Establishing user accounts for RFID-based telecommunications routing

• US 8,243,661 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Agrawal, Kavita K., Bodin, William K., Rybczynski, Gregory W., Thorson, Derral C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMUEL, DEWANDA A
• Application Number:
  US11/877,956
• Publication Number:
  US 20080042808A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,756 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329, 370/338
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Methods, systems, and products are provided for establishing RFID-based telecommunications routing for a user including identifying a plurality of telephony devices available to a user, identifying the location of the plurality of telephony devices available to the user, receiving from a user routing preferences, receiving an identification of an RFID tag for the user, and associating with the user the identified telephony devices available to a user, the locations of the plurality of devices available to the user, the routing preferences, and the identification of the RFID tag.

Claims

1. A method for establishing Radio Frequency Identification (‘

RFID’

) based telecommunications routing for a user, the method comprising;

identifying a plurality of telephony devices available to a user at one or more locations;

receiving from the user telecommunications routing preferences indicating one of the plurality of telephony devices to be used at each of the one or more locations;

receiving an identification of an RFID tag for the user; and

associating with the user the identified telephony devices available to the user, the telecommunications routing preferences, and the identification of the RFID tag.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a plurality of telephony devices available to a user further comprises receiving a telephony device identification either from the user or from a service provider.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving from the user telecommunications routing preferences further comprises:

displaying instructions screens requesting the telecommunications routing preferences;

receiving inputs from the user indicating telecommunications device-based routing preferences for each of the plurality of telephony devices.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein associating with the user the telephony devices available to the user, the telecommunications routing preferences, and the identification of the RFID tag further comprises creating a user account in an RFID based routing database.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said telecommunications routing preferences include a preference between communications through a public switched telephone network and communications using packet switched telephony.

14. The method of claim 3 wherein said telecommunications device-based routing preferences include one or more preferences based on features of the identified telephony devices.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein said telecommunications device-based routing preferences includes at least one preference selected from a group of preferences consisting of a preference between a wireless device and a wireline device, a preference between a device with a speaker and a device without a speaker, and a preference between a wall mounted device and a device not mounted on a wall.

22. The method of claim 1 wherein the RFID tag is configured in a small form-factor to be worn or carried by the user to provide an indication of a user location.

5. A system for establishing RFID-based telecommunications routing for a user, the system comprising a computer processor operatively coupled to computer memory, the computer memory including computer program instructions that, upon being executed by the processor, cause the system to carry out steps of:

identifying a plurality of telephony devices available to a user at one or more locations;

receiving from the user telecommunications routing preferences indicating one of the plurality of telephony devices to be used at each of the one or more locations;

receiving an identification of an RFID tag for the user; and

associating with the user the telephony devices available to the user, the telecommunications routing preferences, and the identification of the RFID tag.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein identifying a plurality of telephony devices available to a user further comprises receiving a telephony device identification either from the user or from a service provider.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein receiving from the user telecommunications routing preferences further comprises:

displaying instructions screens requesting the telecommunications routing preferences;

receiving inputs from the user indicating device-based routing preferences for each of the plurality of telephony devices.

8. The system of claim 5 wherein associating with the user the telephony devices available to the user, the telecommunications routing preferences, and the identification of the RFID tag further comprises creating a user account in an RFID based routing database.

16. The system of claim 5 wherein said telecommunications routing preferences include a preference between communications through a public switched telephone network and communications using packet switched telephony.

17. The system of claim 7 wherein said telecommunications device-based routing preferences includes one or more preferences based on features of the identified telephony devices.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said telecommunications device-based routing preferences includes at least one preference selected from a group of preferences consisting of a preference between a wireless device and a wireline device, a preference between a device with a speaker and a device without a speaker, and a preference between a wall mounted device and a device not mounted on a wall.

23. The system of claim 5 wherein the RFID tag is configured in a small form-factor to be worn or carried by the user to provide an indication of a user location.

9. A computer program product for establishing Radio Frequency Identification (‘

RFID’

) based telecommunications routing for a user, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory recording medium having stored within it computer program instructions that, upon being executed by a computer processor, cause the computer processor to carry out steps of;

identifying a plurality of telephony devices available to a user at one or more locations;

receiving from the user telecommunications routing preferences indicating one of the plurality of telephony devices to be used at each of the one or more locations;

receiving an identification of an RFID tag for the user; and

associating with the user the telephony devices available to the user, the telecommunications routing preferences, and the identification of the RFID tag.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein identifying a plurality of telephony devices available to a user further comprises receiving a telephony device identification either from the user or from a service provider.

11. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein receiving from the user telecommunications routing preferences further comprises:

displaying instructions screens requesting the telecommunications routing preferences;

receiving inputs from the user indicating device-based routing preferences for each of the plurality of telephony devices.

12. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein associating with the user the telephony devices available to the user, the telecommunications routing preferences, and the identification of the RFID tag further comprises creating a user account in an RFID based routing database.

19. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein said telecommunications routing preferences include a preference between communications through a public switched telephone network and communications using packet switched telephony.

20. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein said telecommunications device-based routing preferences includes one or more preferences based on features of the identified telephony devices.

21. The computer program product of claim 20 wherein said telecommunications device-based routing preferences includes at least one preference selected from a group of preferences consisting of a preference between a wireless device and a wireline device, a preference between a device with a speaker and a device without a speaker, and a preference between a wall mounted device and a device not mounted on a wall.

24. The computer program product of claim 9 wherein the RFID tag is configured in a small form-factor to be worn or carried by the user to provide an indication of a user location.