Systems and methods of making a call

• US 9,276,965 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2013
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Upland Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hipcricket, Inc. (Upland Software, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bender, Douglas F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Kashif
• Application Number:
  US13/960,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20140044122A1
• Time in Patent Office: 938 Days
• Field of Search: 455/405, 455/445, 370/351, 379/142, 379/220.01
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1013 Network architectures, gateways, control or user entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1033 Signalling gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1076 Screening of IP real time communications, e.g. spam over Internet telephony [SPIT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42102 Making use of the called party identifier

Abstract

Systems and methods of making calls are provided. A particular method includes receiving input indicating a destination address at a mobile communication device. The method also includes determining whether the destination address is of a predetermined type. The method further includes initiating a call to a communication bridge via a mobile communication network when the destination address is of the predetermined type. The method also includes sending an instruction to the communication bridge to initiate a communication connection to the destination address.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a mobile communication device, input indicating a first communication address;

determining whether the first communication address is of a predetermined type; and

when the first communication address is of the predetermined type, initiating a call, via a mobile communication network, to a second communication address that is different than the first communication address, wherein the second communication address is associated with a communication bridge; and

sending an instruction to the communication bridge to initiate a communication connection to the first communication address.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when the first communication address is not of the predetermined type, initiating a communication to the first communication address via the mobile communication network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending authentication information to the communication bridge via the mobile communication network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the authentication information comprises caller identification information.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein authentication information is not received from a user at the mobile communication device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the first communication address is of a predetermined type comprises analyzing alpha-numerical digits of the first communication address.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined type comprises an international telephony address.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined type comprises a long-distance telephony address.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined type comprises an internet address.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the first communication address is of a predetermined type comprises comparing the first communication address to one or more communication address patterns.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the first communication address is of a predetermined type comprises accessing user configuration data to determine the predetermined type.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a user does not dial the second communication address associated with the communication bridge to initiate the communication to the first communication address.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a user does not enter an access code associated with the communication bridge to initiate the communication to the destination communication address.

14. A tangible processor-readable medium, comprising:

instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to receive input indicating a destination address;

instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine whether the destination address is of a predetermined type;

instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to initiate a call to a second address associated with a communication bridge via a mobile communication network when the destination address is of the predetermined type, wherein the second address is different than the destination address; and

instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to send an instruction to the communication bridge to initiate a communication to the destination address.

15. The tangible processor-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions are adapted to be executed by a processor of a mobile communication device.

16. The tangible processor-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the communication bridge comprises a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony bridge, and wherein the communication comprises a VoIP call.

17. The tangible processor-readable medium of claim 14, further comprising, instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to receive data from a device associated with the destination address via the communication bridge after communication to the destination address is initiated.

18. The tangible processor-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the data comprises voice data.

19. The tangible processor-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the data comprises non-voice data.

20. A mobile communication device, comprising:

an input device to receive input indicating a destination communication address;

an address analysis module to determine whether the destination communication address is of a predetermined type; and

a call module to initiate a call to a second address associated with a communication bridge when the destination communication address is of the predetermined type and to send an instruction to the communication bridge via the call to initiate a communication connection to the destination communication address, wherein the second address is different than the destination communication address.