Assistance method and apparatus
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of connecting two parties in real time, the method comprising:
- providing a set of experts to a consumer via a connection with said consumer prior to the consumer submitting a question;
indicating whether each expert is currently available to telephonically communicate with said consumer at a time when said consumer is provided with the set of experts;
in response to the consumer selecting an expert from the set, automatically establishing a telephonic connection between the expert and the consumer prior to the consumer submitting a question to the expert; and
said automatically establishing the telephonic connection includes a central controller placing a telephone call to said consumer, and said central controller placing a telephone call to said expert.
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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.
255 Citations
41 Claims
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1. A method of connecting two parties in real time, the method comprising:
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providing a set of experts to a consumer via a connection with said consumer prior to the consumer submitting a question;
indicating whether each expert is currently available to telephonically communicate with said consumer at a time when said consumer is provided with the set of experts;
in response to the consumer selecting an expert from the set, automatically establishing a telephonic connection between the expert and the consumer prior to the consumer submitting a question to the expert; and
said automatically establishing the telephonic connection includes a central controller placing a telephone call to said consumer, and said central controller placing a telephone call to said expert. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
setting up an account for the expert; 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 11, further comprising:
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setting up an account for the expert; and
crediting the account for an amount based upon how long the telephonic connection is maintained minus a fee.
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15. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:
- setting up a consumer account for the consumer.
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16. The method as described in claim 15, wherein setting up the consumer account includes obtaining credit card information from the consumer.
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17. The method as described in claim 15, further comprising:
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monitoring how long the telephonic connection is maintained between the expert and the consumer; and
deducting from the consumer account an amount based upon how long the telephonic connection is maintained.
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18. 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 experts;
a first logic unit linked with the database to provide a set of experts to a consumer prior to the consumer submitting a question, to indicate individually whether each expert is currently available to telephonically communicate with said consumer at a time when the set is provided; and
a second logic unit linked with the database to automatically establish, in response to the consumer selecting an expert from the set, a telephonic connection between the expert and the consumer prior to the consumer submitting a question to the expert;
said second logic unit automatically establishing the telephonic connection by a central controller placing a telephone call to said consumer, and said central controller placing a telephone call to said expert. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
a third logic unit to monitor how long the telephonic connection is maintained between the consumer and the expert; and
a fourth logic unit linked with the database to deduct from the consumer account an amount based upon how long the telephonic connection is maintained.
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33. 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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providing a set of experts to a consumer via a connection with said consumer prior to the consumer submitting a question;
indicating whether each expert is currently available to telephonically communicate with said consumer at a time when said consumer is provided with the set of experts;
in response to the consumer selecting an expert from the set, automatically establishing a telephonic connection between the expert and the consumer prior to the consumer submitting a question to the expert; and
said automatically establishing the telephonic connection includes a central controller placing a telephone call to said consumer, and said central controller placing a telephone call to said expert. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
set up a consumer account for the consumer; and
deduct from the consumer account an amount based upon how long the telephonic connection is maintained.
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38. The computer-readable medium as described in claim 35, having stored thereon instructions that further cause the computer to:
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set-up an account for the expert; and
credit the account for an amount based upon how long the telephonic connection is maintained.
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39. The computer-readable medium as described in claim 35, having stored thereon instructions that further cause the computer to:
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set-up an account for the expert; and
credit the account for an amount based upon how long the telephonic connection is maintained minus a fee.
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40. The computer-readable medium as described in claim 33, wherein the telephonic connection is an Internet telephony connection.
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41. The computer-readable medium as described in claim 33, wherein the instructions stored on the computer-readable medium cause the computer to establish the telephonic connection without disclosing identity information about the expert to the consumer and without disclosing identity information about the consumer to the expert.
Specification