Application and platform to build enhanced data repositories for facilitating a merchant/service provider electronic exchange

• US 20160165067A1
• Filed: 12/08/2014
• Published: 06/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: HomeAway.com, Inc. (Expedia Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: HomeAway, Inc. (Expedia Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Turner, Ryan Hedley, Haligas, Daniel Steven, Venugopal, Velayudhan, Devine, Alex Holm
• Application Number:
  US14/544,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20160165067A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0645 Rental transactions; Leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/00 Arrangements or apparatus for collecting fares, tolls or entrance fees at one or more control points handling coins or valuable papers, e.g. banknotes, G07D; apparatus for vending or hiring articles or services activated by coins, credit cards, paper currency or the like G07F7/00, G07F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2209/08 With time considerations, e.g. temporary activation, valid time window or time limitations
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00174 Electronically operated locks; Circuits therefor; Nonmechanical keys therefor, e.g. passive or active electrical keys or other data carriers without mechanical keys mechanical locks with electric permutation E05B49/00; arrangements for sensing or reading record carriers G06K7/00; electronic switching H03K17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00571 operated by interacting with a central unit
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00896 specially adapted for particular uses
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/38 with central registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A platform may include resources configured to receive information representing a phone call from a caller (e.g., a traveler) to a callee (e.g., a proprietor) and instead of immediately connecting the phone call may communicate a message to the caller telling the caller the call is being connected. Prior to connecting the phone call with the callee, the platform may connect with a proprietor device (e.g., a landline telephone or a smartphone) and communicate a message to the callee that an incoming phone call is from a potential customer and is being provided courtesy of a merchant electronic exchange. The message may further encourage the callee to join the merchant electronic exchange as a member and/or inform the callee of the number of leads it has provided to the callee. After communicating the message to the proprietor, the platform may connect the call between the caller and the callee.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a communications interface; and

a computing resource in communication with the communications interface;

the computing resource configured to;

receive data representing a phone call from a first computing device in communication with the communications interface via a first communications link,

communicate data representing a first message to the first computing device prior to connecting the phone call from the first computing device with a device the phone call is addressed to,

connect with the device the phone call is addressed to via a second communications link between the communications interface and the device,

communicate, after connecting with the device, data representing a second message to the device, and

connect the first computing device with the device using one or more communications links between the first device, the device and the communications interface.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing resource is further configured to:

delay connection of the phone call from the first computing device to the device, and

communicate during the delay, via the first communications link, the first message to the first computing device, the first message including data representing that the phone call from the first computing device is being connected.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the computing resource is further configured to:

communicate during the delay, via the second communications link, the second message, the second message including data representing that the phone call from a potential customer is being provided by an electronic exchange.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing resource is further configured to:

delay connection of the phone call from the first computing device to the device, and

communicate during the delay, via the second communications link, the second message, the second message including data representing that the phone call from a potential customer is being provided by an electronic exchange, and the data further includes an invitation to join the electronic exchange.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device is in wireless communication with the communications interface via the first communications link.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the second message includes data representing that the phone call from a potential customer is being provided by an electronic exchange and the second message includes data representing a proprietor rating on the potential customer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second message includes data representing that the phone call from a potential customer is being provided by an electronic exchange and the second message includes data representing a tally of a number of phone call leads for other potential customers that have been provided by the electronic exchange.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the first computing device includes an application configured to transmit the data representing the phone call using a voice over Internet protocol call.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein communication between the first device and the communications interface comprises digital data and communication between the device and the communications interface comprises analog data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein after the first device and the device are connected, communication between the first device and the communication interface is via a voice over Internet protocol, and communication between the device and the communication interface is via a different protocol than the voice over Internet protocol.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein after the first device and the device are connected, communication between the first device and the communication interface is via a server call, and communication between the device and the communication interface is via a different protocol than the server call.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein after the first device and the device are connected, communication between the first device and the communication interface and the device and the communication interface are via a voice over Internet protocol.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing resource is further configured to:

compute a running tally of phone call leads,

include in the second message, data representing that the phone call from a potential customer is being provided by the electronic exchange and data representing that the running tally of phone call leads is being provided by the electronic exchange.

14. A computing device, comprising:

a computing resource;

a display in communication with the computing resource;

a data storage resource; and

a communications interface in communication with the computing resource and the data storage resource,

the computing resource configured to;

establish a communications link with an external system,

communicate to the external system, via the communications link, data representing a phone number to be called in response to a selection of an image presented on the display,

receive from the external system, prior to the external system connecting the phone call with a device the phone call is addressed to, data representing a first message generated by the external system, and

receive, from the external system via the communications link, after the external system has connected the phone call with the device the phone call is addressed to, data representing a conversation.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the computing resource is further configured to:

implement a voice over Internet protocol to communicate the data representing the phone number to be called to the external system.

16. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the computing resource is further configured to:

implement a server call to a networked computing resource to communicate the data representing the phone number to be called to the external system.

17. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the computing resource is further configured to:

access data representing temporal data from a clock,

access data representing geolocation data from a global positioning system integrated circuit,

determine a distance between a geolocation of the activity and a current geolocation of the computing device from the data representing geolocation data, determine an estimated time of arrival at the activity the phone call was addressed to by calculating a change in the distance as a function of time using data representing time data extracted from the data representing the temporal data, and

communicate, via the communications link, the estimated time of arrival to the external system.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the estimated time of arrival is determined after the external system has connected the phone call with the device the phone call is addressed to.

19. A method comprising:

receiving from a caller computing device, data representing a phone call to a callee device;

transmitting after a time delay, to the caller computing device, prior to connecting the caller computing device with the callee device the phone call is addressed to, data representing a first message stating the phone call to the callee device is being connected;

establishing a first communications link with the callee device using the data representing the phone call;

transmitting over the first communications link, data representing a second message stating the a call from a potential customer is being provided by an exchange;

establishing a second communications link between the callee device and the caller computing device, the second communications link operative to connect the phone call from the caller computing device with the callee device; and

transmitting over the second communications link, data representing a conversation.

20. The method of claim 19 and further comprising:

converting, using a format converter, data transmitted from the callee device, the caller computing device or both, from a first format to a second format that is different than the first format; and

selecting, using a connection manager, a first sequence connection type for the callee device and a second sequence connection type for the caller computing device that is different than the first sequence connection type.