Connecting consumers with service providers

• US 8,738,727 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2008
• Issued: 05/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American Well Corporation (Amwell Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: American Well Corporation (Amwell Incorporated)
• Inventors: Schoenberg, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Application Number:
  US12/264,524
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063188A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,030 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2455 Query execution
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/562 Brokering proxy services

Abstract

A request is received from a consumer of services to consult with a service provider having a service provider profile that satisfies at least some attributes in a set of attributes that define a suitable service provider; an available service provider satisfying at least some of the attributes in the set of attributes is identified; and a communication channel is provided to establish a communication between the consumer of services and the identified service provider.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

establishing by a computer system a text based communication channel between a consumer and a service provider;

generating information for a graphical user interface that when rendered on a display device depicts an indicator of availability of the service provider for a phone conversation with the consumer, with the indicator either indicating that the service provider is available for the phone conversation or indicating that the service provider is unavailable for the phone conversation;

receiving, by the computer system, a telephone number provided by the consumer through the graphical user interface; and

establishing, using the telephone number provided by the consumer, a telephonic communication channel between a device of the service provider and a device of the consumer;

wherein the computer system is operable to perform first operations and second operations;

wherein the first operations comprise;

providing a first authentication number to the consumer;

receiving an input from the consumer; and

verifying the consumer'"'"'s identity by comparing the first authentication number to the received input;

wherein the second operations comprise;

providing a second authentication number to the provider;

receiving an input from the provider; and

verifying the provider'"'"'s identity by comparing the second authentication number to the received input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the telephonic communication channel comprises:

enabling the consumer to provide an availability indication; and

initiating a telephone conference between the device of the consumer and the device of the provider when the availability indication for the consumer indicates that the consumer is available.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the device of the service provider comprises one or more of a telephonic device and a personal computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the device of the consumer comprises one or more of a telephonic device and a personal computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator of availability comprises a visual indicator.

6. One or more machine-readable hardware storage devices storing instructions that are executable by one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising:

establishing a text based communication channel between a consumer and a service provider;

generating information for a graphical user interface that when rendered on a display device depicts an indicator of availability of the service provider for a phone conversation with the consumer, with the indicator either indicating that the service provider is available for the phone conversation or indicating that the service provider is unavailable for the phone conversation;

receiving, by the computer system, a telephone number provided by the consumer through the graphical user interface; and

establishing, using the telephone number provided by the consumer, a telephonic communication channel between a device of the service provider and a device of the consumer;

wherein the one or more processing devices are operable to perform first operations and second operations;

wherein the first operations comprise;

providing a first authentication number to the consumer;

receiving an input from the consumer; and

verifying the consumer'"'"'s identity by comparing the first authentication number to the received input;

wherein the second operations comprise;

providing a second authentication number to the provider;

receiving an input from the provider; and

verifying the provider'"'"'s identity by comparing the second authentication number to the received input.

7. The one or more machine-readable hardware storage devices of claim 6, wherein establishing the telephonic communication channel comprises:

enabling the consumer to provide an availability indication; and

initiating a telephone conference between the device of the consumer and the device of the provider when the availability indication for the consumer indicates that the consumer is available.

8. The one or more machine-readable hardware storage devices of claim 6, wherein the device of the service provider comprises one or more of a telephonic device and a personal computing device.

9. The one or more machine-readable hardware storage devices of claim 6, wherein the device of the consumer comprises one or more of a telephonic device and a personal computing device.

10. The one or more machine-readable hardware storage devices of claim 6, wherein the indicator of availability comprises a visual indicator.

11. An electronic system comprising:

one or more processing devices; and

one or more machine-readable hardware storage devices storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising;

establishing a text based communication channel between a consumer and a service provider;

generating information for a graphical user interface that when rendered on a display device depicts an indicator of availability of the service provider for a phone conversation with the consumer, with the indicator either indicating that the service provider is available for the phone conversation or indicating that the service provider is unavailable for the phone conversation;

receiving, by the computer system, a telephone number provided by the consumer through the graphical user interface; and

establishing, using the telephone number provided by the consumer, a telephonic communication channel between a device of the service provider and a device of the consumer;

wherein the one or more processing devices are operable to perform first operations and second operations;

wherein the first operations comprise;

providing a first authentication number to the consumer;

receiving an input from the consumer; and

verifying the consumer'"'"'s identity by comparing the first authentication number to the received input;

wherein the second operations comprise;

providing a second authentication number to the provider;

receiving an input from the provider; and

verifying the provider'"'"'s identity by comparing the second authentication number to the received input.

12. The electronic system of claim 11, wherein establishing the telephonic communication channel comprises:

enabling the consumer to provide an availability indication; and

initiating a telephone conference between the device of the consumer and the device of the provider when the availability indication for the consumer indicates that the consumer is available.

13. The electronic system of claim 11, wherein the device of the service provider comprises one or more of a telephonic device and a personal computing device.

14. The electronic system of claim 11, wherein the device of the consumer comprises one or more of a telephonic device and a personal computing device.

15. The electronic system of claim 11, wherein the indicator of availability comprises a visual indicator.