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

• US 9,578,474 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2015
• Issued: 02/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vusura Technology LLC
• Original Assignee: Wendell D. Brown
• Inventors: Brown, Wendell D.
• Primary Examiner(s): SING, SIMON P
• Application Number:
  US14/951,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20160094708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/313 using a call-back technique via a telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/56 Arrangements for indicating or recording the called number at the calling subscriber's set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• 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 15/848 Tone, e.g. beeper
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/85 characterised by the type of condition triggering a notification
• 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 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 68/005 Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for presenting content to a caller and/or a called party in association with a telephone call or other communication connection. 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. 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. Presentation of specified content may include assisted sharing, wherein both parties view the same content and one guides or assists the other.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of facilitating presentation of content on a communication device, the method comprising:

receiving notification of initiation of a communication connection from a first device associated with a first party to a second device associated with a second party;

delaying establishment of the communication connection without soliciting action by the first party; and

after the communication connection is established, causing content selected by one of the first party and the second party to be simultaneously displayed on the first device and the second device;

wherein the content comprises content displayed on the first device at a time the communication connection is initiated; and

wherein a control for initiating the communication connection is also displayed on the first device at the time the communication connection is initiated.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an annotation to the content from one of the first device and the second device; and

causing the annotation to be displayed on the other of the first device and the second device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein causing content selected by one of the first party and the second party to be simultaneously displayed on the first device and the second device comprises:

receiving the content from the device associated with the one party; and

forwarding the content to the device associated with the other party.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein causing content selected by one of the first party and the second party to be simultaneously displayed on the first device and the second device comprises:

identifying content displayed on the device associated with the one party; and

instructing the device associated with the other party to retrieve the content.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

as the content is navigated on one of the first device and the second device, causing the navigation to be recreated on the other device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the first party of the delay.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the second party of the initiated communication connection before a voice channel of the communication connection is established.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

during the delay, instructing the second device to display the content.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein delaying the establishment of the communication connection comprises instructing a service provider of the first communication device to delay said establishment of the communication connection.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication connection includes at least one additional device operated by at least one additional party.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication connection is established with the at least one additional device only after the establishment of the communication connection between the first device and the second device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication connection is established between the first device and the at least one additional device prior to establishing the communication connection with the second device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein delaying establishment of the communication connection comprises:

transmitting to the first device a signal to delay signaling the communication connection toward the second device.

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

receiving notification of initiation of a communication connection from a first device associated with a first party to a second device associated with a second party;

delaying establishment of the communication connection without soliciting action by the first party; and

after the communication connection is established, causing content selected by one of the first party and the second party to be simultaneously displayed on the first device and the second device;

wherein the content comprises content displayed on the first device at a time the communication connection is initiated; and

wherein a control for initiating the communication connection is also displayed on the first device at the time the communication connection is initiated.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving an annotation to the content from one of the first device and the second device; and

causing the annotation to be displayed on the other of the first device and the second device.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein causing content selected by one of the first party and the second party to be simultaneously displayed on the first device and the second device comprises:

receiving the content from the device associated with the one party; and

forwarding the content to the device associated with the other party.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein causing content selected by one of the first party and the second party to be simultaneously displayed on the first device and the second device comprises:

identifying content displayed on the device associated with the one party; and

instructing the device associated with the other party to retrieve the content.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises:

as the content is navigated on one of the first device and the second device, causing the navigation to be recreated on the other device.

19. An apparatus for facilitating presentation of content on a communication device, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

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

receive notification of initiation of a communication connection from a first device associated with a first party to a second device associated with a second party;

delay establishment of the communication connection without soliciting action by the first party; and

after the communication connection is established, cause content selected by one of the first party and the second party to be simultaneously displayed on the first device and the second device;

wherein the content comprises content displayed on the first device at a time the communication connection is initiated; and

wherein a control for initiating the communication connection is also displayed on the first device at the time the communication connection is initiated.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:

receive an annotation to the content from one of the first device and the second device; and

cause the annotation to be displayed on the other of the first device and the second device.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein causing content selected by one of the first party and the second party to be simultaneously displayed on the first device and the second device comprises:

receiving the content from the device associated with the one party; and

forwarding the content to the device associated with the other party.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein causing content selected by one of the first party and the second party to be simultaneously displayed on the first device and the second device comprises:

identifying content displayed on the device associated with the one party; and

instructing the device associated with the other party to retrieve the content.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:

as the content is navigated on one of the first device and the second device, cause the navigation to be recreated on the other device.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:

notify the first party of the delay.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:

notify the second party of the initiated communication connection before a voice channel of the communication connection is established.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:

during the delay, instruct the second device to display the content.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein delaying the establishment of the communication connection comprises instructing a service provider of the first communication device to delay said establishment of the communication connection.

28. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the communication connection includes at least one additional device operated by at least one additional party.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the communication connection is established with the at least one additional device only after the establishment of the communication connection between the first device and the second device.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the communication connection is established between the first device and the at least one additional device prior to establishing the communication connection with the second device.