Systems and Methods to Provide Communication References from Different Sources to Connect People for Real Time Communications

• US 20080313277A1
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thryv, Inc. (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: UTBK, Inc.
• Inventors: HIRSON, Ron, FABER, Scott, ALTBERG, Ebbe, VAN DER LINDEN, Sean
• Granted Patent: US 9,026,515 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses to present communication references obtained from different sources to connect people for real time communications. One embodiment includes: receiving a search request from a user; searching a first data source according to the search request to obtain information about a first entity; assigning to the first entity a first reference to be used to request a connection server to provide a connection between the user and the first entity for real time communications; searching a second data source according to the search request to obtain information about a second entity, including a second reference for requesting a connection for real time communications with the second entity without going through the connection server; and providing to the user a combined, sorted list of entities in response to the search request, including the first reference for the first entity and the second reference for the second entity.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a search request from a user;

searching a first data source according to the search request to obtain information about a first entity;

assigning a first reference to the first entity, the first reference to be used to request a connection server to provide a connection between the user and the first entity for real time communications;

searching a second data source according to the search request to obtain information about a second entity, including a second reference to be used to request a connection for real time communications with the second entity without going through the connection server; and

providing to the user a combined, sorted list of entities in response to the search request, the combined list including the first reference for the first entity and the second reference for the second entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein data in the second data source is received from the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein data in the second data source is maintained in an account of the user.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the second data source comprises an address book of the user;

and the method further comprises;

responsive to the user selecting the first entity, adding a listing of the first entity to the address book of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on data sources, prioritizing one or more entities identified from searching the second data source over entities identified from searching the first data source to generate the combined list of entities.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the combined, sorted list includes up to a predetermined number of top positions reserved for entities identified from searching the second data source.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responding to a first request made via the assigned first reference, establishing a first connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity; and

charging the first entity an advertisement fee per the first connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second entity is not to be charged an advertisement fee for a connection established via the second reference.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responding to a first request made via the assigned first reference, establishing a first connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity; and

charging the user a service fee on behalf of the first entity for a service rendered by the first entity over the first connection.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

charging the first entity a commission fee responsive to charging the user the service fee on behalf of the first entity.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the charging the user comprises charging a debit account, a credit account, a bank account, or a member account identified by the user.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the charging the user comprises charging an account of the user via a device used by the user to connect to the first entity for real time communications.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the device comprises a telephonic apparatus;

and the account is maintained on the telephonic apparatus.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first reference is assigned to the first entity just in time for a response to the search request;

and the first reference comprises a telephone number of the connection server without an extension, a telephone number of the connection server with an extension, a session initiation protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI), a user identifier of an instant messaging network, or a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) user identifier.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first reference comprises an encrypted or encoded telephonic reference of the first entity.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first reference further includes information about the search request.

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

receiving at the telephonic apparatus a search request from a user;

searching a first data source according to the search request to obtain information about a first entity, including a first reference to be used to request a connection for real time communications with the first entity;

searching a second data source according to the search request to obtain information about a second entity, including a second reference to be used to request a connection for real time communications with the second entity; and

presenting to the user a combined, ordered list of entities in response to the search request, the combined list including the first reference for the first entity and the second reference for the second entity.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

when the first reference is selected by the user, establishing a peer to peer connection for real time communications between the first entity and the user and charging at least one of the first entity and the user a fee; and

when the second reference is selected by the user, establishing a free peer to peer connection to the second entity using the second reference.

19. The media of claim 18, wherein the second data source comprises an address book maintained by the telephonic apparatus.

20. A system, comprising:

means for receiving a search request from a user;

means for searching a first data source according to the search request to obtain information about a first entity;

means for assigning a first reference to the first entity, the first reference to be used to request a connection server to provide a connection between the user and the first entity for real time communications;

means for searching a second data source according to the search request to obtain information about a second entity, including a second reference to be used to request a connection for real time communications with the second entity without going through the connection server; and

means for providing to the user a combined, sorted list of entities in response to the search request, the combined list including the first reference for the first entity and the second reference for the second entity.