Methods of providing direct technical support over networks
First Claim
1. A method for providing support to a computer user from a computer display, wherein the computer is connectable to a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a help request object displayable and selectable from the computer display;
(b) upon selection of the help request object, sending a help request over the network requesting real time human assistance, wherein the help request comprises a requester identifier, and a payor identifier or an authorization ID;
(c) receiving a helper network ID;
(d) establishing a communication link to the human helper over the network using the helper network ID;
(e) sending a specific help request to the helper over the network; and
(f) receiving help information from the human helper in response to the sent specific help request.
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a technical solution for enabling direct, person to person assistance over a communications network. The methods provide product and system support tools enabling, for example, a purchaser of a product or service to execute a computer program on a computer to establish an intelligently routed request for assistance to a human having knowledge in the area of the particular product or service. In one method, a human user couples a computer readable media associated with a product to a computer. A computer program on the computer readable media checks for, and if need be, installs needed software. The program can then establish a connection over a network such as the Internet directly to the help assistance organization appropriate for the particular product or service. The computer readable media can include an indication of the particular product or service and/or the assumed preferred language of the purchaser of the product or service. The assistance request can be routed to a human assistant, who may be seated at a computer device. In a preferred method, the human assistant greets the request for assistance and the human user with a live, personal, updated video link carrying the assistant'"'"'s voice and a video signal carrying the assistant'"'"'s image to the computer of the help requester. The assistant may obtain preliminary information from the human user, and begin rapidly to provide assistance in a “face to face” virtual environment. Where the product involved is a computer related product, the human assistant may optionally view the same computer display as the human user and even manipulate the display to illustrate the performance of a particular software product.
-
Citations
116 Claims
-
1. A method for providing support to a computer user from a computer display, wherein the computer is connectable to a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:
-
(a) providing a help request object displayable and selectable from the computer display;
(b) upon selection of the help request object, sending a help request over the network requesting real time human assistance, wherein the help request comprises a requester identifier, and a payor identifier or an authorization ID;
(c) receiving a helper network ID;
(d) establishing a communication link to the human helper over the network using the helper network ID;
(e) sending a specific help request to the helper over the network; and
(f) receiving help information from the human helper in response to the sent specific help request. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A method for handling help requests from digital device users, the method comprising the steps of:
-
(a) receiving a help request from a networked digital device user; and
(b) sending the help request over a network to a human assistant in their educational institution in a supervised classroom setting, wherein the help request is automatically routed to the human assistant. - View Dependent Claims (12)
-
-
13. A kit comprising:
-
a product; and
a computer readable media having at least one computer program thereon, wherein the computer program can be executed on a computer to establish a connection over a computer network to a human information provider, wherein the program establishes an audio link having the voice of the human information provider, wherein the audio link includes the human information provider'"'"'s voice being provided through the computer. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A kit comprising:
-
a product; and
a computer readable media includes a computer network address for a human information provider, wherein establishing a connection over the computer network using the network address establishes at least an audio link having the voice of the human information provider and wherein the audio link includes the human information provider'"'"'s voice being provided through the computer. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
-
-
34. A method for providing information over a communications network, the method comprising the steps of:
-
(a) receiving a help request in a subject area from a networked digital device user over the network, wherein the digital device is selected from the group consisting of personal computers, hand held computers, personal digital assistants, hard wired computer terminals, wireless computer terminals, cellular telephones, hard wired telephones, wireless telephones, embedded devices, interactive TV and combinations thereof;
(b) automatically selecting a human assistant to provide help to the user, wherein the human assistant has knowledge in the subject area, the human assistant is available to provide the help in the subject area; and
(c) automatically establishing a communication link between the user and the human assistant over the network to allow the selected human assistant to provide help to the user over the network. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46)
-
-
47. A method for a human user obtaining information about a product from a user computer coupleable over a computer network to an information provider organization computer having a selected human information provider using the information provider computer, the method comprising:
-
establishing a network connection between the user computer and the information provider computer over the computer network;
sending a unique computer user identifier from the user computer to be received by the information provider computer over the network connection;
matching the received computer user identifier to a record containing information about the computer user;
establishing a direct network connection to the selected human information provider from among a plurality of human information providers as a function of the information in the record; and
displaying the record to the human information provider on a display coupled to the information provider computer. - View Dependent Claims (48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55)
-
-
56. A method for obtaining information about a product, the method comprising:
-
coupling a computer readable media to a user computer, wherein the computer readable media includes product information and an executable computer program;
causing the executable computer program executing in the user computer to send a connection request to an information provider organization that is capable of providing live human provided information about the product;
receiving a network address for an information provider computer associated with the information provider organization;
establishing a connection between the user computer and the information providing computer based on the received network address; and
sending a unique user identifier over the network from the user computer to the information provider computer. - View Dependent Claims (57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63)
-
-
64. A method for supporting a product, the method comprising:
-
selling a supported product kit including a product and a computer readable media having an executable program thereon, the program having instructions for executing a method for establishing a connection over a computer network to a human information provider;
accepting a request for information over the computer network originating from the computer program sold with the product in the supported product kit;
accepting a unique identifier from the computer network originating from the computer program sold with the product in the product support kit;
creating a record associated with the unique identifier for storing user information associated with that unique identifier;
sending voice audio carrying signals from the human information provider associated with the information providing organization to the user computer;
receiving voice requests from a human user regarding the product; and
storing user information in the record as a function of the received user voice requests. - View Dependent Claims (65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73)
-
-
74. A method for supporting a product, the method comprising:
-
accepting a request for information over a computer network originating from user computer executing a computer program sold with a product;
accepting a unique identifier from the computer network originating from the computer program sold with the product;
creating a record associated with the unique identifier for storing user information associated with that unique identifier;
sending voice audio carrying signals from a human information provider over the network to the user computers;
receiving voice requests from a human user regarding the product over the network; and
storing user information in the record as a function of the received user voice requests. - View Dependent Claims (75, 76, 77, 78, 79)
-
-
80. A method of doing business comprising:
-
selling a product, and a first amount of live, human assistance together for a single price;
wherein the human assistance is provided by a human assistant over a communications network to a digital device located within hearing distance of a human user of the product; and
offering an additional amount of live human assistance over the communications network to the digital device when the first amount of assistance has been consumed. - View Dependent Claims (81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86)
-
-
87. A method of doing business comprising:
-
selling a product and a first amount of live human assistance together for a single price;
wherein the human assistance is provided by a human assistant over a communications network to a computer device to a human user of the product; and
wherein the human assistance includes a real-time audio signal having the human assistant'"'"'s voice and an updated real time video signal having the human assistant'"'"'s image. - View Dependent Claims (88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96)
-
-
97. A method of promoting an information providing service, the method comprising:
-
providing a first amount of live, human assistance over a computer network;
providing a product bundled with the provided human assistance;
wherein the human assistance is provided by a human associated with the information providing service;
wherein the human assistance includes at least live human voice assistance provided over the computer network to a human purchaser of the product;
wherein the human user receives the human assistance through a computer device coupled to the computer network;
wherein the first amount of live human assistance is provided at no charge to the product user; and
providing additional live human assistance over the computer network to the product user after the first amount of live human assistance has been consumed. - View Dependent Claims (98, 99, 100, 101)
-
-
103. A method for providing support experience for a plurality of students in a supervised setting in an educational institution, wherein the students are reachable or addressable through communication while in the supervised setting, the method comprising the steps of:
-
(a) receiving a support request from a remote requester in a subject area, wherein the requester is remote from the student;
(b) selecting a student to provide assistance to the requester while the student is in the supervised setting; and
(c) establishing a communication link between the requester and the student to allow two-way communication between the requester and the student while the student is in the supervised setting. - View Dependent Claims (104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110)
-
-
111. A method for managing a student populated help support center at an educational institution, the method comprising the steps of:
-
(a) providing a data communication link to the help support center;
(b) providing a human interface device at the help support center affiliated with the educational institution, wherein the human interface device is coupled to the data communication link and allows communication between the data communication link and a human being at the human interface device;
(c) providing a supervising instructor at the help support center;
(d) providing a plurality of help requests from help requesters located remotely to the help support center;
(e) selecting a student to answer the help request over the data communication link and using the human interface device; and
(f) directing the help request to the selected student. - View Dependent Claims (112, 113, 114, 115, 116)
-
Specification