Methods and systems for call processing and for providing call progress status over a network

• US 8,755,503 B1
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: CallWave Communications, LLC
• Original Assignee: CallWave Communications, LLC
• Inventors: Kirchhoff, Leland, Trandal, David S., Giannini, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S
• Application Number:
  US13/797,149
• Time in Patent Office: 462 Days
• Field of Search: 370352-356, 379/67.1, 379/201.01, 379/201.02, 379/210.01, 379/216.01, 379/265.09, 455/66.1, 455/414.1, 455/466, 715/700, 725/37
• US Class Current: 379/201.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1045 Proxies, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4038 with floor control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/252 where a voice mode is enhanced with visual information
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/12 intelligent networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/203 composed of PSTN and data network, e.g. the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0033 Notification or handling of incoming calls by a computer

Abstract

The present invention is related to telecommunications, and in particular, to methods and systems for call processing. By way of example, a first call control is visually provided via a Web page in association with search results transmitted to a user computer system, wherein the user submitted to search request to a search engine. An indication is received that the user activated the first call control. A first call is placed to a telephonic address selected by the user. A second call is placed to a telephonic address associated with the first call control. Progress information related to the second call is transmitted to the user computer system in substantially real-time.

Claims

1. A method of processing a call request paced via a Web page user interface, the method comprising:

causing, at least in part, a Web page to be transmitted for display to a first networked computing device associated with a user at least partly in response to a user request, wherein the Web page includes a first telephonic address;

receiving at a call processing system a first call directed to the first telephonic address from the user via a telephonic device;

placing a second call to a second telephonic address associated with the first telephonic address;

bridging the first call and the second call;

after the first call is received, causing, at least in part, a Web page identifier to be transmitted over a data network to a client application hosted on a second networked computing device for display to a party at a call center associated with the second telephonic address,

wherein the Web page identifier is associated with the Web page transmitted for display to the first networked computing device associated with the user;

transmitting information regarding a dynamically determined location of the user, without manual provision of the location by the user, to the second networked computing device associated with the party at the call center while the first call is in progress.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the Web page identifier includes a link to the Web page transmitted to the first networked computing device associated with the user.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the Web page identifier includes the Web page transmitted to the first networked computing device associated with the user.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising providing call queue position information and/or an estimated queue wait time to the user.

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

determining whether the second call is answered within a first period of time or after a first number of rings;

at least partly in response to determining that the second call is not answered within the first period of time or after the first number of rings,

providing a user interface via which the user can indicate that a callback call to the user is to be placed during a user-specified time.

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

providing a menu of user telephonic destinations to the user via which the user can indicate to which of the user telephonic destinations a third call is to be placed, wherein the menu is provided at least partly in response to the user activating a control associated with an advertisement displayed with the Web page transmitted to the first networked computing device associated with the user.

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

providing a menu of user telephonic destinations to the user via which the user can indicate to which of the user telephonic destinations a third call is to be placed, wherein the menu is provided at least partly in response to the user activating a control associated with the Web page transmitted to the first networked computing device associated with a user.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, wherein the menu includes two or more telephonic destinations including at least one of the following telephonic destinations:

a wireless telephonic device address;

a landline telephonic address;

or

a telephonic address associated with a packet network.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein activation of a first call control accessible via the first networked computing device causes, at least in part, the first telephonic address to be transmitted to a computer system associated with the Web page display.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising causing, at least in part, information regarding an advertisement associated with a first call control to be displayed via the second networked computing device.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, the method further comprising causing, at least in part, a user interface to be provided for display on the second networked computing device, the user interface configured to receive a call transfer instruction and/or a call conference instruction.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein a first call control is displayed in association with a merchant advertisement, the method further comprising causing, at least in part, the merchant to be charged for the merchant advertisement and/or the placing of a call resulting from activation of the first call control.

13. A method of processing a call request paced via a Web page user interface, the method comprising:

causing, at least in part, a Web page to be transmitted for display to a first networked computing device associated with a user at least partly in response to a user request;

providing, for display on the first networked computing device, a menu of one or more user telephonic destinations associated with the user via which the user can indicate to which of the one or more user telephonic destinations a first call is to be placed, wherein the menu is provided at least partly in response to the user activating a control associated with the Web page;

at least partly in response to the user selecting a first telephonic destination from the menu,

originating at a call processing system a first call to a first telephonic address wherein the first telephonic address is associated with the first telephonic destination, and

originating a second call to a second telephonic address associated with the Web page transmitted to the first networked computing device associated with the user;

bridging the first call and the second call;

after the first call is originated, causing, at least in part, a Web page identifier to be transmitted over a data network to a client application on a second networked computing device for display to a party that answers the second call, wherein the Web page identifier is associated with the Web page transmitted to the first networked computing device for display to the user;

causing, at least in part, information associated with the first telephonic address to be transmitted for display via the second networked computing device associated with the party that answers the second call;

transmitting information regarding a dynamically determined location of the user, without manual provision of the location by the user, to the second networked computing device associated with the party that answers the second call.

14. The method as defined in claim 13, wherein the Web page identifier includes a link to the Web page transmitted to the first networked computing device associated with the user.

15. The method as defined in claim 13, the method further comprising providing call queue position information and/or an estimated queue wait time to the user.

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

determining whether the second call is answered within a first period of time or after a first number of rings;

at least partly in response to determining that the second call is not answered within the first period of time or after the first number of rings,

providing a user interface via which the user can indicate that a callback call to the user is to be placed during a user-specified time.

17. The method as defined in claim 13, the method further comprising causing, at least in part, information regarding an advertisement associated with a first call control to be displayed via the second networked computing device associated with the party that answers the second call.

18. The method as defined in claim 13, the method further comprising causing, at least in part, a user interface to be provided to the party that answers the second call, via which the party can provide a call transfer instruction and/or a call conference instruction.

19. The method as defined in claim 13, wherein a first call control is displayed in association with a merchant advertisement, wherein the merchant is charged for the merchant advertisement and/or the placing of a call resulting from activation of the first call control.

20. A system comprising:

at least one computer processor; and

a non-transitory memory embodied with a computer program comprising instructions which when executed by the at least one computer processor causes the system to perform operations comprising;

causing, at least in part, a Web page including a first telephonic address to be transmitted to a first networked computing device associated with a user at least partly in response to a user request;

receiving a first call directed to the first telephonic address from the user via a telephonic device;

placing a second call to a second telephonic address associated with the first telephonic address;

bridging the first call and the second call;

after the first call is received, causing, at least in part, a Web page identifier to be transmitted over a data network to a client application hosted on a second networked computing device for display to a party at a call center associated with the second telephonic address, wherein the Web page identifier is associated with the Web page transmitted to the first networked computing device associated with the user;

transmitting information regarding a dynamically determined location of the user, without manual provision of the location by the user, to the second networked computing device associated with the party at the call center while the first call is in progress.