Enhanced telephony computer user interface allowing user interaction and control of a telephone using a personal computer

Abstract

An enhanced telephony (ET) computer user interface that seamlessly integrates features of a personal computer (PC) and a telephone into a coherent user interface. The user is provided with a rich variety of functionality that leverages the fact that the PC has considerably more processing power and greater access to variety of data than the ordinary telephone. This processing power and data access is used to the user's advantage as the telephone's capabilities and functionality are greatly expanded. In general, the ET user interface includes a plurality of environments for the user to choose. These environments include a My Contacts environment, a communication preferences environment, and a Call History environment. Each of these environments contains certain available processes and features for controlling and managing telephones.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An enhanced telephony computer user interface residing on a display device of a computing device, comprising a plurality of environments containing processes and features for controlling and managing a telephone in network communication with the computing device and linked to a plurality of databases such that the user interface reacts intelligently to telephone events.  
     
     
         2 . The enhanced telephony computer user interface of  claim 1 , wherein one the features further comprises a personal computer (PC) audio feature that affects audio on the computing device when the telephone is taken off hook.  
     
     
         3 . The enhanced telephony computer user interface of  claim 2 , wherein the audio further comprises an audio level that is automatically altered whenever the telephone is taken off hook by one of: (a) muting the audio level; (b) lowering the audio level.  
     
     
         4 . The enhanced telephony computer user interface of  claim 1 , wherein one of the features further comprises a presence status that is visually displayed in the user interface and indicates that the user is on the telephone whenever the user takes the telephone off hook.  
     
     
         5 . The enhanced telephony computer user interface of  claim 1 , wherein one of the features further comprises a favorites list feature that is displayed whenever the user takes the telephone off hook.  
     
     
         6 . The enhanced telephony computer user interface of  claim 1 , wherein one of the features further comprises 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.  
     
     
         7 . The enhanced telephony computer user interface of  claim 6 , wherein the contact information is at least one of: (a) a telephone number; (b) an e-mail address; (c) an instant messenger address.  
     
     
         8 . A graphical user interface displayed on a display device for controlling and managing a telephone from a computing device, comprising: 
 an environment region that allow a selection of different environments containing available processes and features that provide control and management of the telephone;    a process region that displays the available processes and allows a user to select from the available processes; and    an activity region that displays the available features and allows the user to select from the available features; and    contact information about a person that is populated from a plurality of databases linked to the computing device and integrated into a single entry about the contact that then can be displayed in the different environments.    
     
     
         9 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein the linked databases include: (a) Outlook databases; (b) corporate databases; (c) customized lists; (d) backend server databases; (e) client databases.  
     
     
         10 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein the contact information further comprises a presence status indicator that indicates an availability status of the person.  
     
     
         11 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 10 , wherein the presence status contains different levels depending on a relationship between the person and the user.  
     
     
         12 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein the contact information further comprises access to a person's calendar containing scheduling information such that the user can determine when the person is available to receive a telephone call.  
     
     
         13 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein the contact information further comprises a map feature that provides a map to the person's physical location.  
     
     
         14 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein the selection of different environments comprises a My Contacts environment that allows the user to manage telephone calls and the contact information.  
     
     
         15 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 14 , wherein the available features include a favorites feature that displays the user's most popular contacts to call.  
     
     
         16 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 15 , wherein the favorites list is automatically populated from at least one of: (a) data about the user's e-mail activity; (b) a user's calendar information.  
     
     
         17 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 9 , wherein the available features includes a search feature that performs a search using the linked databases.  
     
     
         18 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 8 , further comprising a call window within the activity region having the contact information displayed therein that is activated by the user when a telephone call is initiated.  
     
     
         19 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 18 , wherein the telephone call is initiated by the user clicking on a telephone number contained in the contact information.  
     
     
         20 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 18 , wherein the call window further comprises a notes area that allows the user to takes notes during the telephone call.  
     
     
         21 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein the available processes further comprise a call conference process that facilitates the establishment of a conference call.  
     
     
         22 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 21 , wherein the conference call may be established by any one of the following actions: (a) dragging and dropping contact information of a person from other user interfaces and applications into a conference call area; (b) pointing to a person's contact information, right clicking, and selecting the option to join the conference call; (c) selecting persons contained on a “To:” line of an e-mail, right clicking, and selecting the option to join the conference call; (d) clicking on a name of a group such that those names contained in the group are made part of the conference call.  
     
     
         23 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 8 , further comprising an incoming call notification window that informs the user of an incoming call.  
     
     
         24 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 23 , wherein the incoming call notification window further comprises the contact information.  
     
     
         25 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 24 , wherein the contact information includes an incoming caller's calendar information.  
     
     
         26 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 23 , wherein the incoming call notification window further comprises a quick transfer button that allows the user to transfer the incoming call to an alternate telephone.  
     
     
         27 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 23 , wherein the user is notified of the incoming call using ring tones played through at least one of: (a) speakers connected to the computing device; (b) headphones connected to the computing device.  
     
     
         28 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 27 , wherein the ring tones are sound files playable on the computing device.  
     
     
         29 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 23 , wherein the call notification window further comprises a list of event history information associated with prior user conversations with the person.  
     
     
         30 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 29 , wherein the event history information includes at least one of: (a) documents; (b) e-mails; (c) notes from previous calls.  
     
     
         31 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein the available features includes a call forwarding feature that allows the user to forward incoming telephone calls to other telephones based on conditions specified by the user.  
     
     
         32 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 10 , wherein the conditions include at least one of: (a) forward calls when the computing device is locked; (b) forward calls when a screen saver is active on the display device; (c) forward calls when the presence status is set to busy; (d) forward calls when the presence status is set to away; (e) forward calls during certain times, as specified by the user.  
     
     
         33 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 8 , further comprising a missed call notification that informs the user an incoming call has gone unanswered.  
     
     
         34 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 33 , wherein an e-mail notification is sent to the user notifying the user that that of a missed call.  
     
     
         35 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 34 , wherein the e-mail notification contains contact information for the missed caller.  
     
     
         36 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 35 , wherein the contact information includes a button that the user can click to initiate a call to the missed caller.  
     
     
         37 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 35 , wherein the contact information further comprises calendar information for the missed caller.  
     
     
         38 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein the available processes further comprise a screen sharing process that facilitates sharing contents of the display device between the user and a caller.  
     
     
         39 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 38 , wherein the available features further comprise a PC audio feature that adjusts parameters on the computing device based on the user's telephone usage.  
     
     
         40 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 39 , wherein adjusting parameters further comprises decreasing a volume of audio device connected to the computing device when the telephone is in use.  
     
     
         41 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 40 , wherein adjusting parameters further comprises muting a volume and pausing a playing of an audio device connected to the computing device when decreasing a volume of audio device connected to the computing device when the telephone is in use and restoring the volume and resuming play of the audio device upon termination of the use.  
     
     
         42 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein the available features further comprise notes feature that creates headers for notes made during a telephone call.  
     
     
         43 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 41 , wherein the headers are made using the linked databases.  
     
     
         44 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein the selection of different environments comprises a My Call History environment that provides the user with a history of telephone call events.  
     
     
         45 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 44 , wherein the history of telephone call events further comprises at least one of: (a) incoming calls; (b) missed calls; (c) outgoing calls; (d) forwarded calls.  
     
     
         46 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 45 , wherein the history of telephone call events further comprises a statistical summary of call usage.  
     
     
         47 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 8 , wherein the selection of different environments comprises a communications preferences environment that provides the user with a means to configure and communicate to others the user's preferred modality of contact.  
     
     
         48 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 47 , wherein the available processes of the communications preferences environment further comprises a settings process that allows the user to set call forwarding rules and preferences.  
     
     
         49 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 47 , wherein the available processes of the communications preferences environment further comprises a group manager process that allows the user to create groups and specify group-specific rules pertaining to call forwarding.  
     
     
         50 . The graphical user interface as set forth in  claim 49 , wherein the group-specific rules are based at least in part on the calendar information of each person belonging to the group.  
     
     
         51 . In a computer system having an enhanced user interface residing on a computing device including a display device and an input device, a method for facilitating, managing and controlling incoming calls from a telephone in network communication with the computing device, comprising: 
 detecting an incoming call to the telephone;    displaying an incoming call notification window on the display device to provide visual notification of the incoming call; and    providing audible notification of the incoming call through the telephone and an audio device connected to the computing device.    
     
     
         52 . The method as set forth in  claim 51 , wherein the audio device is at least one of: (a) speakers; (b) headphones.  
     
     
         53 . The method as set forth in  claim 51 , wherein the telephone is a speakerphone and further comprising taking the speakerphone off hook based on the incoming call.  
     
     
         54 . The method as set forth in  claim 51 , wherein the incoming call notification window further comprises displaying at least one of the following caller information: (a) caller title; (b) caller picture; (c) caller's calendar; (d) information about the caller from linked databases; (e) caller's presence status; (f) caller's instant messenger status; (g) a time zone the caller is calling from.  
     
     
         55 . The method as set forth in  claim 51 , wherein the incoming call notification window further comprises displaying a quick transfer button for the user to transfer the incoming call to a location different from the telephone.  
     
     
         56 . The method as set forth in  claim 55 , further comprising clicking the quick transfer button to display options of where to transfer the incoming call.  
     
     
         57 . The method as set forth in  claim 56 , wherein one of the options further comprises transferring the incoming call to voice mail.  
     
     
         58 . The method as set forth in  claim 56 , further comprising automatically populating the options using calendar information for the user.  
     
     
         59 . The method as set forth in  claim 51 , further comprising: 
 obtaining a telephone number of the incoming call;    associating the telephone number with a textual identity of an incoming caller;    converting the textual identity into a sound file representing the incoming caller's identity; and    announcing the incoming caller's identity using the sound file.    
     
     
         60 . The method as set forth in  claim 59 , wherein the sound file contains a synthesized voice.  
     
     
         61 . The method as set forth in  claim 51 , further comprising sending a missed call notification by e-mail to a user as a notification that the incoming call was missed.  
     
     
         62 . The method as set forth in  claim 61 , wherein an unknown caller is placing the incoming call and further comprising obtaining geographic information about an identity of the unknown caller based on an area code from which the unknown caller is calling.  
     
     
         63 . The method as set forth in  claim 61 , wherein an unknown caller is placing the incoming call and further comprising performing an Internet search to match an telephone number of the incoming call to a name to determine the incoming caller's identity.  
     
     
         64 . The method as set forth in  claim 61 , wherein the e-mail notification identifies a caller's position within an enterprise.  
     
     
         65 . A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in  claim 51 .  
     
     
         66 . In a computer system having an enhanced user interface residing on a computing device including a display device and an input device, a method for facilitating, managing and controlling outgoing calls from a telephone in network communication with the computing device, comprising: 
 causing the telephone to dial a telephone number and establish a call;    displaying an in-call window containing a notes area such that a user can make notes within the user interface while in the call; and    associating the notes with a caller in the call such that when the caller calls again the notes will automatically be listed along with the caller's contact information.    
     
     
         67 . The method as set forth in  claim 66 , further comprising sending an instant message from the user interface while in the call.  
     
     
         68 . The method as set forth in  claim 66 , further comprising creating headers for the notes using linked databases.  
     
     
         69 . The method as set forth in  claim 66 , further comprising sending a file from the user interface to the caller while in the call.  
     
     
         70 . The method as set forth in  claim 66 , further comprising sharing a contents of a user's display device with the caller while in the call.  
     
     
         71 . The method as set forth in  claim 70 , further comprising sharing a portion of the contents of the display device.  
     
     
         72 . The method as set forth in  claim 66 , further comprising merging audio features of the telephone and the computing device with visual features of the user interface to provide a screen call that displays information from the caller in the user interface.  
     
     
         73 . The method as set forth in  claim 66 , further comprising: 
 determining that the caller at the telephone number dialed is unavailable; and    notifying a user when the user becomes available.    
     
     
         74 . The method as set forth in  claim 73 , wherein determining that the caller is unavailable further comprises examining at least one of: (a) the caller's calendar; (b) the caller's presence status.  
     
     
         75 . The method as set forth in  claim 6 , further comprising accessing a favorites list and clicking on the telephone number to initiate the call.  
     
     
         76 . The method as set forth in  claim 75 , further comprising populating the favorites list based on information from linked databases.  
     
     
         77 . The method as set forth in  claim 76 , further comprising populating the favorites list based on a corporate organizational structure.  
     
     
         78 . The method as set forth in  claim 66 , further comprising: 
 configuring a user's preferences concerning the user's preferred modality of contact; and    conveying the user's preferences to others.    
     
     
         79 . The method as set forth in  claim 78 , wherein conveying the user's preferences to others further comprises displaying at least one of: (a) an icon illustrating the user's preferences; a textual message stating the user's preferences.  
     
     
         80 . The method as set forth in  claim 66 , wherein causing the telephone to dial a telephone number and establish a call further comprises: 
 giving a voice command to the computing device containing the telephone number; and    processing the voice command.    
     
     
         81 . The method as set forth in  claim 66 , wherein causing the telephone to dial a telephone number further comprises establishing a conference call.  
     
     
         82 . The method as set forth in  claim 66 , wherein establishing a conference call further comprises performing at least one of: (a) dragging and dropping contacts within the user interface; (b) selecting desired contacts and right clicking an input device to highlight a conference call option; (c) selecting the desired contacts from an e-mail “To:” line and right clicking the input device to highlight a conference call option.  
     
     
         83 . The method as set forth in  claim 66 , wherein causing the telephone to dial a telephone number further comprises establishing an intercom call.  
     
     
         84 . The method as set forth in  claim 66 , further comprising: 
 specifying a time to ring the telephone; and    causing the telephone to ring at the specified time to serve as at least one of: (a) a wake-up call; (b) a reminder call.    
     
     
         85 . A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in  claim 66.