Method and system for multiple-channel automatic recall

• US 7,477,732 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2002
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Original Assignee: Orange S.A.
• Inventors: Flammant, Eric, Rebillon, Jacques-Olivier, Kerdraon, Alan, Bury, Emmanuel
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Harry S
• Application Number:
  US10/499,205
• Publication Number:
  US 20050063527A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,223 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201, 379/201.01, 379/188, 379196-197, 379/201.02, 379/210.01, 370/259, 455/414, 455/414.1
• US Class Current: 379/210.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42229 Personal communication services, i.e. services related to one subscriber independent of his terminal and/or location diverting calls from one subscriber to another subscriber, i.e. two different subscriptions H04M3/54; selecting arrangements in intelligent networks H04Q3/005
• 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 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy

Abstract

The invention concerns a method which consists in introducing for each registered user a profile comprising filtering and agenda data, determining and updating an accessibility status of each registered user terminal (10, 11), depending on whether the latter is accessible or not through a network, and following a call by a caller to the registered user: determining an availability status of the called user depending on whether the caller is authorized to communicate with the called party on the basis of the called party'"'"'s profile data, and an identification of the caller, if the called party is not accessible or does not authorize the caller to complete his call, proposing to the caller to be automatically put through to the called party, when the latter will be accessible and available for the caller, if the latter agrees, triggering an automatic recall procedure enabling to put through the caller'"'"'s call (17) to the called party.

Claims

1. An automatic call back process for automatically calling back registered users called by a calling user in a telecommunications system including at least one telecommunications network or digital data transmission network, and at least one telecommunications terminal for each user adapted to be connected to one of the networks, said process comprising the steps of:

introducing a user profile for each registered user in a database, said profile including agenda and filtering data defining time slots of availability, each said time slot being associated with at least one list of parties being authorized or not authorized to call the user during each said time slot,

determining and updating an accessibility status for each registered user which specifies at least one terminal associated with the registered user to be accessible or not accessible by a network through the terminal, following a call by a calling user to a called registered user, and

determining an availability status of the called registered user according to which the calling user is authorized within the current time slot to have communication with the called registered user, according to the profile data of the called registered user, and according to identification information of the calling user,

wherein if the called registered user is not accessible or does not authorize the calling user to have communication with the called registered user during said current time slot, offering to the calling user to be automatically connected to the called registered user as soon as the called registered user is accessible and available for the calling user within the next available time slot of the called registered user according to the agenda data of said called registered user, and, if the called registered user accepts the offer, triggering an automatic call back procedure, and

during the automatic call back procedure triggered within said next available time slot of the called registered user and as soon as the called registered user becomes accessible and available for the calling user, calling back the calling user and connecting the calling user with the called registered user.

2. The process as set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

asking the calling user if he still desires to be placed in contact with the called registered user,

asking said called registered user if he accepts to be connected to the calling user, and

establishing the call between the calling user and the called registered user upon mutual acceptance of the users to be placed in contact.

3. The process as set forth in claim 1, wherein the profile of a registered user includes the respective telephone numbers of a plurality of said terminals through which the registered user may be called, and wherein when a calling user dials a contact number that has beforehand been assigned to a registered user, the calling user is placed in contact with a call server that will or will not establish communication with one of the terminals of the registered user, in accordance with of the accessibility status of the terminals and the availability status of the registered user.

4. The process as set forth in claim 3, wherein if several terminals of the same registered user are accessible at a given instant, the calling user is connected with the registered user following a-steps of selecting an accessible terminal of the registered user according to an order of priority, and calling the selected terminal.

5. The process set forth in claim 1, further comprising:

declaring the accessibility of the terminal to update the status of terminal accessibility when a registered user changes from a status in which the registered user is located near a terminal identified in the registered user'"'"'s profile, and/or in which the terminal can receive calls from a network, to a status in which the registered user no longer is located near a terminal identified in the registered user'"'"'s profile, or in which the terminal is no longer in a position to receive calls from a network,

6. The process set forth in claim 1, wherein each registered user profile includes at least one directory of which each entry associates a party'"'"'s identifier with a party'"'"'s telephone number.

13. A computer-readable medium upon which is embodied a sequence of programmable instructions implementing the process of claim 1, and which, when executed by a server connected to at least one telecommunications or digital data transmission network, for the implementation of an automatic call back service of a called registered user called by a calling user, each user being equipped with at least one telecommunications terminal adapted to be connected to one of the networks, causes the server to perform the process of claim 1.

7. An automatic call back system for automatically calling back registered user called by a calling user in a telecommunications system that includes at least one of a telecommunications network and a digital data transmission network, and at least one telecommunications terminal for each user adapted to be connected to one of the networks, the system comprising:

a service coordination server with which each user of the automatic call back system must register and introduce a user profile including agenda and filtering data defining time slots of availability, each said time slot being associated with at least one list of parties being authorized or not authorized to call the user during said time slot,

means for updating an accessibility status of each registered user, according to which at least one terminal of said registered user is or is not accessible by a network and is or is not on the line,

a call server to which is transmitted all of the calls destined to a registered user,

means for updating an availability status of a registered user in relation to a calling user, according to which the calling user is authorized or not authorized to have contact with the registered user, according to said filtering and agenda data contained in the profile of the registered user, and

means for triggering an automatic call back procedure of a registered user called by a calling user, when a called registered user is not accessible or available in relation to the calling user, said automatic call back procedure placing the calling user in contact with the call registered user during the next available time slot of said called registered user according to the agenda data of said called registered user and as soon as the called registered user becomes accessible and available for the calling user, according to the of said accessibility status and said availability status.

8. The system as set forth in claim 7, wherein each terminal of a registered user is associated with means for emitting an accessibility message to the means for updating the accessibility status of each registered user each time the registered user'"'"'s status changes from a status in which the registered user is in a position to receive calls by the terminal to a status in which the registered user is no longer in a position to receive calls by the terminal, and, conversely, each time the registered user'"'"'s status changes from a status in which the registered user is not in a position to receive calls by the terminal to a status in which the registered user is in a position to receive calls by the terminal.

9. The system as set forth in claim 7, where wherein if the terminal of a registered user is a fixed telephone, said system further includes;

means for detecting the presence or absence of the registered user near the fixed telephone, and

means for transmitting to the means for updating the accessibility status of the registered user, a message of accessibility of the fixed telephone, each time there is change in the presence status of said user near the fixed telephone.

10. The system as set forth in claim 7, wherein if the terminal of registered user is a mobile telephone, said terminal triggers to the means for updating the accessibility status of said registered user a message of accessibility of the mobile telephone in order to declare the mobile telephone respectively accessible or not accessible, when the mobile telephone is turned on, if the mobile telephone is located in a zone covered by a corresponding mobile telephone network, or when the mobile telephone is turned off

11. The system as set forth in claim 7, wherein if the terminal of the user is a terminal equipped with data processing means and connected to a land network, the terminal triggers to the means for updating the accessibility status of said registered user a message of accessibility of the terminal to declare the registered user accessible or not accessible, terminal is turned off

12. A service coordination server for the implementation of an automatic call back service of a registered user, requested by a calling user in a telecommunications system including at least one telecommunications or digital data transmission network, each user being equipped with at least one telecommunications terminal adapted to be connected to one of the networks, the server comprising:

means for allowing users of the automatic call back service to register and introduce a user profile including the agenda and filtering data defining time slots of availability, each said time slot being associated with at least one list of parties being authorized or not authorized to call the user during said time slot,

means for updating an accessibility status of each registered user, according to which at least one terminal said each registered user is or is not accessible by a network and is or is not on the line,

means for updating an availability status of a registered user in relation to a calling user, according to which the calling user is authorized or not authorized to have contact with the registered user according to the filtering and agenda data contained in the profile of the registered user, and

means for triggering an automatic call back procedure of the registered user called by a calling user, when a called registered user is not accessible or not available in relation to the calling user, said automatic call back procedure connecting the calling user with the called registered user during the next available time slot of the called registered user according to the agenda data of said called registered user and as soon as the called registered user becomes accessible and available for the calling user, according to of said accessibility status and said availability status.