GB2414632A

GB2414632A - Managing interactions of a caller and recipient

Info

Publication number: GB2414632A
Application number: GB0411767A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Peter Crowley; Sean Crowley; Tim O'leary
Original assignee: Motorola Inc
Current assignee: Motorola Solutions Inc
Priority date: 2004-05-26
Filing date: 2004-05-26
Publication date: 2005-11-30
Anticipated expiration: 2024-05-26
Also published as: GB0411767D0; GB2414632B

Abstract

Apparatus And Method for managing the interactions of caller and recipient when the recipient is only intermittently available are provided. One or more callers are notified that a recipient communication device previously called by the one or more callers has now become available. Notification is achieved by sending an SMS message to the one or more originating communication devices used to make a call to the recipient communication device. A home location register stores caller information and sends notification messages. A message may only be sent if the caller did not leave a mailbox message. The recipient may have the option to select which callers receive a notification message.

Description

24 14632 CE10_ Apparatus And Method For Managing Interactions Of A Caller

And Recipient.

Technical Field

The invention relates to an apparatus and method for managing interactions of a caller and recipient. In particular, it relates to managing the interactions of caller and recipient when the recipient is only intermittently available.

Background

In telecommunications, and in particular mobile telecommunications, the originator of a call to a communication device that is unavailable is forced to attempt the call a second or more times before the call is successfully connected. This is both time consuming and frustrating for the call originator.

As a consequence, a number of solutions have been developed to alleviate the process.

Camp-on automates the process of repeatedly attempting the call, either by holding the call initiation process in readiness in the network until the recipient's device becomes available, or by continuously re- initiating the call with the same intent.

This method has the primary disadvantage that the caller's own device is unable to make other calls whilst camp-on is in progress.

An alternative strategy shifts the onus onto the potential call recipient; within the network, an automatic call-back CE10690EP/GBRl/DRE/Crowley service detects an attempted call. When the recipient's device becomes available, the call-back service sets up a call connection centrally so that both parties are connected (in a typical form, both the originating caller and recipient's devices ring, and if answered are connected to the call).

The automatic call-back service has the benefit to the caller of not preventing use of their device in the meantime, but like camp-on has the social disadvantage of forcing the recipient into a call immediately upon their device becoming available - when in fact the recipient may wish to make a call of their own. Additionally, it often has the result that both the caller and the recipient are unsure of who initiated the call when it finally happens.

Moreover, both camp-on and automatic call-back assume that only one caller is trying to connect to the recipient; however if several people try to camp-on or use a call back function, either only one will succeed, or if a queuing system is provided by the network, the recipient will find their device continuously connecting them to a stack of incoming calls, which may be highly inconvenient.

Similarly, such a queue cannot take account of the relative importance of the different calls, so potentially delaying an important communication.

Attempts to alleviate the social impact of these caller convenience functions are known, such as that disclosed in US6396906 in which an answering machine allows a prospective caller to leave a message and a contact number.

The recipient can then choose whether to let the answering CE10690EP/GBRI/DRE/Crowley machine call that number back, thus placing the recipient in control of the call-back function. Similarly, mobile phones provide a 'missed call' service, where if the phone rings but is not answered, this is registered on the phone so that the user can look to see if any calls have been missed.

However, these approaches mean that the caller is no longer guaranteed a call back and in all likelihood will resort to making multiple call attempts if they do not receive one within an expected time, thus obviating the supposed benefit.

Thus a need exists for managing the interactions of caller and recipient when the recipient is only intermittently available.

The purpose of the present invention is to address the above problem.

Summary of the Invention

The present invention provides a method of notifying one or more callers that a recipient communication device previously called by the one or more callers has now become accessible, characterized bye Sending a notification message to one or more originating communication devices used to make a call to the first communication device respectively by one or more callers.

In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method of notifying one or more callers that a recipient CE1069OEP/GBRI/DRE/Crowley communication device previously called by the one or more callers has now become accessible, as claimed in claim 1.

In a second aspect, the present invention provides a home location register, as claimed in claim 9.

In a third aspect, the present invention provides a mobile switching centre, as claimed in claim 11.

In a fourth aspect, the present invention provides a communication device, as claimed in claim 12.

Further features of the present invention are as defined in the dependent claims.

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Brief description of the drawings

FIG. 1 Is a block diagram portraying a method of setting up a notification, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 Is a block diagram portraying a method of initiating a notification, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed description

A method of notifying one or more callers that a recipient communication device previously called by the one or more CE1069OEP/GBRI/DRE/Crowley callers has now become accessible is disclosed. In the following description, a number of specific details are presented in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be obvious, however, to a person of average skill in the art that these specific details need not be employed to practice the present invention. In other instances, well known methods, procedures and components have not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, in an embodiment of the present invention a caller initiates 110 a call to a recipient, using their communication device (hereinafter the originating communication device).

If the call connects 112, the originating caller and the recipient may conduct and complete their call in the normal manner.

However, if the call does not connect, optionally the caller may leave a voice message 122, 124 in the recipient's mailbox, if such a facility is provided. If the caller does not or cannot leave a voice message, then an availability Notification 116 is set up: A home location register (HLR) that was the last serving HLR of the recipient's communication device (hereinafter the recipient communication device) stores information identifying the originating communication device, and optionally originating caller ID. Typically, this information is obtained during the attempted call to the CE10690EP/GBRI/DRE/Crowley recipient communication device made using the originating communication device.

If more than one attempted call is made, involving more than one originating communication device, then identifying information is stored for each originating communication device.

It will be clear to a person skilled in the art that a notification may also be set up even if a voice message is left for the recipient in their mailbox.

Referring now to FIG. 2, in an embodiment of the present invention, subsequent to the recipient communication device becoming accessible 210 by callers, the HLR initiates the sending of any notification messages 220, 230 to those communication devices identified during attempted calls to the recipient communication device.

The recipient device typically becomes accessible to callers either because it has recently completed another call, or because it has registered or re-registered 240 with a network after entering communication range or being powered up.

It will be clear to a person skilled in the art that initiating the sending of notification messages may be in parallel with or subsequent to any registration process.

To send the notification message or messages, a mobile switching centre receives instruction from the HLR to send a notification message to one or more originating communication devices. The message is routed appropriately CE10690EP/GBRI/DRE/Crowley depending on where and on what network the originating communication device is found.

Typically the message will be a text message, for example an SMS text message, but may feasibly be any message capable of conveying the notification, for example an automated voice call. Optionally, the message may take a form appropriate to the originating communication device; for example, a phone without an SMS capability may instead be sent an automated voice notification.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the recipient may have the option to screen availability notifications before they are sent to originating communication devices.

This may be achieved by the HLR sending to the recipient communication device caller ID information that corresponds to the user/e of originating communication devices that may receive notification. The recipient may then allow/disallow the notification of a candidate user via the recipient communication device's user interface, and the recipient communication device then informs the HLR.

In addition to the method described above, an embodiment of the present invention provides a home location register, arranged in operation to obtain information identifying an originating communication device during an attempted call to the recipient communication device using the originating communication device, and to store said information.

The home location register is further arranged in operation to initiate, upon the recipient device becoming accessible, the sending of notification messages to those originating CE10690EP/GBRI/DRE/Crowley communication devices identified during attempted calls to the recipient communication device.

An embodiment of the present invention also provides a mobile switching centre arranged in operation to receive instruction from a home location register to send an availability notification message to one or more originating communication devices.

An embodiment of the present invention also provides a communication device arranged in operation to display one or more candidates for availability notification, and to accept input specifying selection or Reselection of one or more candidates.

It will be understood that the method of notifying one or more callers that a recipient communication device previously called by the one or more callers has now become accessible as described above, provides at least one or more of the following advantages: i. The originating caller is made aware of the availability of the recipient; ii. The recipient is free to use Uneir communication device pending any later call by the originating caller; iii. Neither the originating caller or the recipient need to specifically act to facilitate the notification process; iv. Any number of originating callers may be made aware of the recipient's availability at the same time, and are not put in a queue; and CE10690EP/GBRI/DRE/Crowey Optionally the recipient may screen which originating callers are notified.

Claims

CE10690EP/GBRI/DRE/Crowley Claims 1. A method of notifying one or more

callers that a recipient communication device previously called by the one or more callers has now become accessible, characterized by; sending a notification message to one or more originating communication devices used to make a call to the recipient communication device when the recipient communication device becomes accessible.
2. A method according to claim 1 information identifying the originating communication device for the purpose of sending a notification message to said originating communication device is stored in a home location register last serving the recipient communication device, said information obtained during an attempted call to the recipient communication device using the originating communication device.
3. A method according to claim 2 wherein upon the recipient communication device becoming accessible, initiating by the home location register the sending of notification messages to those cornication devices identified during attempted calls to the recipient communication device.
4. A method according to claim 3 wherein the recipient communication device becomes accessible for any one of the following reasons; i. A previous call involving the recipient communication device has ended; and CE10690EP/GBRI/DRE/Crowley The recipient communication device is reregistered
5. A method according to any one of claims 3 and 4 wherein a mobile switching centre receives instruction from a home location register to send an availability notification message to one or more originating communication devices.
6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein a notification message is only sent to the originating communication device of a caller if the caller did not leave a message in the mailbox of the recipient communication device.
7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein a notification message is only sent to the originating communication device if authorised by the recipient.
8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the message is a text message.
3. A home location register arranged in operation to obtain information identifying the originating communication device during an attempted call to the recipient communication device using the originating communication device, and to store said information for the purpose of sending a notification message when the recipient communication device becomes accessible..
10. A home location register according to claim 9 arranged in operation to initiate the sending of notification CE10690EP/GBRI/DRE/Crowley messages to those originating communication devices identified during attempted calls to the recipient communication device that did not result in a message being left in a recipient communication device's mailbox.
11. A mobile switching centre arranged in operation to receive instruction from a home location register to send an availability notification message to one or more originating communication devices.
12. A communication device arranged in operation to display one or more candidates for availability notification, and to accept input specifying selection or Reselection of one or more candidates. 1:' c
13. A method of notifying one or more callers that a recipient communication device previously called by the caller has now become accessible as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.