US 5,825,865 A · Temporary message routing and destination selection

Abstract

A profile is maintained, either in a central profile data base (106) or in a more distributed manner that includes local profile data bases (706). These profile data bases include preference information for particular users, which preference information is utilized by the system to direct various messages from various sources to various destinations for a particular user. By accessing the system through an appropriate input source (708), the user can provide temporary over-ride instructions that cause this preference information to be temporarily altered. When so altered, messages that would ordinarily be directed to a location in accordance with the original entries to the profile data base will be directed instead to a temporary destination (707) as identified by the user. This temporary destination can either be identified in particular at the time of entering the temporary over-ride instruction, or can be pre-identified in an over-ride plan (709). The over-ride instruction will be removed and the original conditions reset upon occurrence of a predetermined event. This predetermined event can be, for example, occurrence of a pre-established expiration time and/or reception of a reset instruction subsequent to reception of the temporary over-ride instruction.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for use with a communication system, which communication system includes an information profile for at least one user, which information profile includes at least some user preferences regarding a plurality of different user destinations for the user, such that the communication system will automatically select a destination from amongst a plurality of candidate destinations for a message intended for the user as a function, at least in part, of the information profile, the method comprising the steps of:

A) accessing the communication system via a communication link using a communication device;
B) transmitting from the communication device via the communication link a temporary over-ride instruction to the communication system to temporarily over-ride at least one element in the information profile while retaining the at least one element from the communication system, such that the temporary over-ride instruction can later be automatically replaced by the at least one element.

A method for use with a communication system, which communication system includes an information profile for at least one user, which information profile includes at least some user preferences regarding a plurality of different user destinations, such that the communication system will automatically select a destination from amongst a plurality of candidate destinations for a message intended for the user as a function, at least in part, of the information profile, the method comprising the steps of:

at a remote site:
A) accessing the communication system;
B) providing a temporary over-ride instruction to the communication system to temporarily over-ride at least one element in the information profile;
at a destination determining site:
C) receiving the temporary over-ride instruction;
D) in response to receiving the temporary over-ride instruction, temporarily replacing at least one element in the information profile with at least one temporary element;
E) using thereafter the at least one temporary element in place of the at least one element when selecting at least some destinations for messages intended for the user;
F) upon occurrence of a predetermined event, automatically replacing the at least one temporary element with the at least one element.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Temporary message routing and destination selection

Life of this patent

Temporary message routing and destination selection

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20