WO2016053874A1 - Procédé et système d'interruption d'appels intelligente - Google Patents

Procédé et système d'interruption d'appels intelligente Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2016053874A1
WO2016053874A1 PCT/US2015/052646 US2015052646W WO2016053874A1 WO 2016053874 A1 WO2016053874 A1 WO 2016053874A1 US 2015052646 W US2015052646 W US 2015052646W WO 2016053874 A1 WO2016053874 A1 WO 2016053874A1
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WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
call
user
termination
rules
calls
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2015/052646
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Jeffrey Citron
Sagi Dudai
Dany Orr
Original Assignee
Vonage Network Llc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Priority claimed from US14/505,826 external-priority patent/US20150181023A1/en
Application filed by Vonage Network Llc filed Critical Vonage Network Llc
Publication of WO2016053874A1 publication Critical patent/WO2016053874A1/fr

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
    • H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
    • H04M3/436—Arrangements for screening incoming calls, i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
    • H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
    • H04M3/42025—Calling or Called party identification service
    • H04M3/42034—Calling party identification service
    • H04M3/42042—Notifying the called party of information on the calling party
    • H04M3/42051—Notifying the called party of information on the calling party where the notification is included in the ringing tone
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
    • H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
    • H04M3/42025—Calling or Called party identification service
    • H04M3/42034—Calling party identification service
    • H04M3/42059—Making use of the calling party identifier
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
    • H04M3/42—Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers
    • H04M3/42025—Calling or Called party identification service
    • H04M3/42085—Called party identification service
    • H04M3/42102—Making use of the called party identifier
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M2203/00—Aspects of automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
    • H04M2203/55—Aspects of automatic or semi-automatic exchanges related to network data storage and management
    • H04M2203/551—Call history
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
    • H04M3/02—Calling substations, e.g. by ringing

Definitions

  • Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to methods and systems that observe and determine individual behavioral patterns for answering calls, and that use those patterns to intelligently terminate calls.
  • default call termination behavior is similar for all calls to a called device.
  • the called device rings for a certain amount of time, then either goes to voicemail or disconnects the call attempt if it's not answered.
  • the ring duration may be between 10 to 40 seconds.
  • treating each call the same is not efficient as ring durations may be very different depending on the called party's preferences. Some people answer quickly while others let the phone ring and never answer. Some never answer during work hours, while others never answer during off work hours.
  • some technologies support signaling to multiple destinations. That is, multiple devices may be associated with a single phone number or other communication identifier.
  • a primary/preferred destination may be predefined, for example, GSM defines primary and secondary destinations.
  • GSM defines primary and secondary destinations.
  • endpoints may be configured to make intelligent routing and call termination decisions.
  • a method for intelligently terminating calls may include receiving a call request directed to a communication identifier associated with a first user, determining a call termination action to associate with the call request based on (a) information associated with the call request and (b) previous call termination patterns associated with the first user, and terminating the call to one or more devices associated with the communication identifier based on the determined call termination action.
  • a system for intelligently terminating calls may include a call pattern analysis module configured to determine call termination patterns of a first user based on past call history records associated with the first user, a rules creation module configured to create one or more rules based on the call termination patterns determined by the call pattern analysis module, and a call processing module configured to determine a call termination action for a received call request directed towards a device associated with the first user based on (a) information associated with the call request and (b) the one or more rules created.
  • a non-transient computer readable medium for storing computer instructions that, when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to perform a method for intelligently terminating calls may include receiving a call request to establish a call to a first device of a first user, determining a call termination action to associate with the call request based on (a) information associated with the call request and (b) previous call termination patterns associated with the first user, and terminating the call to the first device of the first user using the determined call termination action.
  • Figure 1 depicts a block diagram of a telecommunication network, according to one or more embodiments of the invention.
  • Figure 2 depicts a block diagram of a system for providing intelligent termination of calls based on a user's call history, according to one or more embodiments of the invention
  • Figure 2A depicts a block diagram of a user device for providing intelligent termination of calls, according to one or more embodiments of the invention
  • Figure 3 is a bubble chart of operations according to one or more embodiments, such as the one in Figure 2;
  • Figure 4 is an exemplary neural network system that may be used for providing intelligent termination of calls according to one or more embodiments;
  • Figure 5A and 5B depict a flow diagram of a method for providing intelligent termination of calls based on a user's call history, according to one or more embodiments of the invention;
  • Figure 5C depicts a flow diagram of a method for obtaining and using a user's call history according to one or more embodiments of the invention.
  • Figure 6 depicts a computer system that can be utilized in various embodiments of the present invention, according to one or more embodiments of the invention.
  • Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to methods and systems that observe and determine individual behavioral patterns for answering calls. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention may advantageously learn a user's preferences for terminating a call based on caller information, call time, user location, user device information, and other parameters. Individual call termination patterns for subscribers may be analyzed to intelligently determine how to terminate the call, if at all. Some embodiments of the present invention may analyze general patterns or patterns specific to time of day, specific callers, specific devices used, or other parameters, and modify call handling behaviors over time.
  • a telecommunication network may collect statistical data for callers that can be used to determine call termination patterns for specific users that allow their data to be collected.
  • the data collected for each subscriber may be in-band from the call itself, such as caller identification, time of day, user devices available for call termination, and the like, or the data collected may be out-of-band from sources such as social media, external GPS information, information from external calendar sources associated with the called party, and the like.
  • the user may choose to opt into the intelligent call termination service or select a default termination behavior.
  • call termination rules such as for example ring duration, will be applied automatically by the system per each individual call. For example, if a subscriber that activates the intelligent call termination service never answers calls after midnight, the service may send the call directly to voicemail or may set a minimal ring and ring back duration (e.g., 1 second). Alternatively, a detailed message to the caller may be given (e.g., "The call was terminated because the called party does not take calls at this time.”).
  • one or a plurality of devices associated with a user's communication identifier may be automatically selected as the termination device based on past user call termination behavior associated with each device.
  • call history and user termination behavior may be saved regardless of whether or not the user subscribes to the intelligent call termination service. In other embodiments, call history and user termination behavior is only saved/updated if the user has subscribed to the intelligent call termination service.
  • the intelligent routing decisions may be made by an intelligent call termination system managed and maintained by the service provider offering the intelligent call termination service to subscribers.
  • a local intelligent call termination module may be disposed on a subscriber's end user device which is configured to intelligent routing decisions.
  • VOIP system VOIP telephony system
  • IP system IP telephony system
  • IP telephony system IP telephony system
  • IP telephony system IP telephony system
  • a communications environment 100 is provided to facilitate IP enhanced communications.
  • An IP telephony system 120 enables connection of telephone calls between its own customers and other parties via data communications that pass over a data network 1 10.
  • the data network 1 10 is commonly the Internet, although the IP telephony system 120 may also make use of private data networks.
  • the IP telephony system 120 is connected to the Internet 1 10.
  • the IP telephony system 120 is connected to a publicly switched telephone network (PSTN) 130 via a gateway 122.
  • PSTN 130 may also be directly coupled to the Internet 1 10 through one of its own internal gateways (not shown). Thus, communications may pass back and forth between the IP telephony system 120 and the PSTN 130 through the Internet 1 10 via a gateway maintained within the PSTN 130.
  • the gateway 122 allows users and devices that are connected to the PSTN 130 to connect with users and devices that are reachable through the IP telephony system 120, and vice versa. In some instances, the gateway 122 would be a part of the IP telephony system 120. In other instances, the gateway 122 could be maintained by a third party.
  • IP telephone 108 that is connected to the Internet 1 10.
  • IP telephone 108 could be connected to an Internet service provider via a wired connection or via a wireless router.
  • the IP telephone 108 could utilize a packet-switched network of a cellular telephone system to access the Internet 1 10.
  • a customer could utilize an analog telephone 102 which is connected to the Internet 1 10 via a telephone adapter 104.
  • the telephone adapter 104 converts analog signals from the telephone 102 into data signals that pass over the Internet 1 10, and vice versa.
  • Analog telephone devices include but are not limited to standard telephones and document imaging devices such as facsimile machines.
  • a configuration using a telephone adapter 104 is common where the analog telephone 102 is located in a residence or business. Other configurations are also possible where multiple analog telephones share access through the same IP adaptor. In those situations, all analog telephones could share the same telephone number, or multiple communication lines (e.g., additional telephone numbers) may provisioned by the IP telephony system 120.
  • a customer could utilize a soft-phone client running on a computer 106 or a television 109 to place and receive IP based telephone calls, and to access other IP telephony systems (not shown).
  • the computer 106 may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet device, a gaming system, and the like.
  • the soft-phone client could be assigned its own telephone number.
  • the soft-phone client could be associated with a telephone number that is also assigned to an IP telephone 108, or to a telephone adaptor 104 that is connected one or more analog telephones 102.
  • IP telephony system 120 Users of the IP telephony system 120 are able to access the service from virtually any location where they can connect to the Internet 1 10. Thus, a customer could register with an IP telephony system provider in the U.S., and that customer could then use an IP telephone 108 located in a country outside the U.S. to access the services. Likewise, the customer could also utilize a computer outside the U.S. that is running a soft-phone client to access the IP telephony system 120.
  • a third party using an analog telephone 132 which is connected to the PSTN 130 may call a customer of the IP telephony system 120.
  • the call is initially connected from the analog telephone 132 to the PSTN 130, and then from the PSTN 130, through the gateway 122 to the IP telephony system 120.
  • the IP telephony system 120 then routes the call to the customer's IP telephony device.
  • a third party using a cellular telephone 134 could also place a call to an IP telephony system customer, and the connection would be established in a similar manner, although the first link would involve communications between the cellular telephone 134 and a cellular telephone network.
  • the cellular telephone network is considered part of the PSTN 130.
  • IP telephony device This term is used to refer to any type of device which is capable of interacting with an IP telephony system to complete an audio or video telephone call or to send and receive text messages, and other forms of communications.
  • An IP telephony device could be an IP telephone, a computer running IP telephony software, a telephone adapter which is itself connected to a normal analog telephone, or some other type of device capable of communicating via data packets.
  • An IP telephony device could also be a cellular telephone or a portable computing device that runs a software application that enables the device to act as an IP telephone.
  • a single device might be capable of operating as both a cellular telephone that can facilitate voice based session calls, and an IP telephone that can facilitate data based session calls.
  • a mobile telephony device is intended to encompass multiple different types of devices.
  • a mobile telephony device could be a cellular telephone.
  • a mobile telephony device may be a mobile computing device, such as the APPLE IPHONE, that includes both cellular telephone capabilities and a wireless data transceiver that can establish a wireless data connection to a data network.
  • Such a mobile computing device could run appropriate application software to conduct VoIP telephone calls via a wireless data connection.
  • a mobile computing device such as an APPLE IPHONE, a RIM BLACKBERRY or a comparable device running GOOGLE ANDROID operating system could be a mobile telephony device.
  • a mobile telephony device may be a device that is not traditionally used as a telephony device, but which includes a wireless data transceiver that can establish a wireless data connection to a data network. Examples of such devices include the APPLE IPOD TOUCH and the IPAD. Such a device may act as a mobile telephony device once it is configured with appropriate application software.
  • Figure 1 illustrates that a mobile computing device with cellular capabilities 136A (e.g., a smartphone) is capable of establishing a first wireless data connection A with a first wireless access point 140, such as a Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' (IEEE) 802.1 1 x or 802.16x router.
  • the first wireless access point 140 is coupled to the Internet 1 10.
  • the mobile computing device 136A can establish a VOIP telephone call with the IP telephony system 120 via a path through the Internet 1 10 and the first wireless access point 140.
  • Figure 1 also illustrates that the mobile computing device 136 A can establish a second wireless data connection B with a second wireless access point 142 that is also coupled to the Internet 1 10. Further, the mobile computing device 136A can establish either a third wireless data connection C via a packet-switch network provided by a cellular service provider 130 using its cellular telephone capabilities, or establish a voice based session telephone call via a circuit-switched network provided by a cellular service provider 130. The mobile computing device 136A could also establish a VoIP telephone call with the IP telephony system 120 via the second wireless connection B or the third wireless connection C.
  • the mobile computing device 136 A may be capable of establishing a wireless data connection to a data network, such as the Internet 1 10, via alternate means.
  • a data network such as the Internet 1
  • the mobile computing device 136A might link to some other type of wireless interface using an alternate communication protocol, such as the WIMAX standard.
  • mobile computing device with cellular capabilities 136B may also be coupled to internet 1 10 and/or cellular service provider 130.
  • mobile computing device 136B may be connected to internet 1 10 via a wireless local area network (WLAN) connection based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' (IEEE) 802.1 1 x or 802.16x standards, and the like, and can also establish a VOIP telephone calls with the IP telephony system 120 similar to mobile computing device 136A-
  • WLAN wireless local area network
  • communications environment 100 may be used to establish voice based or data based telecommunications sessions between mobile computing device 136A and mobile computing device 136B, depending on various criteria associated with each of the mobile computing devices, as will be described below in more detail.
  • a service provider backend system 201 may include an intelligent call termination system (ICTS) 202 for determining how to terminate calls to subscriber end user devices (e.g., mobile computing device 136B, computer 106, TV 109, and the like) based on a subscriber's past call termination patterns.
  • ICTS intelligent call termination system
  • the intelligent call termination system 202 may determine how to terminate calls to a subscriber using rules based on subscriber's past call termination patterns, the current call information 230 (i.e., in-band information), external information 234 (i.e., out-of-band information), and the user's settings/preferences.
  • the intelligent call termination system 202 comprises a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 204, support circuits 206, memory 208, and, in some embodiments, a display device 210.
  • the CPU 204 may comprise one or more commercially available microprocessors or microcontrollers that facilitate data processing and storage.
  • the various support circuits 206 facilitate the operation of the CPU 204 and include one or more clock circuits, power supplies, cache, input/output circuits, and the like.
  • the memory 208 comprises at least one of Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), disk drive storage, optical storage, removable storage and/or the like.
  • the memory 208 comprises an operating system 212, call pattern analysis module 214, rules creation module 216, call processing module 218, call history database 220, rules database 222, and a user settings database 224.
  • the operating system (OS) 212 generally manages various computer resources (e.g., network resources, file processors, and/or the like).
  • the operating system 212 is configured to execute operations on one or more hardware and/or software modules, such as Network Interface Cards (NICs), hard disks, virtual ization layers, firewalls and/or the like.
  • NICs Network Interface Cards
  • Examples of the operating system 212 may include, but are not limited to, LINUX, MAC OSX, BSD, UNIX, MICROSOFT WINDOWS, IOS, ANDROID and the like.
  • call history database 220 Although call history database 220, rules database 222, and a user settings database 224 are shown as being included in memory 208, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize these elements may be implemented as separate databases coupled to the intelligent call termination system 202.
  • call pattern analysis module 214, rules creation module 216, call processing module 218 are shown as being included in memory 208, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize these elements may be implemented as separate systems communicatively coupled to the intelligent call termination system 202.
  • Figure 2 depicts call pattern analysis module 214, rules creation module 216, call processing module 218, and call history DB 220, rules DB 222, and user settings DB are shown as being included in memory 208 of the intelligent call termination system 202, in some embodiments, as shown in Figure 2A, the functions performed by these modules may also be performed by an intelligent call termination routing module 254 stored in the memory 244 of the mobile computing device 136A, 136B receiving an incoming call, for example.
  • a native or an over-the-top (OTT) telecommunication module 250 installed on the device that facilitates telephony communications via service provider 201 may include intelligent call termination routing module 254 that may perform similar functions as call pattern analysis module 214, rules creation module 216, call processing module 218, and calls history DB 220, rules DB 222, and user settings DB described herein.
  • the telecommunication module 250 may be stored in memory 244.
  • the mobile computing device 136A, 136B also comprises a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 240, support circuits 242, memory 244, and, in some embodiments, a display device 246.
  • the memory 244 comprises at least one of Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), disk drive storage, optical storage, removable storage and/or the like.
  • the memory 244 also comprises an operating system 248.
  • the operating system (OS) 248 generally manages various computer resources (e.g., network resources, file processors, and/or the like).
  • the operating system 248 is configured to execute operations on one or more hardware and/or software modules, such as Network Interface Cards (NICs), hard disks, virtualization layers, firewalls and/or the like.
  • NICs Network Interface Cards
  • Examples of the operating system 248 may include, but are not limited to, LINUX, MAC OSX, BSD, UNIX, MICROSOFT WINDOWS, IOS, ANDROID and the like.
  • the mobile computing device 136A, 136B of the subscriber may create and send Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messages, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) messages, or proprietary protocol messages, directly to the voicemail or to another device to forward/transfer the call, or to send a busy signal to the calling device.
  • SIP Session Initiation Protocol
  • HTTP Hypertext Transfer Protocol
  • proprietary protocol messages directly to the voicemail or to another device to forward/transfer the call, or to send a busy signal to the calling device.
  • the details and functionality of SIP can be found in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) Request for Comments (RFC) Paper No. 3261 entitled, "SIP: Session Initiation Protocol".
  • Figure 3 is a bubble chart 300 of operations of the intelligent call termination system 202 in accordance with the embodiments of Figure 2 and Figure 2A.
  • Intelligent call termination services will be provided to users who have opted into the service. If the user has opted into the intelligent call termination service, a profile will be created for them in user settings database 224. Once opted in, the user may set their preferences on how various calls should be terminated. Users may also be able to disable, or otherwise override, the call termination service at any time.
  • call history database 220 will include detailed information about each call terminated to the user.
  • the information associated with each call terminated to the user may include times of calls, location of calls, caller information, ring duration before answering the call, whether the call was answered or not, whether the call was sent directly to voicemail, a device identifier of the device that the call was terminated to and/or answered by the user, and the like.
  • Call pattern analysis operations 314 may be performed on call history records from call history database 220, or from call history records stored on device 136A, for a subscribed user to determine call termination patterns and behaviors of the user. Call pattern analysis operations 314 may be performed, for example, by call pattern analysis module 214. For example, call pattern analysis operations 314 may include determining that the user never answers the phone past 12:00 AM unless it is a business call (i.e., from a caller identified as a business contact).
  • Call pattern analysis operations 314 may provide the determined call termination patterns and behaviors of the user to rules creation operations 316.
  • Rules creation operations 316 may be performed by rules creation module 216.
  • Rules creation operations 316 may include using the call patterns received, or otherwise obtained, in addition to user preferences set by the user and user settings database 224 to create rules on how to terminate various types of calls.
  • rules creation operations 316 may receive information from call pattern analysis operations 314 that the user never answers the phone past 12:00 AM unless it is a business call.
  • the rules creation module 216 may further obtain information from user settings database 224 to determine how the user wants such a call terminated.
  • the user settings database 224 may include instructions from the user requiring that all calls that will automatically not be terminated to user based on past call behavior, play a message back to the caller informing them that they should call back at another time.
  • the rules created by rules creation operations 316 are stored in the rules database 222. Although the call pattern analysis operations 314 and rules creation operations 316 are described as being performed by separate call pattern analysis module 214 and rules creation module 216, these operations may be performed together in a single module to determine calling patterns and rules. [0051] Call pattern analysis operations 314 and/or rules creation operations 316 may include the use of neural networks to determine and refine calling patterns and rules.
  • the intelligent call termination system 202 will employ learning algorithms to be used in call pattern analysis operations 314 and rules creation operations 316, to determine user call termination behaviors and create rules associated with the determined behaviors.
  • an exemplary neural network system 400 that may be used by call pattern analysis operations 314 and rules creation operations 316.
  • the system 400 may include an input layer 402 and includes a plurality of inputs 403a-d.
  • the inputs (variables) that are chosen may include time of day (at the user's location), day of the week, the caller information, whether the caller is in the user's contact/address book, the user's location, information associated with what the user was doing at the time of the call (e.g., using calendar information or phone mode settings to determine if the user was in a meeting), a device identifier of the device that the call was terminated to and/or answered by the user, and the like. For example, if a phone is set to silent mode or meeting mode, the user may be in a meeting or at the movies.
  • the inputs 403a-d of the input layer 402 may be obtained from call history database 220 and/or from call history records stored on device 136A.
  • the hidden layer 404 operates on the inputs 403a-d of the input layer 402 to provide behavior patterns.
  • the hidden layer 404 is the result of the call pattern analysis operations 314 performed on inputs 403a-d. That is, based on the inputs 403a-d of the input layer 402, the hidden layer 404 includes the determined call termination behaviors of the user as shown in Table 1 below.
  • the output 407 is the end rule based determined by rules creation operations 316 on the given set of inputs 403a-d and the behavior patterns of the hidden layer 404.
  • Tables 1 and 2 below includes some non-limiting examples of output rules that may be determined by rules creation operations 316 based on the given set of inputs 403a-d and the behavior patterns of the hidden layer 404. TABLE 1
  • call termination rule no matter what the inputs are (e.g., ring for 30 seconds then go to voicemail).
  • the system learns the optimal behavior for a given set of circumstances/inputs that resulting in changes in the hidden layer. Feedback based on user's behavior will result in gradual formation and modification of hidden rules.
  • call termination rules may be suggested to users once the system reaches a threshold level of certainty regarding the given rule.
  • initial tests are performed to optimize the algorithm and to deduce or estimate how soon can a sufficient certainty level is achieved.
  • the initial tests may indicate that 30 call records would suffice to reach a sufficient initial certainty level/prediction.
  • This number of call records to be used to reach a threshold level of certainty is further optimized dynamically/on-the-fly based on users' reaction and satisfaction.
  • the rules database 222 may include a certainty level, or rule weighting, associated with each rule.
  • call processing operations 318 are performed on the call to determine how to terminate the call.
  • Call processing operations 318 will use information associated with the call 232, information from user settings database 224 about user, and rules from rules database 222.
  • Call processing operations 318 may first determine if the user to which the call is directed to is a subscriber to the intelligent call termination service by accessing user settings database 224.
  • Call processing operations 318 may then extract in-band information associated with the call 232 to determine if there are any matching rules from rules database 222. Specifically, call processing operations 318 may determine one or more call termination patterns from the information associated with a call request, and match that up with one or more rules from rules database 222. If no matching rules apply, then a default call termination procedure may be used. For example, a default call termination procedure may include terminating the call to the user with a ring duration of five rings, and then sending the call to voicemail after five rings. If call processing operations 318 determines that the incoming call request matches one or more rules in rules database 222, and the call will be terminated to the user associated with device 136B in accordance with the one or more matching rules.
  • call processing operations 318 may include obtaining out-of-band information from external sources 234.
  • the external sources 234 from which the out-of-band information is obtained may include, for example, social media sources such as, for example, LINKEDIN, FACEBOOK, and the like.
  • call processing operations 318 may obtain external information from a social media site to determine the user is associated with the calling party.
  • call processing operations 318 may determine that the calling party is a business associate using LINKEDIN contact information and apply a rule from rules database 222 that pertains to calls from business associates.
  • the intelligent call termination routing module 254 of the telecommunication module 250 may perform the same functionality at the device 136A.
  • intelligent call termination services will determine how calls are handled by the type of action performed by the subscriber and or telecommunication service provider system 201 in response to a specific set of conditions. For example, upon receiving an incoming call directed to a user who has opted into the intelligent call termination service, the intelligent call termination system 202, or the intelligent call termination module 254, may let the call go through for a specified number of rings, send the call straight to voicemail, forward the call to another number, play a busy signal, reject call, notify the callee in a specific manner (e.g., ring, special ring, vibration, pop-up message), and the like.
  • the termination rules may be initially set to default values, and may adapt over time based on, for example, the subscriber's behavior.
  • explicit feedback from the subscriber may be requested, for example via a pop-up menu, at the end of the call.
  • the subscriber may be asked whether the call was handled/terminated properly, or whether the subscriber wants to make a specific termination procedure the default for all similar call patterns.
  • the pop-up menu may appear after a threshold number of situations where there is consistent behavior from the subscriber.
  • the user may be able to provide a "hard code" a rule such that further learning will not undo the user's preference automatically.
  • Other input variables for making termination decisions may include the amount of time since the subscriber called the caller which could indicate that a return call should be more likely to be interesting to the subscriber. As the time between the prior call grows, the weighting on this variable may decrease. That is, if Bob called Sue 5 minutes ago, the system may prioritize a return call from Sue (e.g., allow the call to go through even at 2:00AM, or play a prioritized ringtone, etc.). If Bob called Sue 5 days ago, it is less likely Bob will be interested in receiving a call from Sue at 2:00AM. Similarly, if Bob very recently accepted a call from Sue, he may be more willing to do so again.
  • the input variables for making termination decisions may include whether the caller in the subscriber's contact book. For example, the subscriber may be less willing to accept calls from strangers and thus, said calls may be routed directly to voicemail or a busy signal may be played. In some embodiments, if a second call from the same number is immediately attempted, the call may be allowed to go through to the subscriber (i.e., ring the subscriber's device 136A) as it may indicate an important call.
  • a threshold may be set or automatically learned such that if a caller call X times in the last X minutes (i.e., a predetermined frequency within a predetermined time period), the call is marked as urgent (e.g., special/urgent ring tone played or special/urgent display notification).
  • certain callers within a subscriber's address book may be identified, or otherwise marked, as "VIPs" that have a special set of termination rules applied to the VIP group. That is, the user may set up different sets of termination rules for different groups of contacts. Certain contacts marked/identified in the subscriber's address book as belonging to a VIP group that receives special termination rules.
  • the input variables for making termination decisions may include a frequency of calls between the subscriber and the caller. The more frequent the subscriber and caller have spoken, there may be a higher importance and weighting. The weighting may decay over time (i.e., as the time from the last call between the subscriber and caller grows).
  • the embodiments described above include intelligent call termination services provided to subscribers for incoming calls.
  • the same learning logic described above may be used to assist subscribers in determining the best way to terminate outgoing calls. For example, if a subscriber has a contact that includes multiple modes to contact them (e.g., home phone, mobile phone, email, etc.) the system may determine the best or most efficient way to reach the contact (i.e., terminate a call to the contact). The system could learn the best way to communicate with the called party based on success or response rate. The response rate could be determined for each mode of communication and is based on whether the called party answered the call to a particular communication identifier or responded to a text or email message, and the like.
  • modes to contact e.g., home phone, mobile phone, email, etc.
  • the response rate could be determined for each mode of communication and is based on whether the called party answered the call to a particular communication identifier or responded to a text or email message, and the like.
  • the response rate could also take into account how long it took for the called party to answer/respond with each mode of communication.
  • the call pattern analysis module 214, or the intelligent call termination routing module 254 may highlight the best contact mode in the subscriber's address book, display a pop-up message with the best contact mode, have a color code or rating indicating best, 2 nd best, 3 rd best, etc., contact mode.
  • Figures 5A and 5B depict a flow diagram of a method 500 for providing intelligent termination of calls based on a user's call history, according to one or more embodiments of the subject invention.
  • the method begins at 502 and proceeds to 504 where a call request directed to a communication identifier associated with the first user is received.
  • the call request may be in the form of a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) message, Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) message, or other type of message.
  • the call request may be received by call processing module 218 of intelligent call termination system 202.
  • the communication identifier may be a phone number associated with one or a plurality of devices used by, or otherwise associated with, the user.
  • Call processing module 218 may access user settings database 224 to determine whether the first user is subscribed to the service.
  • the method proceeds to 508 wherein a call is terminated to one or more devices associated with the communication identifier using default call termination settings.
  • the default call termination settings may be set by the service provider for the first user.
  • the method 500 may proceed to 528 from 508 where the intelligent call termination system optionally stores information associated with the call, including call termination information, in a call history database 220 in association with the first user regardless of whether or not the first user is subscribed to the intelligent call termination service. Otherwise, the method ends at 530.
  • the method proceeds to 510.
  • applicable call termination rules are determined based on the first user's past call termination behavior and in-band information associated with the call.
  • in-band information i.e., collected from the call itself
  • Past call termination behavior may include the same in-band information of previous calls in addition to device identifiers of the devices used by the user to answer calls, and the like.
  • call termination rules may further be determined based on external out-of-band information.
  • external out-of-band information may include information from sources such as social media, GPS location, motion detection sensors that may indicate whether the user is moving (detected that user is driving, for example), information from external calendar sources associated with the user, and the like.
  • the external information may include "crowd sourcing" information regarding other users call termination behaviors that may be used to determine call termination actions for the current user.
  • the method proceeds to 516 where the call is terminated to one or more devices associated with the communication identifier using default call termination settings.
  • the default call termination settings may be set by the service provider for the first user. Since the first user is a subscriber to the call termination service, the call history information is stored in call history database 220 even if a rule does not match the current call information.
  • the method then proceeds to 528 where information associated with the call is stored in the call history database 220 in association with the first user. That call history information stored in call history database 220 may be used to create and/or dynamically modify call termination rules/algorithms for each user as described below with respect to method 550 of Figure 5C.
  • the method proceeds to 518 where the call is terminated based on the rule matched. That is, the call termination action associated with the one or more matched rules is applied.
  • Figure 5B depicts a more detailed flow chart of non-limiting examples of call termination actions that may be applied as described below.
  • the rule action applied to the call may include terminating the call to the user with a specified ring duration.
  • the ring duration is automatically specified by the call pattern analysis module 214 and/or the rules creation module 216 based on the call pattern analysis operations 314 in rule creation operations 316 described above.
  • the ring duration may be anywhere from zero rings (i.e., vibrate phone) to 30 rings.
  • the system may default to sending a call to voicemail after 5 or so rings.
  • the rule action applied to the call may include not terminating the call to the first user.
  • the caller may be informed that the user is not accepting calls at that time.
  • the caller may be informed of the user's preferences via an audio message, a text message, or by other communication methods.
  • the rule action applied to the call may include directly routing the call request to voicemail.
  • the rule action applied to the call may include scheduling an automatic call back from the first user to the caller, or informing the caller that the first user will call them back at a later time.
  • the rule action applied to the call may include termination of the call to the user using an alternate communication service. For example, if the first user always attempts to set up a video call when called by the caller, then the rule action applied may include automatically turning the call into a video call. In some embodiments, the call may not be automatically turned into a video call but rather, a request may be sent to the caller suggesting that the call be conducted via video. Similarly, if the first user always ignores a caller's call requests, and instead texts them, the rule action applied may include automatically responding to the caller's call request with a text message from the first user.
  • the call termination rule action applied to the call may include selecting which device(s) associated with the user call to terminate the call to.
  • some technologies for example Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and SIP, support signaling to multiple destinations.
  • GSM Global System for Mobile Communications
  • SIP Session Initiation Protocol
  • a single communication identifier may be associated with multiple devices associated with the user devices (e.g., mobile computing device 136B, computer 106, TV 109, and the like).
  • the intelligent call termination service may terminate the call to one or more user devices such as mobile computing device 136 B , computer 106, TV 109, and the like based on previous call termination behavior determined at step 510 and/or external out of band information at 512 as discussed above.
  • the call termination rule action applied to the call may include selecting a prioritized list of devices that the call should be terminated to such that if the call terminated to the first device on the list is not answered by the user, the call would be terminated to the second device on the list, and so on.
  • an indication that the call was not answered by the first device may be received before the call is terminated to the second device. The indication may be an SIP message or an expiration of a predefined timeout period.
  • call history database 220 After the call is terminated in one of the methods described above, information associated with the call is stored in call history database 220 at 528 to be further analyzed by the call pattern analysis module 214 and rules creation module 216 for use in future calls as described with respect to Figure 5C. The method ends at 530.
  • FIG. 5C depicts a flow diagram of a method 550 for storing and using a user's call history information, according to one or more embodiments.
  • the method begins at 552 and proceeds to 554 where information associated with a call, including call termination information, in a call history database 220 (as described above in step 528 of method 500).
  • the call history information stored in call history database 220 is analyzed to determine call termination patterns (as described above with respect to Figures 3 and Figure 4.)
  • the determined call termination patterns are used to create new call termination rules.
  • the determined call termination patterns are used to dynamically modify existing call termination rules.
  • the call termination rules are stored in rules database 222 at 560.
  • the method 550 ends at 562.
  • the embodiments of the present invention may be embodied as methods, apparatus, electronic devices, and/or computer program products. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention may be embodied in hardware and/or in software (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, and the like), which may be generally referred to herein as a "circuit" or "module". Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product on a computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium having computer-usable or computer-readable program code embodied in the medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system.
  • a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.
  • These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-usable or computer-readable memory that may direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer usable or computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instructions that implement the function specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
  • the computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus or device. More specific examples (a non- exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium include the following: hard disks, optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, and a compact disc read-only memory (CD- ROM).
  • RAM random access memory
  • ROM read-only memory
  • EPROM or Flash memory erasable programmable read-only memory
  • CD- ROM compact disc read-only memory
  • Computer program code for carrying out operations of the present invention may be written in an object oriented programming language, such as Java.RTM, Smalltalk or C++, and the like. However, the computer program code for carrying out operations of the present invention may also be written in conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language and/or any other lower level assembler languages. It will be further appreciated that the functionality of any or all of the program modules may also be implemented using discrete hardware components, one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), or programmed Digital Signal Processors or microcontrollers.
  • ASICs Application Specific Integrated Circuits
  • microcontrollers programmed Digital Signal Processors or microcontrollers.
  • Figure 6 depicts a computer system 600 that can be utilized in various embodiments of the present invention to implement the computer and/or the display, according to one or more embodiments.
  • FIG. 6 Various embodiments of method and apparatus for organizing, displaying and accessing contacts in a contact list, as described herein, may be executed on one or more computer systems, which may interact with various other devices.
  • One such computer system is computer system 600 illustrated by Figure 6, which may in various embodiments implement any of the elements or functionality illustrated in Figures 1 -5C.
  • computer system 600 may be configured to implement methods described above.
  • the computer system 600 may be used to implement any other system, device, element, functionality or method of the above- described embodiments.
  • computer system 600 may be configured to implement methods 500 and 550 as processor-executable executable program instructions 622 ⁇ e.g., program instructions executable by processor(s) 610) in various embodiments.
  • computer system 600 includes one or more processors 610a-610n coupled to a system memory 620 via an input/output (I/O) interface 630.
  • Computer system 600 further includes a network interface 640 coupled to I/O interface 630, and one or more input/output devices 650, such as cursor control device 660, keyboard 670, and display(s) 680.
  • I/O input/output
  • any of the components may be utilized by the system to receive user input described above.
  • a user interface may be generated and displayed on display 680.
  • embodiments may be implemented using a single instance of computer system 600, while in other embodiments multiple such systems, or multiple nodes making up computer system 600, may be configured to host different portions or instances of various embodiments.
  • some elements may be implemented via one or more nodes of computer system 600 that are distinct from those nodes implementing other elements.
  • multiple nodes may implement computer system 600 in a distributed manner.
  • computer system 600 may be any of various types of devices, including, but not limited to, a personal computer system, desktop computer, laptop, notebook, or netbook computer, mainframe computer system, handheld computer, workstation, network computer, a camera, a set top box, a mobile device, a consumer device, video game console, handheld video game device, application server, storage device, a peripheral device such as a switch, modem, router, or in general any type of computing or electronic device.
  • computer system 600 may be a uniprocessor system including one processor 610, or a multiprocessor system including several processors 610 (e.g., two, four, eight, or another suitable number).
  • processors 610 may be any suitable processor capable of executing instructions.
  • processors 610 may be general-purpose or embedded processors implementing any of a variety of instruction set architectures (ISAs). In multiprocessor systems, each of processors 610 may commonly, but not necessarily, implement the same ISA.
  • ISAs instruction set architectures
  • System memory 620 may be configured to store program instructions 622 and/or data 632 accessible by processor 610.
  • system memory 620 may be implemented using any suitable memory technology, such as static random access memory (SRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), nonvolatile/Flash-type memory, or any other type of memory.
  • SRAM static random access memory
  • SDRAM synchronous dynamic RAM
  • program instructions and data implementing any of the elements of the embodiments described above may be stored within system memory 620.
  • program instructions and/or data may be received, sent or stored upon different types of computer-accessible media or on similar media separate from system memory 620 or computer system 600.
  • I/O interface 630 may be configured to coordinate I/O traffic between processor 610, system memory 620, and any peripheral devices in the device, including network interface 640 or other peripheral interfaces, such as input/output devices 650.
  • I/O interface 630 may perform any necessary protocol, timing or other data transformations to convert data signals from one component [e.g., system memory 620) into a format suitable for use by another component [e.g., processor 610).
  • I/O interface 630 may include support for devices attached through various types of peripheral buses, such as a variant of the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus standard or the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard, for example.
  • PCI Peripheral Component Interconnect
  • USB Universal Serial Bus
  • I/O interface 630 may be split into two or more separate components, such as a north bridge and a south bridge, for example. Also, in some embodiments some or all of the functionality of I/O interface 630, such as an interface to system memory 620, may be incorporated directly into processor 610. [0085] Network interface 640 may be configured to allow data to be exchanged between computer system 600 and other devices attached to a network ⁇ e.g., network 690), such as one or more external systems or between nodes of computer system 600.
  • network ⁇ e.g., network 690
  • network 690 may include one or more networks including but not limited to Local Area Networks (LANs) ⁇ e.g., an Ethernet or corporate network), Wide Area Networks (WANs) ⁇ e.g., the Internet), wireless data networks, some other electronic data network, or some combination thereof.
  • network interface 640 may support communication via wired or wireless general data networks, such as any suitable type of Ethernet network, for example; via telecommunications/telephony networks such as analog voice networks or digital fiber communications networks; via storage area networks such as Fiber Channel SANs, or via any other suitable type of network and/or protocol.
  • Input/output devices 650 may, in some embodiments, include one or more display terminals, keyboards, keypads, touchpads, scanning devices, voice or optical recognition devices, or any other devices suitable for entering or accessing data by one or more computer systems 600. Multiple input/output devices 650 may be present in computer system 600 or may be distributed on various nodes of computer system 600. In some embodiments, similar input/output devices may be separate from computer system 600 and may interact with one or more nodes of computer system 600 through a wired or wireless connection, such as over network interface 640.
  • the illustrated computer system may implement any of the operations and methods described above, such as the operations described with respect to Figure 3 and the methods illustrated by the flowcharts of Figures 5A-5C. In other embodiments, different elements and data may be included.
  • computer system 600 is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the scope of embodiments.
  • the computer system and devices may include any combination of hardware or software that can perform the indicated functions of various embodiments, including computers, network devices, Internet appliances, PDAs, wireless phones, pagers, and the like.
  • Computer system 600 may also be connected to other devices that are not illustrated, or instead may operate as a stand-alone system.
  • the functionality provided by the illustrated components may in some embodiments be combined in fewer components or distributed in additional components.
  • the functionality of some of the illustrated components may not be provided and/or other additional functionality may be available.
  • instructions stored on a computer-accessible medium separate from computer system 600 may be transmitted to computer system 600 via transmission media or signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals, conveyed via a communication medium such as a network and/or a wireless link.
  • Various embodiments may further include receiving, sending or storing instructions and/or data implemented in accordance with the foregoing description upon a computer-accessible medium or via a communication medium.
  • a computer-accessible medium may include a storage medium or memory medium such as magnetic or optical media, e.g., disk or DVD/CD-ROM, volatile or non-volatile media such as RAM [e.g., SDRAM, DDR, RDRAM, SRAM, and the like), ROM, and the like.

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Abstract

La présente invention concerne des procédés et des systèmes d'interruption d'appels intelligente. Selon certains modes de réalisation, un procédé d'interruption d'appels intelligente peut consister : à recevoir une demande d'appel adressée à un identificateur de communication associé à un premier utilisateur ; à déterminer une action d'interruption d'appels à associer à la demande d'appel sur la base (a) d'informations associées à la demande d'appel et (b) de modèles d'interruption d'appel antérieurs associés au premier utilisateur ; et à interrompre l'appel vers un ou plusieurs dispositifs associés à l'identificateur de communication sur la base de l'action d'interruption d'appel déterminée.
PCT/US2015/052646 2014-10-03 2015-09-28 Procédé et système d'interruption d'appels intelligente WO2016053874A1 (fr)

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