Method and apparatus for content presentation in association with a telephone call

• US 8,804,930 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vusura Technology LLC
• Original Assignee: Wendell Brown
• Inventors: Brown, Wendell D.
• Primary Examiner(s): SING, SIMON P
• Application Number:
  US14/041,879
• Time in Patent Office: 316 Days
• Field of Search: 37926501-2661, 379/114.13
• US Class Current: 379/114.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/00 Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72439 for image or video messaging
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/61 based on the service used
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8351 before establishing a communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8353 during the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8355 after the end of the communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/846 optical, e.g. icon
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/848 Tone, e.g. beeper
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/6054 Biometric subscriber identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7231 by SIM, e.g. smart card account in SCP, SDP or SN
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/30 Determination of the location of a subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42051 where the notification is included in the ringing tone
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4365 : based on information specified by the calling party, e.g. priority or subject
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 : Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0036 : where the data service is an information service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0051 : where the data service is a multimedia messaging service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 : Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 : Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 : Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 : for social networking applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/23 : for mobile advertising

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for presenting multimedia content to a caller and/or a called party in association with a telephone call. Content may be presented pre-ring (before the called party'"'"'s telephone rings), in-call and/or post-call. Content presented to a party may be related to another party participating in the call or may be related to a third party (e.g., an advertiser that paid for the ability to have its content presented). Presented content may be actuable, and allow a caller to change the destination of a call, take advantage of an offer presented to him, redeem a coupon, schedule or queue a subsequent call, etc. To find a desired destination party, a caller may initiate a manual or automatic search of his local contacts (on his telephone) and/or a central or global directory or contact list.

Claims

1. A method of controlling presentation of content on a communication device, the method comprising:

receiving electronic notification of initiation of a call from the communication device to a called party, wherein the communication device is operated by a caller;

transmitting a signal to the communication device to delay dialing the call, without soliciting action by the caller;

transmitting to one or both of the communication device and the called party a pre-ring set of multimedia content to be displayed before the call rings at the called party;

establishing a voice connection between the caller and an agent representing the called party; and

during the voice connection;

identifying an in-call set of multimedia content; and

transmitting the in-call set of multimedia content toward the communication device;

wherein the communication device displays the in-call set of multimedia content before termination of the voice connection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying the pre-ring set of multimedia content based on an identity of the communication device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the communication device is identified by a telephone number.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the agent is a human agent; and

the in-call set of multimedia content is identified by the human agent, based on a conversation between the human agent and the caller.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the called party is a commercial organization; and

the in-call set of multimedia content graphically depicts a current transaction between the caller and the commercial organization.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the called party is a commercial organization; and

the in-call set of multimedia content comprises an illustration of a product offered to the caller by the commercial organization.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the called party is a commercial organization; and

the in-call set of multimedia content comprises one or more illustrations of configuration options for a product offered to the caller by the commercial organization.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising, during the voice connection:

prompting the caller for payment information; and

receiving at the called party, from the communication device, a second in-call set of multimedia content comprising the payment information, wherein the second in-call set of multimedia content is not conveyed via the voice connection.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting toward the communication device a post-call set of multimedia content to be displayed after termination of the voice connection.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the in-call set of multimedia content comprises an actuable control; and

the post-call set of multimedia content is selected for transmission to the communication device based on actuation of the actuable control.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

querying the communication device to determine if the communication device stores content to be presented to the called party; and

if the communication device stores content to be presented to the called party, retrieving the content and displaying the content to the agent.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of controlling presentation of content on a communication device, the method comprising:

receiving electronic notification of initiation of a call from the communication device to a called party, wherein the communication device is operated by a caller;

transmitting a signal to the communication device to delay dialing the call, without soliciting action by the caller;

transmitting to one or both of the communication device and the called party a pre-ring set of multimedia content to be displayed before the call rings at the called party;

establishing a voice connection between the caller and an agent representing the called party; and

during the voice connection;

identifying an in-call set of multimedia content; and

transmitting the in-call set of multimedia content toward the communication device;

wherein the communication device displays the in-call set of multimedia content before termination of the voice connection.

13. A system for controlling presentation of content on a communication device external to the system, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to;

receive electronic notification of a call from the communication device to a called party, wherein the communication device is operated by a caller;

transmit a signal to the communication device to delay dialing the call without soliciting action by the caller;

transmit to one or both of the communication device and the called party a pre-ring set of multimedia content to be displayed before the call rings at the called party;

establish a voice connection between the caller and an agent representing the called party; and

during the voice connection;

identify an in-call set of multimedia content; and

transmit the in-call set of multimedia content toward the communication device;

wherein the communication device displays the in-call set of multimedia content before termination of the voice connection.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:

identify the pre-ring set of multimedia content based on an identity of the communication device.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the agent is a human agent; and

the in-call set of multimedia content is identified by the human agent, based on a conversation between the human agent and the caller.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the called party is a commercial organization; and

the in-call set of multimedia content graphically depicts a current transaction between the caller and the commercial organization.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the called party is a commercial organization; and

the in-call set of multimedia content comprises an illustration of a product offered to the caller by the commercial organization.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein:

the called party is a commercial organization; and

the in-call set of multimedia content comprises one or more illustrations of configuration options for a product offered to the caller by the commercial organization.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to, during the voice connection:

prompt the caller for payment information; and

receive at the called party, from the communication device, a second in-call set of multimedia content comprising the payment information, wherein the second in-call set of multimedia content is not conveyed via the voice connection.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:

transmit toward the communication device a post-call set of multimedia content to be displayed after termination of the voice connection.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein:

the in-call set of multimedia content comprises an actuable control; and

the post-call set of multimedia content is selected for transmission to the communication device based on actuation of the actuable control.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:

query the communication device to determine if the communication device stores content to be presented to the called party; and

if the communication device stores content to be presented to the called party, retrieve the content and displaying the content to the agent.