WO2003039172A1

WO2003039172A1 - Procedure and system for creation of information

Info

Publication number: WO2003039172A1
Application number: PCT/SE2002/001986
Authority: WO
Inventors: Henrik Groth; Peter Carlsson
Original assignee: Telia Ab (Publ)
Priority date: 2001-11-02
Filing date: 2002-10-31
Publication date: 2003-05-08
Also published as: SE0103651L; SE0103651D0

Abstract

A procedure and a permission/acceptance system (100) to, via a wireless telecommunication system provide possibility to, together with an ordinary answerphone system, give information about a called person's position if he/she permits/accepts this. The permission/acceptance system includes user B, the position of whom can be determined by means of a module for positioning (102). The user B is connected to a module for answerphone service (104) and/or a module for directory/calendar (106). A user A calls a user B via any mobile network (202). The procedure gives the user A information about the user B to the extent the user B permits/allows and so much information as the user A wants and can get from the permission/acceptance system.

Description

PROCEDURE AND SYSTEM FOR CREATION OF INFORMATION

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a procedure and a system for answerphone/telephone answering machine messages, more exactly that a called person can decide whether a calling person shall have information regarding the called person' s position when the called one cannot answer.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

The information flow is all the time increasing in times when the working places are growing more nomadic. The answerphone is a good tool when a wanted/called person has no possibility to answer. It provides an opposite party with more information, alternatively possibility to record/provide a message. What is lacking at present is to get a more selected information about the wanted person. The information is often insufficient. In order to get information about the called one, a better way of getting more information without all the time updating the messages from the calling party is needed.

It is previously known to inform a calling party/person about the called party's position, even when he/she is capable of answering. This position, however, is calculated on basis of the look of the telephone number, with area code, if any. In the American patent US 5,539,809 is described a device to inform the calling party, in the time interval between keyed telephone number and answer, about position, weather, time etc of the called person. This information is read from the telephone number. Thus, when the calling person is calling, the calling person will have a message depending on what telephone number the called person has, where the person is in the fixed network. On basis of the telephone number messages such as information about the geographical position, weather, or advertising messages are received before the called party has answered.

It is also previously known that the calling party can get the position of the person he/she wants to reach by seeing the position on a display. In the American patent US 5,515,426 a device is described according to which the subscriber can have information about the positions of other subscribers in the fixed network.

Devices are also previously known, according to which a switchboard operator can see the position of the called person .

Dynamic answerphone messages with real time information such as position and directory/calendar information does not exist in present technology.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a procedure and a permission/acceptance system to via a wireless telecommunication system provide possibility to, together with a conventional answerphone system, provide information about the called party's position if he/she has given permission/acceptance for this. The information can include a message for instance about where the called party is at present, what he/she is doing etc.

The permission/acceptance system includes an answerphone service which is to be used when the subscriber has no possibility to answer a telephone call. The answerphone service provides the calling party with the possibility to get more information about the called one, and that the calling party himself/herself can record/provide a specific message. The procedure also provides possibility for the called party to give further information to the calling party, such as his/her geographical area, where he/she is.

The permission/acceptance system consists of a positioning service which is connected to one in the system included answerphone service . The positioning service should be so designed that it can utilize known and future positioning services in a wireless network, thus extract information about the called party' s geographical position which after that is included in the called party's answerphone message. The permission/acceptance system further can consist of one or more information databases which can be connected to the answerphone service; these databases can store preprogrammed speech messages which can be integrated in the called party's answerphone message.

The procedure is primarily intended be used in mobile telecommunication systems such as UMTS and GSM and there utilize most services the service provider wants.

One advantage with the present invention is to get better information about the person one is calling.

The invention can be used by operator to integrate positioning and directory/calendar information in existing answerphone services and by that offer a service which makes it possible to make the information flow more efficient since calling persons will have more facts about a person when he/she does not answer the call.

Further characteristics of the invention will be obvious from the following description, from exemplified embodiments of these, and from the enclosed patent claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention now will be described in detail in the following with reference to enclosed drawings, in which Figure 1 schematically shows a permission/acceptance system to achieve a procedure according to the present invention, Figure 2 shows an overview of procedure for answerphone function,

Figure 3 shows a flow chart seen from the calling party/ side, and Figure 4 shows a flow chart seen from the side of the permission/acceptance system.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Figure 1 shows schematically a permission/acceptance system 100 to effect a procedure according to the present invention. The permission/acceptance system 100 includes one or more users B, the positions of whom can be determined by means of a module for positioning 102. Each user B can be connected to an answerphone each in a module for answerphone service 104 and/or a directory/calendar each in a module for directories/calendars 106. The permission/acceptance system 100 of course can be built in different way but with similar functions.

In Figure 2 is shown an overview of how a person, the user A, the calling party, tries to call/reach another person, the user B, the called party. It is based on that the user A calls the user B who is connected to the permission/ acceptance system 100 with its different functionalities. The user A, who uses some type of telephone/IP- telephone/mobile telephone, calls 204 to the second person, the user B, who is a user who one can position/mobile user. The user A calls or contacts the user B via some network for instance a network or 2G/3G mobile network 202. The user A comes 206 to the user B's permission/acceptance system 100 where the system provides 208, 210 the user A with information about the user B to the extent the user B allows and so much information that the user A wants and can get from the permission/acceptance system 100. This can be done by the user identifying himself/herself in some form, providing certain predefined code, or selects from any menu which type of information the user A wants .

The permission/acceptance system 100 can be used in cooperation between an answerphone service, directory/calendar function connected to a catalog server and a device which can be positioned by present and/or future mobile positioning technologies (for instance Bluetooth, CGI+TA, E-OTD, GPS and A-GPS) .

The permission/acceptance system 100 makes it possible for the user to on each occasion when position information is asked for by for instance a service provider agree or disagree to that a position is provided to the person asking for it.

The invention is a procedure which combines positioning with the answerphone service. The answerphone service can be included in the service offer which the operator obtains. By means of positioning via for instance the mobile network, GPRS or other positioning system information is obtained about the user B's position included in the answerphone message. Information about what the user B is doing can be derived from some type of catalog module at the company to which the subscription is associated. This provides for instance an added value of three dynamic variables to the static answerphone message. A first variable VI derives information about to whom the answerphone service is allocated, in other words the name of the person, the user B. A second variable V2 derives information from his/her, the user B's, directory/calendar located at the server of the company.

A third variable V3 shows position data in form of area where the person B is.

These variables can together, or alternatively only one at a time, provide information. The information is presented differently depending on which information zone the searching one, the user A, selects. It provides three information zones which can be divided according to the following:

Information zone Zl, the calling party listens to a normal, static answerphone message similar to what is used today.

Information zone Z2, by a code YY the calling party can open the directory/calendar information. This code YY can be general and for instance only be accessed by calls from internal company numbers. - Information zone Z3, by a valid matching code ZZ the calling party can get information about (with all three variables) where the wanted person is and is doing.

Information zone is only a name used to describe that there are different options for the user B to present his/her information to the user A. One or more information zones can exist.

In the Figures 3 and 4 are shown an example of a procedure based on a user and permission/acceptance point of view.

Seen from the user's point of view, procedure 300 in Figure 3 can be described according to the following. In a first step 302, the user A calls the user B "A calls B". After that follows the next step 304, the user B's answerphone is switched on "B's answerphone on". Then the following step 306, the user A receives a question if he/she wants to indicate code for dynamic message or listen to a static answerphone message "dynamic or static message".

Step 308 shows the case when the user A selects a static message, information zone Zl, "A selected static message". After that, the following step 310, the user B's static message is played back "B's message played back II". Further step 312, the user A can select to record/provide a message or not "A records/provides message or not" with subsequent end of the procedure which is shown in step 314 "end".

Step 316 shows the case when the user A selects dynamic message from information zone Z2, "A selected dynamic message Z2". After that follows next step 318, the user A keys a four digit code "A keys four digit code" and then follows the next step 320, the user B's answerphone message is played back with belonging activity "B's message played back 12". After that follows step 312, the user A can select to record a message or not "A records/ provides message or not" with subsequent end of the procedure which is shown in step 314 "end".

Step 322 shows the case when the user A selects dynamic message from information zone Z3, "A selected dynamic message Z3". After that follows next step 324, the user A keys his/her user number, "A keys user number" and then follows next step 326, the user B's answerphone message is played back with belonging engaged activity and geographical position "B's message played back 13 with geographical position". Example of how a played back message can look like: «Hullo, you have reached user B. Sorry I can't take the call just now because I am busy with x (information is derived from the directory/calendar) and am at (place of position) . Please, record a message after the tone signal>>.

One more step 312, the user A can select to record/ provide a message or not "A records/provides message or not" with subsequent end of the procedure which is shown in step 314 "end".

Seen from the system permission/acceptance point of view, the procedure 400 in Figure 4 is described according to the following. In a first step 402, the system 100 receives the user A's call to the user B "the system receives A's call". After that follows next 404 system 100 locates the user B and switches on the user B's answerphone "locate B's answerphone and switch it on". After that the following step 406 the system 100 asks the user A if he/she wants to indicate/provide his/her code for dynamic message or listen to a static answerphone message "dynamic or static message" .

Step 408 shows the case when the system 100 receives information from the user A that he/she has selected a static message from information zone Zl "static message". After that the following step 410, the system 100 plays back the user B's static message "plays back B's message II". Further step 412, the system 100 receives that the user A has recorded a message or not "A recorded/provided message or not" with subsequent end of the procedure which is shown in step 414 "end".

In step 416 is shown the case when the system 100 receives information from the user A that he/she has selected dynamic message from information zone Z2, "dynamic message 12" . After that, the following step 418 follows, the system 100 receives the 4-digit code the user has keyed "receives 4-digit code" and then follows next step 420, the system 100 plays back the user B's answerphone message with belonging engaged activity "plays back B's message 12". After that follows step 412, the system 100 receives that the user A has recorded a message or not "A recorded/provided message or not" with subsequent end of the procedure which is shown in step 414 "end".

Step 422 shows the case when the system 100 receives information from the user A that he/she has selected dynamic message from information zone Z3, "dynamic message Z3". After that follows next step 424, the system 100 receives what the user has keyed as his/her user number, "A keys user number" and then follows next step 426, the system 100 plays back the user B's answerphone message with belonging engaged activity and geographical position "plays back B's message 13 with geographical position" .

Example of how a played back message may look like: «Hullo, you have reached user B. Sorry I can't take the call just now because I am busy with x (information is derived from the directory/calendar) and am at (place of position) . Please, record/provide a message after the tone signal>>. Further step 412, the system 100 receives that the user A has recorded a message or not "A recorded/provided message or not" with subsequent end of the procedure which is shown in step 414 "end".

Example 1: The user A and his/her colleagues are traveling a lot in their occupations as sellers. A coordinator has the task to attend to that the sellers are up to their time schedules. Unfortunately the sellers mobile telephones are frequently switched off or engaged due to meetings and other impediments. For that reason it may be useful to the coordinator to know where the different sellers are and which activity they at present are engaged in. Because the coordinator and the sellers are giving each other full confidence, the coordinator has access to zone Z3. This means that the coordinator can have a check on what the sellers are engaged in at the time being. It may for instance sound like this when the coordinator calls the user B:

<<Hullo, this is the user B's mobile answer. I'm engaged in a meeting and am for the time being in Uddevalla. Please, record/provide a message after the tone signal. >>

Example 2 : In company A it is important to have good communication in the daily work. The colleagues are unfortunately engaged during the larger part of the days which means that much unnecessary time will be spent on trying to find right user. Company A for that reason has introduced a policy which makes it possible for the colleagues to key a 4-digit code which results in information about what the wanted person is doing and during which period of time. This will result in that the communication has been made considerably more efficient.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above and primarily been adapted to applications in cellular mobile telephone systems . The expert in the field, however, realizes that the invention is applicable to a plurality of different types of communication systems, with both mobile and stationary terminals. The scope of protection is only limited by the enclosed patent claims . In addition the invention consists of a computer program and a by computer readable medium to effect the above mentioned steps of procedure.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. Procedure to provide information about users, a permission/acceptance system (100) including: at least one user B, a module for positioning (102), a module for answerphone service (104) and/or module for directory/calendar (106), the procedure includes: a step A, initiation of module for the answerphone service is made by a calling user A, a step B, selection of service level for the called user B so that the calling user A can get messages about the called user B; this is done in the module for the answerphone service, and a step C, messages (II, 12, 13) transmission to the calling user A depending on what type of information the calling user A wants, ' c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the procedure in the step C includes positioning message about where the called user B is .

2. Procedure as claimed in patent claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the procedure in the step C includes deriving of activity for the point of time when the calling user A makes initiation of module for the answerphone service .

3. Procedure as claimed in any of the patent claims 1-2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the procedure in the step C includes that the user A can select to record/provide a message or not.

4. Procedure as claimed in any of the patent claims 1-3 , c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the procedure in the step B includes that the user A selects a static message (Zl) and after that the next step follows that the user B's static message is played back (II) .

5. Procedure as claimed in any of the patent claims 1-4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the procedure in the step B includes that the user A selects dynamic message from information zone (Z2), that the user A keys a code and then the next step follows, and that the user B's answerphone message is played back with belonging engaged activity (12) .

6. Procedure as claimed in any of the patent claims 1-4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the procedure in the step B includes that the user A selects dynamic message from information zone (Z3), that the user A keys a user number, and that the user B's answerphone message is played back with belonging engaged activity (13) and geographical position.

7. Permission/acceptance system to provide information about users including: At least one user B, a module for positioning (102), a module for answerphone service (104) and/or module for directory/calendar (106) , that the permission/acceptance system consists of the following components : a first variable (VI) derives information about the user B; a second variable (V2) derives information from the user B's directory/calendar, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a permission/acceptance module for the answerphone service is connected with the module for the positioning and/or the module for the directory/calendar, to provide information to calling user A about the called user B's position data (V3) about where the user is.

8. Permission/acceptance system as claimed in patent claims 7, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the permission/acceptance system in step B includes a number of information zones (Zl, Z2 , Z3 ) .

9. Permission/acceptance system as claimed in patent claim 8, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the information zones can consist of the following zones: zone 1, the calling user A listens to an ordinary static answerphone message, zone 2, the calling user A gives/keys a code (YY) which opens the called user B's module for directory/ calendar, and/or position, or zone 3, the calling user A gives/keys a code (zz) which provides all available information about the called user B. ^•

10. Computer program including program steps for execution of the steps in a procedure according to any of the patent claims 1-6.

11. Computer with readable medium including instructions for execution of the steps in procedure according to any of the patent claims 1-6.