Automatically establishing a telephone connection between a subscriber and a party meeting one or more criteria

• US 20030112952A1
• Filed: 12/19/2001
• Published: 06/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Liveops Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Liveops Incorporated
• Inventors: Brown, Wendell, Trenchard, William J.
• Application Number:
  US10/040,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20030112952A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/211.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4935 Connection initiated by DAS system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4936 Speech interaction details speech recognition per se G10L15/00

Abstract

A system and method for establishing a telephone connection between a subscriber and a party identified on the basis of criteria specified by the subscriber. A request is received from the subscriber for a telephone connection with a general party, where the party is not identified by a telephone number. The party may be described by a brand, a good or service or as a particular department or group in an organization. The system selects a suitable party and, when the subscriber is determined to be available for the call, the system establishes a telephone connection with the party. The subscriber may be coupled to the telephone connection or the party may be directed to contact the subscriber.

Claims

1. A method of automatically establishing a voice connection between a first party and a second party selected on the basis of one or more criteria other than a telephone number, comprising:

receiving from a first party a request for a voice connection;

selecting a second party for said voice connection using one or more criteria, wherein said criteria do not include a telephone number; and

initiating said voice connection between the first party and the second party.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining availability of the first party for said voice connection.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining availability of the second party for said voice connection.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining availability of the second party for providing a desired good or service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving comprises:

receiving a first connection from the first party; and

receiving from the first party said one or more criteria;

wherein said first connection is terminated prior to said initiating said voice connection.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said selecting comprises:

identifying one or more parties corresponding to said one or more criteria; and

ranking said parties based on a parameter.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said parameter comprises a fee paid by a party for said voice connection with the first party.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein said parameter comprises a rating of a party.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said parameter comprises an availability of a party for said voice connection.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein said parameter comprises an availability of a party for providing a good or service desired by the first party.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more criteria comprise a brand name.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more criteria comprise a name of an organization.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said one or more criteria comprise an identification of a department within the organization.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more criteria comprise a good or service.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more criteria comprise a location of the first party.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said location is provided by an electronic device of the first party.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said initiating comprises:

signaling a call processor to establish said voice connection between the first party and the second party.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said initiating comprises:

signaling a communication device operated by the first party to establish said voice connection with the second party.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said initiating comprises:

signaling the second party to establish said voice connection with the first party.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein said initiating comprises:

establishing a first connection with the second party; and

coupling the first party to said first connection.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the first party is coupled to the first connection after the second party answers the first connection.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the second party a fee requested in conjunction with said voice connection.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from the first party a fee requested in conjunction with said voice connection.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying one of the first party and the second party of a fee charged by the other of the first party and the second party in conjunction with said voice connection.

25. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of automatically establishing a voice connection between a first party and a second party selected on the basis of one or more criteria other than a telephone number, the method comprising:

receiving from a first party a request for a voice connection;

selecting a second party for said voice connection using one or more criteria, wherein said criteria do not include a telephone number; and

initiating said voice connection between the first party and the second party.

26. A method of facilitating a telephone connection between a subscriber and a general party identified by one or more criteria other than a telephone number, the method comprising:

receiving from a subscriber a request for a telephone connection with a party meeting one or more specified criteria, wherein said criteria do not include a telephone number;

determining the availability for said telephone connection of one or more of the subscriber and a candidate party for said telephone connection;

selecting a party for said telephone connection on the basis of said one or more criteria;

establishing said telephone connection with the party; and

after the party answers said telephone connection, adding the subscriber to said telephone connection.

27. A computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of facilitating a telephone connection between a subscriber and a general party identified by criteria other than a telephone number, the method comprising:

receiving from a subscriber a request for a telephone connection with a party meeting one or more specified criteria, wherein said criteria do not include a telephone number;

determining the availability for said telephone connection of one or more of the subscriber and a candidate party for said telephone connection;

selecting a party for said telephone connection on the basis of said one or more criteria;

establishing said telephone connection with the party; and

after the party answers said telephone connection, adding the subscriber to said telephone connection.

28. A system for establishing a telephone connection between a subscriber and a general party, comprising:

a call server configured to receive from a subscriber a request for a telephone connection with a party, wherein said request describes the party with one or more criteria other than a telephone number;

a selector configured to select the party using said criteria; and

a connection to a call processor configured to establish said telephone connection between the subscriber and the party.

29. The system of claim 28, further comprising the call processor.

30. The system of claim 28, further comprising an availability module configured to determine the availability, for said telephone connection, of one or more of the subscriber and the party.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein said availability module is further configured to determine an availability of the party for providing a good or service desired by the subscriber.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein said selector comprises said availability module.

33. The system of claim 28, wherein said selector notifies the party of the request via an electronic mail message sent to an electronic mail address associated with the party.

34. The system of claim 28, wherein said selector notifies the party of the request via an instant message sent to an instant message user name associated with the party.

35. The system of claim 28, wherein said call server is configured to receive said one or more criteria during a first connection with the subscriber;

and

wherein said first connection is terminated prior to establishment of said voice connection.