HOVER TO CALL

• US 20070274300A1
• Filed: 10/03/2006
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chu, Lon-Chan, Leelaphisut, Pitak, Vemparala, Praveen Kumar
• Application Number:
  US11/538,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20070274300A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/356
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2535 adapted for voice communication over an Internet Protocol [IP] network Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network equipment and services H04M7/006; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0015 First party call control architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services

Abstract

When the user hovers on a telephone number (or other indication of a target of a voice communication) on a web page (or other interface), the telephone number will be highlighted and the user will be provided with the opportunity to make a call using the highlighted number. If the user clicks on the highlighted telephone number, the telephone number will be provided to a communication application to facilitate making a telephone call. If the user moves away without clicking on the highlighted telephone number, the highlight will disappear. In alternative embodiments, a user can select text in a web page (or other interface) and, if there is a telephone number in the selected text, that telephone number can be automatically provided to the communication application to facilitate making a call. In another embodiment, the system finds telephone numbers in content and replaces those telephone number with hyperlinks to enable the behavior described above.

Claims

1. A method for initiating communication, comprising:

determining whether content is an indication of a target in response to a user hovering over or near said content;

identifying said indication of said target in response to said determining;

receiving a selection of said indication of said target; and

establishing a voice connection using said indication of said target in response to said receiving said selection of said indication of said target.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said indication of said target is a telephone number;

said identifying includes highlighting said telephone number;

said receiving a selection includes a user clicking on said highlighted telephone number in a browser using a pointing device;

said establishing a voice connection includes providing said telephone number to a VoIP application and using said VoIP application to make a phone call to said telephone number; and

said steps of determining and identifying are performed without modifying code for said content.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said determining whether content is an indication of a target comprises:

receiving text; and

automatically determining whether said text includes a properly formatted telephone number.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said determining whether content is an indication of a target comprises:

receiving text;

determining a country code;

identifying a database corresponding to said determined country code; and

determining whether said text includes a properly formatted telephone number using said database.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said determining whether content is an indication of a target comprises:

receiving data;

normalizing said data;

matching said normalized data to a particular normalized pattern of a set of normalized patterns each associated with one or more raw patterns;

comparing said received data to raw patterns associated with said particular normalized pattern; and

matching said received data to one of said raw patterns associated with said particular normalized pattern.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said determining whether content is an indication of a target includes receiving data being hovered over for a browser, determining a country code, providing said data and said country code to a telephone number recognition function, instructing said browser to highlight said data in said browser, and providing a tool tip to indicate that a user can click on said highlighted data; and

said automatically establishing said voice connection includes instructing a communication application to make a VoIP telephone call.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said indication of said target is identified on a web page in a browser without editing source code.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said determining whether content is an indication of a target comprises:

receiving text from an application;

requesting a country code from an operating system;

identifying a database corresponding to said determined country code;

determining whether said text includes a properly formatted telephone number using said database; and

determining a current position associated with said user hovering.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said indication of said target is identified within an interface of an application that is not a browser.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said determining whether content is an indication of a target comprises;

receiving data,

determining a country code,

identifying a database corresponding to said determined country code,

normalizing said data,

matching said normalized data to a particular normalized pattern of a set of normalized patterns each associated with one or more raw patterns,

comparing said received data to a raw patterns associated with said particular normalized pattern, and

matching said received data to one of said raw patterns associated with said particular normalized pattern; and

said automatically establishing a voice connection includes instructing a VoIP communication application to make a telephone call using said one of said raw patterns associated with said particular normalized pattern.

11. One or more processor readable storage devices having code embodied on said processor readable storage devices, said code for programming said one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

determining whether content is an indication of a target including normalizing said content, matching said normalized content to a normalized pattern, and matching said content to a raw pattern associated with said normalized pattern;

visually identifying said indication of said target within displayed content in response to a user hovering over or near said content;

receiving a selection of said indication of said target; and

establishing a voice connection using said indication of said target in response to said receiving said selection of said indication of said target.

12. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 11, wherein said determining whether content is an indication of a target further includes:

determining whether a country code is available; and

identifying a database corresponding to said country code, said normalized pattern and said raw pattern are from said database corresponding to said country code.

13. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 11, wherein:

said indication of said target is a telephone number;

said content includes a portion of a web site;

said establishing said voice connection is performed using a VoIP application; and

said determining is performed at least partially by making use of a BHO.

14. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 11, wherein:

said indication of said target is a telephone number;

said method further includes adding a hyperlink to said content;

said hyperlink includes an indication of a source of said indication of said target; and

said establishing said voice connection includes storing said indication of said source in a data store.

15. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 11, wherein:

said determining is performed after said user hovers over or near said content.

16. A computing device, comprising:

a storage device, said storage device stores code,

a communication interface; and

one or more processors in communication with said storage device and said communication interface, said code includes instructions to program said one or more processors to display content in a user interface and receive a selection of a subset of said content, said one or more processors determine whether said subset of said content includes an identification of a target, said one or more processors cause an establishment of a voice connection over a data network using said indication of said target and said communication interface.

17. A computing device according to claim 16, wherein:

said user interface is provided by a browser.

18. A computing device according to claim 16, wherein:

said code programs said one or more processors to determine whether said subset of content includes said identification of said target by normalizing said subset of said content, matching said normalized subset of said content to a particular normalized pattern of a set of normalized patterns each associated with one or more raw patterns, comparing said subset of said content to raw patterns associated with said particular normalized pattern and matching said subset of said content to one of said raw patterns associated with said particular normalized pattern.

19. A computing device according to claim 18, wherein:

said one or more processors cause an establishment of a voice connection by executing a VoIP communication program with said one of said raw patterns associated with said particular normalized pattern.

20. A computing device according to claim 16, wherein:

said storage device stores a VoIP communication program and a user application;

said one or more processors cause said establishment of said voice connection by executing said VoIP communication program; and

said user interface is provided by said user application.