occur:

receiving a message at a message routing computing device;

identifying of an intended recipient of the message;

determining a location of the intended recipient within a premises based on information received from a security system of the premises, wherein the location is one of several locations within the premises;

selecting a device within the premises to receive the message based on the location of the intended recipient; and

routing the message to the selected device.

7. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 6, wherein the information received from the security system that is used to determine the location of the intended recipient of the message includes an indication of a presence or absence of movement at a location associated with the intended recipient of the message.

8. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 6, wherein the information received from the security system includes an indication of a state of the security system.

9. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 6, wherein the information received from the security system includes an indication of who placed the security system into its current state.

10. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 6, wherein the instructions, when executed, also cause the following to occur:

storing information identifying phone call routing destinations based on different alarm settings of the security system.

11. A system for routing messages comprising:

a message routing computing device communicatively coupled to a home security system computing device and to an external communication network, the message routing computing device including a processor configured to;

receive a message from the external communication network;

identify an intended recipient of the message; and

route the message based on whether a movement detector of the home security system detects movement at one or more locations associated with the intended recipient of the message.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the message routing computing device is also configured to route the message based on a state of the home security system computing device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the message routing computing device is also configured to route the message based on information identifying an individual who placed the home security system computing device into its current state.