Apparatus and method for mediating between callers and receivers using mobile phones

• US 7,373,159 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2005
• Issued: 05/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Natsuno, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming; William D.
• Application Number:
  US11/193,827
• Publication Number:
  US 20050261013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/414.1, 455/426.1
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6009 Personal information, e.g. profiles or personal directories being only provided to authorised persons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0036 where the data service is an information service

Abstract

A mediation center apparatus 1 receives registration as answerers from mobile phones 9 owned by answerers. The mediation center apparatus 1 provides, responding to requests from a mobile phone 10 owned by a questioner, candidate list information of suitable answerers among answerers who are registered in the mediation center apparatus 1, for the mobile phone 10. When the mediation center apparatus 1 receives, from the mobile phone 10, information which instruct a selection of answerers, the mediation center apparatus 1 establishes a circuit connection between the mobile phones 9 owned by the selected answerer and the mobile phone 10 owned by the questioner. A mediation consultancy service is provided by the answerer to the questioner by use of the circuit connection.

Claims

1. A mediation apparatus comprising:

registration request receiving means for receiving a registration request which contains telephone number data and answer field data from each of a plurality of mobile phones of answerer candidates via a mobile telecommunication network;

candidate data storing means for storing candidate data sets, each of which contains telephone number data and answer field data which are contained in a registration request received by said registration request receiving means;

mediation request receiving means for receiving a mediation request, which contains telephone number data and question field data, from each of a plurality of mobile phones of questioners via said mobile telecommunication network;

extracting means for extracting, when said mediation request receiving means receives one mediation request from one mobile phone of one questioner, one or more candidate data sets which contain answer field data corresponding to question field data which is contained in said one mediation request, from candidate data sets stored by said candidate data storing means;

acquiring means for acquiring telephone number data of one mobile phone of one answerer from candidate data sets which are extracted by said extracting means;

connection establishing means for establishing a communication circuit connection in said mobile telecommunication network between said one mobile phone of said one answerer and said one mobile phone of said one questioner, on the basis of said telephone number data acquired by said acquiring means and said telephone number data contained in said one mediation request;

evaluation data receiving means for receiving evaluation data, which indicates evaluation of said one answerer, from said one mobile phone of said one questioner via said mobile telecommunication network;

evaluation index storing means for storing an evaluation index, which is made on the basis of said evaluation data which indicates evaluation of said one answerer, linked to a candidate data set corresponding to said one answerer which is stored by said candidate data storing means; and

,

calculating means for calculating at least one of (a) reward for said one answerer and (b) bill for said one questioner, with regard to a communication using said communication circuit connection, on the basis of an evaluation index which is stored by said evaluation index storing means linked to the candidate data set corresponding to said one answerer.

2. A mediation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said calculating means calculates at least one of (a) reward for said one answerer and (b) bill for said one questioner, on the basis of an evaluation index which is stored by said evaluation index storing means before said evaluation data receiving means receives said evaluation data from said one mobile phone of said one questioner.

3. A mediation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said acquiring means comprises:

answerer candidate guide data transmitting means for transmitting answerer candidate guide data, which indicates candidate data sets which are extracted by said extracting means, to said one mobile phone of said one questioner, via said mobile telecommunication network;

answerer candidate appointment data receiving means for receiving answerer candidate appointment data which appoints one or more desired candidate data sets among candidate data sets which are indicated by said answerer candidate guide data, from said one mobile phone of said one questioner via said mobile telecommunication network; and

,

telephone number acquiring means for acquiring telephone number data of one mobile phone of one answerer from one candidate data set among candidate data sets which are appointed by said answerer candidate appointment data.

4. A mediation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said acquiring means comprises:

condition data receiving means for receiving, when said extracting means extracts a plurality of candidate data sets from candidate data sets stored by said candidate data storing means, condition data which indicate a condition for grouping the plurality of candidate data sets extracted by said extracting means into a plurality of groups, from said one mobile phone of said one questioner, via said mobile telecommunication network;

grouping means for grouping the plurality of candidate data sets extracted by said extracting means into a plurality of groups on the basis of said condition data;

answerer candidate group guide data transmitting means for transmitting answerer candidate group guide data, which indicates groups which are made by said grouping means, to said one mobile phone of said one questioner, via said mobile telecommunication network;

answerer candidate group appointment data receiving means for receiving answerer candidate group appointment data, which appoints one or more desired groups from among groups which are indicated by said answerer candidate group guide data, from said one mobile phone of said one questioner, via said mobile telecommunication network; and

,

telephone number acquiring means for acquiring telephone number data of one mobile phone of one answerer from one candidate data set among candidate data sets which are contained in groups appointed by said answerer candidate group appointment data.

5. A mediation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said connection establishing means comprises:

first connecting means for establishing a communication circuit connection in said mobile telecommunication network with said one mobile phone of said one answerer by sending a call to said one mobile phone of said one answerer on the basis of the telephone number data acquired by said acquiring means;

second connecting means for establishing a communication circuit connection in said mobile telecommunication network with said one mobile phone of said one questioner by sending a call to said one mobile phone of said one questioner on the basis of the telephone number data contained in said one mediation request; and

,

third connecting means for interconnecting the communication circuit connection established by said first connecting means and the communication circuit connection established by said second connecting means.

6. A mediation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said acquiring means acquires, when said extracting means extracts a plurality of candidate data sets and said connection establishing means fails to establish said communication circuit connection, telephone number data of another mobile phone of another answerer from the plurality of candidate data sets which is extracted by said extracting means; and

,

said connection establishing means establishes, when said acquiring means acquires said telephone number data of said another mobile phone of said another answerer, a communication circuit connection in said mobile telecommunication network between said another mobile phone of said another answerer and said one mobile phone of said one questioner, on the basis of said telephone number data of said another mobile phone of said another answerer and said telephone number data contained in said one mediation request.

7. A mediation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a part or whole of said mobile telecommunication network is a packet data communication network.

8. A mediation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said mediation apparatus further comprises time measuring means for measuring time period during which said communication circuit connection is maintained; and

,

said calculating means calculates at least one of (a) reward for said one answerer and (b) bill for said one questioner, with regard to a communication using said communication circuit connection, on the basis of said time period, in addition to an evaluation index which is stored by said evaluation index storing means linked to the candidate data set corresponding to said one answerer.

9. A mediation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said mediation apparatus further comprises reply index storing means for storing a reply index which is made on the basis of, at least one of (a) number of times of failures of communication circuit connections between said one mobile phone of said one answerer and any mobile phone of any questioner and (b) number of times of successes of communication circuit connections between said one mobile phone of said one answerer and any mobile phone of any questioner, during a certain period of time in the past, linked to the candidate data set corresponding to said one answerer which is stored by said candidate data storing means; and

,

said calculating means calculates at least one of (a) reward for said one answerer and (b) bill for said one questioner, with regard to a communication using said communication circuit connection, on the basis of a reply index which is stored by said reply index storing means linked to the candidate data set corresponding to said one answerer, in addition to an evaluation index which is stored by said evaluation index storing means linked to the candidate data set corresponding to said one answerer.

10. A mediation method comprising:

a registration request transmitting step for transmitting a registration request, which contains telephone number data and answer field data, from each of a plurality of mobile phones of answerer candidates to a mediation apparatus via a mobile telecommunication network;

a candidate data storing step for storing candidate data sets, each of which contains telephone number data and answer field data which are contained in a registration request transmitted in said registration request transmitting step;

a mediation request transmitting step for transmitting a mediation request, which contains telephone number data and question field data, from each of a plurality of mobile phones of questioners to said mediation apparatus via said mobile telecommunication network;

an extracting step for extracting, when one mediation request is transmitted from one mobile phone of one questioner to said mediation apparatus, one or more candidate data sets which contain answer field data corresponding to question field data which is contained in said one mediation request, from candidate data sets stored in said candidate data storing step;

an acquiring step for acquiring telephone number data of one mobile phone of one answerer from candidate data sets which are extracted in said extracting step;

a connection establishing step for establishing a communication circuit connection in said mobile telecommunication network between said one mobile phone of said one answerer and said one mobile phone of said one questioner, on the basis of said telephone number data acquired in said acquiring step and said telephone number data contained in said one mediation request;

an evaluation data transmitting step for transmitting evaluation data, which indicates evaluation of said one answerer, from said one mobile phone of said one questioner to said mediation apparatus via said mobile telecommunication network;

an evaluation index storing step for storing an evaluation index, which is made on the basis of said evaluation data which indicates evaluation of said one answerer, linked to a candidate data set corresponding to said one answerer which is stored in said candidate data storing step; and

,

a calculating step for calculating at least one of (a) reward for said one answerer and (b) bill for said one questioner, with regard to a communication using said communication circuit connection, on the basis of an evaluation index which is stored in said evaluation index storing step, linked to the candidate data set corresponding to said one answerer.