Systems and Methods to Provide Information via Connections for Real Time Communications Between People

• US 20090010408A1
• Filed: 05/27/2008
• Published: 01/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thryv, Inc. (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: UTBK, Inc.
• Inventors: Van Der Linden, Sean, Altberg, Ebbe, Faber, Scott, Hirson, Ron
• Granted Patent: US 8,280,018 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 379/114.10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses to connect people for real time communications to access diverse categories of information. One embodiment includes: storing data representing a privilege of a user during a predetermined period of time; responsive to a first request made via a presentation of a listing of the first entity for a service of the first entity, establishing a connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity to deliver the service of the first entity, if the user has the privilege at a time of the first request; and responsive to a second request made via a presentation of a listing of the second entity for a service of the second entity, establishing a connection for real time communications between the user and the second entity to deliver the service of the second entity, if the user has the privilege at a time of the second request.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing data representing a privilege of a user during a predetermined period of time;

presenting a listing of a first entity to the user for a service of the first entity;

responsive to a first request made via a presentation of the listing of the first entity,

establishing a connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity to deliver the service of the first entity, if the user has the privilege at a time of the first request;

presenting a listing of a second entity to the user for a service of the second entity; and

responsive to a second request made via a presentation of the listing of the second entity,

establishing a connection for real time communications between the user and the second entity to deliver the service of the second entity, if the user has the privilege at a time of the second request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a balance of the user associated with the privilege in the predetermined period of time, the balance to expire after the predetermined period of time;

deducting a first amount from the balance of the user based on a length of a time period of the real time communications between the user and the first entity to deliver the service of the first entity; and

deducting a second amount from the balance of the user based on a length of a time period of the real time communications between the user and the second entity to deliver the service of the second entity.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the balance is in a unit of minutes of time for real time communications with one or more of a plurality of advisors, including the first entity and the second entity.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the balance is maintained on a telephonic apparatus of the user.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

transferring the balance of the user from the telephonic apparatus of the user into an account of the user in a centralized server in response to the user signing off from the telephonic apparatus; and

transferring the balance of the user from the centralized server to a separate telephonic apparatus of the user in response to the user signing in from the separate telephonic apparatus.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

sending the first amount to a telephonic apparatus of the first entity via a peer to peer connection between the telephonic apparatus of the user and the telephonic apparatus of the entity.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing a predetermined amount of the balance to the user responsive to a subscription fee from the user for the predetermined period of time.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a communication reference of a third entity from the user;

establishing a connection for real time communications between the user and the third entity according to the communication reference of the third entity; and

deducting a third amount from the balance of the user based on a length of a time period of the real time communications between the user and the third entity.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the listing of the first entity is presented with a rating of the first entity according to feedback from prior users and an indicator of whether the first entity is available for real time communications with the user at a time the listing of the first entity is presented.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the service of the first entity comprises information, advice, or consultation.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the service of the first entity and the service of the second entity are of different categories;

the listing of the first entity is presented in response to a search of the user in a first category; and

the listing of the second entity is presented in response to a search of the user in a second category.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the listing of the first entity includes a telephonic reference of a connection server;

and the establishing of the connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity comprises;

the connection server establishing a first telephonic connection with the user using the telephonic reference of the connection server;

the connection server determining a telephonic reference of the first entity based on the telephonic reference of the connection server used to establish the first telephonic connection;

the connection server establishing a second telephonic connection with the first entity using the telephonic reference of the first entity; and

connecting the first telephonic connection and the second telephonic connection to provide a telephonic connection between the user and the first entity.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the telephonic reference of the connection server 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.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the telephonic reference of the connection server includes an encrypted version of the telephonic reference of the first entity.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the establishing of the connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity comprises:

a connection server identifying a telephonic reference of the user and a telephonic reference of the first entity;

the connection server initiating a first telephonic connection with the user using the telephonic reference of the user;

the connection server initiating a second telephonic connection with the first entity using the telephonic reference of the first entity; and

joining the first telephonic connection and the second telephonic connection to connect the user and the first entity.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of the first entity is presented on a telephonic apparatus of the user;

and the list is selectable to request the telephonic apparatus to initiate the connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the telephonic apparatus of the user comprises a softphone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, or a wireless mobile phone integrated with a personal data assistant.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity includes a peer to peer connection between the telephonic apparatus of the user and a telephonic apparatus of the first entity over a data communication network.

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

storing data representing a privilege of a user during a predetermined period of time;

presenting a listing of a first entity to the user for a service of the first entity;

responsive to a first request made via a presentation of the listing of the first entity,

establishing a connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity to deliver the service of the first entity, if the user has the privilege at a time of the first request;

presenting a listing of a second entity to the user for a service of the second entity; and

responsive to a second request made via a presentation of the listing of the second entity,

establishing a connection for real time communications between the user and the second entity to deliver the service of the second entity, if the user has the privilege at a time of the second request.

20. A system, comprising:

means for storing data representing a privilege of a user during a predetermined period of time;

means for presenting a listing of a first entity to the user for a service of the first entity;

means for establishing a connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity to deliver the service of the first entity in response to a first request made via a presentation of the listing of the first entity, if the user has the privilege at a time of the first request;

means for presenting a listing of a second entity to the user for a service of the second entity; and

means for establishing a connection for real time communications between the user and the second entity to deliver the service of the second entity in response to a second request made via a presentation of the listing of the second entity, if the user has the privilege at a time of the second request.