Call management
A personal call management system allows a user to specify how incoming telephone calls should be handled. The user can specify various parameters including modes, filters, schedules, and the like. Incoming calls are routed to a specified telephone number, or sent to voicemail, or otherwise disposed of. Users can change modes manually or can specify automatic mode selection based on time of date, day of week, location, and/or other factors.
1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a first system, a request transmitted by a second system, wherein the request is to retrieve instructions for routing a call placed by a first user at a first terminal to a telephone number of a second terminal associated with a second user;
identifying, by the first system, in response to receiving the request, a mode that is currently enabled for the second user, wherein the mode comprises a plurality of instructions for routing calls that are placed to a particular telephone number of the second user;
selecting, by the first system, a first instruction from the plurality of instructions based on:
(i) the second user's current geo-location, and
(ii) past behaviors of the second user at the current geo-location; and
transmitting, by the first system, the first instruction to the second system, wherein the first instruction:
(i) routes the call to a third system, and
(ii) transmits a message to the second user at a third terminal, wherein the message comprises information on how the call was routed.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the request transmitted by the second system comprises an identifier of the first terminal; and
wherein selecting the first instruction from the plurality of instructions is also based on the identifier of the first terminal.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the request transmitted by the second system comprises an identifier of the first user; and
wherein selecting the first instruction from the plurality of instructions is also based on the identifier of the first user.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the request transmitted by the second system comprises a geo-location of the first terminal; and
wherein selecting the first instruction from the plurality of instructions is also based on the geo-location of the first user.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein the request transmitted by the second system comprises an environmental condition at a geo-location of the first user; and
wherein selecting the first instruction from the plurality of instructions is also based on the environmental condition at the geo-location of the first user.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the request transmitted by the second system comprises the telephone number of the second terminal; and
wherein selecting the first instruction from the plurality of instructions is also based on the telephone number of the second terminal.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying the mode that is currently enabled for the second user further comprises the task of:
identifying, by the first system, that the first user is a member of a first group and not a member of a second group, wherein members in the first group and the second group are pre-defined by the second user.
8. The method of claim 7
wherein selecting the first instruction from the plurality of instructions is also based on identifying that the first user is a member of a first group and not a member of a second group.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the mode is automatically enabled based on a temporal schedule that is established by the second user.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the mode is automatically enabled between a time interval [T 1 , T 2 ] based on the temporal schedule, and wherein T 1 <T 2 .
11. The method of claim 1 wherein the mode is enabled based on receiving an input from the second user.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein the mode is automatically enabled by the first system based on at least one of:
(i) time of day, and
(ii) day of week.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein the mode is automatically enabled by the first system based on the current geo-location of the second user; and
wherein the current geo-location of the second user is determined based on a Global Position System (GPS).
14. The method of claim 1 wherein the mode is automatically enabled by the first system based on
whether a particular terminal has been used by the second user.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein the mode that is currently enabled for the second user expires after a time interval [T 1 , T 2 ], wherein T 1 <T 2 ; and
wherein the first system enables a default mode for the second user after the current mode expires.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein the message further comprises:
(i) an identifier of the first user,
(ii) an identifier of the first terminal, and
(iii) a geo-location of the first user; and
wherein the message is at least one of a short message service (SMS), an instant message, and an e-mail.
17. The method of claim 1
wherein the call routed to the third system is stored as a voicemail by the third system; and
wherein the third system is configured to convert the voicemail into at least one of a short message service (SMS), an instant message, and an e-mail for transmission to the second user.
18. The method of claim 1
wherein the call routed to the third system is stored as a voicemail by the third system; and
wherein the third system is configured to append the voicemail to at least one of a short message service (SMS), an instant message, and an e-mail for transmission to the second user.
19. The method of claim 1 wherein the first system is in a first network and the second system is in a second network; and
wherein the first network is different from the second network.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein the first network is a Local Exchange Carrier and the second network is a wireless carrier.
21. A method comprising:
receiving, by a first system, a request transmitted by a second system, wherein the request is to retrieve instructions for routing a call placed by a first user at a first terminal to a second user at a second terminal;
identifying, by the first system, in response to receiving the request:
(i) past behaviors of the second user at a current geo-location of the second terminal, and
(ii) a former geo-location of the second terminal, wherein the former geo-location is different from the current geo-location of the second terminal;
selecting, by the first system, a first instruction from a plurality of instructions established for routing calls that are placed to the former geo-location, wherein the first instruction is selected based on identifying the past behaviors and that both of the current geo-location and the former geo-location of the second terminal are classified in similar classifications; and
transmitting, by the first system, the first instruction to the second system, wherein the first instruction:
(i) routes the call to a third system, and
(ii) transmits a message to the second terminal, wherein the message comprises information on how the call was routed.
22. The method of claim 21
wherein the call routed to the third system is stored as a voicemail by the third system; and
wherein the third system is configured to convert the voicemail into at least one of a short message service (SMS), an instant message, and an e-mail for transmission to the second user.
23. The method of claim 22
wherein the request transmitted by the second system comprises an identifier of the first terminal; and
wherein selecting the first instruction from the plurality of instructions is also based on the identifier of the first terminal.
24. The method of claim 22
wherein the request transmitted by the second system comprises an identifier of the first user; and
wherein selecting the first instruction from the plurality of instructions is also based on the identifier of the first user.
25. The method of claim 22
wherein the request transmitted by the second system comprises a current geo-location of the first terminal; and
wherein selecting the first instruction from the plurality of instructions is also based on the current geo-location of the first terminal.
26. The method of claim 22
wherein the request transmitted by the second system comprises an environmental condition at a current geo-location of the first terminal; and
wherein selecting the first instruction from the plurality of instructions is also based on the environmental condition at the current geo-location of the first terminal.
27. The method of claim 22
wherein the request transmitted by the second system comprises a telephone number of the second terminal; and
wherein selecting the first instruction from the plurality of instructions is also based on the telephone number of the second terminal.
28. The method of claim 21 wherein the first system is in a first network and the second system is in a second network, and wherein the first network is different from the second network.
29. The method of claim 28 wherein the first network is a Local Exchange Carrier and the second network is a wireless carrier.
30. The method of claim 21 wherein the call is placed by the first user at the first terminal to an address that is a non-North American Numbering Plan (NANP), and wherein the address is an e-mail address of the second user.
31. The method of claim 21
wherein the message is a short message service (SMS), and wherein the short message service message comprises:
(i) an identifier of the first user,
(ii) an identifier of the first terminal,
(iii) a current geo-location of the first terminal, and
(iv) information on how the call was routed by the first system.
32. The method of claim 21
wherein the message is an instant message, and wherein the instant message comprises:
(i) an identifier of the first user,
(ii) an identifier of the first terminal,
(iii) a current geo-location of the first terminal, and
(iv) information on how the call was routed by the first system.
33. The method of claim 21
wherein the message is an e-mail, and wherein the e-mail comprises:
(i) an identifier of the first user,
(ii) an identifier of the first terminal,
(iii) a current geo-location of the first terminal, and
(iv) information on how the call was routed by the first system.