Method of performing automatic sales transactions in an advertiser-sponsored telephony system

• US 6,212,262 B1
• Filed: 03/15/1999
• Issued: 04/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Broadpoint Communications Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Broadpoint Communications Incorporated
• Inventors: Kamel, Alexandre Perry
• Primary Examiner(s): WEAVER, SCOTT LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US09/267,403
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/88.01, 379/88.19, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/88.24, 379/91.01, 379/93.02, 379/93.03, 379/93.12
• US Class Current: 379/88.22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition speech recognition per se G10L15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

An advertiser-sponsored telephony system includes an automatic sales transaction option, whereby a telephony user may automatically purchase an advertised product without disconnecting from the advertiser-sponsored telephony system. After hearing a promotional message for an advertised product in the advertiser-sponsored telephony system, a telephony user is presented with an option to submit an instruction to automatically place a purchase order for the product. The advertiser-sponsored telephony system verifies the telephony user'"'"'s identity and confirms that an account which has been pre-registered by the telephony user has sufficient funds to cover the price of the purchase order. If these criteria are satisfied, then the purchase order is processed and the caller continues with his or her telephone call.

Claims

1. In an advertiser-sponsored telephony system which provides free or subsidized calling for telephony users in exchange for exposing the telephony users to promotional messages, a method of performing an automatic sales transaction, comprising:

establishing a telephony connection between a telephony user and said advertiser-sponsored telephony system;

exposing the telephony user to at least one promotional message advertising an advertised product;

receiving from said telephony user an instruction to automatically place a purchase order for the advertised product;

processing said purchase order for said advertised product from said telephony user; and

validating said purchase order by verifying that said telephony user is a subscriber to said advertiser-sponsored telephony system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said instruction comprises a keystroke entered on a telephone keypad and communicated to said advertiser-sponsored telephony system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said instruction comprises a voice recognition command communicated from said telephony user to said advertiser-sponsored telephony system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein validating said purchase order comprises:

storing during a registration process, prior to establishing said telephony connection, a predetermined verification code for said telephony user;

prompting said telephony user to enter a verification code for said purchase order;

communicating from said telephony user to said advertiser-sponsored telephony system said verification code for said purchase order;

comparing, at said advertiser-sponsored telephony system, said verification code for said purchase order against said predetermined verification code for said telephony user; and

validating said purchase order when said verification code for said purchase order matches said predetermined verification code for said telephony user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

registering an account to be used by a telephony user to purchase the advertised product; and

authorizing said purchase order by verifying that said account for said telephony user satisfies predetermined criteria.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

connecting said telephony user to a desired destination number for a period of free or subsidized calling.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

exposing the telephony user to another promotional message advertising another advertised product.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing said telephony connection between the telephony user and said advertiser-sponsored telephony system comprises said telephony user placing a call to a special access number for said advertiser-sponsored telephony system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein establishing said telephony connection between the telephony user and said advertiser-sponsored telephony system further comprises said telephony user entering a personal access number for accessing said advertiser-sponsored telephony system.