Call tracking system and method

• US 10,304,080 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Soleo Communications
• Original Assignee: Soleo Communications
• Inventors: Fisher, William, Deming, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Michael T
• Application Number:
  US15/198,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20160314489A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

Methods and systems for capturing and tracking call information relating to a call from a user to a merchant are provided. According to one embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, a request for a call to a merchant from a user on a device is received and a data connection is initiated with a call analytics platform over which user information is sent from the device to the platform. A unique number allowing the device to call the platform is then passed back to the device. The device calls the platform, call context data is captured, and the call is processed to the merchant. Information relating to the user and merchant call is tracked and logged.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, with a server and via a network, user information from a user device, the user information including;

a first identifier unique to at least one of the user device or a user of the user device, and

a second identifier indicating a content item rendered via the user device;

establishing, with the server and via the network, a connection between the user device and a device of an entity corresponding to the content item;

capturing an audio recording, the audio recording comprising;

a recording of the user communicating, using the user device, via the connection; and

generating a call record corresponding to the connection, wherein the call record comprises a single electronic file including the audio recording, the first identifier, and the second identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, with the server and via the network, a request from the user device to initiate a connection between the user device and the entity corresponding to the content item, wherein the request includes a third identifier unique to the at least one of the user device or the user;

determining a match between the first identifier and the third identifier; and

capturing the audio recording at least partly in response to determining the match.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the audio recording comprises a recording of a conversation between the user of the user device and a user operating the device of the entity, and wherein the first identifier is received by the server before the request.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, with the server and via the network, the call record to the entity.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing access to the call record with the server and via the network, wherein access to the call record is provided to the entity and to at least one additional entity associated with the content item.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the call record further comprises at least one of a start time of the connection, an end time of the connection, a connection duration, a telephone number of the user device, a telephone number of the entity, or an indication of an input received via the user device while the connection was active.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the call record comprises retrieving at least one of the first identifier or the second identifier from a database associated with the server.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising disabling the connection between the user device and the device of the entity, and generating the call record at least partly in response to disabling the connection.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transforming a data file associated with at least one of the first identifier, the second identifier, or the audio recording, from a first format to a second format different from the first format, wherein the data file in the second format requires less network resources for transmission than the data file in the first format.

10. A system, comprising:

a server computer; and

a non-transitory computer-readable memory storing instructions that, when executed by the server computer, cause the server computer to perform steps, comprising;

receiving, with a server and via a network, user information from a user device, the user information including;

a first identifier unique to at least one of the user device or a user of the user device, and

a second identifier indicating a content item rendered via the user device;

establishing, with the server and via the network, a connection between the user device and a device of an entity corresponding to the content item;

capturing an audio recording, the audio recording comprising;

a recording of the user communicating, using the user device, via the connection; and

generating a call record corresponding to the connection, wherein the call record comprises a single electronic file including the audio recording, the first identifier, and the second identifier.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the user information comprises information stored via a mobile device application operable on the user device and at least partly in response to an input received via the user device during or after the content item has been rendered.

12. The system of claim 10, the steps further comprising disabling the connection between the user device and the device of the entity, wherein the user information is received by the server at least partly in response to the connection being disabled.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the first identifier comprises at least one of an account code of the user, a name of the user, an address of the user, a serial number of the user device, or a telephone number of the user device.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the audio recording comprises a recording of a conversation between the user of the user device and an additional user operating the device of the entity.

15. The system of claim 10, the steps further comprising capturing at least one of a start time of the connection, an end time of the connection, a connection duration, a telephone number of the user device, a telephone number of the entity, or an indication of an input received via the user device while the connection was active.

16. The system of claim 10, the steps further comprising transforming a data file associated with at least one of the first identifier, the second identifier, or the audio recording, from a first format to a second format different from the first format, wherein the data file in the second format requires less memory space for storage than the data file in the first format.

17. A method, comprising:

receiving, with a server and via a network, a request from a user device to initiate a connection between the user device and an entity corresponding to a content item rendered on the user device, wherein

the request is based on a selection of the content item, on the device, by a user of the user device;

receiving, with the server and via the network, user information from the user device, the user information including a first identifier unique to at least one of the user device or the user of the user device;

establishing, with the server and via the network, a connection between the user device and a device of the entity;

capturing call information corresponding to the connection, the call information including an audio recording of the user communicating, using the user device and via the connection, with an additional user of the device of the entity;

matching the audio recording with the first identifier and a second identifier indicating the content item rendered on the user device; and

storing, in a database associated with the server, the audio recording in association with the first identifier and the second identifier.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the content item comprises a banner advertisement.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the content item is rendered on the device as a result of a local listing search.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

playing audio media to the user via the connection based at least in part on the call information and prior to establishing the connection between the user device and the device of the entity, and

receiving the first identifier and the second identifier prior to receiving the request.