Patents Examined by Harry Hong
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Patent number: 8693655Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products for provisioning a temporary disposable number are described. A user can be provided with a pool of available temporary disposable numbers that have a limited shelf life. The user can select one of the available temporary disposable numbers while submitting a permanent phone number associated with a communications device (e.g., mobile phone, home phone, business phone, etc.). Prior to activating the selected temporary disposable number, the temporary disposable number is linked to the permanent phone number. After activation, when an incoming call to the temporary disposable number is received, the permanent phone number is identified to be associated with the temporary disposable number being called. The incoming call is then forwarded to the communications device on which the permanent phone number is established.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2011Date of Patent: April 8, 2014Assignee: RingCentral, Inc.Inventors: Vi Dinh Chau, Naveen Gupta, Rituparna Mukherjee, Nisha K. Ahluwalia
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Patent number: 8693664Abstract: A method and system for providing directory assistance to erroneous calls. The method and system includes an intercept system that intercepts erroneous calls and automatically routes them to a directory assistance service. The directory assistance service provides a least one advertisement and a variety of other services to the callers using current caller data and to one or more alternative numbers for the callers.Type: GrantFiled: August 27, 2012Date of Patent: April 8, 2014Inventors: Blake Bookstaff, Robert B. Deming, William W. Fischer
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Patent number: 8681960Abstract: An exemplary method provides access to call origination features contained in an internet protocol multimedia subsystem (IMS) for a subscriber of the IMS who originates a call request from customer premises equipment (CPE) outside of the IMS. The call request is received at a public service identity (PSI) server in the IMS with a phone number to which the call request is routed. An IMS internal desk number is retrieved based on the number of the outside CPE. A first modified call request is transmitted from the PSI server to a telephony application server (TAS) identifying the IMS internal desk number as a request universal resource identity (RURI). Call origination treatment as specified by the subscriber is performed by the TAS.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2007Date of Patent: March 25, 2014Assignee: 8631654 Canada Inc.Inventors: Carl W. Amport, Jon R. Diener, John P. Ernst, Alan E. Frey, John A. Kerkstra, Simon S. Ou, Neenendra R. Pandya, John H. Schick, Andrew B. Struble, Norman R Tiedemann, Robert A. Trygar
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Patent number: 8675854Abstract: A system and method for merging multi-modal communications are disclosed. The multi-modal communications can be synchronous, asynchronous and semi-synchronous. By way of a non-limiting example, at least two devices operating with varied modalities can be connected to a conferencing appliance. The conferencing appliance can integrate the differing modalities from the at least two devices by executing at least one of turn taking, conference identification, participant identification, ordering of interjections, modulation of meaning, expectation of shared awareness, floor domination and combination thereof.Type: GrantFiled: May 1, 2012Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Assignee: Mitel Networks CorporationInventors: Alain Michaud, Trung (Tim) Trinh, Tom Gray
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Patent number: 8666038Abstract: There is described a method and telecommunication server for maintaining communication between at least two devices. A first incoming call for a first communication device is received at the communication server. The first incoming call for the first communication device is routed to a second communication device associated with the first communication device. A park data signal is received from the second communication device for placing a call to park. The call is placed to park and a park reminder message is sent to the first communication device.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2012Date of Patent: March 4, 2014Assignee: BlackBerry LimitedInventors: Robert J. James, Jr., Shen-Yuan Yap
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Patent number: 8666059Abstract: A method and a device process data transmitted via a channel. The channel is at least partially represented by a symmetrical transfer matrix, wherein at least one off-diagonal matrix element of the transfer matrix is determined by its symmetric and/or transposed off-diagonal matrix element and its corresponding diagonal matrix elements of the transfer matrix. In addition, a communication system is provided containing such a device.Type: GrantFiled: November 18, 2008Date of Patent: March 4, 2014Assignee: Nokia Siemens Networks OYInventors: Dietmar Gernegross, Werner Kozek, Josef Mück
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Patent number: 8660251Abstract: A method, system and computer program product for alerting a participant when a topic of interest is being discussed and/or a speaker of interest is speaking during a conference call. A participant to a conference call identifies the topics and/or speakers of interest which is stored for future use along with the participant's contact information. When a participant's identified topic of interest is being discussed and/or a participant's identified speaker of interest is speaking during a conference call, the participant will be alerted to that fact, such as via the means specified in the participant's contact information.Type: GrantFiled: July 12, 2012Date of Patent: February 25, 2014Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Steven M. Miller, Lisa A. Seacat
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Patent number: 8660258Abstract: A dialing strategy determination engine (DSDE) for selecting a dialing strategy for placing an outbound call has determination software executing on a computerized server from a machine-readable medium, access to stored dialing strategies, contact data, and a rules set, and a port for receiving a request for dialing strategy from an outbound dialer. The determination software, upon receiving a request for a dialing strategy associated with a contact identification, consults the rule set and the contact data, selects a dialing strategy based on the rules and the data, and returns the selected strategy to the outbound dialer.Type: GrantFiled: November 19, 2009Date of Patent: February 25, 2014Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc.Inventors: Vadim Zyarko, Stanislav Zgardovski, Oleksiy Kolomoyskyy
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Patent number: 8654953Abstract: Managing subconference calls within a primary conference call. An approach includes establishing a primary conference call including a plurality of participants, establishing a subconference call including a subset of the plurality of participants, and providing respective output signals to each of the plurality of participants. Members of the primary conference call are provided with audio only of the primary conference call, and members of the subconference call are provided with audio of the subconference call. The approach also includes providing a visual display that shows respective groupings of members of the subconference call and members of the primary conference call.Type: GrantFiled: November 18, 2010Date of Patent: February 18, 2014Assignee: International Business Machines CorporationInventors: Gregory J. Boss, Andrew R. Jones, Charles S. Lingafelt, Kevin C. McConnell, John E. Moore, Jr.
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Patent number: 8654946Abstract: A system, method, and computer program product are provided for sending a missed call notification to a receiver based on an instruction from a caller. In use, an instruction is received from a caller to send a missed call notification to a receiver. Additionally, at least one parameter associated with the instruction is identified. Further, the missed call notification is generated utilizing the at least one parameter. Moreover, the missed call notification is sent to the receiver.Type: GrantFiled: April 28, 2010Date of Patent: February 18, 2014Assignee: Amdocs Software Systems LimitedInventors: Debabrata Patro, Gerald W. Mickelson
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Patent number: 8654963Abstract: In a contact center, a system for processing communication events has an interaction server for managing events waiting to be routed, a routing server for routing the events, a rules engine, and a gateway server executing rules invocation logic and interacting with the rules engine. The interaction server tracks incoming events, initiates and sends a routing request to the routing server, including a special routing object, for each event that requires conformance to business rules, the routing server, executing the routing object, sends an execution request to the gateway server, which upon receipt of the request prepares a business object model (BOM), being a set of facts upon which the rules engine executes rules appropriate to the facts, resulting in routing direction for the routing server to route the event.Type: GrantFiled: December 19, 2008Date of Patent: February 18, 2014Assignee: Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, Inc.Inventors: Nikolay Anisimov, Yevgeniy Petrovykh, Mark Scott
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Patent number: 8649495Abstract: The present invention is related to telecommunications. A call processing system receives a first call from a caller intended for a first person. A notification regarding the first call is transmitted over a network to a terminal associated with the first person. A user interface is displayed on the terminal via which the first person can indicate that a callback message is to be transmitted to the caller. The callback message is transmitted to the caller, wherein the callback message includes an identification of the first person, a callback control, and text indicating that the caller is to activate the control to initiate another call to the first person. At least partly in response to the caller activating the control, A second call to be placed via which the first person and caller are connected.Type: GrantFiled: November 29, 2012Date of Patent: February 11, 2014Assignee: Callwave Communications, LLCInventors: David C. McClintock, David S. Trandal
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Patent number: 8649491Abstract: In a call center, a caller's geographical position may be mapped together with a geographical position of a call agent allocated to handle the call. A map may display tags depicting the respective positions of the caller and the call agent with a visual link indicating the call connection. The call agent may be selected dependent on the relative proximity to the caller.Type: GrantFiled: November 25, 2008Date of Patent: February 11, 2014Assignee: West CorporationInventors: James K Boutcher, Michael Joseph Parmeley
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Patent number: 8644476Abstract: Method and communication system for providing a value added service, such as an intelligent network (IN) service, which is available in a first network (5), to a subscriber (3) in a second network (7). The first network (5) comprises a first network node (11) for executing the value added service. The method comprises detecting in a terminating call to the subscriber (3) that the subscriber (3) desires to use the value added service, forwarding control of the call towards the first network node (11) associated with a forwarding number in the first network (5), executing the value added service by the first network node (11), and, when necessary, further directing the call towards the subscriber (3) associated with the terminating call. The present method can also be applied to originating calls from a subscriber. In this case, the call is further directed towards a destination associated with the call.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2003Date of Patent: February 4, 2014Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (publ)Inventor: Fedor Maas
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Patent number: 8644458Abstract: A method processes and conditionally routes a call. The method includes receiving a call from a caller, determining a telephone number of the caller, and determining if the telephone number of the caller is a telephone number assigned to a specific individual. The method also includes accessing an electronic database to determine a stored language preference of the specific individual when the telephone number of the caller is determined to be assigned to a specific individual, prompting the caller to select a language preference when the specific individual does not have a stored language preference, and storing the language preference selected by the caller based on the prompting in an electronic database. The method further includes routing the call to a predetermined destination based on the stored language preference of the specific individual in the electronic database.Type: GrantFiled: February 15, 2013Date of Patent: February 4, 2014Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.Inventors: Douglas F. Reynolds, Jeffrey L. Scruggs
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Patent number: 8644498Abstract: An easy to use electronic device is provided. The electronic device functions as a telephone and has a display portion, an audio input portion, an audio output portion, and operation keys. The display portion has a passive element, and the operation keys have LEDs. The direction of an image displayed by the LEDs is switchable.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2013Date of Patent: February 4, 2014Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.Inventors: Shunpei Yamazaki, Jun Koyama, Yu Yamazaki
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Patent number: 8638921Abstract: In a telecommunication system configured to provide a connection between a caller and a callee via a telephone network, wherein the telephone network is configured to connect the caller and the callee, a method for allowing the callee to prevent the caller from establishing the connection with the callee. The method includes receiving an instruction from the callee to prevent the caller from establishing the connection with the callee and identifying a first telephone number associated with the caller. The method also includes preventing one or more phone calls from the first telephone number from being forwarded to a second telephone number associated with the callee.Type: GrantFiled: February 26, 2013Date of Patent: January 28, 2014Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.Inventor: Mark Kirkpatrick
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Patent number: 8638925Abstract: The availability of one or more agents of an institution to communicate with a user may be determined and reported to the user. An application on a user computing device may provide an indication as to how many agents are currently available to speak with the user and/or a wait time until an agent becomes available. The user computing device may display a call icon that the user may select to place a call to an available agent. The user computing device may display a call icon that the user may select to receive a callback from an available agent. Call volume statistics may be provided to the user and may be used to determine when an agent is most likely unavailable and/or most likely available.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2009Date of Patent: January 28, 2014Assignee: United Services Automotive Association (USAA)Inventor: Bradly Jay Billman
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Patent number: 8634542Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for routing callers to agents in a contact center. Exemplary methods and system include using one of a plurality of different computer models for matching callers to agents, the model selected based on a degree and/or type of caller data available. The models may include queue routing, performance based matching, adaptive pattern matching algorithms, or other computer models for matching callers to agents. In one example, similar adaptive models may be used for two or more different degrees/types of caller data, but are trained differently, e.g., based on the degree/type of caller data. Different models for routing callers to agents may perform differently for different degrees/types of caller data. Further, training correlation or adaptive pattern matching algorithms based on different degrees/types of caller data may improve their respective performance compared to a single algorithm for all degrees/types of caller data.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2008Date of Patent: January 21, 2014Assignee: Satmap International Holdings LimitedInventors: S. James P. Spottiswoode, Zia Chishti
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Patent number: 8625771Abstract: In one embodiment, method can include: receiving an address in a call agent, the address being associated with a call; triggering a trunk group selection algorithm in response to at least a portion of the received address, the trunk group selection algorithm providing a selection result from among a trunk group placeholder and a plurality of trunk groups; and forwarding the call to a trunk group determined by a caller-associated attribute when the selection result comprises the trunk group placeholder.Type: GrantFiled: November 5, 2012Date of Patent: January 7, 2014Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.Inventors: Niels Brunsgaard, Christopher E. Pearce