HK1183188B - Methods for facilitating, managing and controlling incoming and outgoing calls from a telephone - Google Patents

Description

Method for facilitating, managing and controlling incoming and outgoing calls from a telephone

This application is a divisional patent application of the invention patent application entitled "method for facilitating, managing and controlling incoming and outgoing calls from a telephone" having application number 200910146162.5.

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to integrated computer telephones and, more particularly, to an enhanced telephone computer user interface that allows a user to control and manage a telephone from a personal computer while seamlessly integrating telephone and personal computer features to provide rich user control of the telephone management system and method.

Background

Personal computers and telephones are two indispensable devices for modern life. Both Personal Computers (PCs) and telephones provide the ability to communicate instantaneously with others virtually anywhere in the world. Furthermore, PCs have revolutionized modern society in their ability to process information and data, as well as providing user interaction with such information and data. The PC also has the ability to control other devices. This capability, for example, allows a user to remotely control a peripheral device through a user interface, often a graphical user interface. Even though PCs and phones often exist in the same room, there are currently few attempts to provide beneficial integration of two devices that take full advantage of the benefits of both.

There have been many attempts to integrate a phone with a personal computer, but there has been little market success. These failures are due in part to problems associated with product design including, for example, poor user interface design, the need for expensive additional hardware, and impractical user expectations. In addition, these products do not allow a user to access the phone from a location other than the physical location of the phone.

An example of a product isPhone (telephone), which is included in95, respectively.Phone is a software-only speakerphone and answering machine that allows users to use their computer as a speakerphone. However, it is possible to use a single-layer,phone requires that the computer be on all the time (this is here)The 95 th era was impractically desired), and is95 is an expensive additional feature since it requires additional hardware. In addition to this, the present invention is,phone has limited functionality.

Another example of a product that attempts to integrate a phone with a personal computer is the one that is currently availableRealphone。The Realphone is a telephone dialing program that mimics a standard business telephone. The Realphone interface is a picture of the business phone on the display. However, one problem is that there is no advantageous cooperation of combining a telephone and a computer. For example, the interface requires the user to use an input device (such as a mouse) to press the on-screen telephone keypad and dial the desired telephone number, as one would dial a real telephone. However, this type of interface is difficult, laborious and time consuming for the user.

There are also more products that successfully integrate phones and computers in a call center environment. For example, call center environments, such as customer support and telemarketing centers, often include software applications that provide telephony information such as phone queue displays (caller order in queue form), displays of how many callers are waiting, and the ability to place calls to a service representative. However, these software applications are designed for customer service listening with little or no effort to meet the needs of private users or to provide a user-friendly integration of physical telephony and software interfaces. For call center answering, it is a priority to increase call throughput and quickly assign calls in queue, rather than user experience. In addition, telephony applications for use in a call center environment lack the functionality and control features required by end users that are demanding on a high quality user experience.

Accordingly, there is a need for a user interface that allows a user to seamlessly interact with a phone using a personal computer. The required user interface should provide the user with a rich variety of functions and enhance the performance of the phone using the processing power of the computer. Furthermore, the required user interface should provide a tight coupling between the personal computer and the telephone so that the user is unaware of the division between the two.

SUMMARY

The invention disclosed herein includes a computer user interface that integrates the features of a personal computer and a telephone into a consistent Enhanced Telephone (ET) user interface. The ET user interface resides on a personal computer and facilitates the user to control all telephony functions using the processing power of the personal computer. Not only this, however, the ET user interface includes features that are made possible only by utilizing a PC that is integrated into the telecommunications environment.

The ET user interface overcomes the difficulties of previous attempts to integrate a PC with a phone. In particular, users are provided with a rich variety of functions, which affect this fact: the PC has considerably stronger processing power and greater access to various data than a normal telephone. This processing power and data access becomes an advantage to the user because the capabilities and functionality of the phone are greatly expanded. Furthermore, the ET user interface provides a tight coupling between the personal computer and the telephone so that the user is unaware of any division between the two. This seamless integration, along with enhanced functionality, greatly simplifies and improves the user experience.

The user may be in a different physical location than the phone and still be able to control the phone using the ET user interface. The only requirement is that the ET user interface and the phone are network connected. Thus, the user, as long as he has access to the network, can control the phone from virtually anywhere.

The ET user interface is designed to operate in both telecommunications and computer environments, whether in an enterprise or home environment. For example, in a typical enterprise environment, the enterprise has telephone equipment connected to a public telephone line and employees have access to the corporate computer network. In another example, in a typical home environment, a user has calendar and address book data on their PC and has access to the public telephone network.

The ET user interface is designed to control and manage a single phone or multiple phones, including cellular phones, cordless phones, and desktop phones. Also, these phones may be located in different locations, such as a mobile phone, a home phone, and a work phone. The ET user interface also allows the phone to function as a walkie-talkie and provide wake-up calls and meeting reminders.

Typically, the ET user interface includes a plurality of user-selectable environments. These environments include a My contacts (My Contact) environment, a communication preference environment, and a Call History (Call History) environment. Each of these environments contains certain processes and features that can be used to control and manage the phone. The process includes actions and collaboration related to the contact, the phone, or both. Features and processes are integrated with a database linked to an interface so that information about contacts, such as individuals and entities, can be obtained from multiple sources and consolidated into a single accessible entry.

The ET user interface includes an environment zone, a process zone, and an activity zone. In addition, the interface includes a call state area that keeps the user informed about the controlled phone state. The My contacts environment includes a process that allows a user to initiate, terminate, and control incoming and outgoing calls from a computer with minimal effort. The favorites feature enables a user to access the person he wants to call the most popular based on the popularity criteria. The lookup feature allows a user to search linked databases (such as, for example, corporate and personal address books) for desired information. Additionally, the lookup may be limited to a particular database, such as from an Outlook application running on a PC.

The my contacts context includes features that enhance placing calls. In particular, when a call is made, the user receives both visual and audible prompts, keeping the user informed about the progress of the call. Once in the call, a call window appears which contains the details of that person at the other end of the line and links to previous information associated with that person. For example, any documents that were opened in a previous dialog with that person or emails received from him are listed in the call window so that the user can retrieve them by clicking. The advanced call pre-point feature allows the ET user interface to notify the user if a person who was previously inaccessible (such as when the person's line was initially busy) becomes accessible. Also, the advanced call pre-point feature may be integrated with the person's calendar to provide the user with the best time to call the person.

My contacts environment includes call forwarding and teleconferencing processes. A user can initiate a conference call while in a telephone conversation by simply clicking on one of the buttons in the interface. Visual and audible prompts, both from the PC and the phone, are used to keep the user informed about the progress of establishing the conference call. In addition, the synthesized sound can be used to automatically notify the people called by the conference call that they are ready to talk until all people have joined the conference call.

While visually and audibly notifying the user of the incoming call. In the visual item, an incoming call notification window appears on the user's desktop to signal an incoming call. If the telephone system includes caller identification, the caller's telephone number may be matched to detailed information about the caller from the link database. This information is then displayed in a window. The window may also include a calendar of the caller so the user can better decide whether to answer the call. In the auditory item, a rich available ring tone from a sound file that can be played on a PC can be used as a signal to notify an incoming call. These sound files may be caller-specific so that the user can identify who is calling from the ring tone. The incoming call notification window also includes a fast forwarding button. This button enables the user to divert incoming calls to the user's present location, such as to the user's cellular telephone when the user leaves the called telephone.

Another incoming call feature is an unknown contact conversion feature. This feature converts unknown contacts into known contacts using a variety of sources. Thus, if an incoming call is received from an unknown caller (a person not in the linked database), the ET user interface obtains and provides as much information about the unknown caller as it can find in an attempt to determine the identity of the caller. As an example, the unknown contact conversion feature may obtain the geographic location of the unknown caller based on the caller's area code. As another example, the feature may access a public Internet site to perform a lookup to find the person associated with the telephone number online. Alternatively, the user may provide a name for an unknown caller. Once the identity of the unknown caller is determined, information is kept in a linked database so that his identity will be known the next time the caller calls.

Another feature of my contacts environment is a call forwarding feature that forwards incoming calls to other phones under certain conditions. These conditions may be specified by the user. If an incoming call is missed and the caller does not leave a voicemail, the ET user interface may notify the user (such as by email notification) that the call has been missed. The missed call email notification may also contain detailed information about the caller, including the caller's calendar, so the user can determine the best time to contact the caller.

While in a call, several features enable the user to have a richer user experience associated with the phone and PC combination. The screen sharing feature allows the user to share the content of the user's computer screen with the caller. The PC audio feature adjusts parameters on the PC based on phone usage. For example, if the user is listening to a sound file on a PC and gets connected to an incoming call, the sound on the PC automatically fades or slowly drops and pauses the sound file. At the end of the call, these parameters are returned to their previous settings.

The note feature allows the user to create call notes while on the call. The notes may have intelligently created titles to aid in indexing, searching, and later finding. The title contains information about the note and the call, such as the time of the call, the subject, and the parties involved in the call. The titles may be call-centric, meaning that they are associated with a particular call, or person-specific, meaning that they are associated with a particular person. The title may be created by integrating information from the linked database into the note. For example, calendar information may be used to determine the purpose of the call and from this information generate a title for the note created during that time period.

The my call history environment provides the user with access to a history of call activity. Items such as incoming call logs, outgoing call logs, missed calls, etc. may be recorded in the call history. From this information, the call history context may provide a statistical summary of call usage. Also, the ET user interface provides the user with the ability to dial telephone numbers directly in the call history list or statistics summary.

The communication preference context provides a way for the user to notify the user of other people who are preferred for contact. Thus, if the user prefers to contact by email, this information may be included in the user's contact information or communicated to others via an icon. In addition, the communication preference environment allows a user to create groups containing individuals or entities and specify group-specific rules. These rules may be, for example, rules for call forwarding and specifying a particular ring tone for a packet. Also, the rules may be based on the calendar of each group member. The ET user interface also provides the user with the ability to remotely retrieve and change settings. For example, the settings may be changed by e-mailing the user ET the current settings of the user interface, and then by sending a return e-mail containing the new settings.

Drawings

The invention may be further understood by reference to the following description and the appended drawings that illustrate various aspects of the invention. Other features and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a suitable computing system environment 200 in which an Enhanced Telephony (ET) user interface may reside.

Fig. 2A illustrates a first implementation of an ET user interface incorporated into a computing and telephony environment, where the telephone is not directly connected to the computing device.

Fig. 2B illustrates a second implementation of an ET user interface incorporated into a computing and telephony environment, where a telephone and a computing device are connected together.

Fig. 3 is a general block diagram illustrating different information resources of the ET user interface shown in fig. 2A and B.

Fig. 4 shows an overview of the ET user interface shown in fig. 2A, 2B and 3.

FIG. 5 illustrates the My contacts environment of the ET user interface.

FIG. 6 illustrates a search feature tab contained in the My contacts environment shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 illustrates a dial pad feature tab contained in the My contacts environment shown in FIG. 5.

Fig. 8 shows the ET user interface as the outgoing call is initiated by the user.

Fig. 9 shows the ET user interface during the time after the call initiated in fig. 8 has been established.

Fig. 10 shows an ET user interface during a conference call setup by a user.

Fig. 11 illustrates an ET user interface that provides the user with a contact selection to join a meeting upon request by the user illustrated in fig. 10.

Fig. 12 illustrates updating the state of the user's teleconference shown in fig. 10 and 11 with prompts by the ET user interface.

Fig. 13 shows an ET user interface during a teleconference that includes two callers.

Fig. 14 shows an ET user interface during an incoming call.

Fig. 15 shows the ET user interface during the fast forward of the incoming call shown in fig. 14.

Fig. 16 shows an example of an email notification sent by the ET user interface notifying the user of a missed call.

FIG. 17 shows an example of email notification for an unknown caller.

Fig. 18 shows an example of a call history environment.

Fig. 19 illustrates a setup process in the context of communication preferences of an ET user interface.

Detailed Description

In the following description of the present invention, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific examples by which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

I. Introduction to the design reside in

Although the telephone and the personal computer are important in most people's daily lives, the two remain largely disconnected from each other. While there are some special applications where two devices are connected for use in areas such as telemarketing and customer service centers, applications for personal use are largely ignored. Enhanced Telephony (ET) user interface phones bring computer-phone (computer-telephony) to personal computer desktops, providing users with a rich interactive experience that combines common computer and phone features.

Enhanced Telephony (ET) user interface environment

The ET user interface is designed to operate in a combined telecommunications and computer environment. In particular, the ET user interface resides on the computing device. Using the peripherals of the computing device, the user is able to obtain visual and auditory information from the ET user interface regarding the phone communicating with the computing device. By way of example and not limitation, peripheral devices such as a display device and speaker may be connected to the computing device such that the ET user interface both audibly (through the speaker) and visually (through the display device) notifies the user of information about the phone.

The following discussion is intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment in which the ET user interface may be implemented. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a suitable computing system environment 100 on which an Enhanced Telephony (ET) user interface may reside. The computing system environment 100 is only one example of a suitable computing environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention. Neither should the computing environment 100 be interpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination of components illustrated in the exemplary operating environment 100.

The ET user interface is operational with numerous other general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the ET user interface include, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, hand-held, laptop or mobile computers or communication devices such as cell phones, PDAs, combined cell phones and PDAs, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

The ET user interface may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a computer. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The ET user interface may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote computer storage media including memory storage devices. With reference to fig. 1, an exemplary system for implementing an ET user interface includes a general purpose computing device in the form of a computer 110.

Components of computer 110 may include, but are not limited to, a processing unit 120, a system memory 130, and a system bus 121 that couples various components including the system memory to the processing unit. The system bus 121 may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus also known as mezzanine bus.

Computer 110 typically includes a variety of computer readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by computer 110 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data.

Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, Digital Versatile Disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can accessed by computer 110. Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media.

Note that the term "modulated data signal" means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes media such as wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media.

The system memory 130 includes computer storage media in the form of volatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as Read Only Memory (ROM)131 and Random Access Memory (RAM) 132. A basic input/output system 133(BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer 110, such as during start-up, is typically stored in ROM 131. RAM 132 typically contains data and/or program modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently being operated on by processing unit 120. By way of example, and not limitation, FIG. 1 illustrates operating system 134, application programs 135, other program modules 136, and program data 137.

The computer 110 may also include other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only, FIG. 1 illustrates a hard disk drive 141 that reads from or writes to non-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive 151 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk 152, and an optical disk drive 155 that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile optical disk 156 such as a CD ROM or other optical media.

Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media that can be used in the exemplary operating environment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes, flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solid state RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The hard disk drive 141 is typically connected to the system bus 121 through a non-removable memory interface such as interface 140, and magnetic disk drive 151 and optical disk drive 155 are typically connected to the system bus 121 by a removable memory interface, such as interface 150.

The drives and their associated computer storage media discussed above and illustrated in FIG. 1, provide storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data for the computer 110. In FIG. 1, for example, hard disk drive 141 is illustrated as storing operating system 144, application programs 145, other program modules 146, and program data 147. Note that these components can either be the same as or different from operating system 134, application programs 135, other program modules 136, and program data 137. Operating system 144, application programs 145, other program modules 146, and program data 147 are given different numbers here to illustrate that, at a minimum, they are different copies. A user may enter commands and information into the computer 110 through input devices such as a keyboard 162 and pointing device 161, commonly referred to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad.

Other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, radio receiver, or a television or broadcast video receiver, among others. These and other input devices are often connected to the processing unit 120 through a user input interface 160 that is coupled to the system bus 121, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or a Universal Serial Bus (USB), for example. A monitor 191 or other type of display device is also connected to the system bus 121 via an interface, such as a video interface 190. In addition to monitor 191, computers may also include other peripheral output devices such as speakers 197 and printer 196, which may be connected through an output peripheral interface 195.

The computer 110 may operate in a networked environment using one or more logical connections to a remote computer, such as a remote computer 180. The remote computer 180 may be a personal computer, a server, a router, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described above relative to the computer, although only a memory storage device 181 has been illustrated in FIG. 1. The logical connections depicted in FIG. 1 include a Local Area Network (LAN)171 and a Wide Area Network (WAN)173, but may also include other networks. Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 110 is connected to the LAN171 through a network interface or adapter 170. When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 110 typically includes a modem 172 or other means for establishing communications over the WAN173, such as the Internet. The modem 172, which may be internal or external, may be connected to the system bus 121 via the user input interface 160, or other appropriate mechanism. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 110, or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. By way of example, and not limitation, FIG. 1 illustrates remote application programs 185 as residing on memory device 181. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used.

The ET user interface is also designed to operate in a telecommunications environment. Fig. 2A and B are generalized block diagrams illustrating two possible implementations of computing and telephony environments. Fig. 2A illustrates a first implementation of an ET user interface incorporated into a computing and telephony environment, where the telephone is not directly connected to the computing device.

In this first implementation, ET user interface 200 resides on user computing device 205. It should be noted that computer 110 in FIG. 1 is one example of user computing device 205. This user computing device 205 may be any computing device capable of running and displaying the ET user interface, such as a PDA, notebook computer, or desktop computer. The user computing device 205 is connected 210 to the network through a telephony server 215. Again, computer 110 in FIG. 1 is an example of telephony server 215.

Resident on telephony server 215 is a Computer-telephony integration (CTI) application 220. CTI application 220 is a system that provides control of the phone and receives information about its use. In other words, CTI application 220 provides the ability to control the phone and know what the phone is doing (such as when the phone rings). In this first implementation, CTI application 220 resides on telephony server 215, while in a second implementation (described below) CTI application 220 resides on user computing device 205.

The telephony server 215 is connected 225 to a private branch exchange (PBX)230, which typically belongs to an enterprise such as a corporation. PBX230, typically located in a corporate headroom, provides a connection between telephone 235 and the public telephone line. The PBX230 may also be a central office switching service (central switch), a type of PBX where switching occurs at a local telephone office rather than at a corporate headquarters. In this first implementation, the phone 235 is not directly connected to the user computing device 205. Instead, phone 235 is connected to PBX230 via connection 240. The PBX230 connects 245 to a certain number of outside lines on a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 250. The user 255, through the ET user interface 200, interacts with the phone 235 and the user computing device 205.

Fig. 2B illustrates a second implementation of an ET user interface incorporated into a computing and telephony environment, where a telephone and a computing device are connected together. In this second implementation, the phone 235 is directly connected to the user computing device 205 through a wireless or cable connection 260. CTI application 220 resides on user computing device 205 rather than on telephony server 215. The user computing device 205 is connected 265 to either the PSTN (e.g., in a home environment) or the PBX (e.g., in an enterprise environment) 270. Also, the phone may be connected 270 to either the PSTN or PBX 270. In both implementations shown in fig. 2A and B, a user may use a second computing device (not shown) to remotely connect to the user computing device 205 co-located with the phone 235. Then, the user can access the ET user interface from the second computing device to transfer the incoming call to another phone (such as a cellular phone) at the user's location.

ET user interface 200 obtains information from a variety of sources. This information is then disseminated to users 255 using peripheral devices connected to the user computing device 205 (personal computer or abbreviated PC). For example, visual information is displayed on a display device, and audible information is broadcast through a speaker or headphones. In addition, ET user interface 200 allows a user to interact with information via an input device connected to a PC, such as a keyboard or mouse. Also, phone 235 is itself an input device, because ET user interface 200 uses CTI application 220 to learn about user 255's interactions with phone 235.

Fig. 3 is a generalized block diagram illustrating different sources of information for the ET user interface shown in fig. 2A and B. Generally, ET user interface 200 receives information 300 from a variety of possible sources. These sources include personal database 310, enterprise database 320, and public database 330. Personal database 310 includes application-specific databases such as email, Outlook, instant messenger (instant messenger), and a calendar database, enterprise database 320 includes a hierarchy of companies, a company address, a calendar database, and a picture database, and public database 330 includes a public internet site and an online phone book. Depending on the nature of its content, the database may reside on either the telephony server 215, the user computing device 205, or both. For example, a personal address book and calendar information (from personal database 310) may reside on user computing device 205 (such as the user's personal computer), while a corporate hierarchy (from corporate database 320) may reside on telephony server 215. Information 300 that may be used in the ET user interface is discussed in detail below, in the context of features of the present invention.

ET user interface 200 may obtain contact information from the various sources noted above and merge them into a single contact. For example, contact information from enterprise database 320, personal database 310 (such as an address book), and public database 330 may result in multiple phone numbers and other contact information for a single contact. This means that there are several contact entries even though each entry may be the same person or entity. The contact information integration feature merges, mitigates duplication, and merges all contact information and entries into a single contact entry for display in ET user interface 200.

In some cases, a problem may arise as to whether multiple contacts are contacts of the same person or entity. For example, a contact may be listed in company database 320 under its full name and in the user's Outlook address book (from personal database 310) under its nickname. In these cases, the user is typically asked whether the found contact is the same person as desired and whether the user is to overwrite the found new phone number (such as a person's new home phone number when his old number is in one of the databases).

Enhanced Telephony (ET) user interface layout

ET user interface 200 contains several key aspects that provide the user with a rich user telephone experience. Some of these key aspects include the ability to initiate a call (click to call) at ET user interface 200 from virtually anywhere the contact name or telephone number appears. Wherever a contact name (assuming a name can be associated with a telephone number in the linked database) or telephone number appears in ET user interface 200, the user simply clicks on the contact name or number to initiate a telephone call. This greatly reduces the number of mouse clicks or keyboard strokes required to set a call and the ability to click on a call is not limited to calling a telephone, but can also be extended to other methods of contacting people such as email and instant messenger.

Other key aspects of the ET user interface 200 are the merging of calendar information (such as personal calendars from the user) and the presence status of the user (presence status). In general, presence status is any information that helps to understand the user's location, what the user is doing, and how others can contact the user at any given time. By way of example, for a person, presence information includes a person's calendar, their instant messenger status, applications being opened on their screen, the time since the person last moved the mouse or touch the keyboard, their current physical location, whether they were on their cell phone, whether their desktop phone was busy, and how many people are in their office. Thus, based on the calendar information, the presence status of the user is made available to others so that others know the best time and best (or better) method to contact the user. Other key aspects of ET user interface 200 include a unique call notification feature that is available when a user misses an incoming call, and a unique call routing feature that intelligently routes incoming calls based on the user's input or integrated calendar information.

Key aspects, processes and features of ET user interface 200 may be implemented in a wide variety of ways. Moreover, the appearance of the interface 200 may vary drastically between implementations. For example, the arrangement of the different zones may be different, the number of tabs (tab) in each zone may vary, and even the name, characteristics, and course of the environment may be different. However, it should be understood that even if the appearance of the interface 200 varies between implementations, the key aspects, processes and features described herein are still within the scope of the invention described herein.

A general description of the layout of ET user interface 200 will now be discussed. This is the layout that a user sees and interacts with when the ET user interface 200 is run on a computing device. It should be noted that this is one implementation of ET user interface 200, and that several other arrangements are possible. Generally, the ET user interface 200 is divided into zones. These regions will be discussed with reference to fig. 4. Subsequent sections herein will then provide a more detailed description of each feature that may be included in each zone.

Fig. 4 illustrates a general overview of the ET user interface 200 shown in fig. 2A, 2B, and 3. Generally, information 300 is displayed to a user through ET user interface 200 and provides functionality so that the user can interact with information 300. Specifically, the ET user interface 200 includes a main window 400, which is a standard containing a title bar 410And (4) a window. Under the title bar 410 is an environment area 420 containing buttons for selecting the environment of any number. It should be noted that although four environment buttons are shown, more or fewer buttons may be included in environment zone 420. By selecting one of the context buttons, the user causes ET user interface 200 to display certain features, as described below.

Below the context zone 420 is a call state zone 430. Call state field 430 provides information regarding the state of each phone in contact with ET user interface 200. For example, if the user is not on a call, the call status area 430 displays a message indicating "not on a call". A process area 440 is also included in ET user interface 200. The procedures area 400 displays available procedures and allows a user to select those procedures. Next to the process area 440 is an active area 450. The active area 450 displays feature tabs 460 that correspond to features available in the environment selected by the user. These processes and features are discussed below.

ET user interface features and Process details

Details of the features and processes associated with ET user interface 200 will now be discussed with reference to each of the environments.

My Contacts environment

My Contacts provides an interactive method for a user to manage calls and Contacts. This includes incoming calls, outgoing calls, and provides control and management features in the calls. FIG. 5 illustrates the My Contacts environment of the ET user interface. As can be seen in FIG. 5, the user has clicked on the MyContacts context button 500 to display this context. Other environments are also shown, namely a "best communications" environment 505, a "My telephone (My Telephones)" environment 510, and a "My Call History" environment 515.

The My Contacts environment 500 includes three main processes in the processes area 440. The Call Control process 520 provides the user with the ability to initiate, terminate, and Control both incoming and outgoing calls from the PC. The Person Details process 525 allows a user to obtain detailed information about a contact. As explained in detail below, this information may be obtained from a variety of sources and integrated into a single contact entry. The collaboration process 530 provides various methods for a user to contact a contact, including email and Instant Message (IM). In addition, the colloderate process 530 allows the user to access a screen sharing feature where the user can share his screen with the caller.

The My Contacts environment 500 also includes five feature tabs in the active area 450. Namely, Favorites tab 535, Recently Called tab 540, Search tab 545, Outlook Contacts tab 550, and dial pad tab 555. The active area 450 also includes a search box 560 that uses the search feature 545 to search for contacts. It should be noted that a wide variety of other tabs are possible, and that tabs may be added or deleted according to the user's preferences or the company's policies. As shown in fig. 5, the Favorites tab 535 has been clicked, so the activity area 450 also displays entries 565, 570, 575, 580 for favorite contacts. Note that each entry 565, 570, 575, 580 contains a variety of information about the contact. A key feature of the ET user interface 200 is that rich information is available to the person or entity associated with the telephone number. In other words, a list of more than just one phone number is shown for each entry 565, 570, 575, 580.

Contact information

Referring to fig. 5, in the active area 450, a list of favorite user telephone numbers is shown. Note that each entry 565, 570, 575, 580 can have an associated picture (if available), name, title, phone number and office location. The pictures may be obtained from a corporate database, the user may specify the pictures, or the contacts may provide the pictures. It should be noted that although a photograph is shown in fig. 5, the picture may be any graphical or textual material. For example, if the contact is an entity (such as a department of a company), the picture may display a department logo. Contact information also includes other methods of contacting contacts, such as home and cell phone numbers and email addresses.

The contact information may also include presence status in addition to or in lieu of the picture. Presence status is any type of indicator that conveys the status of a contact to a user. For example, the presence status indicator may be a "happy face" graphic that is displayed in color when the contact is connected to a corporate network or sitting in front of her computer, but grayed out when she is not connected to or away from her computer. Similar to Instant Messaging (IM) services, presence status provides additional information about contacts for a user. If the user is on the phone, ET user interface 200 knows this and sets the presence status of the user to "on the phone". The ET user interface allows a combined PC/IM user experience by using presence status and by providing IM contact information.

The presence status may have different levels depending on the relationship between the user and the contact. For example, if the contact is the user's manager, then richer presence information is available for this user than would otherwise be available for others in the company. These levels may be set either explicitly by the user and contacts or implicitly based on the company's policy.

The contact information may also include access to a calendar of the contact. Of course, the contact would first have to provide consent to make his calendar available, either to anyone, or to the particular individual he chooses. Loading the ET user interface 200 with the calendar of the contact enables the user to determine the location of the contact at a particular time or day. As an example, assume that a user is trying to call a contact. By calling up a contact in ET user interface 200 and viewing his calendar, the user can determine when the contact is accessible and calling for the best time.

The calendar feature can also be linked to the presence status to provide additional information about the contact. For example, if the presence status indicator informs that the contact leaves her computer, the user can reference the contact's calendar and determine whether the contact is scheduled to be in a meeting or on a telephone call.

The contact information includes a map feature that provides a map of the contact's office location. The map may be accessed through a link to a corporate database or an internet connection. Through the ET user interface 200, the user can enter his location and have the map feature provide directions to the contact's office. These directions may be graphical, textual, or both, depending on the user's preferences.

Exhalation feature

As shown in fig. 5, the tabs in the active area include a "Favorites" tab 535, a "recent Called" tab 540, a "Search" tab 545, an "Outlook Contacts" tab 550, and a "Dialpad" tab 555. It should be noted that other tabs are possible, and these are merely illustrative examples in this implementation. Each of these tabs will now be discussed in the context of a user performing an outgoing call.

Favorites tab

The Favorites feature tab 535 is used to access a list of Favorites specifically tailored for the user. When the user clicks the Favorites tab 535, a Favorites list (or portion thereof) is shown in the activity area 450 of the ET user interface 200. Generally, a favorites list is a user's favorites list or the most popular telephone numbers to call. The favorites list allows the user to quickly and easily call contacts that are often called (similar to an enhanced speed dial). The popularity of a telephone number may be based on a number of criteria. As examples, criteria may include the number of calls to a user's telephone number, how close a call is to a number, the relationship between the owner of the telephone number and the user (such as a high popularity for the user's boss and spouse), and explicit instructions by the user. Based on this popularity criteria, the user or system may add or remove phone numbers from the favorites list.

The favorites list may be generated or populated in a number of ways, either automatically or manually. For example, a user may manually construct his favorites list from his personal database 310, from the enterprise database 330, from the public database 330, or all of the above. The favorites list may be populated with other people in the user's portion, group, or team along with the user's administrator to whom the user is reporting. The user can still add more favorites when he wishes.

The favorites list may also be automatically populated. This automatic population of favorites lists can be accomplished through analysis of virtually any database to which the user has access. For example, a user's email database may be used to populate a favorites list. In this case, the ET user interface 200 obtains data on the user sending an email to someone, receiving an email from someone, or both, and constructs a list. The favorites list is populated with the top n numbers in the list. The number n may be selected by the user (via the ET user interface) or automatically. As another example, ET user interface 200 may have access to a list of recent calls made to the user. Again, the favorites list may be populated with the top n numbers. It should be noted that the favorites list may be populated from a single list or database or multiple lists or databases.

Another type of auto-fill (or pre-fill) occurs at startup. At startup, the user will generally not have a favorites list and will have to fill the favorites list. ET user interface 200 includes an auto-customization feature that helps a user add phone numbers to a favorites list. As described above, this automatic customization feature, when activated, initially populates the favorites list through analysis of a database containing telephone numbers, explicit user input, or both. As an example, in an enterprise setting, the favorites list may be pre-populated at startup based on corporate organizational structures available from enterprise database 320. For example, the user's favorites list may include members of his department, including his direct boss. Once the favorites list has been populated using the automatic customization feature, the favorites list can be modified and changed as needed, either automatically or manually, as described above.

"Recently Called" tab

A Recently Called tab 450 is also included in ET user interface 200. This tab 540 allows the user to access a list of telephone numbers that the user has recently called. The top n most recently called telephone numbers may be used to populate the most recently called list. It should be noted that the most recently called list may be populated from a single list or multiple lists.

"Search" tab

The ET user interface 200 includes a search feature tab 545 that provides a rich search experience for the user. By clicking on the search tab 545, the user may interact with a powerful search feature displayed by the ET user interface 200, which gives the user the ability to search all linked lists and databases. The search feature allows searches based on many different criteria, such as first name, last name, nickname, telephone number, alias, building, department, office number, etc. The search feature may perform a search on any linked list or database, a computing device (such as a client) running the ET user interface 200, or a back-end server (such as the telephony server 215).

FIG. 6 illustrates a search feature tab 535 included in the My Contacts environment 500 shown in FIG. 5. In particular, in FIG. 6 the user has clicked the search feature tab 535 and entered the search query 600 into the search box 560. Based on the query 600, the search feature has returned several possible matches 610, with the highest possible match being displayed first and the other matches being displayed in descending order. These possible matches 610 are obtained by searching each of all the information 300 available to ET user interface 200. The search feature also includes a visual cue that informs the user which database is being searched. For example, icons representing available databases may be used to inform the user which database results to find. The results are then displayed along with an icon representing the database in which the results were found.

"Outlook Contacts" tab

The "Outlook Contacts" tab 500 is a feature of the ET user interface 200 that is integrated into the content of the ET user interfaceAll contacts in Outlook. The Outlook contacts feature is useful if the user interacts primarily with people outside the company, rather than with people inside the company. In this case, the user often timesAccess his Outlook database (within personal database 310) instead of enterprise database 320. A drop down menu within ET user interface 200 shows a plurality of telephone numbers from Outlook.

Dialpad tab

The "Dialpad" feature tab 555 of ET user interface 200 allows telephone numbers to be explicitly dialed. FIG. 7 illustrates a dialpad feature tab 555 contained in the My Contacts environment shown in FIG. 5. When the user clicks the "Dialpad" tab 555, the telephone dial pad 700 is displayed in the active area 450. The user may enter a telephone number in text box 710 using an input device, such as a stylus or mouse, and click Dial button 720 to Dial the number. Clear button 730 may be used to erase the last entered digit if the user makes an error when entering the telephone number. The dial pad feature is useful on computing devices, such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), where a user may not have a keyboard and may want to enter numbers by tapping on the dial pad 700.

Setting up a call

Setting an outgoing call in ET user interface 200 will now be described with reference to fig. 8. Fig. 8 illustrates the ET user interface 200 when an outgoing call is initiated by the user. To place a call, the user clicks on the desired number 800 (shown as a third contact 575). If the phone 270 linked to the ET user interface 200 is a speakerphone, the speakerphone leaves the hook and the user hears a familiar phone ringing sound. Additionally, if the linked phone 270 has a display, the dialed phone is displayed on the phone display along with the person being called. It should be noted that although the person being called is selected from a Favorites list (as shown in FIG. 5), the call may also be initiated from any other tab in the "My Contacts" environment 500.

Fig. 9 illustrates the ET user interface 200 during a period after the call initiated in fig. 8 has been established. A call window 900 appears in the active area 450 with callee information 575 displayed at the top of the call window. Note area 910 is included in the prompts of call window 900, which allows the user to use the note feature discussed below. The call status area 430 indicates that the user is "On the Phone" 920. Additionally included in the context button field is an on-hook button 930 that allows the call to be ended. In addition, the call can be ended using the Hang Up procedure in the CallControl procedure area 520.

The call window 900 may also appear by the user picking up the phone. When ET user interface 200 receives an input that the phone is off-hook, call window 900 appears to ask the user what number he wants to dial. Also, if the user places a call from the phone, ET user interface 200 displays an in-call window (described below) and automatically identifies the number called (if the number is in the database). Also, the ET user interface 200 can automatically call up an address book or a favorite list whenever the user takes the phone off the hook.

The ET user interface 200 may be customized to implement a company's dialing plan and strategy for outgoing calls. As a simple example, a corporate dial plan may require a "9" to reach an outside line. As a more complex example, corporate policy may dictate that a toll office be used at a particular time of day and another one otherwise. The ET user interface 200 can be customized to automatically implement the dialing strategy for a company without continuous user intervention. Thus, the user can enter (either by cutting and pasting or directly from the input device) a telephone number and the ET user interface 200 will take care of all dialing strategies and procedures. For example, if the user does not know how to dial the peripheral, he simply enters the number and ET user interface 200 dials for him. As another example, when the user is in a hotel and needs to dial out, the ET user interface 200 takes care of all dialing protocols to place a call without user intervention.

Another feature of the ET user interface 200 is advanced call "book". If a user tries to call a person and the person is not accessible, advanced call reservation features inform the user when the person becomes accessible and propose to set up the call. In addition, the ET user interface 200 may use the callee's calendar to provide the user with the best time to call so that the user will be accessible. For example, ET user interface 200 may monitor the person's informer status or the person's keyboard to determine when this becomes accessible.

Other features may be used in ET user interface 200 because it runs on a linked powerful PC and has a variety of databases. One such feature is a voice command feature. For example, with speech-to-text software (speech recognition software), ET user interface 200 may process speech commands from a user. Thus, the user may ask the system to call someone with sound. Training is not required for contacts associated with the linked database. This is because ET user interface 200 is linked to certain databases, such as enterprise database 320 and personal databases, and already knows the contact being requested.

Call transfer and teleconference procedure

Many phones have the capability of transfer and teleconferencing. However, many people simply do not know how to use them. This is why you hear someone saying "if you drop you and call back again when this transfer or trying to set up a conference call" at the other end of the line. The ET user interface 200 simplifies call forwarding and teleconferencing for the user.

Fig. 10 illustrates an ET user interface 200 during a conference call setup by a user. In particular, to establish a teleconference, the user clicks the conference button 1000 under the "Call Control" process 520 of the process area 440. Note also that the user has made a note 1010 in the note field 900, in accordance with the note feature discussed below. Fig. 11 illustrates an ET user interface 200 that provides a user with a selection of contacts to a meeting, following the user request shown in fig. 10. This gives the user all feature tabs of the "My Contacts" environment 500. In other words, the user may select a contact from Favorites tab 535, Recently Called tab 540, Outlook contacts tab 550, or click Search tab 545 to perform a Search, or click Dialpad tab 555 to call using a dial pad. Using one of these methods, a person can be called and added to a conference call.

ET user interface 200 also provides visual and audio prompts to the user regarding the status of the call. Fig. 12 illustrates the prompts used by ET user interface 200 to update the status of the user's teleconference shown in fig. 10 and 11. Specifically, the user selects a contact to include in the teleconference and clicks on his telephone number 1200. As shown in fig. 12, a contact is an unknown contact 1210 having an entry. The status window 1220 appears to inform the user that the selected person (unknown contact 1220) is being included in the teleconference. In addition to these visual cues, the phone itself also provides audio cues (such as hearing a phone dial). These audio prompts provide the user with the ability to identify any errors that may be caused during the call process and coordination. For example, if the line is busy, the user may recognize that fact by hearing a busy tone and may choose to dial other numbers of contactable contacts. The status window 1220 then informs the user to click on "OK" 1230 when that person answers. This enables the person to join the conference call. If the person does not answer, the user can click on "Cancel" 1240 to Cancel the conference call. Fig. 13 illustrates the ET user interface 200 during a teleconference that includes two callers, a known caller 575 and an unknown caller 1210.

Many other methods exist for ET user interface 200 to allow a user to establish a conference call. One approach is by allowing the user to drag and drop a contact from other user interfaces and applications (such as the Outlook contact list) and join it in the meeting of those people. Another approach is for the user to right-click on a contact and select the line "join conference call". Yet another way is that the user can select all people on the "To (To)" line from the email and right-click on "conference call". All selected people are then joined in the conference call. Also, a group may be created so that the user need only click on the group to establish a conference call that includes everyone in the group. In some embodiments of ET user interface 200, synthesized voice or recorded user voice is used to notify each contact that the teleconference is calling to wait until the entire conference is established.

Call in feature

The ET user interface 200 both visually and audibly notifies the user of the incoming call. Fig. 14 illustrates the ET user interface 200 during an incoming call. The user is visually notified of the incoming call on his desktop through the incoming call notification window 1410. If caller identification is available on the telephone network and the telephone number is in any linked database, the window will include an entry for caller 575 containing the contact information discussed above. If the user decides to Answer the call, he simply clicks Answer button 1420 and connects to the caller. ET user interface 200 indicates that the phone is off hook (or "off hook" is performed). If the phone is a speakerphone, the ET user interface 200 also instructs the phone to enter speakerphone mode so that the user can either talk using the speakerphone or pick up the handset. The call notification window 1410 also includes a fast forward button 1430 discussed below. With the fast forward button 1430, the user can quickly forward the incoming call to another phone.

The user also has a variety of options for incoming calls. The user can send the incoming call directly to voicemail via a "send directly to voicemail" button (not shown) on incoming call notification window 1410. Alternatively, this may be an option listed under the quick transfer button 1430. Either way, when the user clicks on this option, the ringing stops immediately and the caller is sent directly to voicemail. In another alternative embodiment, the ringing is silent but the caller is not directly connected to voicemail. Instead, the caller is sent to voicemail after a set number of rings, but the rings are silent.

In addition, ET user interface 200 provides options for the user when the user receives an incoming call while in the call. ET user interface 200 allows a user on a call to send an instant message or email to a caller, informing the caller that the user is making a call and sending the caller to voicemail. Voicemail may be caller-specific, whereby different voicemail messages are used depending on the identity of the caller. For example, a user's boss and colleagues may get more personalized voicemail messages, while those who are less familiar with the user may get less personalized and general messages.

ET user interface 200 also gives the user a call blocking option. The user may specify call blocking by clicking "block number and send to voicemail". Whenever the caller calls again from the blocked number, the call is immediately sent to voicemail without ringing. Alternatively, the user may choose to block calls from that number altogether, in which case the caller may hear a message indicating that the user is no longer accepting calls from their number.

The caller can also receive an alternative to the busy signal if the caller is using the ET user interface 200. For example, if a caller tries to call a user but the user is making a call, a dialog box will appear in the caller's ET user interface 200. This dialog gives the caller a variety of options such as leave voicemail, send email, send instant message, notify me that the user is not hanging up when he is not, do nothing, just to mention a few. If the "notify me when user accessible" option is selected, a dialog box pops up on the caller's screen when user accessible, and asks the caller if he would like to place a call to the user.

The user is also audibly notified of the incoming call. This is done using the ringing tone through the PC's speaker. The PC has a loud, bright and clear speaker than a cellular phone or desktop phone and allows a wider variety of ring tones. Furthermore, any sound file may be used to represent an incoming call. ET user interface 200 allows the user to turn off the ringer on the phone and have the ring for incoming calls broadcast through the PC speaker. The benefit of this is that you have a ring unique to your neighbors because there are a wider variety of sound files that can be selected from the PC than a cell phone or a telephone.

ET user interface 200 also provides audio caller identification by using caller-specific ring tones, as well as visual caller identification. This means that the user can not only hear his phone ringing, but also hear the call coming from there based on the ring tone. The user then decides whether to answer the call. In another embodiment, the sound file identifying the caller may be the caller's sound. As an example, a caller may identify himself with his own voice, such as "this is a jem call". Other embodiments of the ET user interface include text-to-speech (text-to-speech) conversion, such that a caller reading the text recognizes and converts to speech. Thus, synthesized speech may announce that the user has "incoming call from jem".

The incoming call notification window 1410 may also include a calendar (not shown) of the caller. Based on the caller's calendar, the user can make different decisions about answering incoming calls. For example, if the user sees from the caller's calendar that the caller now has free time but is in a meeting at other times of the day, the user may choose to answer the call. Similarly, if the user sees from the calendar that the caller is not in the office today, the user may decide to answer the call, as the caller may need some help. This additional information provided by the user's calendar helps the user decide whether to answer the call.

Fast transfer feature

Upon notifying the user of the incoming call, the ET user interface 200 provides the user with the option of performing a quick transfer. Fig. 15 illustrates the ET user interface 200 during fast forwarding of an incoming call shown in fig. 14. Referring to fig. 14 and 15, the incoming call notification window 1410 includes a fast forward button 1430 labeled "Transfer to". As shown in FIG. 15, the drop-down vertical list 1500 includes selections, "cell phone", "home", and "Monica". As mentioned above, list 1500 may also include the option of sending the caller directly to voicemail or muting the ringing. This fast forwarding feature may be used to forward an incoming call to a telephone near the user when the user leaves the telephone being called. By way of example, assume that the user is on the road and has his wireless notebook computer (running ET user interface 200) and his cellular telephone. Returning to his office, the user's work computer is running the ET user interface 200 and his desktop phone. Assume that an incoming call is received from someone calling the user's office phone. As long as the user is connected to the network (such as through a wireless notebook computer), the user can immediately divert incoming calls to the user's cellular telephone using the fast forwarding feature.

The user pre-configures the ET user interface 200 with the telephone number of the location where the user is likely to be located. In addition, the calendar feature may be used to automatically determine the user's location (based on his calendar) and add phone numbers to the quick forwarding list based on the calendar. This uses the calendar information to quickly populate fast forwarding list 1500, allowing the user to forward incoming calls to the phone at his current location. For example, if the user's calendar says he is in a meeting in a conference room from 9 to 10 am, ET user interface 200 will include the telephone number of the conference room during that time period. As shown in fig. 15, the user receives a notification of an incoming call at his work office, and has triggered the fast forward button 1430 to ring the incoming call at his home phone number. The fast forwarding feature of the ET user interface provides flexibility and reduces the chance that the user will miss an important call.

Call forwarding feature

ET user interface 200 provides the user with access to call forwarding features that forward calls to other phones under certain conditions. These conditions may be configurable by the user. For example, a user may want to forward all incoming calls to his cell phone whenever his computer is locked. Other call forwarding conditions include: (a) forwarding all calls when a screen saver is present; (b) forward all calls when my presence status is set to away or busy; and (c) forwarding all calls at certain times. For example, on tuesdays and thursdays the user may be working far away at home, thus forwarding all calls to her home phone on those days. The call forwarding feature may also be integrated with the calendar feature such that these features recognize from the calendar the user's location at a certain time of day and forward (or propose to forward) all phones to the phone at that location or to the user's cell phone.

ET user interface 200 also includes a "call hunt" feature. If there is no answer at the first number, the call capture feature keeps trying a different number in the "capture group" where the user can be found. The replacement number in the capture packet may be provided by the user or automatically configured based on information from a linked database, such as a calendar. For example, if a caller tries to contact the user at the user's office but does not answer, ET user interface 200 may attempt to contact the user at an alternate number, such as the user's cell phone.

Missed call feature

If the user misses an incoming call, the ET user interface 200 provides a missed call feature. Generally, the missed call feature is activated when a call is missed and the caller does not leave a voicemail message. Fig. 16 illustrates an example of an email notification 1600 sent by the ET user interface 200 notifying the user of a missed call. Email notification 1600 may be sent to any device capable of receiving email, such as a calculator or cellular telephone. One aspect of the missed call feature is that the ET user interface sends an email 1600 to the user stating the identity of the caller 1610, the time and date of the missed call 1620, and contact information. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, this contact information includes the caller's phone number 1630 and the caller's email address 1640. Additionally, email 1600 includes an indication 1650 of how to turn off the email notification feature.

Missed call email notification 1600 may also contain a button that provides a contact function. These buttons include a "call back missed caller" button, a "send email to missed caller" button, and a "contact missed caller using instant messenger" button. The user need only click on any of these buttons to perform the required action. The missed call notification email 1600 may also use the caller's calendar information and provide the caller's calendar. For example, the email may contain a notification saying "you missed the caller, and here her schedule on the day". Her calendar is then provided. The user then looks at the missed caller's schedule and decides the best time to return her call. Missed call notification emails may also contain even richer information, such as a picture of the caller. Additionally, missed call notification email 1600 may include a voice command feature so that the user can contact the caller in any available way with voice command ET user interface 200.

In some cases, the caller may be unknown. This may occur when the caller's phone number or other contact information cannot be found in the linked database. In the case of this unknown caller, ET user interface 200 includes unknown caller characteristics, which may take a variety of actions. First, unknown caller characteristics may provide the user with as much information about the unknown caller as possible. This may be done, for example, by area code lookup or a search of the public internet. In other words, the unknown caller characteristics may display to the user the geographic region from which the initiated call originated based on the region code. Additionally, the unknown caller characteristics may perform a search of the public internet site to find a name for this telephone number. This may include searching public phone books and other public records.

In the case where the caller is unknown, the email notification is different. FIG. 17 illustrates an example of email notification for an unknown caller. Unknown caller email notification 1700 may be sent to any device capable of receiving email, such as a computer or cellular telephone. The ET user interface sends an unknown caller email 1700 to the user stating the caller's phone number 1710, the time and date of the missed call 1720. In addition, unknown caller email notification 1700 also includes geographic information based on the caller's region code and the ability to perform a search on public internet site 1740. A search is performed on public internet site 1740 to perform the reverse lookup of the telephone number. Also, unknown caller email notification 1700 includes an indication 1750 of how to turn off the email notification feature.

The unknown caller characteristics may also intelligently determine whether the unknown caller email notification should be standard or customized. The standard notification is based on the caller's name or number. However, there may be cases when the name or number is not important, but for example the position of the caller is important. For example, if a caller dials the company's switchboard number and talks to an operator, who then forwards the call, a standard email notification will identify the caller to the company operator. In this case, the position of the operator is more important than the operator's name or number, and a customized email notification will be sent. The ET user interface 200 may use a linked database, such as an enterprise database, to decide whether to send a standard or customized email notification.

Mid-call features

ET user interface 200 provides several features and processes that can be displayed to a user during the origination phase of a telephone call and during the call.

Screen sharing feature

The screen sharing feature allows the user's computer to send instructions and display visual data to the computer connected to the caller's telephone. In other words, if the user and caller are on the call and if both callers are on the corporate network, screen sharing is allowed. There are two implementations of screen sharing features. A first implementation involves sharing the user's screen content with one or more callers. As shown in fig. 5, if the user is talking to one caller and wants to share his screen, the user clicks the "share your screen" button under the community process 530. The caller then receives a message confirming that this is approved by the caller. This establishes a screen sharing session between the user and the caller. The screen call feature may be configured to share only a portion of the screen, the entire screen, or an application-specific portion of the screen (e.g., a word processing document opened in an on-screen window). When the call ends, the screen sharing session is automatically disconnected and all windows and sessions associated with the call are automatically cleared.

A second implementation of the screen sharing feature is the screen call feature. The screen call feature allows the user to call a transaction (business) and receive Web pages or other visual data associated with the transaction from the transaction. The transaction has previously programmed its computer to send its Web page or other visual data to all callers. The screen call feature merges the audio features of the phone with a PC having the visual features of the PC to provide information in the transaction setting. For example, assume that the user calls his favorite restaurant. While the user remains online, the screen call feature may bring up a Web page, menu, or available reservation of the restaurant so the user can visit this information while on the phone. Also, transactions may provide information to users through screen sharing, such as a list of frequently asked questions, a list of movies, and a list of prices, to mention a few, depending on their products or services. The on-screen call feature may also be used to relieve the burden of the phone menu tree, which requires the user to select an option many times to get the desired option. Using the on-screen call feature, the transaction may share its phone menu tree, thus allowing the user to click on the menu tree for the desired option and have ET user interface 200 process the task to reach that option.

In addition, the ET user interface 200 includes a transfer-easy feature that sends files simultaneously during a call. This easy transfer feature shares multiple copies of a file with anyone selected by the user while on the call. As an example, if the user is in a teleconference with three other callers and they are discussing documents that the three other people do not have, the user may click the easy-to-transfer button and a copy of the document appears on the desktop of each of the three callers.

PC Audio features

ET user interface 200 may adjust parameters on the PC based on the user's phone usage. This is due to the fact that ET user interface 200 knows that the phone makes it possible, and can therefore act intelligently. Thus, at the point where the ET user interface 200 knows what the phone is doing, the ET user interface 200 can adjust certain parameters on the PC. For example, audio on a PC is affected when a user picks up a phone. This means that the audio on the PC can be muted or reduced when desired by the user. In addition, the PC shows a visual indicator that the volume has been affected. For example, a volume icon displayed on the screen may show that the audio has been muted. Alternatively, a message may be displayed that the audio has been muted or turned off.

If the user is listening to music when a call is received or set up, the audio may be muted at the initiation of the phone. In addition, the PC may pause the music at that location instead of turning the music off at the end of the phone call or forcing the user to listen to the beginning of the song. If, for example, the telephone call is a Voice Over IP (VOIP) call, the PC will detect this and act accordingly by switching the speaker from audio to the telephone call and activating the microphone.

Alternative embodiments include automatically reducing the audio instead of muting it. In other words, upon receipt of the initiation of the call, the audio is slowly lowered and then silenced while the music is paused. At the end of the call, the music is not paused, and then the audio volume is increased from silence to the previous level prior to the telephone call. This embodiment avoids a situation where the user is listening to a phone call while letting his audio continue at a high volume and then returns to his high volume at the end of the call, thus surprising the user.

Note feature

The note feature of the ET user interface 200 provides for supporting the user while on the call, while making the call, and while receiving the call. Referring to fig. 9 and 10, notes (such as action items) may be taken in the notes area 910 during the call. The user can take notes during the call and the notes will become part of the call history. As such, any notes made during the call are associated with the call. The note may be any type of note, such as a text note or tablet PC format. In addition, these notes may be stored and indexed. This allows the user to search for notes using the search features described above.

The note feature may also intelligently create titles and associations for notes made during the call. These titles and associations may be generated from data available to the ET user interface 200, such as Outlook calendar data. For example, if during setup or receipt of a call, the user has a meeting request in her calendar, the note feature views Outlook calendar data to see the scheduled content. For example, if there is a scheduled meeting to discuss the sale of a product, this data can be used to create a title for any notes created during the call, where the title indicates notes related to the sale. The note-taking feature attempts to match the call to a calendar entry using, for example, caller identification, conference identification, or attempts to match information between a calendar and a call. If a match is detected, the note feature associates the note created during the call with the meeting. In addition, this calendar data may be used to create note headings and the like.

Event history characteristics

ET user interface 200 may also display a history of events related to one or more callers. This event history may be displayed for both incoming and outgoing calls to a particular caller that the user has previously contacted. The event history contains events such as appointments associated with callers, previous telephone conversations, emails, notes, and documents. An event is associated with a caller at the time of calling, and a link to the event is displayed in the ET user interface 200 when the caller calls again, it is possible to display an event history for the caller in the incoming call notification window, and when the user sets an outgoing call. Through the ET user interface 200, the user may also manually edit the event history to make it more useful.

By way of example, assume that a user receives a call from a caller with whom the user has previously conversed. It is also assumed that the user and caller have previously discussed a document that the user has opened during the course of a previous telephone conversation. These documents may be, for example, word processing or spreadsheet documents. The event history feature has previously linked the document with the caller and his previous telephone calls to and from the user. When a call is received from a caller, the incoming call notification window includes a list of documents associated with the caller and includes a link to the documents, enabling the user to quickly open the documents while answering the call. In other words, when a call is placed or received at a later time from the same caller, the event history feature remembers the events with the caller and ET user interface 200, providing a list of those events during an incoming or outgoing call to the caller.

Other uses of the telephone

ET user interface 200 allows the phone to be used in other less conventional ways. For example, the ET user interface 200 may be used to provide a wake-up call or a meeting reminder for a user. The user will simply enter into the ET user interface the time at which she wants to ring her phone to prompt something or wake up. At a predetermined time, the telephony object is ringing and providing a reminder or waking up the call. Also, a phone may be used as an intercom (such as between offices). A user requests an intercom call with another person and sends an intercom call request to that person. The person's ET user interface 200 receives the intercom request and immediately takes the person's phone "off hook". The user and the person are then connected in an intercom environment.

"My Call History" environment

The My Call History environment 515 provides the user with access to a History of all Call activity over a previous period of time. In its basic form, the call history feature tracks all incoming and outgoing calls, including the length of the call, the time and location at which the call occurred. The richer version of the call history feature also includes notes associated with the call. The call history may also include an event history for each call, including events associated with a particular caller. Other versions of the call history feature include tracking of all forwarded, and missed calls, including sent email messages (informing the user of any missed calls). The call history feature may be configured to display information for a plurality of phones, such as work phones, home phones, and cellular phones. Also, the call history feature includes the ability to dial directly. In other words, despite viewing the call history in ET user interface 200, the user need only click on the phone number to initiate a call to that person.

The call history feature also includes a statistical summary of call usage. This statistical summary provides a brief classification of the user's phone behavior over a certain period of time. For example, the statistical summary may inform the user of the number of calls he makes today and the average number of minutes per call, as well as the average number of minutes spent on the phone during the day or week. In addition, the statistical summary may provide a report that is recorded over time, i.e., the time the user spends on the phone every day, every month, or some other period of time. The call history feature may be configured to automatically remove call history logs and information after a specified period of time. This time period may be determined by a company's retention policy, for example.

Fig. 18 illustrates an example of a Call History environment 515. Call history log 1800 displayed in active area 450. This log 1800 contains a list of all incoming and outgoing calls and a preview of any notes taken during the call. If the user double clicks on an entry on log 1800, an open window details the basic information (such as data/time of call, caller, phone number) and all notes. A process 1810 for modifying log 1800 is shown in process area 440. In particular, process 1810 includes deleting individual log entries, deleting all log entries, viewing selected log entries, and outputting a call history. Other processes may be added depending on the needs of the individual or business.

My Telephones environment

My Telephones environment 510 allows a user to identify, configure and manage Telephones that communicate with ET user interface 200. The identification and configuration of the telephone to communicate with ET user interface 200 may be performed manually or automatically. The automatic identification and configuration is performed based on a linked database. MyTelephons 510 also provides status information about the phone and network connection.

Bestcom (best communication) environment

The Bestcom (best communication) environment 505 is a communication preference environment that provides the user with the preferred form of configuring the user's ongoing contacts and informing others of them. In other words, the Bestcom (best communication) (or communication preference) environment 505 routes calls using rules. These rules allow calls to be forwarded to a number based on certain conditions. For example, the user may indicate that his communication preference is to have all calls forwarded to a certain number (such as his home phone) as long as his computer is locked. In addition, the user's communication preferences can be configured and informed to others. For example, if the user prefers to contact by email, this may be communicated to others through the ET user interface 200 (such as using an icon or text message). The communication preferences environment 505 allows the user to notify potential callers that the user prefers the method to be contacted, thus increasing the chances of contacting each other.

ET user interface 200 serves as a tool for collecting and disseminating communication options for users. Methods of informing these preferences include in the contact information, such as beside telephone numbers and pictures, as well as some common status communication preference icons, such as, for example, not to make a call, preferring email, and asking to call. Because they are located in the contact information, these communication preferences will be shown until the user searches for someone.

As an example, the user may set her communication preferences to certain settings, such as: (a) please call at any time; (b) prefer email, but call if important; (c) please do not call; (d) e-mail transmission or access by the way. These are just examples of the large number of settings that may be used to express a user's preferences. In addition, other variations and ranges are possible for these communication preference settings. For example, settings may be based on date, time of day, caller, and presence status of the user, to mention a few.

Fig. 19 illustrates a setup process in the communication preference environment 505 of the Bestcom (best communication) and ET user interface 200. The process area 440 includes a Bestcom Settings process 1900 that allows the user to set communication and call forwarding preferences. As shown in fig. 17, user interface options for the Bestcom Settings process 1900 are displayed in the active area 450.

In particular, the Bestcom Settings process 1900 allows a user to use basic Settings 1910 configured by the user. The user has an option 1920 of a Do Not Disturb status, which sends all incoming calls directly to voicemail. In this example, the user has configured settings to forward the incoming call to her cellular telephone 1930. This is only performed when the computer is locked 1940. Other arrangements are possible, as shown in fig. 19. For example, a user may forward all calls to her cell phone. Alternatively, the PC may have a microphone connected to distinguish between voices, or a camera connected to the PC runs face recognition software that detects other people (other than the user) in the room. If the PC detects more than one person in the room or otherwise determines that there are other people in the room than the user (either by audio or by visual methods), the PC can automatically configure the settings to send all incoming calls to voicemail. Also, the settings may include a "breakthrough" list that allows calls from certain people to get through. For example, the user may not want to be disturbed unless the incoming call is from a supervisor or spouse.

The Bestcom (best communication) environment 505 also allows for remote notification and modification of settings. For example, a user may request the current settings of the ET user interface via email. Once received, the user may decide to modify these settings. The modified settings may be e-mailed back to the ET user interface and applied.

The foregoing description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not with this detailed description, but rather by the claims appended hereto.

Claims (24)

1. In a computer system having an enhanced user interface resident on a computing device including a display device and an input device, a method for facilitating, managing and controlling outgoing calls from telephones in network communication with the computing device, comprising:

causing the telephone to dial a telephone number and establish a call, further comprising:

determining that a caller at the dialed telephone number is inaccessible; and

notifying the user when the caller becomes accessible;

displaying a call-in window containing a note area so that a user can take notes in the user interface while in the call; and

the note is associated with the caller who is on call so that when the caller calls again, the note will be automatically listed with the caller's contact information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending an instant message from the user interface while in the call.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a title for the note using the linked database.

4. The method of claim 1,

wherein said determining that the caller is inaccessible further comprises examining at least one of:

(a) a caller's calendar;

(b) the presence status of the caller.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

configuring preferences of a user regarding preferred forms of contacts of the user; and

the user's preferences are transmitted to others.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a plurality of environments containing processes and features for controlling and managing phones in network communication with the computing device and linked to a plurality of databases such that the user interface intelligently reacts to phone events, wherein one of the features further comprises a Personal Computer (PC) audio feature that affects audio on the computing device when the phone is taken off a hook.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a plurality of environments containing processes and features for controlling and managing telephony in network communication with the computing device and linked to a plurality of databases such that the user interface intelligently reacts to telephony events, wherein one of the features further includes a presence status that is visually displayed in the user interface whenever a user removes a telephone from a hook and indicates that the user is on a telephone call.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a plurality of environments containing processes and features for controlling and managing phones in network communication with the computing device and linked to a plurality of databases such that the user interface intelligently reacts to phone events, wherein one of the features further includes a favorites list feature that is displayed whenever a user takes a phone off a hook.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes a plurality of environments containing processes and features for controlling and managing telephony in network communication with the computing device and linked to a plurality of databases such that the user interface intelligently reacts to telephony events, wherein one of the features further includes a click-to-call feature that enables a user to initiate contact with a contact by clicking on the contact's name or contact information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured for controlling and managing a phone from a computing device, wherein the user interface comprises:

an environment zone allowing selection of different environments containing available processes and features providing control and management of the phone;

a process area displaying the available processes and allowing a user to select from the available processes; and

an active area displaying the available features and allowing a user to select from the available features; and

contact information about a person is populated from multiple databases linked to the computing device and integrated into a single entry about the contact, which may then be displayed in the different environments.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the linked database comprises:

(a) an Outlook database;

(b) a company database;

(c) a customized list;

(d) a back-end server database;

(e) a customer database.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the contact information further comprises a presence status indicator, the indicator indicating an accessibility status of the person.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the presence status contains different levels depending on the relationship between the person and the user.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the contact information further comprises accessing a calendar of a person containing scheduling information so that a user can determine when the person can receive a telephone call.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the contact information further comprises a map feature that provides a map of the physical location of the person.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the available features include a favorites list feature that displays the user's most popular contacts to call, wherein the favorites list is automatically populated from at least one of:

(a) data about the user's email activity;

(b) calendar information of the user.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising a notification of a missed call, the notification informing the user that an incoming call has not been answered.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein an email notification is sent to the user to notify the user of a missed call.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the email notification contains contact information about the missed caller.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the contact information includes a button that a user can click to initiate a call to a missed caller.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the contact information further comprises calendar information about missed callers.

22. The method of claim 10, wherein the available processes further comprise a screen sharing process that facilitates sharing content of the display device between a user and a caller.

23. The method of claim 10, wherein the available features further include a note feature that generates a title for notes made during the phone call.

24. The method of claim 10, wherein the selection of different contexts includes a communication preference context that provides a means for the user to configure the user's preferred contact form and inform others of it.