Assistance method and apparatus
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of connecting two parties in real time, the method comprising:
- displaying a list of people to a user via an internet connection with said user prior to the user submitting a question;
the list indicating individually whether each person in the list of people is currently available to telephonically communicate with said user at a time when said user is viewing the list;
in response to the user selecting a displayed icon corresponding to a person from the list, automatically establishing a telephonic connection between the selected person and the user prior to the user submitting a question to the selected person; and
said automatically establishing the telephonic connection includes a central controller placing a telephone call to said user, and said central controller placing a telephone call to said selected person.
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Abstract
This invention provides for a method of (or apparatus for) facilitating the delivery of advice to consumers using a server unit which can store and display the names and characteristics of experts and then rapidly assist in connecting the expert and consumer for real-time communication. The server can also have the ability to receive keywords from the consumer, match those keywords to one or more experts, and tell the consumer how to contact an expert.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A method of connecting two parties in real time, the method comprising:
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displaying a list of people to a user via an internet connection with said user prior to the user submitting a question;
the list indicating individually whether each person in the list of people is currently available to telephonically communicate with said user at a time when said user is viewing the list;
in response to the user selecting a displayed icon corresponding to a person from the list, automatically establishing a telephonic connection between the selected person and the user prior to the user submitting a question to the selected person; and
said automatically establishing the telephonic connection includes a central controller placing a telephone call to said user, and said central controller placing a telephone call to said selected person. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
setting up an account for each person on the list; and
crediting the account for an amount based upon how long the telephonic connection is maintained.
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14. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:
- setting up an account for the user.
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15. The method as described in claim 14, wherein setting up the user account includes obtaining credit card information from the user.
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16. The method as described in claim 14, further comprising:
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monitoring how long the telephonic connection is maintained between the selected person from the list and the user; and
deducting from the user account an amount based upon how long the telephonic connection is maintained.
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17. A system for connecting two parties in real time, the system comprising:
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a database to store information about a plurality of separate persons;
a first logic unit linked with the database to display a list of people to a user via an internet connection with said user prior to the user submitting a question, the list indicating individually whether each person in the list of people is currently available to telephonically communicate with said user at a time when said user is viewing the list; and
a second logic unit linked with the database to automatically establish, in response to the user selecting a displayed icon corresponding to a person from the list, a telephonic connection between the user and the selected person prior to the user submitting a question to the selected person;
said second logic unit automatically establishing the telephonic connection by a central controller placing a telephone call to said user, and said central controller placing a telephone call to the selected person from the list. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29)
a third logic unit to monitor how long the telephonic connection is maintained between the user and the selected person from the list; and
a fourth logic unit linked with the database to deduct from the user account an amount based upon how long the telephonic connection is maintained.
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30. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method comprising:
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displaying a list of people to a user via an internet connection with said user prior to the user submitting a question, the list indicating individually whether each person on the list of people is currently available to telephonically communicate with said user at a time when said user is viewing the list;
in response to the user selecting a displayed icon corresponding to a person from the list, automatically establishing a telephonic connection between the selected person and the user prior to the user submitting a question to the selected person; and
said automatically establishing the telephonic connection includes a central controller placing a telephone call to said user, and said central controller placing a telephone call to said selected person. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
set up a user account for the user; and
deduct from the consumer account an amount based upon how long the telephonic connection is maintained.
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34. The computer-readable medium as described in claim 31, having stored thereon instructions that further cause the computer to:
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set-up an account for each person on the list; and
credit the account for an amount based upon how long the telephonic connection is maintained.
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35. The computer-readable medium as described in claim 31, having stored thereon instructions that further cause the computer to:
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set-up an account for each person on the list; and
credit the account for an amount based upon how long the telephonic connection is maintained minus a fee.
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36. The computer-readable medium as described in claim 30, wherein the telephonic connection is an internet telephony connection.
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37. The computer-readable medium as described in claim 30, wherein the instructions stored on the computer-readable medium cause the computer to establish the telephonic connection without disclosing identity information about the selected person from the list to the user and without disclosing identity information about the user to the selected person from the list.
Specification