SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ANALYZING MESSAGES AND INITIATING COMMUNICATION SESSIONS

• US 20160198509A1
• Filed: 11/20/2015
• Published: 07/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Contact At Once
• Original Assignee: Contact At Once
• Inventors: Hayes, Marc F. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 9,572,189 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Systems and methods are described herein for analyzing messages and other information provided in relation to a web communication, a mobile application communication session, a phone communication, or another type of communication. For example, a system and method are provided for initiating a text message communication session between an agent and a user. A two-way communication session may be facilitated between the user and the agent. A mobile telephone number disclosed by the user during the two-way communication session may be detected, and a text message communication session between the user and the agent may be initiated if a mobile telephone number was detected. Availability status associated with a provider of items or services may also be analyzed to determine an agent for communicating with the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

accessing availability status data associated with a plurality of providers, wherein agents are associated with the plurality of providers, and wherein availability status data includes information indicating an availability status of the agents to participate in a communication session;

obtaining availability status data associated with a provider from the plurality of providers, wherein one or more agents are associated with the provider, and wherein the availability status data includes information indicating an availability status of the one or more agents to participate in a communication session;

using the availability status data associated with the provider to determine that an agent associated with the provider is available to participate in the communication session, wherein the agent determined to be available is associated with a device;

facilitating a two-way communication session between the device associated with the agent and a computing device;

analyzing one or more messages exchanged during the two-way communication session, wherein analyzing is performed using pattern recognition;

detecting a telephone number from the one or more messages exchanged during the two-way communication session, wherein the telephone number is detected from the one or more messages using the pattern recognition;

determining that the telephone number is a mobile telephone number, wherein the mobile telephone number is associated with a mobile device; and

providing an alert when the telephone number is a mobile telephone number, wherein the alert includes an option to initiate a mobile text message communication session between the device associated with the agent and the mobile device associated with the mobile telephone number.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the two-way communication session comprises an instant messaging session.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the availability status data includes at least one or more of a log-in status of the agent or a busy status of the agent.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile telephone number is determined to be associated with the mobile device by transmitting the mobile telephone number to an information services provider, and receiving a response from the information services provider indicating whether the mobile telephone number is associated with the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an alert window with a transcript of the two-way communication session.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device and the mobile device are separate devices.

8. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions which when executed on the processor, cause the processor to perform operations including;

accessing availability status data associated with a plurality of providers, wherein agents are associated with the plurality of providers, and wherein availability status data includes information indicating an availability status of the agents to participate in a communication session;

obtaining availability status data associated with a provider from the plurality of providers, wherein one or more agents are associated with the provider, and wherein the availability status data includes information indicating an availability status of the one or more agents to participate in a communication session;

using the availability status data associated with the provider to determine that an agent associated with the provider is available to participate in the communication session, wherein the agent determined to be available is associated with a device;

facilitating a two-way communication session between the device associated with the agent and a computing device;

analyzing one or more messages exchanged during the two-way communication session, wherein analyzing is performed using pattern recognition;

detecting a telephone number from the one or more messages exchanged during the two-way communication session, wherein the telephone number is detected from the one or more messages using the pattern recognition;

determining that the telephone number is a mobile telephone number, wherein the mobile telephone number is associated with a mobile device; and

providing an alert when the telephone number is a mobile telephone number, wherein the alert includes an option to initiate a mobile text message communication session between the device associated with the agent and the mobile device associated with the mobile telephone number.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the two-way communication session comprises an instant messaging session.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the availability status data includes at least one or more of a log-in status of the agent or a busy status of the agent.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the mobile telephone number is determined to be associated with the mobile device by transmitting the mobile telephone number to an information services provider, and receiving a response from the information services provider indicating whether the mobile telephone number is associated with the mobile device.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising instructions which when executed on the processor, cause the processor to perform operations including:

providing an alert window with a transcript of the two-way communication session.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the computing device is the mobile device.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the computing device and the mobile device are separate devices.

15. A computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including instructions configured to cause a data processing apparatus to:

access availability status data associated with a plurality of providers, wherein agents are associated with the plurality of providers, and wherein availability status data includes information indicating an availability status of the agents to participate in a communication session;

obtain availability status data associated with a provider from the plurality of providers, wherein one or more agents are associated with the provider, and wherein the availability status data includes information indicating an availability status of the one or more agents to participate in a communication session;

use the availability status data associated with the provider to determine that an agent associated with the provider is available to participate in the communication session, wherein the agent determined to be available is associated with a device;

facilitate a two-way communication session between the device associated with the agent and a computing device;

analyze one or more messages exchanged during the two-way communication session, wherein analyzing is performed using pattern recognition;

detect a telephone number from the one or more messages exchanged during the two-way communication session, wherein the telephone number is detected from the one or more messages using the pattern recognition;

determine that the telephone number is a mobile telephone number, wherein the mobile telephone number is associated with a mobile device; and

provide an alert when the telephone number is a mobile telephone number, wherein the alert includes an option to initiate a mobile text message communication session between the device associated with the agent and the mobile device associated with the mobile telephone number.

16. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the two-way communication session comprises an instant messaging session.

17. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the availability status data includes at least one or more of a log-in status of the agent or a busy status of the agent.

18. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the mobile telephone number is determined to be associated with the mobile device by transmitting the mobile telephone number to an information services provider, and receiving a response from the information services provider indicating whether the mobile telephone number is associated with the mobile device.

19. The computer-program product of claim 15, further comprising instructions configured to cause a data processing apparatus to:

provide an alert window with a transcript of the two-way communication session.

20. The computer-program product of claim 15, wherein the computing device is the mobile device.