Method for decoupling caller routing services and off-net data acquisition

• US 9,596,346 B1
• Filed: 05/27/2016
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 800 Response Information Services LLC
• Original Assignee: 800 Response Information Services LLC
• Inventors: Smith, Douglas, Racine, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu, Binh
• Application Number:
  US15/167,191
• Time in Patent Office: 291 Days
• Field of Search: 379/142.01, 379/142.1, 379/201.01, 379/201.07, 379/201.08, 379/207.12, 379/207.13, 379/207.14, 379/207.15, 379/220.01, 379/365.01, 379/265.02, 379/309, 370/351, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/356, 370/357, 370/401, 455/445, 455/456.2, 455/456.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42306 Number translation services, e.g. premium-rate, freephone or vanity number services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42348 Location-based services which utilize the location information of a target
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42357 where the information is provided to a monitoring entity such as a potential calling party or a call processing server
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4285 Notifying, informing or entertaining a held party while on hold, e.g. Music On Hold
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4935 Connection initiated by DAS system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5166 in combination with interactive voice response systems or voice portals, e.g. as front-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels

Abstract

Call routing system and method for routing calls based upon an initiator'"'"'s current location in a wireless communications network. The call routing system includes an interface to receive incoming communications directed to an identifier identifying different geographic locations of destination party. Interactive unit interacts with off-network providers. Call routing process is created to determine, based on the current location of the initiator, which geographic location to direct the communication and gateway mediation process is created to inquire from off-network service the current location of the initiator, to receive location data related to the initiator'"'"'s current location, and to return the received location data to the call routing process. Interactive unit is configured to terminate communication to geographic location of the destination party based on the initiator'"'"'s current location. Incoming communication and terminating communication are bridged at interactive unit.

Claims

1. A call system for bridging a communication connection between an initiator and a destination party based upon a current location of the initiator within a wireless communications network, the calling system comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive from the initiator an incoming communication directed to an identifier of the destination party, which identifies a number of different geographic locations in which the destination party is located;

an interactive unit configured to interact with off-network third party service providers via application gateways of the off-network third party service providers, the interactive unit comprising a communications control service operable to bridge at a communication interface the incoming communication of the initiator with one of the geographic locations of the destination party, based on the current location of the initiator;

a call routing process created by the communication control service to determine, based on a current location of the initiator, which of the geographic locations of the destination party the incoming communication should be directed;

a gateway mediation process created by the call routing process to communicate with at least one of the off-network third party service providers to inquire as to the current location of the initiator and to receive location data related to the initiator'"'"'s current location, and to return the received location data to the call routing process;

the call routing process being further configured to determine the initiator'"'"'s current location from the received location data, to determine to which of the different geographic locations in which the destination party is located is the one of the geographic locations of the destination party to which the incoming communication should directed, and to return the one of the geographic locations of the destination party to the communications control service; and

the communications control services being further configured establish a terminating communication to the one of the geographic locations of the destination party based on the initiator'"'"'s current location via the communications network interface, whereby the incoming communication and the terminating communication are bridged at the communication interface,

wherein the incoming call does not originate over a land line device.

2. The call routing system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the incoming communication originates from one of a cell phone, voice over IP system, or the Internet.

3. The call routing system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

a database storing a plurality of sounds; and

a processor configured to transmit at least some of the plurality of sounds to the initiator in a time period between the creation of the gateway mediation process and the response received from the off-network third party service providers.

4. The call routing system in accordance with claim 1, wherein, via peer creation, the gateway mediation process is created by a gateway request from the call routing process that comprises a request identifier and a service request payload.

5. The call routing system in accordance with claim 4, wherein the received location data returned to the call routing process from the gateway mediation process comprises the request identifier and a response payload comprising the received location data.

6. The call routing system in accordance with claim 4, wherein a separate gateway mediation process is created for each of the off-network third party location services.

7. The call routing system in accordance with claim 4, wherein new mediation processes are created for each new incoming communication.

8. The call routing system in accordance with claim 1, wherein, after returning the received location data to the call routing process, the gateway mediation process is terminated.

9. The call routing system in accordance with claim 1, wherein, after returning the one of the geographic locations of the destination party to the communications control service, the call routing process is terminated.

10. The call routing system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the received location data comprises at least a latitude and longitude for the initiator'"'"'s current location.

11. The call routing system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the call routing process is configured to determine from the latitude and longitude of the initiator'"'"'s current location to at least one of:

an area code and exchange;

a zip code;

a county; and

a time zone.

12. The call routing system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the identifier of the destination party is a toll free telephone number or an Internet website.

13. A method for bridging a communication connection between an initiator and a destination party based upon a current location of the initiator within a wireless communications network, the method comprising:

receiving from the initiator an incoming communication directed to an identifier of the destination party, which identifies a number of different geographic locations in which the destination party is located;

interacting, via an interactive unit comprising a communications control service, with off-network third party service providers via application gateways of the off-network third party service providers by;

creating a call routing process to determine, based on a current location of the initiator, which of the geographic locations of the destination party the incoming communication should be directed;

creating a gateway mediation process to communicate with least one of the off-network third party service providers to inquire as to the current location of the initiator and to receive location data related to the initiator'"'"'s current location, and to return the received location data to the call routing process,

wherein the call routing process further determines the initiator'"'"'s current location from the received location data, determines to which of the different geographic locations in which the destination party is located is the one of the geographic locations of the destination party to which the incoming communication should directed, and returns the one of the geographic locations of the destination party to the communications control service; and

establishing a terminating communication to the one of the geographic locations of the destination party based on the initiator'"'"'s current location via the communications control service, whereby the incoming communication and the terminating communication are bridged at the interactive unit,

wherein the incoming call does not originate over a land line device.

14. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the incoming communication originates from one of a cell phone, voice over IP system or the Internet.

15. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the returned received location data comprises data points in a coordinate system, and the method further comprises converting the data points to at least one of:

an area code and exchange;

a zip code;

a county; and

a time zone.

16. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the creating of the gateway mediation process comprises peer creation of a gateway request from the call routing process that comprises a request identifier and a service request payload.

17. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein the received location data returned to the call routing process from the gateway mediation process comprises the request identifier and a response payload comprising the received location data.

18. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein a separate gateway mediation process is created for each of the off-network third party location services.

19. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein new mediation processes are created for each new incoming communication.

20. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein, after returning the received location data to the call routing process, the method further comprises terminating the gateway mediation process.

21. The method in accordance with claim 13, wherein, after returning the one of the geographic locations of the destination party to the communications control service, the method further comprises terminating the call routing process.