Systems and Methods to Provide Connections via Callback Acceptance

• US 20080175174A1
• Filed: 04/09/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thryv, Inc. (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: UTBK, Inc.
• Inventors: YANG, Virginia Hong-Jia, HIRSON, Ron, FABER, Scott, ALTBERG, Ebbe, MANCA, Paul G., VAN DER LINDEN, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 9,106,704 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/259
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/65 Telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/08 Metering calls to called party , i.e. B-party charged for the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/59 based on real time
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/858 Request users acknowledgement prior to use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0192 Sponsored, subsidised calls via advertising, e.g. calling cards with ads or connecting to special ads, free calling time by purchasing goods
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 : Click to dial services

Abstract

Systems and methods to selectively block calls from reaching destinations based on an input received from a callback connection. One embodiment includes a web server to receive a selection of an advertisement from an customer and to obtain a communication reference from the customer in response to the selection; a session border controller to interface with a packet switched network; and one or more telecommunication servers coupled to the session border controller and the web server, the one or more telecommunication servers to establish a connection for real time communications using the communication reference, to initiate a connection for real time communications with an advertiser of the advertisement after receiving an indication of acceptance of the connection established using the communication reference; where the advertiser is charged an advertisement fee in response to establishing a connection for real time communications between the advertiser and the customer.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

presenting an advertisement to a customer;

responsive to receiving a selection of the advertisement from the customer, obtaining a communication reference from the customer;

establishing a connection for real time communications using the communication reference;

initiating a connection for real time communications with an advertiser of the advertisement after receiving an indication of acceptance of the connection established using the communication reference; and

charging the advertiser an advertisement fee in response to establishing a connection for real time communications between the advertiser and the customer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication reference comprises a telephonic reference;

and the connection for real time communications between the advertiser and the customer comprises a telephone connection for telephone conversation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the establishing of the connection for real time communications using the communication reference comprises a connection server establishing a first Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) connection with a telecommunication carrier which bridges the first VoIP connection to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) according to communication reference.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the initiating the connection for real time communications with the advertiser comprises the connection server placing a second Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call to a telecommunication carrier which bridges the second VoIP call to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) to the advertiser and connecting the first VoIP connection with the second VoIP call.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a first virtual softphone terminates the first VoIP connection for bridging onto a public switched telephone network (PSTN);

a second virtual softphone terminates the second VoIP call for bridging onto a public switched telephone network (PSTN); and

the connection server directs the first softphone and the second softphone to establish a direct media connection, which does not go through the connection server, to connect the advertiser and the customer.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the indication of acceptance of the connection comprises an audio signal generated from pressing one or more keys on a phone over the connection established using the communication reference.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the audio signal comprises a Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency (DTMF) signal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a code to the customer; and

determining whether the audio signal matches with the code;

wherein the connection established using the communication reference is verified when the audio signal matches with the code.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the code is provided as a Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA).

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the code is provided via a distorted display of the code.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the code is provided to the customer during obtaining the communication reference.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the code is provided via a connection separate from the connection for real time communications established using the communication reference.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the code is provided prior to the establishing of the connection for real time communications using the communication reference.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the communication reference comprises one of a telephone number without an extension, a telephone number with an extension, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) Uniform Resource Identifier (URI), an instant messaging user identifier, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) user identifier.

15. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing an audio advertisement for the advertiser over the connection established using the communication reference;

wherein the indication of acceptance of the connection comprises the customer maintaining the connection established using the communication reference to a completion of the audio advertisement transmitted over the connection established using the communication reference.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

blocking one or more selections of advertisements from the customer in response to receiving an indication of rejecting the connection established using the communication reference.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

unblocking selections of advertisements from the customer after a predetermined period of time.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting identification information of the customer for subsequent selections of advertisements in response to receiving an indication of rejecting the connection established using the communication reference.

19. A machine readable media embodying instructions, the instructions causing a machine to perform a method, the method comprising:

responsive to receiving a selection of an advertisement from an customer, obtaining a communication reference from the customer;

establishing a connection for real time communications using the communication reference;

initiating a connection for real time communications with an advertiser of the advertisement after receiving an indication of acceptance of the connection established using the communication reference; and

charging the advertiser an advertisement fee in response to establishing a connection for real time communications between the advertiser and the customer.

20. A system, comprising:

a web server to receive a selection of an advertisement from an customer and to obtain a communication reference from the customer in response to the selection;

a session border controller to interface with a packet switched network; and

one or more telecommunication servers coupled to the session border controller and the web server, the one or more telecommunication servers to establish a connection for real time communications using the communication reference, to initiate a connection for real time communications with an advertiser of the advertisement after receiving an indication of acceptance of the connection established using the communication reference;

wherein the advertiser is charged an advertisement fee in response to establishing a connection for real time communications between the advertiser and the customer.