AUTOMATED COMMUNICATIONS RESPONSE SYSTEM

• US 20150373201A1
• Filed: 07/10/2015
• Published: 12/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eolas Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Eolas Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Doyle, Michael D., Landers, Steven Carl
• Granted Patent: US 10,015,318 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/64 Automatic arrangements for answering calls; Automatic arrangements for recording messages for absent subscribers; Arrangements for recording conversations centralised dictation systems H04M11/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42161 via computer interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0015 First party call control architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0063 where the network is a peer-to-peer network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

In one embodiment, a system provides for end-user control over the automatic recognition of communication situations by detection of unique telecommunication event characteristics and the consequential responses to those situations by invocation of related programmatic responses. The system allows an end user to specify various patterns of telecommunication event characteristics that describe various situational aspects of incoming communications, such as the timing and originator of voice calls, the content of, timing of, and author of chat messages, etc., as well as appropriate sets of programmatic response actions to be performed in response to those communications, such as initiating conference calls, sending chat messages, routing calls to other users, etc. The system monitors incoming communications, matches characteristic patterns to recognize the situations, and then invokes the matching response actions, thereby automating many functions of the communication system that previously would have had to be performed manually.

Claims

1. A portable communications device comprising:

a housing containing;

a memory,

a data processor coupled to the memory,

a voice input subsystem,

a text input mechanism,

a graphic display, and

an audio output subsystem, configured to at least in part provide;

communications subsystems for at least three different types of communications including voice type communications, chat text message type communications, and email message type communications,

a communications monitoring component configured to monitor incoming communications from each of the communications subsystems,

a response component configured to automate user response actions, the response component being responsive in real time to at least one of a plurality of different event characteristics of at least one incoming communication from at least one of the plurality of different communication subsystems,

the communications monitoring component being configured to detect at least one of the event characteristics,

the response component being configured to cause execution of code responsive to any of the detected event characteristics, and

wherein the execution of the code causes one of the other communication subsystems to send a responsive communication.

2. The portable communications device of claim 1, wherein the memory stores a program including a list of commands and a database storing rules, each rule invokable as a result of a detection of at least one of the event characteristics.

3. The portable communications device of claim 2, wherein an action performed by the response component in response to at least one real time incoming communication of at least one of the three different types of communications is the real time transmission by the portable communications device of at least one outgoing communication of said other one of the three types of communications.

4. The portable communications device of claim 3, wherein the plurality of different event characteristics includes at least a who telecommunication event characteristic that identifies a source of an incoming communication detected by the monitoring component, and a when telecommunication event characteristic that identifies a time the incoming communication was received.

5. The portable communications device of claim 4, wherein the action performed is a result of invoking the list of commands run by the data processor.

6. The portable communications device of claim 2, wherein when executed by the data processor, the program causes the data processor to run at least part of the list of commands to cause the communication monitoring component to detect at least one event characteristic of an incoming communication of at least one of the three different types of communications, the event characteristic being pushed by one of the communication subsystems to the communication monitoring component, the event characteristic being one of a who event characteristic, a when event characteristic, and a type event characteristic identifying the type of the received communication.

7. The portable communications device of claim 6, wherein when executed by the data processor, the program causes the data processor to run at least part of the list of commands to pull any additional required event characteristics of the incoming communication from the communications subsystem.

8. The portable communications device of claim 7, wherein when executed by the data processor, the program causes the data processor to run at least part of the list of commands to compare pushed and any additional pulled required event characteristics to event characteristics included in rules stored in the database to determine whether the pushed and any pulled required event characteristics match a situation included in one of the rules stored in the database.

9. The portable communications device of 8, wherein when executed by the data processor, the program causes the data processor to run at least part of the list of commands to transmit in real time from the portable communications device the at least one outgoing communication of said other one of the three types of communications.

10. A method for operating a portable communications device including a housing containing a memory, a data processor coupled to the memory, a voice input subsystem, a text input mechanism, a graphic display, and an audio output subsystem, configured to at least in part provide:

(a) communications subsystems for at least three different types of communications including voice type communications, chat text message type communications, and email message type communications, (b) a communications monitoring component configured to monitor incoming communications from each of the communications subsystems, and (c) a response component configured to automate user response actions, the response component being responsive in real time to at least one of a plurality of different event characteristics of at least one incoming communication from at least one of the plurality of different communication subsystems, the method comprising;

the monitoring component detecting at least one of the event characteristics,

the response component causing execution of code responsive to the detected event characteristics, and

the execution of code causing one of the other communication subsystems to send a responsive communication.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the memory stores a program including a list of commands and a database storing rules, each rule invokable as a result of a detection of at least one of the event characteristics.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein an action performed by the response component in response to at least one real time incoming communication of at least one of the three different types of communications is the real time transmission by the portable communications device of at least one outgoing communication of said other one of the three types of communications.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of different event characteristics includes at least a who telecommunication event characteristic that identifies a source of an incoming communication detected by the monitoring component, and a when telecommunication event characteristic that identifies a time the incoming communication was received.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the action performed is a result of invoking the list of commands run by the data processor.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein when executed by the data processor, the program causing the data processor to run at least part of the list of commands to cause the communication monitoring component to detect at least one event characteristic of an incoming communication of at least one of the three different types of communications, the event characteristic being pushed by one of the communication subsystems to the communication monitoring component, the event characteristic being one of a who event characteristic, a when event characteristic, and a type event characteristic identifying the type of the received communication.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein when executed by the data processor, the program causing the data processor to run at least part of the list of commands to pull any additional required event characteristics of the incoming communication from the communications subsystem.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein when executed by the data processor, the program causing the data processor to run at least part of the list of commands to compare pushed and any additional pulled required event characteristics to event characteristics included in rules stored in the database to determine whether the pushed and any pulled required event characteristics match a situation included in one of the rules stored in the database.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein when executed by the data processor, the program causing the data processor to run at least part of the list of commands to transmit in real time from the portable communications device the at least one outgoing communication of said other one of the three types of communications.

19. A portable communications device comprising:

a housing containing

a memory,

a data processor coupled to the memory,

a voice input subsystem,

a text input mechanism,

a graphic display, and

an audio output subsystem, configured to at least in part provide communications subsystems for at least three different types of communications including voice type communications, instant message type communications, and email message type communications,

wherein the data processor is configured to;

receive and store a rule configured to be applied to an instant message, the rule including an action to perform based on text of the instant message;

receive and store the instant message;

recognize at least part of the text of the received instant message;

apply a condition of the rule to the recognized text of the instant message to determine if the action for the rule should be performed; and

perform the action if the condition of the rule is satisfied.

20. The portable communications device of claim 19, wherein the memory stores a program including a list of commands and a database storing rules, at least one rule invokable as a result of the recognition of the at least part of the text of the received instant message.

21. The portable communications device of claim 20, wherein the action performed by the data processor is the real time transmission by the portable communications device of at least one outgoing communication.

22. The portable communications device of claim 21, wherein the recognized text includes at least a who telecommunication event characteristic that identifies a source of an incoming communication detected by the data processor, and a when telecommunication event characteristic that identifies a time the incoming communication was received.

23. The portable communications device of claim 22, wherein the action performed is a result of invoking at least part of the list of commands run by the data processor to perform operations to implement the action.

24. The portable communications device of 23, wherein the action includes sending of at least one outgoing communication of either voice type or email message type.

25. The portable communications device of 24, wherein the action is in real time.

26. A method of operating a portable communications device including a housing containing a memory, a data processor coupled to the memory, a voice input subsystem, a text input mechanism, a graphic display, and an audio output subsystem, configured to in part provide communications subsystems for at least three different types of communications including voice type communications, instant message type communications, and email message type communications, the method comprising:

receiving and storing a rule configured to be applied to an instant message, the rule including an action to perform based on text of the instant message;

receiving and storing the instant message;

recognizing text of the received instant message;

applying a condition of the rule to the recognized text of the instant message to determine if the action for the rule should be performed; and

performing the action if the condition of the rule is satisfied.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the memory stores a program including a list of commands and a database storing rules, at least one rule invokable as a result of the recognition of the at least part of the text of the received instant message.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the action performed by the data processor is the real time transmission by the portable communications device of at least one outgoing communication.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the recognized text includes at least a who telecommunication event characteristic that identifies a source of an incoming communication detected by the data processor, and a when telecommunication event characteristic that identifies a time the incoming communication was received.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the action performed is a result of invoking at least part of the list of commands run by the data processor to perform operations to implement the action.

31. The method of 30, wherein the action includes sending of at least one outgoing communication of either voice type or email message type.

32. The method of 31, wherein the action is in real time.