METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING VOICE CALLS IN ASSOCIATION WITH SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT

• US 20150341499A1
• Filed: 05/15/2015
• Published: 11/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hootsuite Media Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hootsuite Media Inc.
• Inventors: Korsei, Stanislav, Zadorozhnyi, Oleksandr
• Application Number:
  US14/713,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20150341499A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/18 Commands or executable codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• 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: H04M 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and system for managing voice calls in association with social media content is provided. The method involves: (a) in response to a social-media content piece, posting a replying social-media content piece containing a hyperlink for presenting at least one option for making a voice call having a call identification associated with said social-media content piece; (b) determining said call identification in response to receiving a selection of said at least one option; and (c) forwarding said voice call to a call recipient.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of managing voice calls in association with social media content, the method comprising:

(a) in response to a social-media content piece, posting a replying social-media content piece containing a hyperlink for presenting at least one option for making a voice call having a call identification associated with said social-media content piece;

(b) determining said call identification in response to receiving a selection of said at least one option; and

(c) forwarding said voice call to a call recipient.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein posting a replying social-media content piece containing a hyperlink for presenting at least one option for making a voice call having a call identification associated with said social-media content piece comprises:

detecting an invocation of said hyperlink by an Internet-capable device;

determining whether authorization is required to forward said voice call; and

obtaining social-media account credentials associated with said invocation if said authorization is required.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein posting a replying social-media content piece containing a hyperlink for presenting at least one option for making a voice call having a call identification associated with said social-media content piece comprises presenting at least one of a first option for making said voice call using a browser-based VoIP technology and a second option for making said voice call using an application-based VoIP technology.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein posting a replying social-media content piece containing a hyperlink for presenting at least one option for making a voice call having a call identification associated with said social-media content piece comprises presenting a third option for making said voice call using a PSTN technology.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein posting a replying social-media content piece containing a hyperlink for presenting at least one option for making a voice call having a call identification associated with said social-media content piece comprises presenting a third option for making said voice call using a PSTN technology.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein presenting at least one of a first option for making said voice call using a browser-based VoIP technology and a second option for making said voice call using an application-based VoIP technology comprises presenting said first and second options.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein determining said call identification in response to receiving a selection of said at least one option comprises determining a location associated with the IP address of said Internet-capable device and determining whether at least one of a local DID and a toll-free DID is available.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising displaying said call identification at said Internet-capable device.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein forwarding said voice call to a call recipient comprises receiving a call to a receiving DID, determining whether said receiving DID is assigned to an unexpired call identification, determining a private DID associated with said call recipient, and connecting said voice call.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein forwarding said voice call to a call recipient comprises determining a caller ID associated with said call.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein forwarding said voice call to a call recipient comprises preventing said receiving DID from being assigned until after the elapse of a specifiable time during which no calls to said receiving DID are received.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein determining whether said receiving DID is assigned to an unexpired call identification comprises at least one of:

determining whether the number of times said hyperlink has been invoked exceeds a pre-determined hyperlink invocation limit;

determining whether a call count of the number of times said call identification has been used for a completed call exceeds a pre-determined call count limit;

determining whether the time elapsed since a most recent previous voice call associated with said call identification exceeds a pre-determined previous-call time limit;

determining whether the time elapsed between a most recent previous invocation of said hyperlink and said voice call exceeds a pre-determined hyperlink-to-call time limit;

determining whether the total duration of time spent during all voice calls previously made in association with said call identification exceeds a pre-determined total call time limit;

determining whether the duration of the most recent previous voice call associated with said call identification exceeds a pre-determined maximum call time limit; and

determining whether a command to expire said call identification has been received.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein forwarding said voice call to a call recipient comprises delivering meta-data associated with said social-media content piece to at least one of said call recipient and an auxiliary device associated with said call recipient.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein delivering to said call recipient meta-data associated with said social-media content piece comprises delivering at least one of:

identification information associated with said social-media content piece;

a social media handle associated with said social-media content piece;

an image associated with said social-media content piece;

Internet-accessible information associated with said social-media content piece;

a publication time associated with said social-media content piece;

a publication date associated with said social-media content piece;

a voice call history associated with said social-media content piece; and

notes associated with previous voice calls of said voice call history.

15. A computer-implemented system for managing voice calls in association with social media content, the system comprising:

(a) a first system component for posting, in response to a social-media content piece, a replying social-media content piece containing a hyperlink for presenting at least one option for making a voice call having a call identification associated with said social-media content piece;

(b) a second system component for determining said call identification in response to receiving a selection of said at least one option; and

(c) a third system component for forwarding said voice call to a call recipient.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein said third system component is operable to retrieve meta-data associated with said social-media content piece and to deliver said meta-data to at least one of said call recipient and an auxiliary device associated with said call recipient when forwarding said voice call.

17. A computer-implemented system for managing voice calls in association with social media content, the system comprising:

(a) means for posting, in response to a social-media content piece, a replying social-media content piece containing a hyperlink for presenting at least one option for making a voice call having a call identification associated with said social-media content piece;

(b) means for determining said call identification in response to receiving a selection of said at least one option; and

(c) means for forwarding said voice call to a call recipient.

18. The system of claim 17 further comprising means for obtaining social-media account credentials associated with an invocation of said hyperlink when authorization is required.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein means for determining said call identification in response to receiving a selection of said at least one option comprises means for determining a PSTN DID.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein means for forwarding said voice call to a call recipient comprises means for retrieving meta-data associated with said social-media content piece and delivering said meta-data at least one of said call recipient and an auxiliary device associated with said call recipient.