Method and system for establishing voice communications using a computer network

• US 5,991,394 A
• Filed: 02/05/1998
• Issued: 11/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Firstpoint Contact Technologies, LLC (Alvaria Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell International Corporation
• Inventors: Dezonno, Anthony J., Quayle, William R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wolinsky, Scott
• Application Number:
  US09/019,090
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265, 379/266, 379/209, 379/93.24, 379/90.01, 379/93.12, 379/93.17, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/265.09
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/48 Arrangements for recalling a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/51 Centralised call answering arrangements requiring operator intervention , e.g. call or contact centers for telemarketing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5231 with call back arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13072 Sequence circuits for call signaling, ACD systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13152 Callback
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13175 Graphical user interface [GUI], WWW interface, visual indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13377 Recorded announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13389 LAN, internet
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/90 Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony

Abstract

A method and system (100) establishes voice communications between a computer user (102) and an agent (104) of a business over a computer network, such as the Internet (108). Using a user computer (106), the computer user (102) views advertisments of the business'"'"' products or services on the Internet (108) via customized home pages (200). When the user (102) wishes to order a product or ask additional questions about a product, the user (102) activates a "call me" button (210). A return call screen (300) is then presented to the user (102) with areas to insert a name (302), a telephone number (304) and a time to call (306). This information is packetized in a call request which is transmitted over the Internet (108) to a telephone switching system (112) associated with the business. The telephone switching system (112) subsequently dials the telephone number (304) at the time to call (306). When the user (102) answers a computer user telephone (120), the telephone switching system (112) connects the user (102) wuth the agent (104) via an agent telephone (118). The telephone switching system (112) may be comprised of a telephone computer (114) and an automatic call distributor (116).

Claims

1. A method for establishing voice communications between a computer user and an agent, the computer user being associated with a user computer and a telephone number of a telephone associated with the computer user, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a computer data base accessible by the user computer;

prompting the computer user to enter a call request in the computer data base;

transmitting the call request from the computer data base to a telephone switching system; and

automatically establishing voice communications between the agent and the computer user by the telephone switching system in response to the call request.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of establishing voice communications between the agent and the computer user by the telephone switching system in response to the call request further comprises the step of the telephone switching system automatically dialing the telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the step of transmitting the call request comprises the step of transmitting the call request from the computer data base over the Internet.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein the step of transmitting the call request from the computer data base over the Internet further comprises the steps of:

packetizing the call request; and

transmitting the call request by e-mail.

5. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the telephone switching system includes a telephone computer and wherein the step of automatically dialing the telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user comprises the steps of:

receiving the call request at a telephone computer associated with the agent; and

dialing the telephone number by the telephone computer based on the call request.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 further comprising the steps of:

detecting when the computer user answers the computer user telephone; and

connecting the agent to the answered computer user telephone.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of prompting the computer user to enter the call request comprises the step of prompting the computer user to enter the telephone number of the computer user telephone.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of prompting the computer user to enter the call request comprises the step of prompting the computer user to enter a time to call the computer user;

and

wherein the step of automatically dialing the telephone number comprises the step of automatically dialing the telephone number at the time to call.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of prompting the computer user to enter the call request comprises the step of

prompting the computer user to enter a name of the computer user;

and

wherein the method comprises the step of indicating to the agent the name of the computer user before establishing voice communications between the agent and the computer user.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the automatically dialing telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user comprises the steps of:

sending a dial request command from a telephone computer to an automatic call distributor associated with the agent in response to the call request received from the computer data base; and

automatically dialing telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user by the automatic call distributor in response to the dial request command.

11. The method as recited in claim 10 further comprising the steps of:

detecting when the computer user answers the computer user telephone; and

connecting the agent to the answered computer user telephone.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of establishing a computer data base accessible by the computer user further comprises establishing a Web page and wherein the step of prompting the computer user to enter a call request in the computer data base further comprises the step of displaying a "call me" button when the computer user accesses the Web page.

13. A method for establishing voice communications between a computer user and an agent, the computer user being associated with a user computer and a telephone, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a computer data base which is accessible by the user computer;

receiving a call request by the computer user in the computer data base for the agent to call the computer user, the call request including a telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user;

transmitting the call request from the computer data base over a computer network to a telephone switching system;

automatically dialing the telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user by the telephone switching system based on the telephone number in the call request; and

automatically connecting the agent to the telephone by the telephone switching system.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the step of transmitting the call request from the computer data base over a computer network to a telephone switching system comprises the step of transmitting the call request over the Internet.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the step of transmitting the call request over the Internet further comprises the steps of:

packetizing the call request; and

transmitting the call request by e-mail.

16. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the telephone switching system includes a telephone computer and wherein the step of automatically dialing the telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user comprises the steps of:

receiving the call request at a telephone computer associated with the agent; and

dialing the telephone number by the telephone computer based on the call request.

17. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the step of connecting the agent to the telephone further comprises the steps of:

detecting when the computer user answers the telephone; and

connecting the agent to the answered telephone.

18. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the step of receiving the call request comprises the step of prompting the computer user to enter the telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the step of establishing a computer data base which is accessible by the computer user further comprises establishing a Web page, and wherein the step of prompting the computer user to enter a telephone number further comprises the step of displaying a "call me" button when the computer user accesses the Web page.

20. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the step of receiving the call request comprises the step of

prompting the computer user to enter a time to call the computer user;

and

wherein the step of automatically dialing the telephone number comprises the step of automatically dialing the telephone number at the time to call.

21. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein the step of receiving the call request comprises the step of

prompting the computer user to enter a name of the computer user;

and

wherein the method further comprises the step of

indicating the name of the computer user to the agent before automatically connecting the agent to the telephone.

22. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the automatically dialing telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user comprises the steps of:

sending a dial request command from a telephone computer to an automatic call distributor associated with the agent in response to the call request received from the computer data base; and

automatically dialing telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user by the automatic call distributor in response to the dial request command.

23. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the step of establishing a computer data base which is accessible by the computer user further comprises establishing a Web page.

24. A method for establishing voice communications between a computer user and an agent, the computer user being associated with a user computer and a telephone number of a telephone associated with the computer user, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a computer database accessible by the use computer;

prompting the computer user to enter a call request in the computer database;

transmitting the call request from the computer database to a telephone switching system having a telephone computer and an automatic call distributor associated with the agent;

sending a dial request command from the telephone computer to the automatic call distributor in response to the call request from the computer database; and

automatically dialing the telephone number by the automatic call distributor in response to the dial request command.

25. The method as recited in claim 24 further comprising the steps of:

detecting when the computer user answers the computer user telephone; and

connecting the agent to the answered computer user telephone.

26. The method as recited in claim 24, wherein the step of establishing a computer data base accessible by the computer user further comprises establishing a Web page and wherein the step of prompting the computer user to enter a call request in the computer data base further comprises the step of displaying a "call me" button when the computer user accesses the Web page.

27. The method as recited in claim 24 wherein the step of transmitting the call request from the computer data base to a telephone switching system further comprises the steps of:

packetizing the call request; and

transmitting the call request by e-mail.