Call routing apparatus

• US 6,968,174 B1
• Filed: 03/22/2002
• Issued: 11/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CallWave Communications, LLC
• Original Assignee: FuzeBox, Inc.
• Inventors: Trandal, David S., Brahm, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Application Number:
  US10/106,517
• Time in Patent Office: 1,341 Days
• Field of Search: 455405-408, 455415-417, 379/111, 379/112.01, 379/114.011, 379/114.15, 379/114.2, 379/114.24, 379/114.25, 379/127.01, 379133-134
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to telecommunications, and in particular to systems and methods for routing and placing telephone calls. In one embodiment, a call manager system is configured to place a call to a pay-per-call service, or to cause such a call to be placed by a user computer terminal, in response to a user initiating a purchase transaction over a computer network. In addition, the call may include billing information, such as the user'"'"'s phone number, which is provided to the pay-per-call service so that the user can be billed for the call in an appropriate amount.

Claims

1. A call placement apparatus, comprising:

a computerized call manager system having a data communication link configured to be accessed over a computer network; and

programming associated with said call manager system configured to carry out the operations of;

receiving over the computer network purchase transaction information, including a purchase amount, for a user;

connecting to a public switched telephone network;

originating a call to a pay-per-call type telephone service, wherein the call enables a billing event to the user to occur, wherein the pay-per-call type telephone service is not the subject of the purchase transaction and wherein the user does not participate on the call.

2. The call placement apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the call includes ANI signaling information.

3. The call placement apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising programming configured to receive authorization from the user to originate calls to the pay-per-call service on behalf of the user.

4. The call placement apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said user initiates the purchase transaction using a web-based order form.

5. The call placement apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said pay-per-call type telephone service carrier bills the user based on at least one of a telephone number used to originate the call, a flat rate charge, and a database query and signaling interaction with a billing system in a pay-per-call network.

6. The call placement apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising programming for carrying out the operations of:

determining if the user'"'"'s phone line is blocked from placing pay-per-call type calls by;

causing a terminal associated with the user to place a call to a first pay-per-call telephone number;

determining if the call to the first pay-per-call telephone number was successful; and

at least partly in response to determining that the user'"'"'s phone line is blocked, notifying the user while still transacting the purchase that another form of payment will be required.

7. The call placement apparatus as defined in claim 1, further comprising at least one instruction configured to determine if the user'"'"'s phone line is blocked from placing pay-per-call type calls, and to notify the user that another form of payment will be required.

8. The call placement apparatus as defined in claim 7, further comprising at least one instruction configured to determine if the user has an account balance due, and to cause a charge for the balance due be placed on the user'"'"'s telephone bill.

9. A method of placing a call, comprising:

receiving information over a computer network related to a user'"'"'s online purchase request, including information indicating a purchase price; and

causing a call to be placed by an electronic system to a pay-per-call type telephone service via a public switched telephone network at least partly in response to receiving said information, wherein the pay-per-call type telephone service is not the subject of the online purchase request and wherein the user does not participate on the call;

wherein the call provides billing information associated with the user to the pay-per-call type telephone service and wherein the user is billed for the purchase price at least partly in response to the call placed to the pay-per-call type telephone service.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the call placed to the pay-per-call type telephone service is placed by a call service using an ANI that mimics an ANI associated with a phone line associated with the user.

11. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the billing information includes at least a phone number associated with the user.

12. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the pay-per-call type telephone service bills the user for the amount based on at least one of a length of the call, a flat rate charge and a database query and signaling interaction with a billing system in a pay-per-call network.

13. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the information related to the user'"'"'s online purchase request is received by a call manager system from a merchant.

14. The method as defined in claim 9, further comprising selecting a pay-per-call type telephone service telephone number based at least in part on the purchase price indication.

15. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the call to the pay-per-call type telephone service is placed by the user'"'"'s computer in response to a command received over a computer network.

16. The method as defined in claim 15, wherein the call to the pay-per-call type telephone service is placed partly in response to determining that the user'"'"'s computer has ceased accessing the Internet.

17. The method as defined in claim 9, further comprising:

determining if a second user'"'"'s phone line is blocked from placing pay-per-call type calls by causing a telecommunications device associated with the second user to call a pay-per-call phone number; and

detecting whether the call to the pay-per-call phone number has been received.

18. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein the telecommunications device calls the pay-per-call phone number while the second user is transacting an order.

19. The method as defined in claim 17, wherein at least partly in response to determining that the second user'"'"'s phone line is blocked, notifying the second user that another form of payment is required.

20. The method as defined in claim 9, further comprising causing a plurality of calls to the pay-per-call service in response to a second purchase request.

21. The method as defined in claim 20, wherein the plurality of calls are spaced apart by a predetermined interval.

22. The method as defined in claim 20, wherein the plurality of calls are spaced apart by at least a week.

23. An apparatus for placing a call, comprising:

a first instruction configured to receive information over a computer network related to a user'"'"'s online purchase transaction conducted using a computer terminal, including information related to a purchase price; and

a second instruction configured to transmit a third instruction to the computer terminal to cause a call to be placed by the computer terminal to a pay-per-call type telephone service at least partly in response to receiving said information, wherein the pay-per-call type telephone service is not the subject of the user'"'"'s online purchase transaction and wherein the user does not participate on the call.

24. The apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the second instruction is further configured to transmit the instruction to the computer terminal while the online purchase transaction is being conducted.

25. The apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the third instruction is configured to cause the call to be placed immediately.

26. The apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the third instruction is configured to cause the call to be placed at a predetermined time.

27. The apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the third instruction is configured to cause the call to be placed in response to the user computer disconnecting from the computer network.

28. The apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the third instruction is further configured to cause a plurality of calls to be placed at predetermined intervals.

29. The apparatus as defined in claim 23, wherein the computer terminal is an interactive television.

30. An apparatus for placing a call, comprising:

a first instruction configured to receive information over a computer network related to a user'"'"'s online purchase transaction conducted using a computer terminal, including information related to a purchase price;

a second instruction configured to receive a first ANI associated with a phone line of the user; and

a third instruction configured to make a second ANI of a call service phone line be the same as the first ANI; and

a fourth instruction configured to call a pay-per-call service via the call service phone line using the second ANI, wherein the second ANI is the same as the first ANI, wherein the pay-per-call service is not the subject of the user'"'"'s online purchase transaction and wherein the user does not participate on the call.

31. A method of processing payment for a purchase, comprising:

at least partly in response to a purchase request, determining if a user'"'"'s phone line is blocked from placing pay-per-call calls by causing a computer terminal associated with the user to call a first phone number having a pay-per-call area code while the user is transacting a purchase, wherein the pay-per-call call is not the subject of the purchase request and wherein the user does not participate on the call; and

if it is determined that the user'"'"'s line is blocked from placing pay-per-call calls, notifying the user while the user is still transacting the order to provide another form of payment.

32. The method as defined in claim 31, wherein in the first pay-per-call phone number is monitored by a call manager system.

33. The method as defined in claim 31, wherein the call to the first phone number is not answered.

34. The method as defined in claim 31, wherein the call to the first phone number is answered at least partly in response to determining that a user account has a balance due.

35. The method as defined in claim 31, further comprising determining that a human voice answered the call to the first pay-per-call phone number.