Method and system for establishing voice communications using a computer network
First Claim
1. A method for establishing voice communications between a computer user and an agent, the computer user being associated with a user computer and a telephone number of a telephone associated with the computer user, the method comprising the steps of:
- establishing a computer data base accessible by the user computer;
prompting the computer user to enter a call request in the computer data base;
transmitting the call request from the computer data base to a telephone switching system; and
automatically establishing voice communications between the agent and the computer user by the telephone switching system in response to the call request.
13 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method and system (100) establishes voice communications between a computer user (102) and an agent (104) of a business over a computer network, such as the Internet (108). Using a user computer (106), the computer user (102) views advertisments of the business'"'"' products or services on the Internet (108) via customized home pages (200). When the user (102) wishes to order a product or ask additional questions about a product, the user (102) activates a "call me" button (210). A return call screen (300) is then presented to the user (102) with areas to insert a name (302), a telephone number (304) and a time to call (306). This information is packetized in a call request which is transmitted over the Internet (108) to a telephone switching system (112) associated with the business. The telephone switching system (112) subsequently dials the telephone number (304) at the time to call (306). When the user (102) answers a computer user telephone (120), the telephone switching system (112) connects the user (102) wuth the agent (104) via an agent telephone (118). The telephone switching system (112) may be comprised of a telephone computer (114) and an automatic call distributor (116).
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Citations
27 Claims
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1. A method for establishing voice communications between a computer user and an agent, the computer user being associated with a user computer and a telephone number of a telephone associated with the computer user, the method comprising the steps of:
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establishing a computer data base accessible by the user computer; prompting the computer user to enter a call request in the computer data base; transmitting the call request from the computer data base to a telephone switching system; and automatically establishing voice communications between the agent and the computer user by the telephone switching system in response to the call request. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for establishing voice communications between a computer user and an agent, the computer user being associated with a user computer and a telephone, the method comprising the steps of:
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establishing a computer data base which is accessible by the user computer; receiving a call request by the computer user in the computer data base for the agent to call the computer user, the call request including a telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user; transmitting the call request from the computer data base over a computer network to a telephone switching system; automatically dialing the telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user by the telephone switching system based on the telephone number in the call request; and automatically connecting the agent to the telephone by the telephone switching system. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A method for establishing voice communications between a computer user and an agent, the computer user being associated with a user computer and a telephone number of a telephone associated with the computer user, the method comprising the steps of:
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establishing a computer database accessible by the use computer; prompting the computer user to enter a call request in the computer database; transmitting the call request from the computer database to a telephone switching system having a telephone computer and an automatic call distributor associated with the agent; sending a dial request command from the telephone computer to the automatic call distributor in response to the call request from the computer database; and automatically dialing the telephone number by the automatic call distributor in response to the dial request command. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27)
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Specification