SINGLE IDENTIFIABLE ENTRY POINT FOR ACCESSING CONTACT INFORMATION VIA A COMPUTER NETWORK

• US 20120192090A1
• Filed: 01/25/2011
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Patterson, Thomas P., Baker, Erin R., Wright, Robert L. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 9,047,590 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide for systems, devices, apparatus, methods, and computer program products for providing an activatable indicium configured as an entry point for accessing contact information on a user interface. The activatable indicium, which may be a company logo, company name or the like, is not initially readily identifiable as an entry point for accessing the contact information. However, over time and continual use, the user recognizes that the presentation of the indicium regardless of the platform provides for an entry point for accessing contact information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

presenting, via a computing device processor, for electronic display an activatable indicium configured as an entry point for accessing contact information, wherein the activatable indicium is not identifiable as the entry point for accessing the contact information until the activatable indicium is activated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein after a user learns how to activate the activatable indicium, the activatable indicium becomes identifiable as the entry point for accessing the contact information.

3. A method for electronically providing contact information, the method comprising:

providing, via a computing device processor, an activatable indicium configured as an entry point for accessing contact information, wherein the activatable indicium is identifiable as being associated with a contact information-providing entity;

receiving, via a computing device processor, a user input that activates the indicium; and

providing, via a computing device processor, the contact information in response to receiving the user input.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the activatable indicium is identifiable as an entry point to access the contact information regardless of a type of platform and a type of interface on which the activatable indicium is presented.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein providing the contact information further comprises providing, via the computing device processor, in at least one call-out panel on a first interface page, the contact information, without redirecting to a second interface page.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein providing the contact information further comprises providing, via the computing device processor, the contact information, wherein the contact information includes information to contact a plurality of channels within the contact information-providing entity via a plurality of contact options.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein providing the activatable indicium further comprises providing, via the computing device processor, the activatable indicium on a plurality of pages of an interface, regardless of whether a user is authenticated into the plurality of interface pages.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the platform is a personal computing device, a mobile device, an electronic kiosk, a banking ATM machine, or a workstation.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the interface is a mobile application interface, a hosted mobile website interface, an electronic kiosk interface, a banking ATM interface, an emulated hosted internet application interface, a local application interface, a website interface, a website address, or a website link.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the contact option is voice, phone, text, chat, mail, web, or email.

11. The method of claim 3, wherein the activatable indicium is a character, a picture, a logo, text, or any combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 3, wherein the activatable indicium is a logo associated with the contact information-providing entity.

13. The method of claim 3, wherein the activatable indicium is a plurality of characters representing a name of the contact information-providing entity.

14. The method of claim 3, wherein receiving the user input further comprises receiving the user input in a form of a mouse-over input, a touch screen input, a button input, a mouse click, or a keyboard input.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a computing platform including at least one processor and a memory; and

a presentation module stored in the memory, executable by the processor, and configured to present for electronic display an activatable indicium configured as an entry point for accessing contact information, wherein the activatable indicium is not identifiable as an entry point for accessing the contact information until the activatable indicium is activated.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein after a user learns how to activate the activatable indicium, the activatable indicium becomes identifiable as the entry point for accessing the contact information.

17. An apparatus for electronically providing contact information, the apparatus comprising:

a computing platform including at least one processor and a memory; and

a module stored in the memory, executable by the processor, and configured to;

provide an activatable indicium configured as an entry point for accessing contact information, wherein the activatable indicium is identifiable as being associated with a contact information-providing entity,

receive a user input that activates the indicium, and

provide the contact information in response to receiving the user input.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the activatable indicium is identifiable as an entry point to access the contact information regardless of a type of platform and a type of interface on which the activatable indicium is activated.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the module is further configured to present the contact information in at least one call-out panel on a first interface page, without redirecting to a second interface page.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the contact information includes information to contact a plurality of channels within the contact information-providing entity via a plurality of contact options.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the module is further configured to provide the activatable indicium on a plurality of interface pages, regardless of whether a user is authenticated into the plurality of interface pages.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the platform is a personal computing device, a mobile device, an electronic kiosk, a banking ATM machine, or a workstation.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the interface is a mobile application interface, a hosted mobile website interface, an electronic kiosk interface, a banking ATM interface, an emulated hosted internet application interface, a local application interface, a website interface, a website address, or a website link.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the contact option is voice, phone, text, chat, mail, web, or email.

25. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the activatable indicium is a character, a picture, a logo, text, or any combination thereof.

26. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the activatable indicium is a logo associated with the contact information-providing entity.

27. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the activatable indicium is a plurality of characters representing a name of the contact information-providing entity.

28. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the module is further configured to receive the user input in a form of a mouse-over input, a touch screen input, a button input, a mouse click input, or a keyboard input.

29. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising;

a set of codes for causing a computer to present for electronic display an activatable indicium configured as an entry point for accessing contact information, wherein the activatable indicium is not identifiable as an entry point for accessing the contact information until the activatable indicium is activated.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein after a user learns how to activate the activatable indicium, the activatable indicium becomes identifiable as the entry point for accessing the contact information.

31. A computer program product for electronically providing contact information, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a set of codes for causing a computer to;

provide an activatable indicium configured as an entry point for accessing contact information, wherein the activatable indicium is identifiable as being associated with a contact information-providing entity,

receive a user input that activates the indicium, and

provide the contact information in response to receiving the user input.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the activatable indicium is identifiable as an entry point to access the contact information regardless of a type of platform and a type of interface on which the activatable indicium is presented.

33. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the set of codes further causes a computer to provide the contact information in at least one call-out panel on a first interface page, without redirecting to a second interface page.

34. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the contact information includes information to contact a plurality of channels via a plurality of contact options.

35. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the set of codes further causes a computer to provide the activatable indicium on a plurality of interface pages, regardless of whether a user is authenticated into the plurality of interface pages.

36. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein the platform is a personal computing device, a mobile device, an electronic kiosk, a banking ATM machine, or a workstation.

37. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein the interface is a mobile application interface, a hosted mobile website interface, an electronic kiosk interface, a banking ATM interface, an emulated hosted internet application interface, a local application interface, a website interface, a website address, or a website link.

38. The computer program product of claim 34, wherein the contact option is voice, phone, text, chat, mail, web, or email.

39. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the activatable indicium is a character, a picture, a logo, text, or any combination thereof.

40. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the activatable indicium is a logo associated with the contact information-providing entity.

41. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the activatable indicium is a plurality of characters representing a name of the contact information-providing entity.

42. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the set of codes further causes a computer to receive the user input in a form of a mouse-over input, a touch screen input, a button input, a mouse click input, or a keyboard input.