Method and system for providing directory assistance to erroneous telephone calls via wearable devices

• US 8,913,732 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2014
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blake Bookstaff
• Original Assignee: Blake Bookstaff
• Inventors: Bookstaff, Blake
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong, Harry S
• Application Number:
  US14/247,188
• Publication Number:
  US 20140220945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 253 Days
• Field of Search: 379/201.01, 379/204.01, 379/211.01, 379/212.01, 379/213.01, 379/218.01
• US Class Current: 379/218.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4874 Intercept announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/52 Arrangements for routing dead number calls to operators
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A method and system for providing directory assistance to erroneous calls via location wearable devices. The method and system includes an intercept system that intercepts erroneous calls from a location aware wearable device and automatically routes them to a directory assistance service. The directory assistance service provides a least one advertisement and a variety of other services to the callers using current caller data and to one or more alternative numbers for the caller based in part on a determined physical location of the location aware wearable network device.

Claims

1. A system for deriving information associated with an unavailable telephone number or subscriber number and providing said information to a caller attempting to place a telephone call to said unavailable telephone number or subscriber number, the system comprising in combination:

a location aware wearable network device with one or more processors, wherein the location ware wearable network device is capable of automatically determining its current physical location;

an intercept system coupled to a directory assistance service, wherein the intercept system intercepts the telephone call made by the location aware wearable network device, on a telephony network to the unavailable number before initiating any action by the telephony network back to the caller, wherein the unavailable number includes non-existent numbers or numbers not implemented on the telephony network;

the directory assistance service, wherein the directory assistance and at least one advertisement are selected based on previously collected caller information and a determined physical location of the location aware wearable network device; and

one or more information services coupled to the directory assistance service, wherein the directory assistance service uses the one or more information services to search for information about the unavailable number and the caller'"'"'s number to provide additional information and advertising to the caller at the caller'"'"'s number and one or more other alternative numbers associated with the caller'"'"'s number from the one or more information sources external to the telephony network, one or more information sources internal to the telephony network and the determined physical location of the location aware wearable network device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the intercept system coupled to the directory assistance service comprises:

for intercepting the telephone call made to the unavailable telephone number;

for routing the telephone call to the directory assistance service; and

for providing at least one advertisement to the caller a the caller'"'"'s number and one or more alternative numbers associated with the caller'"'"'s number.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more alternative numbers associated with the caller'"'"'s number include an alternative voice number, facsimile number, mobile phone number, electronic table number, text messaging identifier, instant messaging identifier or a social media identifier.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the one or more information services resides within the intercept system and wherein each of the one or more information services is selected from the group consisting of:

a) a business subscriber information service coupled to the directory assistance system;

b) a white page database service coupled to the directory assistance system;

c) a yellow pages database service coupled to the directory assistance system;

d) a business intelligence database service coupled to the directory assistance system;

e) a rule-based expert system service coupled to the directory assistance service;

f) an Internet search service coupled to the directory assistance system; and

g) an alternative number database service coupled to the directory assistance system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the intercept system is further coupled to one or more additional database services selected from the group consisting of:

a) a business subscriber information service;

b) a white page database service;

c) a yellow pages database service;

d) a business intelligence database service;

e) a rule-based expert system service;

f) an Internet search service; and

g) an alternative number database service.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the directory assistance service is coupled to the one or more additional database services and wherein a plurality of the one or more additional database services includes information derived from a telephone number.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the information derived from a telephone number comprises:

listing name;

listing address;

listing geographic location;

listing business category;

listing call frequency;

one or more alternative numbers for the caller'"'"'s number.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the directory assistance service contains entries for businesses are located by business location and business category.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the entries for businesses are located by business location and business category include businesses accepting referrals offered to callers attempting to place a telephone call to an unavailable business telephone number.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the businesses accepting referrals offered to callers attempting to place a telephone call to an unavailable business telephone number comprise businesses paying for receiving said referrals.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the entries for businesses able to be located by business location and business category represent businesses represented by the caller'"'"'s business telephone number.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the telephony network is a cloud computing network comprising one or more one or more public communication networks, one or more private networks, one or more community networks and one or more hybrid networks.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein cloud computing network offers a cloud computing Infrastructure as a cloud Service (IaaS), a cloud computing Platform, as a cloud Service (PaaS) or offers Specific cloud electronic directory assistance and advertising services as a cloud Service (SaaS) including a cloud software service, wherein the IaaS, PaaS and SaaS include one or more of electronic advertising and directory assistance services comprising networking, storage, server network device, virtualization, operating system, middleware, run-time, data or application services, or plural combinations thereof, on the cloud computing network.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the location aware wearable network device includes wearable bracelets, clothing, fitness trackers, health trackers, glasses, jewelry and watches.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the physical location of the location aware wearable network device is determined with Global Positioning System (GPS) location information, latitude and longitude information, Cartesian coordinate grid information, ellipsoid coordinate grid information, hardware address location information or Internet Protocol (IP) address location of the location aware wearable network device.

16. A method for deriving information associated with an unavailable telephone number or subscriber number and providing said information to a caller attempting to place a telephone call to said unavailable telephone number or subscriber number, comprising the steps of:

automatically detecting a caller'"'"'s telephone call from a location aware wearable network device with one or more processors, at a physical location determined by the location aware wearable network device, to an unavailable number on a telephony network;

automatically intercepting the telephone call on the telephony network to the unavailable number before initiating any action by the telephony network back to the caller using the location aware wearable network device, wherein the unavailable number includes non-existent numbers or numbers not implemented on the telephony network;

automatically routing the detected and intercepted telephone call to an automatic intercept system associated with a directory assistance service;

automatically routing the detected and intercepted telephone call from the automatic intercept system to the directory assistance service;

automatically providing directory assistance to the caller at the location aware wearable network device at a caller'"'"'s telephone number and one or more mother other alternative telephone numbers;

automatically determining information associated with the unavailable telephone number;

automatically determining directory assistance information associated with the determined physical location of the location aware wearable network device; and

automatically providing directory assistance and advertising information associated with the unavailable telephone subscriber to the location aware wearable network device, wherein the directory assistance is selected based on referral fees paid by advertisers and other service providers and the determined physical location of the location ware wearable network device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the telephony network is a cloud computing network comprising one or more one or more public communication networks, one or more private networks, one or more community networks and one or more hybrid networks, wherein cloud computing network offers a cloud computing Infrastructure as a cloud Service (IaaS), a cloud computing Platform, as a cloud Service (PaaS) or offers Specific cloud electronic directory assistance and advertising services as a cloud Service (SaaS) including a cloud software service, wherein the IaaS, PaaS and SaaS include one or more of electronic advertising and directory assistance services comprising networking, storage, server network device, virtualization, operating system, middleware, run-time, data or application services, or plural combinations thereof, on the cloud computing network.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the one or more alternative numbers associated with the caller'"'"'s number include an alternative voice number, facsimile number, one or more mobile phone numbers, electronic table number, text messaging identifier, instant messaging identifier, a social media identifier, a “

Wireless Fidelity”

(WiFi) identifier or a “

Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access”

(WiMAX) identifier.

19. A method for deriving information associated with an unavailable telephone number or subscriber, comprising:

automatically detecting a physical location of a location of a aware wearable device with one or more processors;

automatically detecting a caller'"'"'s telephone call with a caller number from the location aware wearable network device to an unavailable number for a business on a telephony network;

automatically intercepting the telephone call on the telephony network to the unavailable number before initiating any action by the telephony network back to the location aware wearable network device and the caller, wherein the unavailable number includes non-existent numbers or numbers not implemented on the telephony network;

automatically routing the detected and intercepted telephone call to an automatic intercept system associated with a directory assistance service;

automatically routing the detected and intercepted telephone call from the automatic intercept system to the directory assistance service;

automatically searching for information about the unavailable number and prior calls made from caller number and the determined physical location of the location aware wearable network device from the directory assistance service via one or more information services;

automatically providing additional directory assistance information and advertising information to the location aware wearable network device and the caller at the caller number caller and one or more other alternative numbers associated with the caller number from the one or more information sources external to the telephony network and one or more information sources internal to the telephony network, wherein the directory assistance and advertising information includes information for other businesses within a pre-determined distance of the determined physical location of the location aware wearable network device.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

automatically detecting the unavailable number for the business from the location aware wearable network device; and

automatically initiating from the location aware wearable network device the telephone call to the automatically detected unavailable number.