Systems and methods for providing a user with instant access to web services

• US 10,356,611 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2014
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Chaudhary, Tushar, Gupta, Gaurav, Bao, Guanqun, Blong, Devin, Sharma, Manish
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Smith, Cheneca
• Application Number:
  US14/586,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20160192108A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,659 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6081 Service authorization mechanisms
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/72 Subscriber identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

A server device may communicate with a user device by engaging in a telephone call with the user device, by providing a webpage to the user device, or in another way. The user device may communicate a request to the server device for a particular web service, such as a mapping service, a banking service, technical support, customer service, etc., and the server device may communicate the request to an instant access device that may cause the user device to instantly access the web service, whether by automatically downloading and installing a mobile application with the web service or by automatically accessing a web page. In some implementations, the instant access device may authenticate the user device in order to provide the user device with access to the web server.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

engaging, by one or more devices, in a telephone call with a user device;

presenting, by the one or more devices and during the telephone call, an interactive voice response (“

IVR”

) menu that includes a plurality of IVR menu options,

wherein a particular IVR menu option, of the plurality of IVR menu options, is an option to request installation of an application at the user device;

determining, by the one or more devices, a telephone number associated with the user device;

receiving, by the one or more devices and from the user device, during the telephone call, a selection of the particular IVR menu option to request installation of the application;

verifying, by the one or more devices, that the user device has not already installed the application;

communicating, by the one or more devices and to the user device, based on the verifying that the user device has not already installed the application, and based on receiving the selection to install the application, a first instruction, wherein receiving the first instruction causes the user device to automatically download and install the application;

authenticating, by the one or more devices, the user device based on the telephone number associated with the user device;

communicating, by the one or more devices and to an application server associated with the application, (a) the telephone number associated with the user device and (b) an indication that the user device has been authenticated,

wherein communicating the telephone number and the indication that the user device has been authenticated, to the application server, allows the application server to use the telephone number to identify user data associated with the user device, from a plurality of user data associated with a plurality of user devices, the user data associated with the user device having been generated prior to the telephone call; and

providing, by the one or more devices and to the user device, a second instruction, wherein receiving the second instruction causes the user device to use the installed application to communicate with the application server, wherein the application server provides at least some of the identified user data, associated with the user device, to the user device via the installed application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein authenticating the user device includes:

authenticating the user device prior to communicating the telephone number to the application server.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

terminating the telephone call in response to receiving the selection of the particular IVR menu option from the user device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the IVR menu options include one or more audible menu options.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a prompt to the user device for authorization to install the application; and

receiving the authorization to install the application from the user device prior to communicating the first instruction to install the application.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving authorization from the user device to access user information stored by the user device,

wherein authorizing the device further includes using the user information to authorize the user device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first instruction, to automatically download and install the application, comprises a web address for downloading the application from the application server associated with the application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second instruction comprises a web address that the user device uses to communicate with the application server.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving authentication information from the user device in response to the user device presenting a prompt to enter the authentication information,

wherein authorizing the device further includes using the authentication information to authorize the user device.

10. A system, comprising:

a non-transitory memory device storing a plurality of processor-executable instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the processor-executable instructions, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions causes the system to;

determine a telephone number of a user device that is engaged in a call;

present, during the telephone call, an interactive voice response (“

IVR”

) menu that includes a plurality of IVR menu options,

wherein a particular IVR menu option, of the plurality of IVR menu options, is an option to request installation of an application at the user device;

receive, during the call, a selection of the particular IVR menu option to request installation of the application;

verify that the user device has not already installed the application in response to receiving the request for the web service;

communicate, to the user device, based on the verifying that the user device has not already installed the application, and based on receiving the selection to install the application, instructions that cause the user device to automatically download and install the application;

communicate, to an application server associated with the application, the telephone number of the user device and an indication that the user device has been authenticated,

wherein communicating the telephone number and the indication that the user device has been authenticated, to the application server, allows the application server use the telephone number to identify user data associated with the user device, from a plurality of user data associated with a plurality of user devices, the user data associated with the user device having been generated prior to the telephone call; and

provide, to the user device, instructions that cause the user device to automatically use the installed application to communicate with the application server, wherein the application server provides at least some of the identified user data, associated with the user device, to the user device via the installed application.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions further cause the one or more processors to:

terminate the telephone call in response to receiving the selection of the particular IVR menu option from the user device.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the instructions, to automatically download and install the application, comprise a web address for downloading the application from the application server associated with the application.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the request comprises a pre-selected code associated with downloading and installing the application.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the IVR menu options include one or more audible menu options.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing processor-executable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors associated with a server device, cause the server device to:

engage in a telephone call with a user device;

present, during the telephone call, an interactive voice response (“

IVR”

) menu that includes a plurality of IVR menu options,

wherein a particular IVR menu option, of the plurality of IVR menu options, is an option to request installation of an application at the user device;

determine a telephone number associated with the user device;

receive, during the telephone call and from the user device, a selection of the particular IVR menu option to request installation of the application;

verify that the user device has not already installed the application;

communicate, to the user device and based on the verifying that the user device has not already installed the application, instructions that cause the user device to automatically download and install the application;

communicate, to an application server associated with the application, the telephone number associated with the user device and an indication that the user device has been authenticated,

wherein communicating the telephone number and the indication that the user device has been authenticated, to the application server, allows the application server to use the telephone number to identify user data associated with the user device, from a plurality of user data associated with a plurality of user devices, the user data associated with the user device having been generated prior to the telephone call;

and

provide, to the user device, instructions that cause the user device to automatically use the installed application to communicate with the application server, wherein the application server provides at least some of the identified user data, associated with the user device, to the user device via the installed application.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein processor-executable instructions further include processor-executable instructions to terminate the telephone call in response to receiving the selection of the particular IVR menu option from the user device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the request comprises a pre-selected code associated with downloading and installing the application.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions, wherein the instructions, to automatically download and install the application, comprise a web address for downloading the application from the application server associated with the application.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the IVR menu options include one or more audible menu options.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the processor-executable instructions further include processor-executable instructions to:

provide a prompt to the user device for authorization to install the application; and

receive the authorization to install the application from the user device prior to communicating the first instruction to install the application.