Method for Providing a Conference System Allowing Advisors to Offer Conference Sessions to Clients

• US 20100287242A1
• Filed: 05/07/2009
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gopesh Kumar
• Original Assignee: Gopesh Kumar
• Inventors: Kumar, Gopesh
• Granted Patent: US 9,218,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/22 Payment schemes or models
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control

Abstract

A Conference System that allows Advisors to offer conference sessions to Users who buy conference session time through the system. All conference sessions shall be conducted over the phone. During the conference session, the Advisor shall be talking while all the Users shall be in listening only mode in order to maintain the Users privacy. Advisors and Users can email each other through the system message center before the conference session. During the conference session, the User and Advisor can chat real time online to answer specific questions. The Advisor and Users information such name, address, bank information, credit card info, email, phone numbers, etc are kept confidential through out the process and only “Account Name” is disclosed. The price per conference session varies from conference session to conference session. Each Advisor sets their individual conference session rate.

Claims

1. Method for providing a conference system allowing advisors to offer conference sessions to clients comprising:

having an advisor click on an internet-based icon to create a conference session by inputting date &

time, charge, subject, and description information about the conference in an online system;

providing a conference information link to said advisor to integrate it with online and other marketing media;

having a client click on an internet-based icon to find available conference sessions;

registering a user for a conference session;

notifying the advisor of said registration;

providing advisor the user account name; and

allowing a conference call at a scheduled conference time between one or more Users and an Advisor.

2. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising providing a conference session between an advisor and one or more clients.

3. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising a phone conference system providing means for the conference session between said advisor and said clients.

4. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising

providing a messaging center in the online system wherein users can email the advisor any questions before the conference using said messaging center, and

advisors can email the user any question before the conference using said messaging center to maintain confidentiality.

5. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising checking with an advisory by a user to find available conference sessions.

6. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising searching for a conference by the Conference ID or the Advisor name.

7. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising setting up an account for users.

8. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising

setting up an account for advisors;

and

crediting the account for an amount based upon the number of clients in a conference minus service fee.

9. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising announcing a message before the clients are connected to a conference session.

10. The method as described in claim 9 wherein the message announced notifies client that this is a listening only conference.

11. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising providing a passive conference experience for the clients.

12. The method as described in claim 11, wherein said passive experience includes listening only, wherein clients are not able to talk to the advisor or any other client in the conference.

13. The method as described in claim 11, further comprising announcing a message before the clients are connected to a passive conference session.

14. The method as described in claim 9 wherein the message announced notifies client that this during the conference, an advisor will be talking while all the clients will be in listen a listen only mode.

15. The method as described in claim 11, further comprising

providing a conference chat messaging in the online system wherein users can chat the advisor any questions during the conference using said conference chat messaging, and

advisor can send chat messages and reply to a user'"'"'s question during the conference using said conference chat messaging to maintain confidentiality.

16. The method as described in claim 3, further comprising joining a conference by a client by providing a unique Dial-In ID and current PIN prior to the start of the conference session after dialing in to the appropriate number.

17. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising

ending the conference;

proceeding to final settlement;

calculating the services fees and crediting the net revenue to an advisor account balance; and

paying the advisor.