Set-top box initiated contact center interaction

• US 7,703,120 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2006
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Russell, Paul, Morrison, Steven, Hernandez, John, Finnerty, William, Ferrandini, Jay, Lepore, Michael P., Schechinger, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli; Dominic D
• Assistant Examiner(s): HANCE, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US11/520,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20080066127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,315 Days
• Field of Search: 725/132, 725/144
• US Class Current: 725/105
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47815 Electronic shopping payment schemes, payment architectures or payment protocols for electronic shopping systems G06Q20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method can include: (i) receiving a contact center interaction request via a device coupled to a display screen; (ii) accessing information about the device or a user of the device from a customer database of a content provider; and (iii) establishing an interaction path between the contact center and a viewer. The method can further include providing information to the user via the interaction path in response to a request by the user for the information. The device can be a set-top box (STB) or a cable card and the display screen can be a television, for example. Also, the content provider can be a cable or satellite television provider, for example.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an interaction request via a device coupled to a display screen, wherein the interaction request comprises a response format selection that indicates a format in which a user of the device is to be contacted by a contact center, a response timing selection that indicates when the user is to be contacted by the contact center, and a customer information adjustment selection for designating block information about the user to be excluded in establishing an interaction path between the contact center and the user;

accessing predetermined customer information about the device or the user of the device by searching a customer database of a content provider in response to the received interaction request, wherein information used for the searching of the customer database is at least partially blocked using the designated block information; and

sending the accessed customer information to the contact center for use in the establishing of the interaction path between the contact center and the user, the interaction path being in the selected response format and with the selected response timing.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing content related information to the user via the interaction path in response to a request by the user for the content related information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the request by the user for the content related information comprises selecting a connectable item from content displayed on the display screen.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving the interaction request comprises receiving a signal from a remote control, the remote control being the device coupled to the display screen.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the interaction path comprises a telephone connection between the contact center and the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the establishing the interaction path comprises automatically placing a call from the contact center to the user to establish the telephone connection, the call being automatically placed at the selected response time.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises at least one of a set-top box (STB) and a cable card.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the display screen comprises a television.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the content provider comprises at least one of a cable television provider and a satellite television provider.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the display screen comprises a computer monitor.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution by the processor, and when executed operable to;

receive an interaction request via a device coupled to a display screen, wherein the interaction request comprises a response format selection that indicates a format in which a user of the device is to be contacted by a contact center, a response timing selection that indicates when the user is to be contacted by the contact center, and a customer information adjustment selection for designating block information about the user to be excluded in establishing an interaction path between the contact center and the user;

access predetermined customer information about the device or the user of the device by searching a customer database of a content provider in response to the received interaction request, wherein information used for the searching of the customer database is at least partially blocked using the designated block information; and

send the accessed customer information to the contact center for use in the establishing of the interaction path between the contact center and the user, the interaction path being in the selected response format and with the selected response timing.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the logic when executed is further operable to provide content related information to the user via the interaction path in response to a request by the user for the content related information.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the interaction request comprises a signal generated from a remote control, the remote control being the device coupled to the display screen.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the interaction path comprises a telephone connection between the contact center and the user.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the telephone connection is configured to be established automatically by placing a call from the contact center to the user, the call being automatically placed at the selected response time.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the device comprises at least one of a set-top box (STB) and a cable card.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the display screen comprises a television.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the content provider comprises at least one of a cable television provider and a satellite television provider.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the display screen comprises a computer monitor.

20. An apparatus for contact initiation, the apparatus comprising:

at least partially hardware means for receiving an interaction request via a device coupled to a display screen, wherein the interaction request comprises a response format selection that indicates a format in which a user of the device is to be contacted by a contact center, a response timing selection that indicates when the user is to be contacted by the contact center, and a customer information adjustment selection for designating block information about the user to be excluded in establishing an interaction path between the contact center and the user;

at least partially hardware means for accessing predetermined customer information about the device or the user of the device by searching a customer database of a content provider in response to the received interaction request, wherein information used for the searching of the customer database is at least partially blocked using the designated block information; and

at least partially hardware means for sending the accessed customer information to the contact center for use in the establishing of the interaction path between the contact center and the user, the interaction path being in the selected response format and with the selected response timing.