Technique for generating and managing a personal dialing queue

• US 7,257,390 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2004
• Issued: 08/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Grape Technology Group Incorporated (KGB)
• Original Assignee: Metro One Telecommunications, Inc.
• Inventors: Speight, Russell W.
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US10/805,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20050207560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/500, 379/218.01, 379/201.1
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4935 Connection initiated by DAS system

Abstract

An information assistance service is provided, which enables a user to generate a personal dialing queue containing multiple listings, and to call multiple parties listed in the personal dialing queue without the need to make additional requests for information assistance. In an illustrative embodiment, a request is received from a user for multiple listings representing parties that the user wishes to contact. In response, the operator conducts a search and generates a personal dialing queue that includes a list of telephone numbers, each associated with a respective party. A first telephone number is selected from the personal dialing queue, and a connection is established between the user and the first telephone number. Call status signals associated with the connection are monitored. When the called party disconnects, and the user remains on the line for a predetermined period of time, a second connection is made for the user to a second telephone number selected from the personal dialing queue. This process may repeat until the list of telephone numbers in the personal dialing queue is exhausted.

Claims

1. A method for providing an information assistance service, comprising:

receiving, by an information assistance provider, a call from a caller, the call including at least one criterion and a request that the information assistance provider identify one or more entities satisfying the at least one criterion;

conducting a data search, based on the at least one criterion, in response to the information assistance request;

generating a record which contains a plurality of telephone numbers resulting from the data search, the telephone numbers being associated with a plurality of entities, respectively; and

repeating the following (a) through (e) one or more times before the caller'"'"'s call is terminated;

(a) selecting a first telephone number from the record;

(b) establishing a first communication by connecting the caller'"'"'s call to the first telephone number;

(c) detecting a predetermined call status condition relating to the first communication;

(d) in response to the predetermined call status condition, selecting a second telephone number from the record different from the first telephone number; and

(e) establishing a second communication by connecting the caller'"'"'s call to the second telephone number.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request includes a request for suggesting providers of a product or service desired by the caller.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of entities include providers of a product or service desired by the caller.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of entities include individuals.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data search includes a search of a directory associated with the caller.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the telephone numbers in the record is assigned a priority based on a distance between the caller and the entity associated with the at least one telephone number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined call status condition includes an indication that the first communication is disconnected by a called entity associated with the first telephone number.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined call status condition includes a busy condition.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined call status condition includes a ring-no-answer condition.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined call status condition includes a communication problem.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least part of content of the record is stored in a folder associated with the user after the caller'"'"'s call is terminated.

40. The method of claim 1, comprising:

selecting automatically the first telephone number from the record; and

establishing automatically the first communication by connecting the caller'"'"'s call to the first telephone number.

41. The method of claim 40, comprising:

in response to the predetermined call status condition, selecting automatically the second telephone number from the record; and

establishing automatically the second communication by connecting the caller'"'"'s call to the second telephone number.

42. The method of claim 1, comprising:

in response to the predetermined call status condition, selecting automatically the second telephone number from the record; and

establishing automatically the second communication by connecting the caller'"'"'s call to the second telephone number.

44. The method of claim 1, comprising:

generating a record containing a plurality of telephone numbers resulting from the data search and meeting the criterion, the telephone numbers being associated with a plurality of entities, respectively.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the telephone numbers are associated with a plurality of independent entities.

12. A method for providing an information assistance service, comprising:

receiving a call from a caller, the call including an information assistance request;

conducting a data search in response to the information assistance request;

generating a record which contains a plurality of telephone numbers resulting from the data search, the telephone numbers being associated with a plurality of entities, respectively;

establishing communications connecting the caller'"'"'s call to two or more of the telephone numbers in the record in accordance with a call pattern before a termination of the caller'"'"'s call; and

allowing the caller to manipulate the call pattern.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the call pattern specifies that the communications are established in a successive manner.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the call pattern specifies that at least two of the communications overlap in time.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the caller is allowed to re-arrange the order of the communications to manipulate the call pattern.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the information assistance request includes a request for suggesting providers of a product or service desired by the caller.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of entities include providers of a product or service desired by the caller.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of entities include individuals.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the data search includes a search of a directory associated with the caller.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the call pattern is designed based on relative distances between the caller and the entities associated with the two or more telephone numbers.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the call pattern is designed based on relative compensations by the entities associated with the two or more telephone numbers to a provider of the information assistance service.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein at least part of content of the record is stored in a folder associated with the user after the caller'"'"'s call is terminated.

23. The method of claim 12, further comprising allowing the caller to insert contact information concerning a desired party in the record.

24. A system for providing an information assistance service, comprising:

an interface for receiving a call from a caller, the call including an information assistance request, a data search being conducted in response to the information assistance request; and

a processor for generating a record which contains a plurality of telephone numbers resulting from the data search, the telephone numbers being associated with a plurality of entities, respectively, communications being established which connect the caller'"'"'s call to two or more of the telephone numbers in the record in accordance with a call pattern before a termination of the caller'"'"'s call, the caller being allowed to manipulate the call pattern.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the call pattern specifies that the communications are established in a successive manner.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the call pattern specifies that at least two of the communications overlap in time.

27. The system of claim 24, wherein the caller is allowed to re-arrange the order of the communications to manipulate the call pattern.

28. The system of claim 24, wherein the information assistance request includes a request for suggesting providers of a product or service desired by the caller.

29. The system of claim 24, wherein the plurality of entities include providers of a product or service desired by the caller.

30. The system of claim 24, wherein the plurality of entities include individuals.

31. The system of claim 24, wherein the data search includes a search of a directory associated with the caller.

32. The system of claim 24, wherein the call pattern is designed based on relative distances between the caller and the entities associated with the two or more telephone numbers.

33. The system of claim 24, wherein the call pattern is designed based on relative compensations by the entities associated with the two or more telephone numbers to a provider of the information assistance service.

34. The system of claim 24, wherein the caller is allowed to insert contact information concerning a desired party in the record.

35. A method for providing an information assistance service, comprising:

receiving a call from a caller, the call including an information assistance request;

conducting a data search in response to the information assistance request;

generating a record which contains a plurality of telephone numbers resulting from the data search, the telephone numbers being associated with a plurality of entities, respectively;

assigning a priority to at least one of the telephone numbers in the record; and

establishing communications connecting the caller'"'"'s call to two or more of the telephone numbers in the record in accordance with the priority before a termination of the caller'"'"'s call; and

allowing the caller to re-arrange the order of the communications by changing the priority.

36. The method of claim 35, comprising:

assigning a priority to at least one of the telephone numbers in the record based on a distance between the caller and the entity associated with the at least one telephone number.

37. The method of claim 35, comprising:

assigning a priority to at least one of the telephone numbers in the record based on a compensation by the entity associated with the at least one telephone number to a provider of the information assistance service.

38. A method for providing an information assistance service, comprising:

receiving a call from a caller, the call including an information assistance request;

conducting a data search in response to the information assistance request;

generating a record which contains a plurality of telephone numbers resulting from the data search, the telephone numbers being associated with a plurality of entities, respectively;

establishing communications connecting the caller'"'"'s call to two or more of the telephone numbers in the record in accordance with a call pattern before a termination of the caller'"'"'s call; and

allowing the caller to re-arrange the order of the communications to manipulate the call pattern.

39. A system for providing an information assistance service, comprising:

an interface configured to;

receive a call from a caller, the call including an information assistance request, a data search being conducted in response to the information assistance request; and

a processor configured to;

generate a record which contains a plurality of telephone numbers resulting from the data search, the telephone numbers being associated with a plurality of entities, respectively;

establish communications connecting the caller'"'"'s call to two or more of the telephone numbers in the record in accordance with a call pattern before a termination of the caller'"'"'s call; and

allowing the caller to re-arrange the order of the communications to manipulate the call pattern.

43. A method for providing an information assistance service, comprising:

receiving a call from a caller, the call including an information assistance request;

conducting a search of a database not associated with the caller, in response to the information assistance request;

generating a record which contains a plurality of telephone numbers resulting from the search, the telephone numbers being associated with a plurality of independent entities, respectively; and

establishing communications connecting the caller'"'"'s call to two or more of the telephone numbers in the record before a termination of the caller'"'"'s call.

46. A method for providing an information assistance service, comprising:

receiving a call from a caller, the call including an information assistance request;

conducting a data search in response to the information assistance request;

generating a record containing a plurality of telephone numbers resulting from the data search, the telephone numbers being associated with a plurality of entities, respectively, wherein at least one of the telephone numbers in the record is assigned a priority based on a compensation by the entity associated with the at least one telephone number to a provider of the information assistance service; and

repeating the following (a) through (e) one or more times before the caller'"'"'s call is terminated;

(a) selecting a first telephone number from the record;

(b) establishing a first communication by connecting the caller'"'"'s call to the first telephone number;

(c) detecting a predetermined call status condition relating to the first communication;

(d) in response to the predetermined call status condition, selecting a second telephone number from the record; and

(e) establishing a second communication by connecting the caller'"'"'s call to the second telephone number.