Method for providing call intermediation services and system therefore

• US 7,724,882 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2006
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Phil Hwan Yun
• Original Assignee: Phil Hwan Yun
• Inventors: Yun, Phil Hwan
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, QUOC DUC
• Application Number:
  US11/353,322
• Publication Number:
  US 20060182243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,561 Days
• Field of Search: 379/114.01, 379/114.13, 379/201.01, 379/201.02, 379/210.01, 379/265.09, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/114.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/55 for hybrid networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/56 for VoIP communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/202 VoIP; Packet switched telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/2046 Hybrid network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/5191 interacting with the Internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/003 Click to dial services

Abstract

Disclosed is a method and system for providing call intermediation services. The method for providing the call intermediation services allows a user to automatically make a call with a company if a user inputs only the telephone number on the web. After confirming the company profile of the Internet portal site, a user can speak by telephone with a person in charge of a company without a waiting time for call connection, and the user can rapidly acquire necessary information by means of query and response.

Claims

1. A method for providing call intermediation services using a call intermediation services providing system connected to a portal server to mediate a call between a user telephone terminal and a company telephone terminal, the method comprising:

(a) receiving call intermediation request information including user telephone number and business identification code from the user telephone terminal via the portal server transmitted from a user who confirms company profile provided by the portal server through the user terminal;

(b) requesting a call to the company telephone terminal by using company telephone number corresponding to the business identification code;

(c) in case the company telephone terminal answers to the call and then a first channel is established between the call intermediation services providing system and the company telephone terminal in response to the call, putting the first channel into a standby state and requesting a call to the user telephone terminal by using the user telephone-number;

(d) in case the user telephone terminal answers to the call and then a second channel is established between the call intermediation services providing system and the user telephone terminal, connecting the first channel with the second channel; and

(e) calculating a call intermediation charge based on a call intermediation history in case the call is successfully made between the user telephone terminal and the company telephone terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (a) includes:

(a1) the portal server receiving a request for searching company profile from a user who accesses the portal server using the user terminal;

(a2) the portal server providing the searched company profile and call intermediation services availability of each company to the user terminal;

(a3) the portal server providing a page for inputting user telephone number, which is an identification code of the user telephone terminal, to the user terminal in case the user selects any company profile and then requests for the call intermediation by using the user terminal;

(a4) the portal server receiving a user telephone number from the user terminal in case the user inputs the user telephone number through the input page; and

(a5) the call intermediation services providing system receiving call intermediation request information including the identification code of the company chosen by the user and the user telephone number from the user terminal in case the portal site transmits the call intermediation request information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, in the step (a3), in case the portal server confirms whether a user account or cookie file for the portal server exists in the user terminal or the portal server and it is confirmed that the cookie file exists, the portal server provides a user telephone number stored in the user account or cookie file to the user terminal together with a page for inputting a user telephone number that is an identification code of the user telephone terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (a) includes:

(a1) the portal server receiving a request for searching company profile from a user who accesses the portal server using the user terminal;

(a2) the portal server providing the searched company profile, a homepage link of each company and the call intermediation services availability of each company to the user terminal;

(a3) the portal server providing a homepage of the company and a call intermediation request button for the intermediation request to the user terminal in case the user selects the homepage link of the specific company through the user terminal;

(a4) the portal server providing a page for inputting a user telephone number, which is an identification code of the user telephone terminal, to the user terminal in case the user selects the call intermediation request button and requests for the call intermediation;

(a5) the portal server receiving a user telephone number from the user terminal in case the user inputs the user telephone number through the input page; and

(a6) the call intermediation services providing system receiving call intermediation request information including the identification code of the company chosen by the user and the user telephone number in case the portal server transmits the call intermediation request information.

5. The method of claim 1, after the step (a) and before the step (b), further comprising:

the call intermediation services providing system confirming whether or not the user possesses the user telephone terminal by confirming whether an authentication number transmitted to the user telephone terminal is coincided with an authentication number inputted through the user terminal or not in case ARS (Automatic Response Service) is used, or by confirming whether an authentication number transmitted to the user telephone terminal in a short message is coincided with an authentication number inputted through the user terminal or not in case a mobile communications terminal is used.

6. The method of claim 2, after the step (a) and before the step (b), further comprising:

the call intermediation services providing system confirming whether or not the user possesses the user telephone terminal by confirming whether an authentication number transmitted to the user telephone terminal is coincided with an authentication number inputted through the user terminal or not in case ARS (Automatic Response Service) is used, or by confirming whether an authentication number transmitted to the user telephone terminal in a short message is coincided with an authentication number inputted through the user terminal or not in case a mobile communications terminal is used.

7. The method of claim 4, after the step (a) and before the step (b), further comprising:

the call intermediation services providing system confirming whether or not the user possesses the user telephone terminal by confirming whether an authentication number transmitted to the user telephone terminal is coincided with an authentication number inputted through the user terminal or not in case ARS (Automatic Response Service) is used, or by confirming whether an authentication number transmitted to the user telephone terminal in a short message is coincided with an authentication number inputted through the user terminal or not in case a mobile communications terminal is used.

8. The method of claim 1, after the step (a) and before the step (b), further comprising;

the call intermediation services providing system confirming whether or not the user is an authentic subscriber of the user telephone terminal by receiving an identification code of the subscriber of the user telephone terminal from the user telephone terminal and transmitting the identification code of the subscriber of the user telephone terminal to a communications corporation server in which the user telephone terminal is subscribed.

9. The method of claim 2, after the step (a) and before the step (b), further comprising;

the call intermediation services providing system confirming whether or not the user is an authentic subscriber of the user telephone terminal by receiving an identification code of the subscriber of the user telephone terminal from the user telephone terminal and transmitting the identification code of the subscriber of the user telephone terminal to a communications corporation server in which the user telephone terminal is subscribed.

10. The method of claim 4, after the step (a) and before the step (b), further comprising;

the call intermediation services providing system confirming whether or not the user is an authentic subscriber of the user telephone terminal by receiving an identification code of the subscriber of the user telephone terminal from the user telephone terminal and transmitting the identification code of the subscriber of the user telephone terminal to a communications corporation server in which the user telephone terminal is subscribed.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (b) includes:

(b1) requesting a call to the company telephone terminal by using the company telephone number corresponding to the business identification code; and

(b2) requesting the call again or requesting a call successively by using another telephone number corresponding to the business identification code in case the company telephone terminal does not answer to the call in the step (b1).

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (b) includes:

(b1) requesting a call to the company telephone terminal by using the company telephone number corresponding to the business identification code;

(b2) providing a page for inputting whether or not to retry the call or inputting a reserved time for the retrial to the user terminal in case the company telephone terminal does not answer to the call; and

(b3) requesting the call to the company telephone terminal instantly or after the reserved time elapses in case the presence of retrial or the reserved time for retrial is inputted through the page of the step (b2) from the user terminal.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step (b) includes:

(b1) requesting a call to the company telephone terminal by using the company telephone number corresponding to the business identification code; and

(b2) requesting a call to a company telephone terminal of another company belonging to the same category of business in case the company telephone terminal does not answer the call in the step (b1).

14. The method of claim 1, wherein, in the step (c), in case the company telephone terminal answers to the call and a first channel is established between the call intermediation services providing system and the company telephone terminal, the first channel is put into a standby state, and then a call is requested to the user telephone terminal by using the user telephone number and at the same time the fact that the call is requested is displayed on the user terminal.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the step (a);

determining whether or not a deposit money prepared by the company using a prepayment manner, is equal to or more than a predetermined amount of money, and then performing the step (b) in case that the deposit money is equal to or more than the predetermined amount of money; and

further comprising, after the step (e);

(f) deducting the call intermediation charge from the deposit money.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the step (a);

determining whether the deposit money prepaid by the company corresponding to the business identification code is equal to or more than the predetermined amount of money,

transmitting an announcement informing that, during the standby state of the step (c), the deposit money is exhausted and the the call intermediation charge is charged for post-payment to the company telephone terminal in case the deposit money is less than the predetermined amount of money.

17. A method for providing call intermediation services using a call intermediation services providing system connected to a portal server to mediate a call between a user telephone terminal and a company telephone terminal, the method comprising:

(a) receiving call intermediation request information including user telephone number and business identification code from the user telephone terminal via the portal server transmitted from a user who confirms company profile provided by the portal server through the user terminal;

(b) requesting a call to the company telephone terminal by using company telephone number corresponding to the business identification code;

(c) transmitting a short message service including a callback to the company telephone terminal in case the company telephone terminal does not answer to the call;

(d) in case the company telephone terminal requests a call to the call intermediation services providing system by using the callback, establishing a first channel between the call intermediation services providing server and the company telephone terminal in response to the call, and then putting the first channel into a standby state and requesting a call to the user telephone terminal by using the user telephone number;

(e) in case the user telephone terminal answers to the call and a second channel is established between the call intermediation services providing system and the user telephone terminal, connecting the first channel with the second channel; and

(f) calculating a call intermediation charge based on a call intermediation history in case the call is successfully made between the user telephone terminal and the company telephone terminal.

18. A system for providing call intermediation services between a user telephone terminal and a business telephone terminal, the system comprising;

a call intermediation request information receipt module for receiving call intermediation request information including a user telephone number and a business identification code from a user terminal via a portal server;

a member company information database for storing at least one company telephone number corresponding to the business identification code;

a call intermediation module for reading out the company telephone number corresponding to the business identification code from the member company information database, requesting a call to the company telephone terminal by using the company telephone number, requesting a call to the user telephone terminal under the condition that the company telephone terminal answers to the call to establish a first channel, and connecting the first channel with a second channel under the condition that the user telephone terminal answers to the call to establish the second channel;

a charge billing module for calculating a call intermediation charge based on a call intermediation history under the condition that the call between the company telephone terminal and the user telephone terminal is successfully made; and

a controller for controlling the call intermediation module to connect a call in case the call intermediation request information is received in the call intermediation request information receipt module, controlling the charge billing module to calculate the call intermediation charge based on the call intermediation history, and processing a series of data related to the call intermediation services.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the controller make a web server provide the detailed information (e.g., the commodity information, the location information, etc.) of the company for the user terminal 10a whenever specific button of the company telephone terminal 20 is pushed.