Virtual calling card with arbitrary controls

• US 20020071426A1
• Filed: 07/20/2001
• Published: 06/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ITXC IP Holdings SARL (Tata Sons Pvt Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ITXC IP Holdings SARL (Tata Sons Pvt Ltd.)
• Inventors: Karamchedu, Murali, Sponaugle, Jeffrey B.
• Granted Patent: US 6,771,640 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1471 splitting of costs
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/08 Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4536 Voicemail combined with text-based messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0168 On line or real-time flexible customization or negotiation according to wishes of subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0176 Billing arrangements using internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/62 Called party billing, e.g. reverse billing, freephone, collect call, 0800 or 0900
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services

Abstract

A system is described including services for generating an electronic offer to participate in a voice communication session with a destination party, with the offer being contingent upon the satisfaction of a set of one or more offeror-stipulated conditions. The system further including services for receiving an indication from an offeree via a data network indicating acceptance of the offer and establishing the voice communication session between the offeree and the destination party in conformance with at least a subset of the one or more offeror-stipulated conditions.

Claims

1. A method comprising

generating an electronic offer to participate in a voice communication session with a destination party, said offer being contingent upon the satisfaction of a set of one or more offeror-stipulated conditions governing establishment of the voice communication session;

receiving an indication from an offeree via a data network indicating acceptance of said offer; and

establishing the voice communication session between the offeree and the destination party in conformance with at least a subset of the one or more offeror-stipulated conditions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating is performed by a web server.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising said web server transmitting said offer to said offeree on behalf of said offeror.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising said web server transmitting said offer to said offeror to be forwarded to said offeree.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said offer is associated with a graphical icon.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein said offeree manifests said indication by activating said graphical icon.

7. The method of claim of 1, further comprising determining if said subset of the one or more offeror-stipulated conditions have been satisfied.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said offeree determines if said subset of the one or more offeror-stipulated conditions have been satisfied.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

notifying a bridge server regarding said offeree'"'"'s acceptance of said offer.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said bridge server establishes the voice communication session between the offeree and the destination party in conformance with at least a subset of the one or more offeror-stipulated conditions.

11. A computer system comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions to implement a set of communication services on the computer system, said services including;

services for generating on behalf of an offeror client, a conditional electronic offer to participate in a voice call with a destination party, said conditional offer being contingent upon the satisfaction of a set of one or more offeror-stipulated conditions governing establishment of the voice call,

services for receiving on behalf of the offeror client, through a data network link, a notification from the offeree indicating the offeree'"'"'s acceptance of the conditional offer;

services for causing a voice communication session to be established between the offeree and the destination party in response to the offeree'"'"'s acceptance of the offer and at least a subset of the set of one or more offeror-stipulated conditions being satisfied; and

an execution unit coupled to the storage medium for executing the plurality of programming instructions.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising services to transmit said electronic offer to said offeree.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising services to transmit said electronic offer to said offeror to be forwarded to said offeree.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising services to determine if the set of one or more offeror-stipulated conditions governing establishment of the voice call have been satisfied.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein services for causing a voice communication session to be established between the offeree and the destination party further comprise:

initiating a first PSTN call to the offeree;

initiating a second PSTN call to the destination party; and

bridging the first and second PSTN calls.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the destination party is the offeror.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein said conditions comprise a valid time range according to which said voice communication session may be established.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein said conditions comprise a valid date range according to which said voice communication session may be established.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein said services for transmitting said conditional offer to at least one of said offeror and said offeree comprises services for transmitting said conditional offer to said offeror for subsequent forwarding by said offeror to said offeree.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein said conditional offer is transmitted to at least one of said offeror and said offeree via SMTP.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein said conditional offer is transmitted to at least one of said offeror and said offeree via HTTP.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein said conditions comprise a valid time range according to which said voice communication session may be established.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein said conditions comprise a valid date range according to which said voice communication session may be established.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein costs associated with the voice communication session are charged to the offeror.

19. A computer system comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions to implement a set of communication services on the computer system, said services including;

services for generating on behalf of an offeror client, a conditional electronic offer to facilitate a bridge server in establishing a voice communication session between an offeree and a destination party, said conditional offer being contingent upon the satisfaction of a set of one or more offeror-stipulated conditions governing establishment of the voice call,

services for transmitting said conditional offer to at least one of said offeror and said offeree; and

an execution unit coupled to the storage medium for executing the plurality of programming instructions.

23. A computer system comprising:

a storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions to implement a set of communication services on the computer system, said services including;

services for receiving, a conditional electronic offer to participate in a voice call with a destination party, said conditional offer being contingent upon the satisfaction of a set of one or more offeror-stipulated conditions governing establishment of the voice call,

services for determining whether at least a subset of the set of one or more offeror-stipulated conditions have been satisfied,

services for receiving an indication from an offeree signifying the offeree'"'"'s acceptance of the offer,

services for transmitting a notification to a bridge server to at least partly cause the bridge server to establish a voice communication session between the offeree and the destination party, said notification indicating the offeree'"'"'s acceptance of the offer and the satisfaction of at least the subset of one or more offeror-stipulated conditions, and

an execution unit coupled to the storage medium for executing the plurality of programming instructions.