Call routing apparatus

• US 8,583,508 B1
• Filed: 02/11/2013
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CallWave Communications, LLC
• Original Assignee: CallWave Communications, LLC
• Inventors: Trandal, David S., Brahm, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Airapetian, Mila
• Application Number:
  US13/764,191
• Time in Patent Office: 274 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks

Abstract

The present invention relates generally to telecommunications, and in particular to systems and methods for routing and placing telephone calls. In one embodiment, a call manager system is configured to place a call to a pay-per-call service, or to cause such a call to be placed by a user computer terminal, in response to a user initiating a purchase transaction over a computer network. In addition, the call may include billing information, such as the user'"'"'s phone number, which is provided to the pay-per-call service so that the user can be billed for the call in an appropriate amount.

Claims

1. A method of processing a billing transaction, comprising:

providing a software program for installation on a computing device associated with a subscriber, wherein the software program communicates with one or more network servers over a data network;

enabling the software program on the computing device associated with the subscriber to perform at least a first function at least partly in response to a user request;

querying, subsequent to enabling the software program to perform at least the first function, one or more databases on the one or more network servers over the data network to determine a subscriber'"'"'s current account balance;

at least partly in response to determining from the one or more database queries that the subscriber has an outstanding account balance,

notifying the subscriber of the outstanding account balance wherein the notification includes a user authorization request to place a charge for the outstanding account balance on a phone bill of the subscriber;

attempting by a billing transaction processing system to place the charge for the outstanding account balance on the phone bill of the subscriber;

determining by the billing transaction processing system if the charge was placed for the outstanding balance on the phone bill of the subscriber;

at least partly in response to determining that the charge was placed on the phone bill of the subscriber;

updating the subscriber'"'"'s account balance to reflect a payment associated with the placed charge on the phone bill of the subscriber,

notifying the subscriber of the payment,

at least partly in response to determining the charge was not placed on the phone bill of the subscriber;

notifying the subscriber that an alternate payment method other than placing a charge on the phone bill of the subscriber is required.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the user request is an application login request.

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

receiving at the billing transaction processing system a request to place the charge for the outstanding account balance on the phone bill of the subscriber based at least in part on the user authorization.

4. The method as defined in claim 3, wherein the request to place the charge for the outstanding account balance on the phone bill of the subscriber is received over the data network.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the alternate payment method is a credit card payment.

6. A method of processing a billing transaction, comprising:

providing a software program for installation on a computing device associated with a subscriber, wherein the software program communicates with a one or more network servers over a data network;

enabling the software program on the computing device associated with the subscriber to perform at least a first function at least partly at least partly in response to detecting a data network connection on the computing device;

querying, subsequent to enabling the software program to perform at least the first function, one or more databases on the one or more network servers over the data network connection to determine a subscriber'"'"'s current account balance;

at least partly in response to determining from the one or more database queries that the subscriber has an outstanding account balance;

notifying the subscriber of the outstanding account balance,

attempting by a billing transaction processing system to place a charge for the outstanding account balance on a phone bill of the subscriber;

determining whether the charge was placed for the outstanding account balance; and

at least partly in response to determining that the charge was placed for the outstanding account balance;

updating the subscriber'"'"'s account balance to reflect a payment associated with the placed charge,

notifying the subscriber of the payment associated with the placed charge on the phone bill of the subscriber,

at least partly in response to determining that the charge was not placed for the outstanding balance on the phone bill of the subscriber;

notifying the subscriber that a payment method other than phone billing is required.

7. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the outstanding account balance resulted from an online purchase for a good.

8. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the outstanding account balance resulted from an online purchase for a service.

9. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the computing device of the subscriber is a personal computer or a cell phone.

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

receiving at the billing transaction processing system a request to place the charge for the outstanding account balance on the phone bill of the subscriber based at least in part on a user purchase.

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

receiving at the billing transaction processing system a request to place the charge for the outstanding account balance on the phone bill of the subscriber based at least in part on the user authorization.

12. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the alternate payment method is a credit card payment.

13. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the detection of the data network connection is based at least in part on receiving a communication at the software program from the one or more networked servers.

14. A method of processing a billing transaction, comprising:

providing a software program for installation on a computing device associated with a subscriber wherein the software program communicates with a one or more network servers over a data network;

enabling the software program on the computing device associated with the subscriber to perform at least a first function at least partly at least partly in response to a user access request;

querying, subsequent to enabling the software program to perform at least the first function, one or more databases on the one or more network servers over the data network to determine a subscriber'"'"'s current account balance;

at least partly in response to determining from the one or more database queries that the subscriber has an outstanding account balance,

notifying the subscriber of the outstanding account balance;

attempting by a billing transaction processing system to charge the subscriber for the outstanding account balance;

determining whether the charge for the outstanding account balance succeeded; and

at least partly in response to determining the charge for the outstanding account balance succeeded;

updating the subscriber'"'"'s account balance to reflect the payment associated with the charge,

notifying the subscriber of the payment associated with the charge,

at least partly in response to determining the charge for the outstanding account balance failed;

notifying the subscriber that an alternative payment method other than the failed method is required.

15. The method as defined in claim 14, wherein the computing device of the subscriber is a personal computer or a cell phone.

16. The method as defined in claim 14, wherein the user access request is an application login request.

17. The method as defined in claim 14, the method further comprising:

receiving at the billing transaction processing system a request to place the charge for the outstanding account balance wherein the outstanding balance is based at least in part on a user purchase.

18. The method as defined in claim 14, the method further comprising:

receiving at the billing transaction processing system a request to place the charge for the outstanding account balance wherein the outstanding balance is based at least in part on the user authorization.

19. The method as defined in claim 18, wherein the request to place the charge for the outstanding account balance on the phone bill of the subscriber is received over the data network.

20. The method as defined in claim 14, wherein the alternate payment method is a credit card payment.