Methods for enabling e-commerce voice communication

• US 7,325,029 B1
• Filed: 08/08/2000
• Issued: 01/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IPO2U.Com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: IPO2U.Com, Inc.
• Inventors: Chang, Ifay F.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, THONG H
• Application Number:
  US09/634,139
• Time in Patent Office: 2,730 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/203, 709230-232, 709/238, 709/206, 709/218, 370/401, 370/522, 370/352, 370/389, 379/45, 379/418, 379/209, 379/88, 379/100, 704/235, 372/52
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0603 Catalogue ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services

Abstract

Methods for operating multimedia computers to provide e-commerce voice communication capability directly between any computer connected to a computer network such as the Internet and any telephone device connected to the PSTN are disclosed. A simple click and call method is enabled by employing call interface software and the standard communication protocol over the network. The e-commerce voice communication system (EVCS) represented by an e-commerce voice communication symbol on a web page which, upon clicking, launches the call interface program, initiates a real-time communication channel between the client computer and the receiving computer, dials the desired telephone number via a voice modem. The EVCS method receives packets of voice data from the client computer, reassembles the packets of voice data into a stream of digital voice data, converts it to a stream of analog voice data, outputs the analog voice data to the voice modem, and outputs the analog voice data from the voice modem to the telephone line and vice versa from the telephone line to the client computer.

Claims

1. A method for operating a server comprises:

receiving a request from a client computer to initiate a telephone call via the Internet in response to a single click on an advertisement;

wherein the client computer has an installed e-commerce voice solution (ECVS) program, wherein opening the ECVS program displaces a graphical user interface (GUI) on a computer display device of the client computer, and wherein the GUI contains the advertisement, the advertisement stored on the client computer;

initiating a real-time communications channel between the client computer and the server via the Internet in response to the request;

determining a telephone number in response to the request;

using a voice modem, coupled to the server and to a telephone line, to dial the telephone number;

receiving packets of voice data from the client computer from the Internet;

reassembling the packets of voice data into a stream of digital voice data;

converting the stream of digital voice data to a stream of analog voice data;

outputting the stream of analog voice data to the voice modem, and

outputting the stream of the analog voice data from the voice modem to the telephone line.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the telephone number in response to the request comprises retrieving the telephone number from a memory in the server in response to the request.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the request comprises the telephone number.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a request from the client computer to initiate the telephone call comprises

receiving the request from the client computer to initiate the telephone call via another voice modem.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the telephone number is contained in the web page.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the telephone number is a telephone number is reserved for calls responsive to the web page.

5. A method for operating a server comprises:

receiving a request at a server from a client computer to initiate a telephone call via a computer network, the request from the client computer in response to a single click on an advertisement, wherein the client computer has an installed e-commerce voice solution (ECVS) program, wherein opening the ECVS program displaces a graphical user interface (GUI) on a computer display device of the client computer, and wherein the GUI contains the advertisement, the advertisement stored on the client computer;

initiating a real-time communications channel at the server to the client computer via the computer network in response to the request from the client computer;

determining a telephone number to dial in response to the request;

dialing the telephone number on a telephone with a voice modem, the server comprising the voice modem and the voice modem coupled to the telephone line;

receiving packets of voice data at the server from the client computer;

reassembling at the server the packets of voice data into a stream of digital audio data;

converting the stream of digital audio data to a stream of analog audio data with a sound board within the server;

outputting the stream of analog audio data to the voice modem, and

outputting the stream of the analog audio data from the voice modem to the telephone line.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein determining the telephone number comprises retrieving the telephone number from a memory in the server in response to the request.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the request comprises a first telephone number and the telephone number comprises a second telephone number.

10. The method of claim 5 wherein the telephone number is contained in the web page.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein the telephone number is a telephone number is reserved for calls responsive to the web page.

13. The method of claim 5 wherein the telephone number is a telephone number is reserved for calls responsive to the web page.

14. The method of claim 5 wherein the telephone number is contained in the web page.

12. A method for operating a server comprises:

receiving a request from a client computer to initiate a telephone call via the Internet a single click on an advertisement, wherein the client computer has an installed e-commerce voice solution (ECVS) program, wherein opening the ECVS program displaces a graphical user interface (GUI) on a computer display device of the client computer, and wherein the GUI contains the advertisement, the advertisement stored on the client computer;

initiating a real-time communications channel between the client computer and the server via the Internet in response to the request;

determining a telephone number in response to the request;

using a voice modem, coupled to the server and to a telephone line, wherein the telephone line is connected to a POTS and PSTN service, to dial the telephone number, wherein a voice connection through both the PSTN and Internet networks is established.