Call tracking system and method

• US 9,384,496 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2015
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Soleo Communications
• Original Assignee: Soleo Communications
• Inventors: Fisher, William, Deming, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Michael T
• Application Number:
  US14/859,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20160012471A1
• Time in Patent Office: 288 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

Methods and systems for capturing and tracking call information relating to a call from a user to a merchant are provided. According to one embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, a request for a call to a merchant from a user on a device is received and a data connection is initiated with a call analytics platform over which user information is sent from the device to the platform. A unique number allowing the device to call the platform is then passed back to the device. The device calls the platform, call context data is captured, and the call is processed to the merchant. Information relating to the user and merchant call is tracked and logged.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, with a server, user information from a user device, the user information including a first identifier unique to at least one of the user device or a user of the user device, a second identifier indicating a particular content item rendered via the user device, and a third identifier indicating a sponsor that is associated with the particular content item and that is at least partly responsible for providing the particular content item;

receiving, with the server, a request from the user device to initiate a connection between the device and an entity corresponding to the particular content item;

at least partly in response to receiving the request,

establishing, via the server, a connection between the user device and a device of the entity, and

capturing, with the server, call information associated with the connection, wherein the call information includes an audio recording corresponding to the connection; and

generating an electronic call record corresponding to the connection, wherein the call record comprises the audio recording, and the first, second, and third identifiers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity comprises a first entity and the sponsor comprises a second entity different from the first entity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user information is sent via a mobile device application operable on the user device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first identifier comprises at least one of an account code of the user, a name of the user, an address of the user, a serial number of the user device, or a telephone number of the user device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio recording comprises a recording of a conversation between a first user operating the user device and a second user operating the device of the entity.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the call information comprises at least one of a start time of the connection, an end time of the connection, a connection duration, a telephone number of the user device, a telephone number of the entity, or an indication of an input received via the user device while the connection was active.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing at least one of the first identifier, the second identifier, or the third identifier in a database associated with the server, and retrieving the at least one of the first identifier, the second identifier, or the third identifier at least partly in response to receiving the request.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising disabling the connection between the user device and the device of the entity, and generating the electronic call record at least partly in response to disabling the connection.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing, via the server, the electronic call record to at least one of the sponsor or the entity.

10. A method, comprising:

receiving, with a server, a request from a user device to initiate a connection between the user device and a entity corresponding to a particular content item rendered via the user device;

at least partly in response to receiving the request,

establishing, via the server, a connection between the user device and a device of the entity, and

capturing, with the server, call information associated with the connection, wherein the call information includes an audio recording corresponding to the connection;

disabling the connection between the user device and the device of the entity;

receiving, with the server, user information from the user device, the user information including a first identifier and a second identifier, wherein;

the first identifier is unique to at least one of the user device or a user of the user device,

the second identifier indicates at least one of the particular content item rendered via the user device or a sponsor that is at least partly responsible for providing the particular content item, and

the user information is received by the server while the connection is active or after the connection has been disabled; and

generating an electronic call record corresponding to the connection, wherein the call record comprises the audio recording, the first identifier, and the second identifier.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the user information comprises information stored via a mobile device application operable on the user device and at least partly in response to an input received via the user device during or after the particular content item has been rendered.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the user information is received by the server at least partly in response to the connection being disabled.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the first identifier comprises at least one of an account code of the user, a name of the user, an address of the user, a serial number of the user device, or a telephone number of the user device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the audio recording comprises a recording of a conversation between a first user operating the user device and a second user operating the device of the entity, the method further comprising receiving the audio recording, from the user device, with the server.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the call information comprises at least one of a start time of the connection, an end time of the connection, a connection duration, a telephone number of the user device, a telephone number of the entity, or an indication of an input received via the user device while the connection was active.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising storing at least one of the first identifier or the second identifier in a database associated with the server, wherein generating the call record comprises retrieving the at least one of the first identifier or the second identifier from the database.

17. A system, comprising:

a server computer; and

a non-transitory computer-readable memory storing instructions that, when executed by the server computer, cause the server computer to perform steps, comprising;

receiving user information from a user device, the user information including a first identifier unique to at least one of the user device or a user of the user device, a second identifier indicating a particular content item rendered via the user device, and a third identifier indicating a sponsor that is associated with the particular content item and that is at least partly responsible for providing the particular content item;

establishing, via the server computer, a connection between the user device and a device of an entity corresponding to the particular content item;

capturing call information associated with the connection, wherein the call information includes an audio recording corresponding to the connection; and

generating an electronic call record corresponding to the connection, wherein the call record comprises the audio recording, and the first, second, and third identifiers.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the user information is received by the server computer while the connection is active or after the connection has been disabled.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the user information comprises information stored via a mobile device application operable on the user device and at least partly in response to an input received via the user device during or after the particular content item has been rendered.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the steps further include:

storing at least one of the first identifier, the second identifier, or the third identifier in the non-transitory computer readable memory;

receiving a request from the user device to initiate the connection between the user device and the device of the entity; and

retrieving the at least one of the first identifier, the second identifier, or the third identifier at least partly in response to receiving the request.