Web-type audio information system using phone communication lines (audio net pages)

• US 8,582,728 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2009
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Freddie B. Ross
• Original Assignee: Freddie B. Ross
• Inventors: Ross, Freddie B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brandt, Christopher M
• Application Number:
  US12/387,518
• Publication Number:
  US 20090279678A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,653 Days
• Field of Search: 379/88.13, 379/93.01, 379/93.12, 379/93.13, 379/93.23, 379/93.25, 379/88.17
• US Class Current: 379/88.17
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1096 Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/56 Arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities video conference systems H04N7/15

Abstract

A web-type audio information system using phone communication lines including a computer based host accessible to phones, supporting multiple indexed stored audio information segments, wherein the content of the segments are substantially selected and supplied by multiple independent subscribers, and the host supports an interactive directory system providing for connecting a phone line with an audio segment in accordance with supplied segment identification.

Claims

1. An audio information system, using phone communication lines (PCL), the system characterized by offering extensive information to anyone with a telephone and access to a public PCL (unregistered caller,) the information selected and stored on a host by independent and unrelated content providers distinct from the host (subscribers), the system comprising:

a computer based host of the system accessible to phones for telephony communication through a public PCL connection independently of Internet Service Providers (ISP'"'"'s);

the host supporting multiple indexed stored audio information segments (SAIS) available for playback to multiple unregistered callers;

content of the segments substantially selected and supplied and stored by multiple independent subscribers, wherein the segments contain information related to at least one of consumer items for sale, general public interest content, entity information, and educational content; and

a host supported interactive directory system (IDS), the directory system providing for connecting an unregistered caller'"'"'s phone through a PCL connection with an audio segment stored by a subscriber, in accordance with segment identification supplied over said phone line connection, for at least audio segment playback to the caller phone, the caller phone unrelated to the subscriber.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the segments contain information related to at least two of consumer items for sale, general public interest content, entity information, and educational content.

3. The system of claim 1 including the host supporting some information available for playback only to registered callers.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein segment content is supplied by a subscriber from a phone by telephony through a PCL connection.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the telephony communication through a PCL connection is through a toll-free number and/or a three-digit extension.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein segment identification is supplied from a phone by telephony through a PCL connection using a phone keypad.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the host supports a plurality of domains, at least some domains controlled by subscribers, and the plurality of domains includes at least one of a general public information domain, a public subscriber domain, a private subscriber domain, and an audio classified domain.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the host supports a general public information domain that includes audio segments related to at least one of weather, news, and traffic.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the general public information domains includes audio segments related to at least one of sermons, entertainment, and public alerts.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the interactive directory system includes two tiers, including a first tier host driven directory system and a second tier at least in part subscriber driven directory system.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the second tier subscriber driven directory system is a function of information supplied by a subscriber.

12. A method for providing an audio information system offering extensive information to anyone with a telephone and access to a public phone communication line (unregistered caller), the information selected and stored on a host by independent and unrelated content providers distinct from the host (subscribers), the method comprising:

providing a computer based host for the audio information system accessible to phones through a public telephony PCL connection independently of Internet Service Providers (ISP'"'"'s);

supporting multiple indexed stored audio information segments (SAIS) on said host available for playback to multiple unregistered callers, wherein segment content is substantially selected and supplied and stored by multiple independent subscribers, the segments containing information related to at least one of consumer items for sale, general public interest content, entity information, and educational content; and

supporting an interactive directory system, the directory system providing for connecting an unregistered caller'"'"'s phone through a phone communication line (PCL) connection with an audio segment stored by a subscriber in accordance with segment identification supplied over said phone line connection, for at least audio segment playback to the caller phone, the caller phone unrelated to the subscriber.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the segments contain information related to at least two of consumer items for sale, general public interest content, entity information, and educational content.

14. The method of claim 12 including the host supporting some information available for playback only to registered callers.

15. The method of claim 12 including selecting segment content by supplying segment identification over a PCL connection using a phone key pad.

16. The method of claim 12 including effecting the telephony PCL connection through a toll-free number and/or a three-digit extension.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein segment identification is supplied from a phone by telephony through a PCL connection using a phone keypad.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the host supports a plurality of domains, at least some domains controlled by subscribers, and the plurality includes at least one of a general public information domain, a public subscriber domain, a private subscriber domain, and an audio classified domain.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the host supports a general public information domain that includes audio segments related to at least one of weather, news, and traffic.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the general public information domains includes audio segments related to at least one of sermons, entertainment, and public alerts.

21. The method of claim 12 including providing the interactive directory system with two tiers, including a first tier host driven directory system and a second tier subscriber driven directory system.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the second tier subscriber driven directory system is a function of information supplied by a subscriber.

23. A method for managing, by a host computer, audio content as supplied by multiple independent unrelated content providers distinct from the host (subscribers,) offering extensive audio communication to anyone with a telephone and access to a phone communication line (unregistered caller), the information selected and stored on the host by subscribers, the method comprising:

providing the computer based host accessible to unregistered callers'"'"' phones by public telephony phone communication line (PCL) connection independently of Internet Service Providers (ISP'"'"'s);

enabling subscribers to supply audio content for stored segments via said PCL connection, wherein the segments contain information related to at least one of consumer items for sale, general public interest content, entity information, and educational content;

indexing the stored segments; and

connecting a caller phone to a segment in accordance with caller supplied segment identification.

24. The method of claim 23 including the PCL Connection using a toll-free number and/or three-digit extension.

25. The method of claim 23 including providing the stored audio segments interactive functionality wherein the interactive functionality enables at least once recording a caller response.

26. The method of claim 25 including storing and indexing the caller response and enabling playback to a plurality of subsequent callers.

27. A system for managing, by a host computer, audio content supplied by multiple independent subscribers, the system offering extensive information to anyone with a telephone and access to a public phone communication line (unregistered caller), the information selected and stored on a host by independent and unrelated content providers distinct from the host (subscribers,) the system comprising:

the computer based host accessible by phone through a public phone communication line (PCL) connection independently of Internet Service Providers (ISP'"'"'s);

the host supporting navigable subscriber domains-accessible by unregistered callers of the system, wherein the domains contain stored audio content segments, the segments containing information selected by the subscribers and related to at least one of consumer items for sale, general public interest content, entity information, and educational content; and

the stored audio content segments supplied by phone via a telephony PCL connection by the subscribers.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the telephony PCL connection is through a toll-free number and/or a three-digit extension.

29. The system of claim 27 including the host providing the stored audio segments interactive functionality wherein the interactive functionality enables at least once recording a caller response.

30. The system of claim 29 including the host storing and indexing the caller response and enabling playback to a plurality of subsequent callers.