Method and apparatus for accessing targeted, personalized voice/audio web content through wireless devices

• US 20020174133A1
• Filed: 05/15/2001
• Published: 11/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sarukkai, Ramesh R., Mendhekar, Anurag
• Granted Patent: US 6,728,731 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/08 specially adapted for optional reception of entertainment or informative matter
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/253 where a visual mode is used instead of a voice mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/308 Personal name recording
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53333 Message receiving aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/53358 Message preview
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/537 Arrangements for indicating the presence of a recorded message , whereby the presence information might include a preview or summary of the message
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/1235 where one of the core networks is a wireless network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/129 Details of providing call progress tones or announcements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A wireless web system allows users to navigate web pages that include links to audio content where the pages are provided over a data connection and the audio content is provided over a voice connection. An audio content reference generator generates a reference to a portion of static audio content and that audio content reference is provided to the user'"'"'s wireless web client as a link on a wireless web page, or other page retrieved by the wireless web device over the data connection. The audio content reference and a telephone number of an audio server form the link on the page, so that when a user selects that link, the wireless device establishes a voice connection to the audio server using the telephone number and then provides the audio server with the audio content reference so that the user hears the specifically referenced audio content over the voice channel.

Claims

1. A system for referencing audio content in hyperlinked web documents comprising:

an audio content menu of audio content links, wherein an audio content link includes a telephone number and an audio content reference;

a device including logic to receive the audio content menu over a data channel and transmit the audio content reference associated with the audio content link over a voice channel;

a telephony system that receives the audio content reference; and

an audio server that determines an audio content associated with the audio content reference.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio content reference comprises an extension at the end of the telephone number.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio content comprises voicemail, email, events and music or radio on demand.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the audio content comprises a state of a system.

5. A method of providing a user with audio content, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a user with an audio content menu of audio content links, wherein an audio content link includes an audio content reference to audio content;

receiving a request from the user for audio content, wherein the request contains the audio content reference to the audio content requested;

determining the audio content associated with the audio content reference; and

sending the audio content to the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the request comprises a telephone number and extension.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving the request comprises reading the telephone number and extension with caller-ID.

8. The method of claim 7, including the step of matching a caller identification with an identification in a user database to determine a userid.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving the request further comprises:

sending a signal from the telephony system to the device;

sending the audio content reference to the telephony system when the device receives the signal.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving the request includes a digit collect.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving the request comprises sending the audio content reference in a series of tones.

12. The method of claim 5, further comprising associating an identifier with the audio content reference.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the request comprises using the identifier to associate the audio content reference with the request.