Community telephony brokerage system and techniques

• US 8,989,371 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2009
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kaufman, Amit
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohammed, Assad
• Application Number:
  US12/550,279
• Publication Number:
  US 20110051915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,034 Days
• Field of Search: 379111-1121
• US Class Current: 379/373.03
• 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 15/70 Administration or customization aspects; Counter-checking correct charges
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/765 Linked or grouped accounts, e.g. of users or devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/7652 shared by users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42008 Systems for anonymous communication between parties, e.g. by use of disposal contact identifiers

Abstract

A community telephony brokerage system (“CTBS”) and techniques for facilitating telephony communications (including but not limited to text messages, audible messages, multimedia messages, commands, and voice communications) between members of a virtual or real-life community are described. The CTBS operates in conjunction with any known or later developed communication application or service, such as an email application, a social networking application, a gaming application, a discussion forum application, a blogging application, or a subscription/publication application, to provide intra-community telephonic communications via community members'"'"' own electronic devices, in a manner that keeps community members'"'"' unique telephone numbers secret from other members, and preserves other desired levels of privacy and/or security established by the community and/or communication application.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating intra-community communications, the system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute one or more computer programs stored in the memory, the one or more computer programs comprising

one or more telephony interfaces responsive to receive and transmit telephonic communications via a telephony network, and

one or more application program interfaces responsive to receive programmatic calls from, and generate programmatic callbacks to, a communication application,

the one or more computer programs, when loaded into the processor, operable to perform a method comprising

identifying a community having a plurality of community members, the community members able to communicate via a user interface associated with the communication application, and at least some of the community members authorized to operate electronic devices configured for telephonic communication via unique telephone numbers designated for uniquely identifying telephonic communications by or to particular community members,

identifying a plurality of community telephone numbers, each of the plurality of community telephone numbers designated by the telephony network for non-exclusive use for intra-community communications,

identifying a quantity of the plurality of community telephone numbers,

via the user interface, receiving identification of one or more desired contacts for a particular community member, the one or more desired contacts comprising community members selected from among the plurality of community members,

for each desired contact, up to the quantity, who is authorized to operate an electronic device configured for telephonic communication via a unique contact telephone number, assigning to the particular community member a different community telephone number of the plurality of community telephone numbers, each different community telephone number of the plurality of community telephone numbers able to represent a single contact for each of the plurality of community members, a number of community members of the community unlimited by the quantity of the plurality of community telephone numbers,

keeping a record of the assignments,

when a particular assigned community telephone number for a particular contact of a particular community member is used by the particular community member to transmit a message to the particular contact,

when the message comprises a telephonic communication received from an electronic device configured for telephonic communication via a unique telephone number,

receiving the message via the one or more telephony interfaces,

based on the unique telephone number, identifying the particular community member authorized to operate the electronic device,

based on the particular community member, the particular assigned community telephone number, and the record of the assignments, identifying the particular contact,

based on the particular contact, identifying the electronic device operated by the particular contact and the unique contact telephone number of the identified electronic device,

via the one or more telephony interfaces, transmitting the telephonic communication to the electronic device via the unique contact telephone number, when the message is received via the communication application,

receiving the message via a programmatic call from the communication application to the one or more application program interfaces,

based on the record of the assignments, identifying the particular contact,

identifying the electronic device operated by the particular contact and the unique contact telephone number of the identified electronic device electronic device, and

via the one or more telephony interfaces, transmitting the message to the electronic device via the unique contact telephone number, the message transmitted from a community telephone number assigned to the particular contact to represent the particular community member.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein assigning to the particular community member a different community telephone number of the plurality of community telephone number for each desired contact comprises

via the one or more telephony interfaces, using an electronic business card to transmit a different community telephone number to the unique contact telephone number of each contact electronic device.

3. A computer-readable memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon for executing operations that facilitate intra-community communications, the operations comprising:

pre-assigning a plurality of mappings of a first virtual telephone number to respective receiving devices of a plurality of receiving devices, wherein

each of the plurality of mappings is associated to respective and specific initiating devices of a plurality of initiating devices;

receiving a request from a particular initiating device of the plurality of initiating devices to communicate with a particular receiving device of the plurality of receiving devices, wherein the request identifies the particular receiving device by the first virtual telephone number;

determining, based at least in part on an identity of the particular initiating device,

a particular mapping of the plurality of mappings that is associated with the particular receiving device;

determining, based at least in part on the determined particular mapping, another

telephone number of the particular receiving device; and

providing an indication of the request to the particular receiving device via the other telephone number.

4. The computer-readable memory of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving another request from another initiating device of the plurality of initiating devices to communicate with another receiving device of the plurality of receiving devices, the other request identifying the other receiving device by the first virtual telephone number;

determining, based at least in part on the identity of the other initiating device, another mapping of the plurality of mappings that is associated with the other receiving device;

determining, based at least in part on the determined other mapping, a carrier assigned telephone number of the other receiving device; and

providing another indication of the other request to the other receiving device via the carrier assigned telephone number.

5. The computer-readable memory of claim 3, wherein the request includes at least one of a text message to the particular receiving device, a multi-media message to the particular receiving device, and a request for voice communications with the particular receiving device.

6. The computer-readable memory of claim 3, wherein the plurality of receiving devices and the plurality of initiating devices are associated with an online social networking community or with an online gaming community.

7. The computer-readable memory of claim 3, wherein the other telephone number of the particular receiving device is a public switched telephone network (PSTN) telephone number.

8. The computer-readable memory of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a request from the particular receiving device of the plurality of receiving devices requesting no future communications from the particular initiating device; and

removing the particular mapping of the plurality of mappings that is associated with the particular receiving device.

9. The computer-readable memory of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing an electronic data record of the first virtual telephone number to the particular initiating device.

10. The computer-readable memory of claim 3, wherein the operations further comprise:

mapping a second virtual telephone number to the particular initiating device, wherein the mapping of the second virtual telephone number to the particular initiating device is specific to the particular receiving device; and

indicating to the particular receiving device that the request originated from the second virtual telephone number.

11. A method for facilitating intra--community communications, comprising:

pre-assigning, by a computing device of an online community, a plurality of mappings of a first intra-community telephone number to respective receiving devices of a plurality of receiving devices, wherein each of the plurality of mappings is associated to respective and specific initiating devices of a plurality of initiating devices;

receiving, by the computing device, a request from a particular initiating device of the plurality of initiating devices to communicate with a particular receiving device of the plurality of receiving devices, wherein the request identifies the particular receiving device by the first intra-community telephone number;

determining, based at least in part on an identity of the particular initiating device and the first intra-community telephone number, a particular mapping of the plurality of mappings that is associated with the first intra-community telephone number and the particular receiving device;

determining, based at least in part on the determined particular mapping, a non-community telephone number of the particular receiving device; and

providing, by the computing device, an indication of the request to the particular receiving device via the non-community telephone number of the particular receiving device.

12. The method claim 11, further comprising:

enabling bidirectional communications between the particular initiating device and the particular receiving device.

13. The method claim 11, wherein the request includes at least one of a text message to the particular receiving device, a multi-media message to the particular receiving device, and a request for voice communications with the particular receiving device.

14. The method claim 11, wherein the plurality of receiving devices and the plurality of initiating devices are associated with an online dating community.

15. The method claim 11, wherein the non-community telephone number of the particular receiving device is a telephone number assigned by a telephony service provider and is contactable via the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

16. The method claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a request from the particular receiving device to revoke an ability of the particular initiating device to contact the particular receiving device; and

removing the particular mapping of the plurality of mappings associated with the particular receiving device.

17. The method claim 11, further comprising:

providing an electronic data record of the first intra-community telephone number to the particular initiating device in an electronic contact card.

18. The method claim 11, further comprising:

mapping a second intra-community telephone number to the particular initiating device, wherein the mapping of the second intra-community telephone number to the particular initiating device is specific to the particular receiving device; and

indicating to the particular receiving device that the request originated from the second intra-community telephone number.

19. The method claim 11, wherein the first intra-community telephone number of each of the plurality of mappings is the same intra-community telephone number.

20. The method claim 11, wherein providing, the indication of the request to the particular receiving device via the other telephone number includes providing the indication according to user preferences established for the particular receiving device.