Automated call router for business directory using the world wide web

• US 20070005584A1
• Filed: 08/01/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gilbert, Mazin, Feng, Junlan, Karam, Gerald, Gupta, Narendra
• Granted Patent: US 8,090,084 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services

Abstract

The embodiments include a system and a method for establishing a communication connection after searching the World Wide Web. The system can include a first communication device for forming at least one communication connection between the first communication device and a second communication device, search means adapted to accept a query, access means can be adapted to search and identify relevant phone number information using the query, and create at least one icon to link the first communication device to a relevant phone number included in the relevant phone number information identified by the query, and reformulate the query if no relevant phone numbers are identified during the search. The system also includes click-to-dial means adapted to establish at least one communication connection from the first communication device to the second communication device.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for:

a. accepting a query and retrieving a link to a document;

b. searching through cached data using the query to identify relevant phone number information, and if there is no match then access the document identified by the link to identify relevant phone number information;

c. creating a click-to-dial icon to link to a relevant phone number included in relevant phone number information identified by the query; and

d. reformulating the query when no match occurs during the search for the relevant. phone number.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein cached data is updated with information provided by a customer, updated by scanning the document when a date stamped on the cached data is older than a date of last update to the document, or combinations thereof.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising an instruction for establishing at least one communication connection.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the at least one communication connection establishes a connection between a first communication device and a second communication device.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the first communication device, the second communication device, or both the first communication device and the second communication device are a computer, a personal digital assistant, a voice over internet protocol phone, a public switch telephone network phone, a cell phone, or combinations thereof.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 3, further comprising instructions for accepting payment by a computer readable medium provider from a document provider when a communication connection is established to the document provider.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 3, further comprising instructions for accepting payment by a consumer when a communication connection is established to a document provider.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the at least one communication connection is through a voice over internet protocol, a public switch telephone network, or combinations thereof.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the at least one communication connection is an audio connection, a video connection, a multimedia connection or combinations thereof.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instruction for accepting a query and retrieving a link to a document is performed by standard search engine, a question and answering system, an intelligent dialog system, or combinations thereof.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the query is in the form of a text query, a keyword, a spoken phrase, a natural language input, or combinations thereof.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions for accepting the query are:

using voice recognition software, handwriting recognition software, typed characters, mouse clicks or combinations thereof.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising instructions for scanning the documents to extract the relevant phone numbers and identifiers associated with the relevant phone numbers.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the relevant phone numbers are supplied to the cached data by a document owner.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the document owner supplies identifiers to associate with the relevant phone numbers.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the document is searched for identifiers to associate with the phone numbers supplied.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the document is a webpage, an advertisement, another multimedia document or combinations thereof.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the relevant phone number information comprises:

a relevant phone number and an identifier.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the click-to-dial icon floats on the document when the document is retrieved.

20. A method for establishing a communication connection comprising the steps of:

a. accepting a query by search means;

b. retrieving a link to a document using the search means;

c. retrieving relevant phone number information from cached data and comparing the relevant phone number information to the query using an access means;

d. searching for relevant phone number information on documents using the access means, wherein the searching for relevant phone number information occurs when there is no similarity between the relevant phone number information in the cached data and the query;

e. ranking the relevant phone number information identified;

f. identifying a relevant phone number in the relevant phone number information; and

g. associating the relevant phone number with at least one click-to-dial icon.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the cached data comprises a member selected from the group consisting of:

a phone number, an identifier, a previous query, the date the cached data was stored and combinations thereof.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of updating the cached data when the date of the document is newer than the date the cached data was stored.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the retrieving of the relevant phone numbers is by scanning the documents identified by the search means.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the access means recognizes relevant phone numbers limited by levels, proximity, coordinate distance or combinations thereof.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the access means ranks the relevant phone numbers according to a semantic equivalent or a syntactic equivalent between relevant phone number information and the query.

26. The method of claim 20, wherein the access means enables the click-to-dial icon to be generated when a score associated with the relevant phone number is above a preset threshold.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein the relevant phone number information comprises:

a relevant phone number and an identifier.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the identifier is selected from the group consisting of:

a standard industry code, a toll free number, an area code, a number, a word, a property that identify the relevant phone number, a document title, a symbol, a section heading, a paragraph title and combinations thereof.

29. The method of claim 20, wherein the click-to-dial icon is a phone symbol, an underlined text, a bolded text, a font different from surrounding text, a highlighted text, a color different from surrounding text or combinations thereof.

30. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of filtering the relevant phone numbers based on:

a users special request, a region, a last updating of webpage, language, or combinations thereof.

31. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of receiving payment by an access means provider from:

an owner of a document when the click-to-dial icon is activated, a user of the search means when the click-to-dial icon is activated or combinations thereof.

32. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of activating the link, wherein the click-to-dial icon is floating on the document retrieved.

33. A system for creating at least one click-dial-icon comprising:

a. a search means adapted to accept a query and retrieve a link to a document;

b. an access means, wherein the access means is adapted to;

i. search through cached data using the query to identify relevant phone number information, and if there is no match then access the document identified by the search means to identify relevant phone number information;

ii. create at least one click-to-dial icon to link to a relevant phone number included in relevant phone number information identified by the query; and

iii. reformulate the query when no match occurs during the search for the relevant phone number.

34. The system of claim 33, further comprising a click-to-dial means adapted to establish at least one communication connection from a first communication device to a second communications device.