Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US8494134
Timestamp: 2018-05-22 23:36:59
Document Index: 774974612

Matched Legal Cases: ['arty 40', 'arty 40', 'arty 40', 'arty 40', 'arty 40', 'arty 40', 'arty 40']

US8494134B2 - Method and system for routing calls placed to a telephony identifier associated with a group of identities - Google Patents
US8494134B2
US8494134B2 US12809806 US80980607A US8494134B2 US 8494134 B2 US8494134 B2 US 8494134B2 US 12809806 US12809806 US 12809806 US 80980607 A US80980607 A US 80980607A US 8494134 B2 US8494134 B2 US 8494134B2
US20100290609A1 (en )
The present invention also provides an apparatus for processing a call placed to a telephony identifier. The apparatus comprises a processing entity for: obtaining information regarding an origin of the call; identifying a group of persons that is associated with the telephony identifier; and determining, based on the information regarding the origin of the call, that the call is intended for a particular person among the group of persons. The apparatus also comprises a routing entity for causing routing of the call based on information associated with the particular person.
It is to be understood that these examples of telephony features are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not to be considered limiting in any respect as various other telephony features are or may become available. Also, the above examples of information that may be part of the processing operation information 23 associated with the identity 21 j, in relation to one or more telephony features are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not to be considered limiting in any respect.
In some embodiments, upon concluding that the call placed to the telephone number (555) 555-1234 is intended for at least one of two or more of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5, the processing entity 30 may cause the routing entity 32 to effect routing of the call based on the call processing information 25 associated with each of these two or more identities. For instance, based on the call processing information 25 associated with the two or more of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5, the routing entity 32 may cause one or more of the routing elements 22 1 . . . 22 3 to send one or more signals 110 1 . . . 110 8 over one or more of the network portions 26 1 . . . 26 8 to route the call to one or more of the communication devices 14 1 . . . 14 8, and/or may cause the call to be routed in other ways (e.g., to a voicemail system). For example, in a case where the telephone number (555) 555-5678 is part of the contact information 37 associated with each of the identities 21, and 21 3, which respectively designate the user 12 1, (i.e., the father) and the user 12 2, (i.e., the mother), the routing entity 32 may cause the routing element 22 3 to send signals 110 3 and 110 4 over the network portions 26 3 and 26 4 to route the call to the communication devices 14 3 and 14 4.
For example, in some embodiments, the processing entity 30 may consult a call history in an attempt to single out a specific identity for which the call is intended. The call history may be included in the record 200 j, of the database 36 or in another database to which the processing entity 30 has access. In some cases, the call history may indicate which of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5 effectively answered previous calls placed to the telephone number (555) 555-1234 from various origins (e.g., various origination telephone numbers). For instance, this can be achieved by indicating which of the communication devices 14 1 . . . 14 8 have been used to answer these previous calls or using other techniques to flag incoming calls as having been answered by one of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5. Upon consulting the call history, the processing entity 30 may determine that a specific one of the two or more of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5, which are associated with the contact information 37 that includes the telephone number (555) 555-5678, has been involved in answering most or all of the previous calls originating from that telephone number or the last call originating from that telephone number, in which case the processing entity 30 may conclude that the call placed to the telephone number (555) 555-1234 is intended for that specific identity. In other cases, the call history may indicate which of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5 effectively placed previous calls to various destinations (e.g., various destination telephone numbers). For instance, this can be achieved by indicating which of the communication devices 14 1 . . . 14 8 have been used to place these previous calls or using other techniques to flag outgoing calls as having been placed by one of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5. Upon consulting the call history, the processing entity 30 may determine that a specific one of the two or more of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5, which are associated with the contact information 37 that includes the telephone number (555) 555-5678, has been involved in placing most or all of the previous calls to that telephone number or the last call placed to that telephone number, in which case the processing entity 30 may conclude that the call placed to the telephone number (555) 555-1234 is intended for that specific identity. In these cases, the processing entity 30 may cause the routing entity 32 to effect routing of the call based on the call processing information 25 associated with the specific one of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5, in a manner similar to that described above in respect of Scenario I.
As another example, in some embodiments, the processing entity 30 may cause transmission of a signal 120 to the communication device 42 in order to invite the calling party 40 to specify which of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5 he/she is trying to reach. For example, the signal 120 may convey a message inviting the calling party 40 to specify which of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5 he/she is trying to reach. Depending on functionality of the communication device 42, the message may comprise a voice message and/or a displayable message prompting the calling party 40 to specify which of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5 he/she is trying to reach. For instance, in a case where the processing entity 30 concluded that the call placed to the telephone number (555) 555-1234 is intended for at least one of the identities 21, and 21 3 and where the user 12, is named John and the user 12 2 is named Carol, the message may be “Are you trying to reach John or Carol?”, “Press 1 if you want to reach John, 2 if you want to reach Carol, or 3 if you want to reach either of them”, or any conceivable variant thereof. Alternatively, the message may be “Please specify who you are trying to reach” or any conceivable variant thereof such as to not give out the names of John and Carol. The calling party 40 may then interact with the communication device 42, for instance, by pressing on one or more buttons or otherwise manually interacting therewith and/or speaking one or more utterances in order to specify which of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5 he/she is trying to reach, thereby causing the communication device 42 to transmit a signal 124 indicative of which of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5 the calling party 40 is trying to reach. Upon processing the signal 124 indicative of which of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5 the calling party 40 is trying to reach (possibly applying a speech recognition function in a case where the calling party 40 vocally specified which identity he/she is trying to reach), the processing entity 30 concludes that the call placed to the telephone number (555) 555-1234 is intended for that specified identity. In such a case, the processing entity 30 may cause the routing entity 32 to effect routing of the call based on the call processing information 25 associated with the specified one of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5, in a manner similar to that described above in respect of Scenario I.
It will thus be appreciated that, in this embodiment, the telephone number (555) 555-1234 being associated with the group of identities 21 1 . . . 21 5 which designate the users 12 1 . . . 12 4 is particularly useful from various perspectives. For example, in this case, the users 12 1 . . . 12 4 and the communication devices 14 1 . . . 14 8 share a common telephone number (i.e., (555) 555-1234) and every incoming call placed to that telephone number is routed according to which of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5 it is determined to be intended for. This benefits the users 12 1 . . . 12 4 who only need to remember and give out to their friends, colleagues and/or other acquaintances a single telephone number (i.e., (555) 555-1234) at which they can be reached. Similarly, this benefits these friends, colleagues and/or other acquaintances of the users 12 1 . . . 12 4 who only need to remember a single telephone number (i.e., (555) 555-1234) at which each of the users 12 1 . . . 12 4 can be reached. Also, by virtue of routing every incoming call placed to the telephone number (555) 555-1234 according to which of the identities 21 1 . . . 21 5 it is determined to be intended for, undesirable situations where a given one of the users 12 1 . . . 12 4 for whom the call is n1ot intended wastes his/her time picking up the call can be avoided.
1. A method for processing a call placed to a telephony identifier, said method comprising:
obtaining an identifier of a calling party having originated the call;
identifying a group of destination identities associated with the telephony identifier, each destination identity designating a party reachable by calling the telephony identifier;
searching contact information respectively associated with the destination identities in the group of destination identities to identify a particular destination identity for which the respective contact information includes the identifier of the calling party having originated the call; and
causing routing of the call based on information associated with the particular destination identity.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the telephony identifier is a telephone number.
3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the telephony identifier is a first telephony identifier and wherein the identifier of the calling party having originated the call comprises a second telephony identifier associated with a communication device from which the call originates.
4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second telephony identifier is a telephone number.
5. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising obtaining a time at which the call has been originated.
6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the call is a current call and said determining comprises:
concluding from the call history and the identifier of the calling party having originated the current call that the current call is intended for the particular identity.
7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said concluding comprises determining that the particular identity has been involved in answering at least one previous call placed to the telephony identifier and originating from the calling party having originated the current call.
8. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said concluding comprises determining that the particular identity has been involved in placing at least one previous call to a destination corresponding to the calling party having originated the current call.
9. A method as claimed in claim 1, said determining comprising:
performing a search on at least one site of a data network on a basis of the identifier of the calling party having originated the call; and
identifying, based on results of the search, a relationship between the particular identity and the calling party having originated the call.
10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the at least one site comprises at least one of a social networking site and a search engine site.
11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information associated with the particular identity comprises information identifying a communication device associated with the particular identity, said causing routing of the call comprising causing routing of the call to the communication device.
12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the information identifying the communication device associated with the particular identity comprises a hidden identifier identifying the communication device.
13. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein said causing routing of the call comprises causing the communication device to present at least one of (1) an audible indication that the call is intended for the particular identity and (2) a visual indication that the call is intended for the particular identity.
14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the audible indication comprises at least one of a distinctive sound and an audio message, and the visual indication includes at least one of a displayed message and a light being lit up.
15. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the visual indication comprises a displayed message within calling line identification information.
16. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information associated with the particular identity comprises information indicative of at least one operation to perform to process calls intended for the particular identity.
17. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the information indicative of at least one operation to perform to process calls intended for the particular identity defines at least one call processing rule.
18. A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the information indicative of at least one operation to perform to process calls intended for the particular identity relates to at least one telephony feature.
19. A method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the at least one telephony feature includes at least one of: a call forwarding feature, a selective call forwarding feature, a no-answer call forwarding feature, a find me / follow me call forwarding feature, a distinctive ringing feature, a selective call rejection feature, a selective call acceptance feature, a call waiting feature, a distinctive ringing call waiting feature, and a calling line identification displaying feature.
20. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the particular identity is a first particular identity, said method comprising:
determining, based on the identifier of the calling party having originated the call, that the call is also intended for a second particular identity among the group of identities;
wherein routing of the call is further based on information associated with the second particular identity.
21. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the party designated by a first identity of the group of identities is a first person and the party designated by a second identity of the group of identities is a second person.
22. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the party designated by each of a first identity of the group of identities and a second identity of the group of identities is a common person.
23. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the party designated by a first identity of the group of identities is a person and the party designated by a second identity of the group of identities is a plurality of persons.
24. An apparatus for processing a call placed to a telephony identifier, said apparatus comprising:
identifying a group of destination identities associated with the telephony identifier, each destination identity designating a party reachable by calling the telephony identifier; and
a routing entity for causing routing of the call based on information associated with the particular destination identity.
25. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein the telephony identifier is a telephone number.
26. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein the telephony identifier is a first telephony identifier and wherein the identifier of the calling party having originated the call comprises a second telephony identifier associated with a communication device from which the call originates.
27. An apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein the second telephony identifier is a telephone number.
28. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein the processing entity is further configured for obtaining a time at which the call has been originated.
29. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein the call is a current call and said determining comprises:
30. An apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein said concluding comprises determining that the particular identity has been involved in answering at least one previous call placed to the telephony identifier and originating from the calling party having originated the current call.
31. An apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein said concluding comprises determining that the particular identity has involved in placing at least one previous call to a destination corresponding to the calling party having originated the current call.
32. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, said determining comprising:
33. An apparatus as claimed in claim 32, wherein the at least one site comprises at least one of a social networking site and a search engine site.
34. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein the information associated with the particular identity comprises information identifying a communication device associated with the particular identity, said causing routing of the call comprising causing routing of the call to the communication device.
35. An apparatus as claimed in claim 34, wherein the information identifying the communication device associated with the particular identity comprises a hidden identifier identifying the communication device.
36. An apparatus as claimed in claim 34, wherein said causing routing of the call comprises causing the communication device to present at least one of (1) an audible indication that the call is intended for the particular identity and (2) a visual indication that the call is intended for the particular identity.
37. An apparatus as claimed in claim 36, wherein the audible indication comprises at least one of a distinctive sound and an audio message, and the visual indication includes at least one of a displayed message and a light being lit up.
38. An apparatus as claimed in claim 36, wherein the visual indication comprises a displayed message within calling line identification information.
39. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein the information associated with the particular identity comprises information indicative of at least one operation to perform to process calls intended for the particular identity.
40. An apparatus as claimed in claim 39, wherein the information indicative of at least one operation to perform to process calls intended for the particular identity defines at least one call processing rule.
41. An apparatus as claimed in claim 39, wherein the information indicative of at least one operation to perform to process calls intended for the particular identity relates to at least one telephony feature.
42. An apparatus as claimed in claim 41, wherein the at least one telephony feature includes at least one of: a call forwarding feature, a selective call forwarding feature, a no-answer call forwarding feature, a find me / follow me call forwarding feature, a distinctive ringing feature, a selective call rejection feature, a selective call acceptance feature, a call waiting feature, a distinctive ringing call waiting feature, and a calling line identification displaying feature.
43. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein the particular identity is a first particular identity, said processing entity being operative for determining, based on the identifier of the calling party having originated the call, that the call is also intended for a second particular identity among the group of identities, wherein said routing of the call is further based on information associated with the second particular identity.
44. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein the party designated by a first identity of the group of identities is a first person and the party designated by a second identity of the group of identities is a second person.
45. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein the party designated by each of a first identity of the group of identities and a second identity of the group of identities is a common person.
46. An apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein the party designated by a first identity of the group of identities is a person and the party designated by a second identity of the group of identities is a plurality of persons.
47. A system for processing a call placed to a telephony identifier, said system comprising:
means for obtaining an identifier of a calling party having originated the call;
means for identifying a group of destination identities associated with the telephony identifier, each destination identity designating a party reachable by calling the telephony identifier;
means for searching contact information respectively associated with the destination identities in the group of destination identities to identify a particular destination identity for which the respective contact information includes the identifier of the calling party having originated the call;
means for causing routing of the call based on information associated with the particular destination identity.
48. Computer-readable media storing a program component for execution by a computer system to process a call placed to a telephony identifier, said program component comprising:
first program code for causing the computer system to obtain an identifier of a calling party having originated the call;
second program code for causing the computer system to identify a group of destination identities associated with the telephony identifier, each destination identity designating a party reachable by calling the telephony identifier;
third program code for causing the computer system to search contact information respectively associated with the destination identities in the group of destination identities to identify a particular destination identity for which the respective contact information includes the identifier of the calling party having originated the call; and
fourth program code for causing the computer system to cause routing of the call based on information associated with the particular destination identity.
US20100290609A1 true US20100290609A1 (en) 2010-11-18
US8494134B2 true US8494134B2 (en) 2013-07-23
Supplementary European Search Report issued on May 22, 2012, in connection with European Patent Application 07855561,6 pages.
Tyson J. et al., "How VoIP Works", 2005, http://www.engedi.net/documents/HowVolPWorks-Feb.pdf, Sep. 2008, 7 pages.
Tyson J. et al., "How VoIP Works", 2005, http://www.engedi.net/documents/HowVolPWorks—Feb.pdf, Sep. 2008, 7 pages.
US20100290609A1 (en) 2010-11-18 application
US20010036258A1 (en) 2001-11-01 Telecommunication service for prioritizing and enhancing privacy of incoming calls