Method and system for intelligent routing based on presence detection

• US 7,415,502 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2001
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SBC Technology Resources, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vishik, Claire Svetlana, Vleck, Paul Van, Gorti, Sreenivasa Rao
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar; Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOROBOV, VITALI A
• Application Number:
  US09/990,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20030097413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,468 Days
• Field of Search: 709206- 7, 709239- 40, 709/223, 709/224, 709/245, 709/204, 725/10, 379/201.03, 379/211.02
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]

Abstract

A message, which is to be routed to one of a plurality of authorized parties comprising a first authorized party and a second authorized party, is received by a routing system. A Web service is polled to detect for a presence of the first authorized party. After determining that the presence of the first authorized party remains undetected over an allocated time interval, the Web service is polled to detect for a presence of the second authorized party. In response to detecting the presence of the second authorized party, the message is routed to an active communication device associated with the second authorized party.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a message which is to be routed to one of a plurality of authorized parties comprising a first authorized party and a second authorized party;

polling a Web service at least once to detect for a presence of the first authorized party;

determining that the presence of the first authorized party remains undetected over a time interval;

after said determining, polling the Web service at least once to detect for a presence of the second authorized party; and

routing the message which is to be routed to one of the plurality of authorized parties to an active communication device associated with the second authorized party in response to determining that the presence of the first authorized party remains undetected and detecting the presence of the second authorized party.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the message comprises a request, the first authorized party is a main approver of the request, and the second authorized party is a secondary approver of the request.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the presence of the first authorized party is detectable by the Web service for a plurality of different communication devices associated with the first authorized party.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the presence of the first authorized party is detectable independent of whether the first authorized party logs in to a particular device and software application.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the particular software application comprises an instant messaging application.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the presence of the second authorized party is detectable by the Web service for a plurality of different communication devices associated with the second authorized party.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the presence of the second authorized party is detectable independent of whether the second authorized party logs in to a particular device and software application.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the particular software application comprises an instant messaging application.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising formatting a presentation of the message for the active communication device.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the Web service provides presence information for a plurality of different devices and software applications.

11. A system comprising:

a computer system to receive a message which is to be routed to one of a plurality of authorized parties comprising a first authorized party and a second authorized party, to poll a Web service at least once to detect for a presence of the first authorized party, to determine that the presence of the first authorized party remains undetected over a time interval, after said determining to poll the Web service at least once to detect for a presence of the second authorized party, and to route the message which is to be routed to one of the plurality of authorized parties to an active communication device associated with the second authorized party in response to determining that the presence of the first authorized party remains undetected and detecting the presence of the second authorized party.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the message comprises a request, the first authorized party is a main approver of the request, and the second authorized party is a secondary approver of the request.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the presence of the first authorized party is detectable by the Web service for a plurality of different communication devices associated with the first authorized party.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the presence of the first authorized party is detectable independent of whether the first authorized party logs in to a particular device and software application.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the particular software application comprises an instant messaging application.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the presence of the second authorized party is detectable by the Web service for a plurality of different communication devices associated with the second authorized party.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein the presence of the second authorized party is detectable independent of whether the second authorized party logs in to a particular device and software application.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the particular software application comprises an instant messaging application.

19. The system of claim 11 wherein the computer system is further to format a presentation of the message for the active communication device.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein the Web service provides presence information for a plurality of different devices and software applications.

21. A computer-readable medium having computer-readable program code to direct a computer to perform acts of:

receiving a message which is to be routed to one of a plurality of authorized parties comprising a first authorized party and a second authorized party;

polling a Web service at least once to detect for a presence of the first authorized party;

determining that the presence of the first authorized party remains undetected over a time interval;

after said determining, poll the Web service at least once to detect for a presence of the second authorized party; and

routing the message which is to be routed to one of the plurality of authorized parties to an active communication device associated with the second authorized party in response to determining that the presence of the first authorized party remains undetected and detecting the presence of the second authorized party.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein the message comprises a request, the first authorized party is a main approver of the request, and the second authorized party is a secondary approver of the request.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein the presence of the first authorized party is detectable by the Web service for a plurality of different communication devices associated with the first authorized party.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein the presence of the first authorized party is detectable independent of whether the first authorized party logs in to a particular device and software application.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the particular software application comprises an instant messaging application.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein the presence of the second authorized party is detectable by the Web service for a plurality of different communication devices associated with the second authorized party.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein the presence of the second authorized party is detectable independent of whether the second authorized party logs in to a particular device and software application.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27 wherein the particular software application comprises an instant messaging application.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 further comprising formatting a presentation of the message for the active communication device.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 wherein the Web service provides presence information for a plurality of different devices and software applications.