Management and allocation of services using remote computer connections

• US 9,208,461 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2014
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Busa Strategic Partners, LLC
• Original Assignee: Busa Strategic Partners, LLC
• Inventors: Busa, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Julian
• Application Number:
  US14/255,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20140229211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 379/265.12, 379/265.13, 37926506-26508, 705/7.13, 705/7.14, 705/304, 709223-226
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/0748 in a remote unit communicating with a single-box computer node experiencing an error/fault remote testing G06F11/2294
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/145 Payments according to the detected use or quantity
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for allocating services among a plurality of service operators where each capable of providing at least one service and each service operator operating a respective computer to receiving at a support server a request for service from at least one computer being operated by a user, generating a questionnaire to be answered by the user operating the at least one computer, selecting at least one service operator based upon the answered questionnaire, and establishing a service session between the at least one computer being operated by the user and the computer being operated by the at least one selected service operator for providing the requested service.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a secure outgoing connection between a support server and a user computer, the user computer having a plurality of communications ports and a firewall, and the secure outgoing connection being established through the firewall via a given communications port while disallowing incoming connections to the user computer on the remainder of the plurality of communications ports while the secure outgoing connection remains open;

establishing a support session between the user computer and the support server via the secure outgoing connection, and between the support server and a support service computer;

upon acceptance of the support session by the user computer, relaying a support service data file from the support service computer to the user computer through the support server while disallowing access to any other data files stored on the user computer by the support service computer;

at the support server, initiating a billing counter for the support session;

collecting user feedback data at the support server from the user computer upon conclusion of the support session; and

at the support server, when the feedback data meets a satisfaction threshold, performing a billing transaction comprising billing an account associated with a user of the user computer and crediting an account associated with a user of the support service computer based upon the billing counter.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, at the support server, when the feedback data falls below the satisfaction threshold, placing the billing transaction on hold without billing the account associated with the user of the user computer or crediting the account associated with the user of the support service computer.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising, at the support server, relaying support session data between the user computer and the support service computer during the support session.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising recording the relayed support session data at the support server.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the relayed support session data comprises voice chat data.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the relayed support session data comprises screen capture data.

7. A computer network comprising:

a user computer having a plurality of communications ports and a firewall;

a support service computer; and

a support server configured to

establish a secure outgoing connection between a user computer and the support server, the secure outgoing connection being established through the firewall via a given communications port while disallowing incoming connections to the user computer on the remainder of the plurality of communications ports while the secure outgoing connection remains open,

establish a support session between the user computer and the support server via the secure outgoing connection, and between the support server and a support service computer,

upon acceptance of the support session by the user computer, relaying a support service data file from the support service computer to the user computer through the support server while disallowing access to any other data files stored on the user computer by the support service computer,

initiate a billing counter for the support session,

collect user feedback data from the user computer upon conclusion of the support session, and

when the feedback data meets a satisfaction threshold, perform a billing transaction comprising billing an account associated with a user of the user computer and crediting an account associated with a user of the support service computer based upon the billing counter.

8. The computer network of claim 7 wherein the support server is further configured to, when the feedback data falls below the satisfaction threshold, place the billing transaction on hold without billing the account associated with the user of the user computer or crediting the account associated with the user of the support service computer.

9. The computer network of claim 7 wherein the support server is further configured to relay support session data between the user computer and the support service computer during the support session.

10. The computer network of claim 9 wherein the support server is further configured to record the relayed support session data.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for causing a server to perform steps comprising:

establishing a secure outgoing connection between a user computer and the support server, the user computer having a plurality of communications ports and a firewall, and the secure outgoing connection being established through the firewall via a given communications port while disallowing incoming connections to the user computer on the remainder of the plurality of communications ports while the secure outgoing connection remains open;

establishing a support session between the user computer and the support server via the secure outgoing connection, and between the support server and a support service computer;

upon acceptance of the support session by the user computer, relaying a support service data file from the support service computer to the user computer through the support server while disallowing access to any other data files stored on the user computer by the support service computer;

initiating a billing counter for the support session;

collecting user feedback data from the user computer upon conclusion of the support session; and

when the feedback data meets a satisfaction threshold, performing a billing transaction comprising billing an account associated with a user of the user computer and crediting an account associated with a user of the support service computer based upon the billing counter.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 further having computer-executable instructions for causing the server to, when the feedback data falls below the satisfaction threshold, place the billing transaction on hold without billing the account associated with the user of the user computer or crediting the account associated with the user of the support service computer.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11 further having computer-executable instructions for causing the server to relay support session data between the user computer and the support service computer during the support session.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 further having computer-executable instructions for causing the server to record the relayed support session data.