Methods and apparatuses to connect people for real time communications via voice over internet protocol (VOIP)

• US 8,599,832 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2007
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thryv, Inc. (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: Ingenio LLC
• Inventors: Altberg, Ebbe, Faber, Scott, Hirson, Ron, Van Der Linden, Sean, Agarwal, Anuj, Ahuja, Nitin, Jain, Mehul
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAMEL, JOEL A
• Application Number:
  US11/752,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20070242626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,387 Days
• Field of Search: 705 144- 1473, 370352-356, 709/228
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/154 Functional or symbolic dial plan such as license plate numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4935 Connection initiated by DAS system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0036 where the data service is an information service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/006 Networks other than PSTN/ISDN providing telephone service, e.g. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) , including next generation networks with a packet-switched transport layer H04L65/00 takes precedence; aspects not specific to the type of network H04M3/00; special services in those networks H04M3/42

Abstract

Methods and systems to facilitate real time communications via a telephonic apparatuses that support data communications. In one embodiment, a telephonic apparatus includes: a user interface to receive a search criterion; a network interface coupled to the user interface to submit a query from the telephonic apparatus over a data communication network and to receive at least one advertisement, the advertisement including a telephonic reference containing information about the query; and a call module coupled to the user interface and the network interface. In response to a user selection of the advertisement, the call module is to establish a connection with a connection server for a telephonic call using the telephonic reference, where the connection server is to extract from the telephonic reference the information about the query and to connect the telephonic call to an advertiser of the advertisement.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, via a data communication network, a search query from a telephonic apparatus, the search query comprising search criterion;

identifying an advertisement based on the query;

generating a telephonic reference of a connection provider comprising the search criterion, a telephonic reference of an advertiser of the advertisement, an identification of the advertisement, a timestamp of the query, an identity of the telephonic apparatus, an identification of a user of the telephonic apparatus, a position of the advertisement in a result of a search performed in response to the query, and a price of an advertisement fee offered by the advertiser, wherein the telephonic reference of the connection provider further comprises one of a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier, a telephone number without an extension, a telephone number with an extension, and a voice over internet protocol user identifier, and wherein the telephonic reference of the connection provider is encrypted;

providing, via the data communication network, the advertisement with the telephonic reference of the connection provider to the telephonic apparatus;

responsive to a user selection of the advertisement at the telephonic apparatus, initiating a telephonic call to the connection provider using the telephonic reference of the connection provider;

extracting the search criterion and the telephonic reference of the advertiser from the telephonic reference of the connection provider;

connecting a telephonic call to the advertiser using the telephonic reference of the advertiser; and

associating the telephonic call to the advertiser with the search criterion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephonic reference is provided in a form according to a calling capability of the telephonic apparatus.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephonic reference of the connection provider additionally comprises an identification of a distributor of the telephonic apparatus, an identification of a distribution channel of the advertisement, and an identifier of a party who has a contribution in a process of delivering the advertisement to the telephonic apparatus.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving, via a listing server, in response to the query the advertisement and providing the advertisement to the telephonic apparatus.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

retrieving, via the listing server, in response to the query a listing from a listing database maintained by the listing server and providing the listing with the advertisement to the telephonic apparatus.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the advertisement and the listing are selectively provided based on data representing a social network maintained by the listing server.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a geographic location of the telephonic apparatus;

wherein the query includes the geographic location of the telephonic apparatus; and

wherein the advertisement is selected based at least in part on the geographic location.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the geographic location is determined based on one of a user preference, a user input specified with the search criterion, and an Internet address associated with the telephonic apparatus.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the user preference is stored in a peer to peer network.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephonic reference of the connection provider additionally comprises an identification of a user of the telephonic apparatus from which the query is received;

and the connection provider determines using the telephonic reference of the connection provider, whether an identification of a user of the telephonic apparatus which initiates the telephonic call to the connection server matches with the identification of the user of the telephonic apparatus from which the query is received.

11. A non-transitory machine readable media storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by a computing device, causing the computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a search query from a telephonic apparatus, the search query comprising search criterion;

identifying an advertisement based on the query;

generating a telephonic reference of a connection provider comprising the search criterion, a telephonic reference of an advertiser of the advertisement, an identification of the advertisement, a timestamp of the query, an identity of the telephonic apparatus, an identification of a user of the telephonic apparatus, a position of the advertisement in a result of a search performed in response to the query, and a price of an advertisement fee offered by the advertiser, wherein the telephonic reference of the connection provider further comprises one of a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier, a telephone number without an extension, a telephone number with an extension, and a voice over internet protocol user identifier, and wherein the telephonic reference of the connection provider is encrypted;

providing the advertisement with the telephonic reference of the connection provider to the telephonic apparatus;

responsive to a user selection of the advertisement at the telephonic apparatus, initiating a telephonic call to the connection provider using the telephonic reference of the connection provider;

extracting the search criterion and the telephonic reference of the advertiser from the telephonic reference of the connection provider;

connecting a telephonic call to the advertiser using the telephonic reference of the advertiser; and

associating the telephonic call to the advertiser with the search criterion.

12. A system, comprising:

a data communication network configured to;

receive a search query from a telephonic apparatus;

identify an advertisement based on the query;

generate a telephonic reference of a connection provider comprising the search criterion, a telephonic reference of an advertiser of the advertisement, an identification of the advertisement, a timestamp of the query, an identity of the telephonic apparatus, an identification of a user of the telephonic apparatus, a position of the advertisement in a result of a search performed in response to the query, and a price of an advertisement fee offered by the advertiser, wherein the telephonic reference of the connection provider further comprises one of a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier, a telephone number without an extension, a telephone number with an extension, and a voice over internet protocol user identifier, and wherein the telephonic reference of the connection provider is encrypted;

provide the advertisement with the telephonic reference of the connection provider to the telephonic apparatus;

responsive to a user selection of the advertisement at the telephonic apparatus, initiate a telephonic call to the connection provider using the telephonic reference of the connection provider;

extract the search criterion and the telephonic reference of the advertiser from the telephonic reference of the connection provider;

connect a telephonic call to the advertiser using the telephonic reference of the advertiser; and

associate the telephonic call to the advertiser with the search criterion.