Methods and apparatus to provide contact management with directory assistance

• US 9,270,821 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2013
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pearson, Larry B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pope, Kharye
• Application Number:
  US13/916,173
• Publication Number:
  US 20130272517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 379/114, 379/218, 379/121, 379/126, 379/114.01, 379/114.28, 379/218.01, 379/218.02, 379/121.01, 379/121.04, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/357
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4933 with operator assistance

Abstract

Methods and an apparatus for providing contact management with directory assistance. An example method includes obtaining, via a processor, a billing record generated to track usage of a directory assistance service by a caller, the billing record comprising a first data object conveyed to the caller in association with the usage of the directory assistance service; querying, via the processor, a first directory with the first data object of the billing record to obtain listing information associated with the first data object; and conveying a contact record including the obtained listing information to a device associated with the caller.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining, via a directory assistance processor, a first data object from a billing record generated to track usage of a directory assistance service by a caller during a call to the directory assistance service, the first data object having been retrieved by the directory assistance service via a first query performed during the call, the first data object having been conveyed to the caller by the directory assistance service during the call;

performing, via the directory assistance processor and after completion of the call, a second query of a first directory using the first data object of the billing record to obtain listing information associated with the first data object, the first query and the second query being different queries; and

transferring, via the directory assistance processor, a contact record including the listing information obtained from the first directory to a device associated with the caller prior to a follow-up call, by the caller, to the directory assistance service for the contact record.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the billing record further includes a second data object associated with the caller, and further including storing the listing information in a second directory in association with the second data object.

3. The method of claim 2, further including querying a second directory with the second data object to identify user records associated with the second data object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing of the second query of the first directory using the first data object includes querying the first directory with a telephone number provided to the caller during the usage of the directory assistance service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the device associated with the caller includes a cellular phone.

16. The method of claim 1, further including storing the contact record in a second directory associated with the caller, and providing access to the contact record stored in the second directory to the device via an electronic interface.

6. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory including machine readable instructions; and

a directory assistance processor to execute the instructions to perform operations including;

obtaining a first data object from a billing record which tracks usage of a directory assistance service by a caller during a call to the directory assistance service, the first data object having been retrieved by the directory assistance service via a first query performed during the call, the first data object having been conveyed to the caller by the directory assistance service during the call;

performing, after completion of the call, a second query of a first directory using the first data object of the billing record to obtain listing information associated with the first data object, the first query being a different query than the second query; and

transferring a contact record including the listing information obtained from the first directory to a device associated with the caller without receiving a follow-up call to the directory assistance service for the contact record from the caller.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the billing record further includes a second data object associated with the caller, and the operations further include storing the listing information in a second directory in association with the second data object.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the operations further include querying a second directory with the second data object to identify user records associated with the second data object.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the performing of the second query of the first directory using the first data object includes querying the first directory with a telephone number provided to the caller during the usage of the directory assistance service.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the device associated with the caller includes a voice over Internet Protocol telephone.

17. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the operations further include storing the contact record in a second directory associated with the caller, and providing access to the contact record stored in the second directory to the device via an electronic interface.

11. A tangible machine readable storage device including instructions that, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

obtaining a first data object from a billing record generated to track usage of a directory assistance service by a caller during a call to the directory assistance service, the first data object having been retrieved by the directory assistance service via a first query performed during the call, the first data object having been conveyed to the caller by the directory assistance service during the call;

performing, after completion of the call, a second query of a first directory using the first data object of the billing record to obtain listing information associated with the first data object, the first query and the query being different queries; and

transferring a contact record including the listing information obtained from the first directory to a device associated with the caller without a follow-up call, by the caller, to the directory assistance service for the contact record.

12. The storage device of claim 11, wherein the billing record further includes a second data object associated with the caller, and the operations further include storing the listing information in a second directory in association with the second data object.

13. The storage device of claim 12, wherein the operations further include querying a second directory with the second data object to identify user records associated with the second data object.

14. The storage device of claim 11, wherein the performing of the second query of the first directory with the first data object includes querying the first directory with a telephone number provided to the caller during the usage of the directory assistance service.

15. The storage device of claim 11, wherein the device associated with the caller includes a cellular phone.

18. The storage device of claim 11, wherein the operations further include storing the contact record in a second directory associated with the caller, and providing access to the contact record stored in the second directory to the device via an electronic interface.