Systems and Methods to Facilitate Communications

• US 20080215961A1
• Filed: 02/06/2008
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thryv, Inc. (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: UTBK, Inc.
• Inventors: HIRSON, Ron, FABER, Scott, ALTBERG, Ebbe, MANCA, Paul G., VAN DER LINDEN, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 9,209,984 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1485 Tariff-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses to facilitate connections between peoples for real time communications. In one embodiment, a method includes: identifying an entity based at least in part on relevancy to a content of a document to be presented to a user; and for presentation to the user adding a communication reference separately from the content used to identify the entity; where the communication reference has been assigned to the entity and the communication reference can be used to request a connection for real time communications with the entity.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

identifying an entity based at least in part on relevancy to a content of a document to be presented to a user; and

adding a communication reference separately from the content used to identify the entity for presentation to the user, the communication reference being assigned to the entity, the communication reference to be used to request a connection for real time communications with the entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity is not referenced in the content of the document.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein no contact information of the entity is provided in the content of the document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the entity comprises:

searching a database of entities, who provide services over connections for real time communications, based on matching the content of the document with descriptions of services provided by the entities.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the communication reference is to be used to request the connection over which the entity is to provide a service.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the service includes at least information, amusement, entertainment, or advice.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the entity comprises:

determining a representation of the content of the document; and

searching for one or more entities based on the representation of the content.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the representation of the content comprises a set of one or more keywords of the document.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the searching for the one or more entities comprises searching a database based on the set of one or more keywords representative of the content of the document.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

presenting a price for real time communications over a connection established via the communication reference between the user and the entity.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication reference comprises a telephone reference.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

via the telephone reference receiving a request for a connection between the user and the entity;

determining a telephone number of the entity based on the telephone reference; and

calling the entity using the determined telephone number to connect the user and the entity.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the document is displayed in a browser;

and the communication reference is displayed in a toolbar area of the browser.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication reference is added as part of the document.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

a content management system providing the communication reference together with the document in response a request for the document.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to rendering of the document for presentation to the user, receiving a request for information according to a link embedded in the document, the request including an address of the document; and

retrieving the document according to the address of the document to identify the entity in response to the request;

wherein the adding of the communication reference comprises providing the communication reference as part of a response to the request.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a request made via the communication reference, a connection provider establishing a first Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call with a telecommunication carrier which bridges the first VoIP call to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) to the user;

the connection provider establishing a second Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call with the telecommunication carrier which bridges the second VoIP call to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) to the entity; and

connecting the first and second VoIP calls.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a first virtual softphone of the telecommunication carrier bridges the first VoIP call to the user;

a second virtual softphone of the telecommunication carrier bridges the second VoIP call to the entity; and

the connecting the first and second VoIP calls comprises;

causing the first and second softphones to establish a direct media connection which does not go through the connection provider.

19. A machine readable medium containing instructions which when executed on a data processing system cause the system to perform a method, comprising:

identifying an entity based at least in part on relevancy to a content of a document to be presented to a user; and

adding a communication reference separately from the content used to identify the entity for presentation to the user, the communication reference being assigned to the entity, the communication reference to be used to request a connection for real time communications with the entity.

20. A data processing system, comprising:

means for identifying an entity based at least in part on relevancy to a content of a document to be presented to a user; and

means for adding a communication reference separately from the content used to identify the entity for presentation to the user, the communication reference being assigned to the entity, the communication reference to be used to request a connection for real time communications with the entity.