System and method for expert service providers to provide one on one chat advice services through unique empowered independent agents to consumers

• US 8,219,689 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2010
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gopesh Kumar
• Original Assignee: Gopesh Kumar
• Inventors: Kumar, Gopesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mejia, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US12/697,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20100131867A1
• Time in Patent Office: 891 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/227, 709/230, 705/38, 705/40, 379/114, 379/265
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/03 Credit; Loans; Processing thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides techniques for managing, supporting and empowering Independent Agents to offer a method for enabling expert Service Providers to deliver, and charge for, advice to consumers, by connecting two parties in real time in an online chat. The present invention also provides the method and techniques for expert Service Providers, in turn, to provide their service through a multiplicity of Independent Agent channels without the potential for communication device conflict; thereby ensuring successful connections for consumers.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of connecting two parties over an online chat in real time, the method comprising:

having one or more Agents creating an associated selected plurality of one or more Service Providers;

enabling the Agents to integrate their selected plurality of Service Providers into their own specialized websites for browsing by a User;

having a User initiate a contact with a Service Provider via an Agent'"'"'s specialized website;

submitting an online chat session invitation by the User to the Service Provider;

initiating a pre-recorded phone alert if the Service Provider has opted to get a phone alert when a new chat invitation is received; and

connecting the User to an online chat session with the Service Provider, if the Service Provider is available and accepts the online chat session invitation;

after a first pre-determined period of time, extracting in real-time, account balance of the User from a System Database;

extracting Service Provider per minute compensation rate from the System Database;

dividing the User account balance total by the Service provider per minute compensation rate;

determining total minutes the User can connect to the Service provider until the User'"'"'s account balance is depleted;

displaying this information to the User textually in a pop-up window upon the User connecting to the Service provider; and

displaying a graphical timer in the pop-up window, a countdown of the minutes remaining for the User to be connected to the Service provider and automatically terminating the online chat session or prompting said User to add more funds to said User account for continuing the online chat session;

otherwise, prompting the User to enter a chat back request or to create and send an email to the Service Provider, if the Service Provider is unavailable or busy.

2. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

generating information about the Service.

3. The method as described in claim 2, further comprising:

providing a phone alert to the user when the service provider logs in and is available for a chat session.

4. The method as described in claim 2, further comprising:

generating a message for the User by an electronic notification when the Service Provider is available.

5. The method as described in claim 2, further comprising:

allowing the Service Provider to enter their hours of availability and rate.

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

displaying the Service Provider'"'"'s hours of availability and rate within the pop-up window.

7. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

denying the connection if the User tries to initiate a connection without sufficient funds in the User account to pay the service provider'"'"'s rate for a minimum fixed period of time.

8. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying in the pop-up window that the Service Provider is currently busy if the Service Provider is currently in another chat session.

9. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

managing transaction records for the one or more Agents associated with the selected one or more said Service Providers.

10. The method as described in claim 9, further comprising:

reporting the transaction records.

11. The method as described in claim 10, further comprising:

calculating the total amount due to the Service Provider and the Agent based on the transactions records.

12. The method as described in claim 11, further comprising:

paying the Service Provider and the Agent the total amount due based on the calculated transactions records.

18. The method as described in claim 7, further comprising:

providing the online chat session free of charge for the first period of time; and

charging said User account balance for the online chat session after the expiration of the fixed period of time.

19. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising:

terminating the online chat session when the User has insufficient funds in the User Account to pay the Service Provider'"'"'s rate for any additional period of time for continuing the online chat session.

13. A computer-implemented method of connecting two parties over the Internet in real time, the method comprising:

having an Agent account;

assigning an Agent ID number to the Agent account;

having a Service Provider enter the Agent ID when registering as a new Service Provider;

linking all Service Providers under a single Agent ID into one account information and transaction activity management interface;

distributing the appropriate service HTML code to said Agent for each newly registered Service Provider thereby;

enabling said Agent to readily create own Internet-based collection of specialized Service Providers, and

connecting Users with these Service Providers for expert advice in real time via an online chat connection, if said Service Providers are available and accept the online chat connection;

after a first pre-determined period of time, extracting in real-time, User account balance information from a System Database;

extracting Service Provider per minute compensation rate from said System Database;

dividing the User account balance total by said Service provider per minute compensation rate;

determining total minutes said User can connect to said Service provider until said User'"'"'s account balance is depleted;

displaying this information to said User textually in a pop-up window upon said User connecting to said Service provider; and

displaying a graphical timer in said pop-up window, a countdown of the total minutes remaining for said User to be connected to said Service provider and automatically terminating said online chat connection or prompting said User to add more funds to said User account for continuing said online chat connection;

otherwise, prompting said User to enter a chat back request or to create and send an email to said Service Provider requesting for an online chat connection, if the Service Provider is unavailable or busy.

14. The method as described in claim 13, further comprising:

displaying within a pop-up window a full list of Service providers associated with said Agent and individual availability statuses for each of the Service providers.

15. The method as described in claim 13, further comprising:

allowing for said Users to remain in effect on a website of said Agent while navigating the Internet and being connected in an online chat connection with said Service Providers, by way of a series of progressive popup windows.

16. The method as described in claim 13, further comprising:

giving said Agent the option of self-managed payroll responsibility or,

a managed payout consisting of, deducting a pre-determined Agent service fee for each transaction and distributing the fee to said Agent.

17. The method as described in claim 13, further comprising:

having recognition, across the entire database of Service Provider, including potentially multiple different accounts, of whether a particular Service Provider is busy thereby; and

enabling a Service Provider to register and be part of numerous different Agent groups, and preventing connection conflicts.