Intelligent link telephone communications

• US 7,924,989 B1
• Filed: 10/11/2006
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cooper, Robert M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah; Melur
• Application Number:
  US11/548,656
• Time in Patent Office: 1,644 Days
• Field of Search: 379/90.01, 379/93.09, 379/265.01, 379/265.08, 379/265.1, 379/265.12, 379/165.13, 379/266.07, 379/266.08, 379/93.12, 705/1, 705/14
• US Class Current: 379/93.09
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/016 After-sales
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services

Abstract

Establishing a telephone call includes enabling display of a visual indicator of a call destination entity and detecting selection by a user of the visual indicator. The availability of the user to receive a first telephone call is determined. Voice communications between the call destination entity and the user are established in response to detection of the selection by the user of the visual indicator and conditioned on the user being determined to be available to receive the first telephone call. Establishing voice communications includes enabling placement of the first telephone call to the user to establish a first PSTN link with the user and enabling a voice communications link to be setup with the call destination entity.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a telephone call, the method comprising:

accessing a call history associated with a user;

analyzing the call history to determine a pattern of call behavior associated with the user, wherein the pattern of call behavior is determined to be predictive of the user'"'"'s future call behavior;

enabling display of a visual indicator, selected based upon the determined pattern of call behavior associated with the user, of a call destination entity;

detecting selection by the user of the visual indicator;

determining whether the user is available to receive a first telephone call; and

in response to detection of the selection by the user of the visual indicator and conditioned on the user being determined to be available to receive the first telephone call, establishing voice communications between the call destination entity and the user,

wherein establishing voice communications includes;

enabling placement of the first telephone call to the user to establish a first PSTN link with the user, and

enabling a voice communications link to be setup with the call destination entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling display of the visual indicator includes enabling display of the visual indicator in a graphical display presented to the user as part of one of an instant messaging user interface, an e-mail user interface, and an Internet browser user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual indicator is a graphical advertisement configured to advertise products or services offered by the call destination entity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling a voice communications link to be setup with the call destination entity includes enabling placement of a second telephone call to the call destination entity to establish a second PSTN link with the call destination entity.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein establishing voice communications between the user and the call destination entity comprises bridging the first PSTN link and the second PSTN link to enable a voice communications path to be setup between the user and the call destination entity over the first PSTN link and the second PSTN link.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling a voice communications link to be setup includes enabling a voice-over-IP communications link to be setup with the call destination entity.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein establishing voice communications between the user and the call destination entity comprises bridging the first PSTN link and the voice-over-IP communications link to enable a voice communications path to be setup between the user and the call destination entity over the first PSTN link and the voice-over-IP communications link.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the call destination entity to deposit a voice mail in a voice mailbox of the user conditioned on the user being determined not to be available to receive the first telephone call.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein enabling the call destination entity to deposit a voicemail in the voice mailbox of the user includes setting up a voice communications link between the call destination entity and the voice mailbox of the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the user is available to receive the first telephone call includes accessing preferences associated with the user and determining whether the user is available to receive the first telephone call based on the preferences.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining whether the user is available to receive the first telephone call includes determining that the user is not available if the preferences associated with the user indicate that calls through selection of visual indicators are prohibited.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining whether the user is available to receive the first telephone call includes determining that the user is not available if the preferences associated with the user indicate that calls through selection of visual indicators of a category of entities that includes the call destination entity are prohibited.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein determining whether the user is available to receive the first telephone call includes determining that the user is not available if the preferences associated with the user indicate that calls through selection of visual indicators of the call destination entity are prohibited.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the user is available to receive the first telephone call includes determining that the user is not available to receive the first telephone call if, in response to an attempt to place a call to the user, signaling information is received that indicates that a telephone line of the user is busy.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a location of the user; and

identifying a representative of the call destination entity that is geographically close to the identified location of the user,

wherein establishing voice communications between the user and the call destination entity comprises establishing voice communications between the user and the representative that is geographically close to the identified location of the user.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing alternative communications between the user and the call destination entity when the user is determined not to be available to participate in the telephone call.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein establishing alternative communications comprises establishing an instant messaging session between the user and a representative of the call destination entity.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein establishing an instant messaging session between the user and a representative of the call destination entity comprises establishing an audio-based instant messaging session between the user and the representative.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein establishing alternative communications comprises enabling the user to send an e-mail message to a representative of the call destination entity.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the call destination entity is a business entity and the first entity is a customer of the business entity, and wherein:

enabling display of the visual indicator includes enabling display of a graphical advertisement of the business entity;

detecting selection by the user of the visual indicator includes detecting selection by the customer of the graphical advertisement;

establishing voice communications between the user and the call destination entity comprises establishing voice communications between the customer and the business entity;

enabling placement of the first telephone call to the user comprises enabling placement of the first telephone call to the customer; and

enabling a voice communications link to be setup with the call destination entity comprises enabling a voice communications link to be setup with the business entity.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising enabling the customer to complete a business transaction with the business entity.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising storing information describing the business transaction in association with the customer.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

accessing information describing past transactions between the business entity and the customer; and

determining a loyalty status of the customer based on the accessed information.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising selecting the graphical advertisement based on the loyalty status of the customer.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein selecting the graphical advertisement based on the loyalty status comprises selecting a graphical advertisement that informs the customer of a complimentary product, service, or discount if the loyalty status of the customer indicates that the customer is a loyal customer.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

identifying a representative of the business entity based on the loyalty status of the user,

wherein establishing voice communications between the customer and the business entity comprises establishing voice communications between the customer and the identified representative.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising, in response to selection of the visual indicator by the user, adding contact information for the call destination entity to a list of contact information of the user.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling display of the visual indicator includes:

identifying a particular interval of time during which the user is likely to desire to establish a telephone call with the call destination entity, and

providing a visual indicator of the call destination entity for display during the identified particular interval of time.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein providing the visual indicator includes not providing the visual indicator of the call destination entity for display during a time that does not fall within the identified particular interval of time.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein identifying a particular interval of time during which the user is likely to desire to establish a telephone call with the call destination entity comprises:

accessing a call history associated with the user,

analyzing the call history to determine patterns of behavior of the user, and

identifying the particular interval of time based on the patterns of behavior of the user.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein analyzing the call history to determine patterns of behavior of the user includes analyzing the number, duration, and call destination of calls to identify time periods during which the user regularly calls a particular call destination or type of call destination.

32. A computer system for establishing a telephone call, the computer system including:

an accessing element configured to access a call history associated with a user;

an analyzing component configured to analyze the call history to determine a pattern of behavior associated with the user;

a display element configured to enable display of a visual indicator, selected based upon the determined pattern of behavior associated with the user, of a call destination entity;

a detection element configured to detect selection by the user of the visual indicator;

a processing element configured to determine whether the user is available to receive a first telephone call; and

a voice communications element configured to establish voice communications between the call destination entity and the user in response to detection of the selection by the user of the visual indicator and conditioned on the user being determined to be available to receive the first telephone call,

wherein establishing voice communications includes;

enabling placement of the first telephone call to the user to establish a first PSTN link with the user, and

enabling a voice communications link to be setup with the call destination entity.

33. An apparatus for establishing a telephone call, the apparatus comprising:

means for accessing a call history associated with a user;

means for analyzing the call history to determine a pattern of behavior associated with the user;

means for enabling display of a visual indicator, selected based upon the determined pattern of behavior associated with the user, of a call destination entity;

means for detecting selection by the user of the visual indicator;

means for determining whether the user is available to receive a first telephone call; and

means for establishing voice communications between the call destination entity and the user in response to detection of the selection by the user of the visual indicator and conditioned on the user being determined to be available to receive the first telephone call, wherein the means for establishing voice communications includes;

means for enabling placement of the first telephone call to the user to establish a first PSTN link with the user, and

means for enabling a voice communications link to be setup with the call destination entity.