System and method for identifying and establishing preferred modalities or channels for communications based on participants' preferences and contexts

Abstract

A system and method for identifying and establishing preferred modalities or channels for communications based on participants' preferences and capabilities is provided. In one approach, the system attempts to optimize the inferred or directly accessed preferences of a contactee given the accessed or inferred preferences, capabilities and goals of the contactor while keeping the rationale and context of the contactee private. Such optimization can be achieved using preferences and policies concerning handling the attempted contact based on a deterministic specification or through inferring context, content and task under uncertainty by employing decision-theoretic inferences to attempt to maximize the expected utility of the communication to the contactee. The methods may include a consideration of metadata within a standard schema that is transmitted along with a communication attempt, representing information about such attributes as the identity of the contactor, the task at hand, the overall context of the contactor, and the communication capabilities available to the contactor. The invocation of the communication service may be performed in a variety of ways, including single button invocations, and via a communication service that is more deeply integrated with other applications and functionalities. The service can also include automated rescheduling of communications based on a consideration of forecasts of availability of both the contactor and contactee.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 809,142, filed Mar. 15, 2001, entitled, “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING AND ESTABLISHING PREFERRED MODALITIES OR CHANNELS FOR COMMUNICATIONS BASED ON PARTICIPANTS' PREFERENCES AND CONTEXTS.” This application is also related to co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09 / 982,306, filed on Oct. 17, 2001, entitled, “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING AND ESTABLISHING PREFERRED MODALITIES OR CHANNELS FOR COMMUNICATION BASED ON PARTICIPANTS' PREFERENCES AND CONTEXTS,” co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 281,547, filed on Oct. 28, 2002, entitled, “SYSTEM FOR PERFORMING CONTEXT-SENSITIVE DECISIONS ABOUT IDEAL COMMUNICATION MODALITIES CONSIDERING INFORMATION ABOUT CHANNEL RELIABILITY,” co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 281,718, filed on Oct. 28, 2002, entitled, “SYSTEM AND METHODS ENABLING A MIX OF HUMAN AND AUTOMATED INITIATIVES IN...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0016] In another example aspect, the contactor may specify desired modalities and allow the present invention to maximize communication utility within the specified modalities. Although contactors can choose an initial communication modality, the contactor can be referred (e.g., by a message, by automated routing), to the preferred modality. In one example aspect of the present invention, communication devices (e.g., phones, computer screens, faxes) can include a “BestCom” button that initiates optimizing communication modalities and which removes the need for the contactor to make decisions concerning modality and routing, with such decisions made by the present invention. Given the availability of such a service, a potential future contactee may request that the potential future contactor utilize the present invention to contact the contactee when attempting future contacts.

[0017] The present invention is not limited to communications between two parties or to a single communication channel between two parties. It is to be appreciated that multiple channels and / or multiple communicating parties can be treated as increased sets of alternatives that may complicate utility maximizing computations without changing the fundamental process of identifying and establishing one or more communication modalities based on the preferences, contexts and capabilities of the communicating parties.

[0018] Yet another aspect of the present invention considers the value of delaying the communication and rescheduling it for a later time via an automated system that scans calendars and inferred availability information—or via establishing private dialogs with each potential participant, for example. As an example, assume that a contactor attempts to contact a contactee in real-time and the contactee is in an important meeting. The best option (e.g., one that maximizes utility) may be to reschedule a real-time conversation when the contactee is predicted to be back from meeting, based on calendar information or statistics concerning the contactee's comings and goings that facilitate predicting the contactee's likely availability. One aspect of the present invention may consider the calendar of the contactor to arrange a mutually good time.

Problems solved by technology

Similarly, the contactee had limited contact control methods (e.g., leaving the phone off the hook, ignoring emails, disabling an email application, leaving instructions with a secretary).

Again, conventionally the contactee had limited means, if any, to have such preferences observed (e.g., a well-trained secretary, considerate colleagues) which often lead to unfulfilled preferences and unwanted interruptions.

While conventional communications between two communicating parties was complicated, identifying and scheduling communications that optimized the utility of a communication between multiple parties (e.g., group meeting, group teleconference) was even more complicated, with the identification, scheduling, and initiating often consuming more time and resources than the actual communication.

Such scheduling and initiating problems were exacerbated when the schedulers and initializers did not have complete information concerning the parties.

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