Methods and systems for providing telecommunications services

• US 8,102,986 B1
• Filed: 11/06/2007
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CallWave Communications, LLC
• Original Assignee: FuzeBox, Inc.
• Inventors: Trandal, David S., McClintock, David C.
• Primary Examiner(s): HONG, HARRY S
• Application Number:
  US11/935,957
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 379/210.01, 379/216.01, 379/201.01, 715/700, 725/37, 370352-356
• US Class Current: 379/210.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/046 Interoperability with other network applications or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/253 where a visual mode is used instead of a voice mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/465 Arrangements for simultaneously calling a number of substations until an answer is obtained
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0021 Details of Application Programming Interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

The present invention is related to telecommunications. A call processing system receives a first call from a caller intended for a first person. A notification regarding the first call is transmitted over a network to a terminal associated with the first person. A user interface is displayed on the terminal via which the first person can indicate that a callback message is to be transmitted to the caller. The callback message is transmitted to the caller, wherein the callback message includes an identification of the first person, a callback control, and text indicating that the caller is to activate the control to initiate another call to the first person. At least partly in response to the caller activating the control, A second call to be placed via which the first person and caller are connected.

Claims

1. A method of processing a call, comprising:

receiving at a call processing system a first call from a caller intended for a first person, the call processing system including a computing device;

transmitting, via the call processing system, over a data network to a terminal associated with the first person a notification regarding the first call;

causing at least in part a user interface to be displayed on the terminal via which the first person can indicate that a message is to be transmitted to the caller, the message including a link that when activated by the caller will initiate a second call with the first person;

at least partly in response to receiving, at the call processing system, an indication from the first person that the message is to be transmitted to the caller, transmitting the message to a terminal associated with the caller; and

at least partly in response to the caller activating the link, placing, via the call processing system, the second call to a communications device associated with the first person, placing a third call to a communications device associated with the caller, and bridging the first call and the second call.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the terminal is a personal computer or a smart phone.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first call notification is displayed via a communications client hosted on the terminal or via a browser.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first call notification is transmitted via email to the first person.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the message is transmitted via email to the caller.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising:

obtaining a phone address associated with the caller from signaling information associated with the first call,

wherein the third call is placed to the phone address.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising providing a user interface via which the caller can specify a phone address to which the third call is to be placed.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising including in the transmittal of the message to the caller at least a portion of, and/or a link to the voice message left by the first person in a voice and/or text format.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising providing a user interface within the message via which the caller can indicate that future similar messages are not to be transmitted to the caller.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the caller is not charged for the second call or the third call.

11. A method of providing a callback message, comprising:

receiving at a call processing system a first call from a caller intended for a first person, the call processing system including a computing device;

transmitting, via the call processing system, over a network to a terminal associated with the first person a notification regarding the first call;

causing at least in part a user interface to be displayed on the terminal via which the first person can indicate that a message is to be transmitted to the caller;

at least partly in response to receiving an indication from the first person that the message is to be transmitted to the caller, transmitting, via the call processing system, the message to the caller, wherein the message includes an identification of the first person, a callback control, and text indicating that the caller is to activate the control to initiate another call to the first person; and

at least partly in response to the caller activating the control, at least partly causing, via the call processing system, a second call to be placed via which the first person and caller are connected.

12. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the first call notification is displayed via a browser or a communications client hosted on the terminal.

13. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the first call notification is transmitted via email to the first person.

14. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the message is transmitted via email to the caller.

15. The method as defined in claim 12, the method further comprising including in the message to the caller, at least a portion of the voice message left by the first person in a voice and/or text format.

16. The method as defined in claim 11, the method further comprising providing a user interface via which the caller can specify a phone address which is to be used in placing the second call.

17. The method as defined in claim 11, the method further comprising providing a user interface within the message via which the caller can indicate that a future callback message is not to be transmitted to the caller.

18. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the second call is placed to a phone address associated with the caller, a third call is placed is placed to a phone address associated with the first person, and the second call and the third call are bridged.

19. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the caller is not charged for the second call.

20. The method as defined in claim 11, wherein the call back control is a resource identifier.

21. A system for transmitting a link, comprising:

a telecommunications interface;

a data network interface; and

a call processing system coupled to the telecommunications interface and the data network interface, the call processing system configured to receive a first voice call via the telecommunications interface, transmit a first message using the data network to the intended recipient of the voice call via which the intended recipient can indicate that a callback message is to be transmitted to a second person that initiated the first voice call, and transmit a second message including text and a link to the second person via which the second person can initiate a callback to the first person without incurring a fee for the callback call by activating the link included in the second message.

22. The system as defined in claim 21, wherein the call processing system is configured to place a second voice call to a communications device associated with the first person, to place a third voice call to a communications device associated with the second person, and to connect the second and third call.

23. The system as defined in claim 21, wherein the call processing system is further configured to record voice messages and to stream voice messages to a client application hosted on a user terminal.

24. The system as defined in claim 21, wherein the link is a uniform resource locator.

25. The system as defined in claim 21, the system further comprising a user interface via which a caller can indicate that a future callback message is not to be transmitted to the caller.