Call ordering system using a pre-filled transaction record in a call center transaction from a mobile phone

• US 8,457,295 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2010
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Karl Schweitzer
• Original Assignee: Karl Schweitzer
• Inventors: Katsikas, Peter L., Schweitzer, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US12/884,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072934A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.01, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 705/14.1
• US Class Current: 379/265.01
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/214 Specialised server platform, e.g. server located in an airplane, hotel, hospital arrangements specially adapted for local area broadcast systems H04H20/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02

Abstract

A call-ordering system and method enables convenient ordering in a call center transaction from a mobile phone. User profiles with identification data and a mobile phone number are matched to advertiser offers. Text messages are sent to the mobile phone numbers for matched users with a direct inward dialed (DID) number for response. Upon receiving an incoming call to the DID number from a responding user, an OfferRouter uses the caller and DID numbers to retrieve identification data for the user and offer data for the advertiser offer. The incoming call is then routed to a call center associated with the advertiser offer and the retrieved data are pushed to the call center'"'"'s terminal system for pre-filling a transaction record for the offered item. The system may also be operated in tandem with a hotel guest registration system to register traveler profiles, the hotel'"'"'s purchase management system to bill call center transactions to a guest'"'"'s hotel bill, and the hotel'"'"'s networked TV system to give guests an option to respond to an offer by using signals sent from the TV remote control unit to complete a transaction.

Claims

1. A call-ordering system for ordering an item in a call center transaction from a mobile phone, comprising:

(a) a first database operable with a call-ordering server for storing user profiles for each registered user of the call-ordering system including their identification data and a mobile phone number they designate to receive text messages for offers from advertisers of interest;

(b) a second database operable with the call-ordering server for storing records for each advertiser offer to be handled by the call-ordering system including offer data that are to be matched to profiles of users that have designated to receive text messages for advertiser offers;

(c) a Match-Offers-to-Profiles processing module operable with the call-ordering server for matching user profiles from the first database to advertiser offers from the second database and generating offer-match records for sending text messages to the mobile phone numbers for matched users that include a direct inward dialed (DID) number for a user to respond to an advertiser offer; and

(d) an OfferRouter processing module operable with the call-ordering server for receiving an incoming call from the mobile phone of a responding user to the DID number, and using a caller number for the incoming call and DID number to retrieve identification data for the responding user and offer data for the advertiser offer, wherein said OfferRouter processing module is configured to send the user identification data retrieved using the caller number for the incoming call and the offer data for the advertiser offer using the DID number to a designated call center for fulfilling ordering of the item to which the caller responded,

whereby the OfferRouter processing module is enabled to rout the incoming call to the call center associated with the advertiser offer and push the retrieved data to the call center'"'"'s terminal system for pre-filling a transaction record with user identification data and advertiser offer data for convenient completion of the transaction.

2. A call-ordering system for ordering an item in a call center transaction from a mobile phone, comprising:

(a) a first database operable with a call-ordering server for storing user profiles for each registered user of the call-ordering system including their identification data and a mobile phone number they designate to receive text messages for offers from advertisers of interest;

(b) a second database operable with the call-ordering server for storing records for each advertiser offer to be handled by the call-ordering system including offer data that are to be matched to profiles of users that have designated to receive text messages for advertiser offers;

(c) a Match-Offers-to-Profiles processing module operable with the call-ordering server for matching user profiles from the first database to advertiser offers from the second database and generating offer-match records for sending text messages to the mobile phone for matched users that include a direct inward dialed (DID) number for a user to respond to the offer; and

(d) an OfferRouter processing module operable with the call-ordering server for receiving an incoming call from the mobile phone of a responding user to the DID number, and using a caller number for the incoming call and DID number to retrieve identification data for the responding user and offer data for the advertiser offer,

whereby the OfferRouter processing module is enabled to rout the incoming call to the call center associated with the advertiser offer and push the retrieved data to the call center'"'"'s terminal system for pre-filling a transaction record with user identification data and advertiser offer data for convenient completion of the transaction,

which is adapted to send advertiser offers for visitor, recreational and sports activities to travelers visiting a given locale in a given time period, and wherein said first database is a Traveler Database of Traveler Profiles for registering users who are expected to be travelers.

3. A call-ordering system according to claim 2, wherein the Match-Offers-to-Profiles processing module matches advertiser offers to traveler profiles in the Traveler Database and generates OfferTravelerMatch records each containing a unique OfferRouter DID number for an advertiser offer and the mobile phone number of the traveler whose profile matches the offer, and each OfferTravelerMatch record enables an outgoing offer message to be sent to the mobile phone number of the traveler.

4. A call-ordering system according to claim 3, wherein the OfferRouter processing module receives a traveler'"'"'s incoming call and uses the DID number and caller number to retrieve the OfferTravelerMatch record identifying the advertiser offer and traveler profile data records, thereby enabling the OfferRouter processing module to route the incoming call and retrieved data records to the call center.

5. A call-ordering system according to claim 2, wherein an affiliate entity is enabled to add traveler profiles maintained by the affiliate entity to the Traveler Database for receiving advertiser offers, and the affiliate entity is one of the group consisting of:

an affiliate advertiser;

an affiliate website operator;

an affiliate travel website;

a hotel; and

an airline.

6. A call-ordering system according to claim 2, wherein the OfferRouter processing module employs a web push process to send the retrieved data records to the call center terminal system for pre-filling the transaction profile record for completing a transaction.

7. A call-ordering system according to claim 2, wherein the Match-Offers-to-Profiles processing module retrieves records for all active travelers in a given locale spanning a given offer period from the Traveler Database, then loops through each offer category of interest for each traveler to create an OfferTravelerMatch record for an offer to be sent to a traveler.

8. A call-ordering system according to claim 2, wherein the call ordering system is adapted to be operated in tandem with a hotel guest registration system which registers and obtains identity information for traveler guests staying at the hotel.

9. A call-ordering system according to claim 8, wherein the call ordering system is adapted to be operated in tandem with a hotel'"'"'s purchase management system in order to have call center transactions billed to a guest'"'"'s hotel bill.

10. A call-ordering system according to claim 9, wherein the call ordering system is adapted to be operated in tandem with a hotel'"'"'s networked TV system for guest in-room TVs, wherein the Match-Offers-to-Profiles processing module is enabled to send a video advertisement for an advertiser offer to be displayed on a guest'"'"'s in-room TV, and the guest has an option to respond by sending selection signals from a TV remote control unit via the hotel'"'"'s networked TV system for completing a network transaction.

11. A call-ordering method for ordering a transactable item in a call center transaction from a mobile phone, comprising:

(a) storing user profiles in a first database for each registered user for call-ordering including their identification data and a mobile phone number they designate to receive text messages for offers from advertisers of interest;

(b) storing records in a second database for each advertiser offer including offer data that are to be matched to profiles of users that have designated to receive text messages for advertiser offers;

(c) processing user profiles from the first database for matches to an advertiser offer from the second database and generating offer-match records for sending text messages to the mobile phone for matched users that include a direct inward dialed (DID) number for a user to respond to the advertiser offer;

(d) receiving an incoming call from the mobile phone of a responding user to the DID number for the advertiser offer, and based on a caller ID number for the incoming call retrieving identification data from the first database for the responding user, and based on the DID number to which the incoming call is directed retrieving offer data for the advertiser offer, and

(e) sending the caller identification data retrieved using the caller number for the incoming call and the offer data for the advertiser offer using the DID number to the call center associated with the advertiser offer and pushing the retrieved offer data to the call center'"'"'s terminal system for pre-filling a transaction record with user identification data and advertiser offer data for convenient completion of a transaction.

12. A call-ordering method for ordering a transactable item in a call center transaction from a mobile phone, comprising:

(a) storing user profiles in a first database for each registered user for call-ordering including their identification data and a mobile phone number they designate to receive text messages for offers from advertisers of interest;

(b) storing records in a second database for each advertiser offer including offer data that are to be matched to profiles of users that have designated to receive text messages for advertiser offers;

(c) processing user profiles from the first database for matches to the advertiser offer from the second database and generating offer-match records for sending text messages to the mobile phone numbers for matched users that include a direct inward dialed (DID) number for a user to respond to the advertiser offer;

(d) receiving an incoming call from the mobile phone of a responding user to the DID number for the advertiser offer, and based on a caller ID number for the incoming call retrieving the identification data from the first database for the responding user, and based on the DID number to which the incoming call is directed retrieving offer data for the advertiser offer, and

(e) routing the incoming call to the call center associated with the advertiser offer and pushing the retrieved data to the call center'"'"'s terminal system for pre-filling a transaction record with user identification data and the advertiser offer for convenient completion of a transaction,

which is adapted to send advertiser offers for visitor, recreational and sports activities to travelers visiting a given locale in a given time period, and wherein said first database is a Traveler Database of Traveler Profiles for registering users who are expected to be travelers.

13. A call-ordering method according to claim 12, wherein in the processing step advertiser offers are matched to traveler profiles in the Traveler Database and results in generation of OfferTravelerMatch records each containing a unique DID number for an advertiser offer and the mobile phone number of the traveler whose profile matches the offer, and each OfferTravelerMatch record enables an outgoing offer message to be sent to the mobile phone number of the traveler.

14. A call-ordering method according to claim 13, wherein in the processing step a traveler'"'"'s incoming call is received and the DID number and caller number are used to identify the OfferTravelerMatch record and retrieve the advertiser offer and traveler profile data, thereby enabling routing of the incoming call and retrieved data to the call center.

15. A call-ordering method according to claim 12, wherein an affiliate entity is enabled to add traveler profiles maintained by the affiliate entity to the Traveler Database for receiving advertiser offers, and the affiliate entity is one of the group consisting of:

an affiliate advertiser;

an affiliate website operator;

an affiliate travel website;

a hotel; and

an airline.

16. A call-ordering method according to claim 12, wherein the processing step employs a web push process to send the retrieved data to the call center'"'"'s terminal system for pre-filling a transaction profile record for completing a transaction.

17. A call-ordering method according to claim 12, wherein the processing step retrieves records for all active travelers in a given locale spanning a given offer period from the Traveler Database, then loops through each offer category of interest for each traveler to create an OfferTravelerMatch record for each offer to be sent to a traveler.

18. A call-ordering method according to claim 12, further comprising operating in tandem with a hotel guest registration system which registers and obtains identity information for traveler guests staying at the hotel.

19. A call-ordering method according to claim 18, wherein the operating step includes operating in tandem with the hotel'"'"'s purchase management system in order to have call center transactions billed to a guest'"'"'s hotel bill.

20. A call-ordering method according to claim 19, wherein the operating step includes operating in tandem with the hotel'"'"'s networked TV system for guest in-room TVs, wherein the processing step enables sending a video advertisement for an advertiser offer to be displayed on a guest'"'"'s in-room TV, and the guest has an option to respond by sending selection signals from a TV remote control unit via the hotel'"'"'s networked TV system for completing a network transaction.