US 6,157,945 AGranted

Digital communication device and method including a routing function

AssigneeRicoh Company, Ltd.

InventorsPhillip J. Balma, Alan Robins

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A method and system for routing or forwarding communications to an intended recipient. The communications may be from a variety of sources including facsimiles and electronic mail messages. The programming of routing information may be performed manually or may be obtained automatically from other programs which store information regarding the location of a user. For example, a computerized scheduler, calendar, or other type of personal information manager may be read to obtain information about the recipient. The forwarding or routing of communications to the intended recipient may be made based on one or more of the time and date, an indication from the intended recipient that he has arrived at a predefined location or at a new and undefined location, based on an automatically sensed position of the recipient, or based on checking in to a hotel by the intended recipient.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A method of forwarding communications, comprising the steps of:

inputting a plurality of locations to which communications are to be routed to a recipient, and a communication mode and addressing information corresponding to each location;
selecting one of the locations and corresponding communication mode and addressing information corresponding to a destination location of the recipient;
and
forwarding a communication to the selected one of the locations using the corresponding communication mode and addressing information,
wherein the recipient includes at least one of a person and a software agent,
wherein the inputting step comprises;
manually inputting the plurality of locations to which communications are to be routed to the recipient and the communication mode and addressing information corresponding to each location using a general purpose software scheduler,
the method further comprising the step of:
transferring data from the general purpose software scheduler to a program dedicated to controlling the forwarding of communications, and
wherein communications sent to the recipient utilizing a first communication mode are forwarded to the selected one of the locations using a second communication mode which is the corresponding communication mode.

7 more elements

A system for forwarding communications, comprising:

means for inputting a plurality of locations to which communications are to be routed to a recipient, and a communication mode and addressing information corresponding to each location;
means for selecting one of the locations and corresponding communication mode and addressing information corresponding to a destination of the recipient;
and
means for forwarding a communication to said one of the locations which has been selected using the corresponding communication mode and addressing information,
wherein the recipient includes at least one of a person and a software agent, and
wherein the means for inputting comprises:
means for manually inputting the plurality of locations to which communications are to be routed to the recipient and the communication mode and addressing information corresponding to each location using a general purpose software scheduler,
the system further comprising:
means for transferring data from the general purpose software scheduler to a program dedicated to controlling the forwarding of communications;
wherein communications sent to the recipient utilizing a first communication mode are forwarded to the selected one of the locations using a second communication mode which is the corresponding communication mode.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/108,116Filed 1 Jul 1998
Granted: 5 Dec 2000
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

H04L 51/214
Monitoring or handling of messages: using selective forwarding
G06Q 10/107
Office automation; Time management: computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
H04N 1/00281
Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture…:…
H04N 1/00968
Input arrangements for operating instructions or parameters, e.g. updating internal software: by scanning marks on a sheet