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US 10,764,236 B2Granted
Unifying web and phone presence
AssigneeGoogle Inc.
InventorsVincent F. Paquet, Tiruvilwamalai Venkatram Raman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a computer-implemented method that includes obtaining, at a computer system, a plurality of contact identifiers for a computer account holder, wherein the identifiers represent a plurality of different communication modes; identifying a handle for the account holder, wherein the handle is associated with a uniform resource locator; and correlating the handle with the plurality of contact identifiers, and storing the handle and plurality of contact identifiers together so as to permit retrieval of the contact identifiers in response to identification of the handle.
Claims19
A method comprising:
- receiving, at a computer system and from a first user, contact information comprising a plurality of contact identifiers including:
- (i) a first contact identifier at which the first user is able to be contacted using a first mode of communication, and
- (ii) a second contact identifier at which the first user is able to be contacted using a second mode of communication that is different from the first mode of communication;
- associating the contact information with a universal handle that is for the first user and that comprises an e-mail address, wherein associating the contact information with the universal handle includes associating the universal handle to each contact identifier among the plurality of contact identifiers, including the first contact identifier and the second contact identifier, and wherein the universal handle is different from each of the plurality of contact identifiers and is able to be used to access the first user using both the first contact identifier and the second contact identifier;
- receiving, at the computer system, a communication request from a second user that comprises the universal handle for the first user;
- using the universal handle, by the computer system, to identify the contact information for the first user, including the first contact identifier and the second contact identifier;
- determining a preferred mode of communication of the first user based at least on preference information from the first user or the second user;
- after identifying the contact information for the first user, selecting a contact identifier from among the contact information that is received from the first user and associated with the universal handle based at least on the determined preferred mode of communication of the first user;
- and
- in response to the computer system receiving the communication request from the second user, connecting the first user with the second user using the selected contact identifier.
7 more elements
A system comprising:
- one or more computer processors;
- and
- one or more non-transitory computer readable devices that include instructions that, when executed by the one or more computer processors, causes the processors to perform operations, the operations comprising:
- receiving, at a computer system and from a first user, contact information comprising a plurality of contact identifiers including:
- (i) a first contact identifier at which the first user is able to be contacted using a first mode of communication, and
- (ii) a second contact identifier at which the first user is able to be contacted using a second mode of communication that is different from the first mode of communication;
- associating the contact information with a universal handle that is for the first user and that comprises an e-mail address, wherein associating the contact information with the universal handle includes associating the universal handle to each contact identifier among the plurality of contact identifiers, including the first contact identifier and the second contact identifier, and wherein the universal handle is different from each of the plurality of contact identifiers and is able to be used to access the first user using both the first contact identifier and the second contact identifier;
- receiving, at the computer system, a communication request from a second user that comprises the universal handle for the first user;
- using the universal handle, by the computer system, to identify the contact information for the first user, including the first contact identifier and the second contact identifier;
- determining a preferred mode of communication of the first user based at least on preference information from the first user or the second user;
- after identifying the contact information for the first user, selecting a contact identifier from among the contact information that is received from the first user and associated with the universal handle based at least on the determined preferred mode of communication of the first user;
- and
- in response to the computer system receiving the communication request from the second user, connecting the first user with the second user using the selected contact identifier.
10 more elements
One or more tangible computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform operations comprising:
- receiving, at a computer system and from a first user, contact information comprising a plurality of contact identifiers including:
- (i) a first contact identifier at which the first user is able to be contacted using a first mode of communication, and
- (ii) a second contact identifier at which the first user is able to be contacted using a second mode of communication that is different from the first mode of communication;
- associating the contact information with a universal handle that is for the first user and that comprises an e-mail address, wherein associating the contact information with the universal handle includes associating the universal handle to each contact identifier among the plurality of contact identifiers, including the first contact identifier and the second contact identifier, and wherein the universal handle is different from each of the plurality of contact identifiers and is able to be used to access the first user using both the first contact identifier and the second contact identifier;
- receiving, at the computer system, a communication request from a second user that comprises the universal handle for the first user;
- using the universal handle, by the computer system, to identify the contact information for the first user, including the first contact identifier and the second contact identifier;
- determining a preferred mode of communication of the first user based at least on preference information from the first user or the second user;
- after identifying the contact information for the first user, selecting a contact identifier from among the contact information that is received from the first user and associated with the universal handle based at least on the determined preferred mode of communication of the first user;
- and
- in response to the computer system receiving the communication request from the second user, connecting the first user with the second user using the selected contact identifier.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.