System and methods for searching and communication

• US 9,563,707 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2015
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LivePerson Incorporated
• Original Assignee: LivePerson Incorporated
• Inventors: Barak, Matan, Schorzman, Julius, Ninio, Nir Holtzman, Goldstein, Uri
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROMELL, ALEXANDRIA Y
• Application Number:
  US14/711,609
• Publication Number:
  US 20150248486A1
• Time in Patent Office: 636 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/22 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/248 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/134 Hyperlinking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/783 Distributed allocation of resources, e.g. bandwidth brokers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols

Abstract

Described are computer-based methods and apparatuses, including computer program products, comprising the steps of, or structure for, storing a plurality of expert profiles in a database, each of the plurality of expert profiles comprising information associated with a person having knowledge in a particular category, subject or topic; receiving search criteria over a network from a query source; selecting at least one of the plurality of expert profiles comprising information that satisfy the search criteria; and transmitting expert profile data for each of the selected expert profiles to the remote search engine, the expert profile data comprising data that defines a displayable representation of a corresponding expert profile, the expert profile data further comprising data that facilitates a client-initiated, real-time communication session over the network with a person associated with the corresponding expert profile.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

storing, by an agent search server, topic data and agent data in a database within a system;

associating, by the agent search server, topic data with one or more agents, wherein agents are active or inactive, and wherein agents are relevant or irrelevant to the topic data;

determining, by the agent search server, whether any agents associated with the topic data are active and relevant, wherein agents are relevant when a topic included in one or more profiles of one or more relevant agents matches the topic data;

associating, by the agent search server, one or more real-time interaction options with active relevant agents;

determining, by the agent search server, status data, wherein the status data is stored in the database, and wherein the status data corresponds to active relevant agents associated with one or more real-time interaction options and the topic data;

transmitting, by the agent search server, the status data to a search engine server operating remotely from the agent search server and in communication with the agent search server over a network, wherein interactive elements are associated with search results by the search engine server, wherein the search results are generated by the search engine server in response to a search request including the topic data, wherein the search request does not include a request for an agent, wherein an agent search request is generated using the topic data, wherein the agent search request is separate from the search request and includes the topic data, and wherein the agent search request is used to determine relevant agents associated with the topic data; and

receiving data corresponding to a selection of an interactive element associated with search results, wherein an interactive element is separate from a search result and is displayed concurrently with a search result, wherein the selected interactive element is associated with one or more agents based on the status data, wherein the selection of the interactive element facilitates a real-time interaction option among two or more devices, and wherein at least one device is associated with an active relevant agent associated with the topic data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the status data is dynamically modifiable.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the status data is active or inactive, wherein the status data is active when a relevant agent associated with the topic is active, and wherein the status data is inactive when a relevant agent associated with the topic is inactive.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the real-time interactions include using communication logic capable of facilitating a real-time communication session.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein real-time communication sessions include text messaging sessions, internet telephony sessions, or real-time chat sessions, and wherein real-time chat sessions include audio, video, or textual communication.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein an agent corresponds to an individual, and wherein when a relevant agent is active, the individual is available, and wherein when a relevant agent is inactive, the individual is unavailable.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein an available individual is an individual that is available for a real-time communication session including text messaging sessions, internet telephony sessions, or real-time chat sessions, and wherein real-time chat sessions include audio, video, or textual communication.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein facilitating real-time communication includes evaluating additional data including credential data or historical data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the status data is generated in response to the search request, and wherein the search request includes a search query or one or more keywords.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein when a relevant agent associated with the topic data is active, corresponding status data is generated.

11. A system including an agent search server, comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions which when executed on the processor, cause the processor to perform operations including;

storing topic data and agent data in a database within a system;

associating topic data with one or more agents, wherein agents are active or inactive, and wherein agents are relevant or irrelevant to the topic data;

determining whether any agents associated with the topic data are active and relevant, wherein agents are relevant when a topic included in one or more profiles of the one or more relevant agents matches the topic data;

associating one or more real-time interaction options with active relevant agents;

determining status data, wherein the status data is stored in the database, and wherein the status data corresponds to active relevant agents associated with one or more real-time interaction options and the topic data;

transmitting the status data to a search engine server operating remotely from the agent search server and in communication with the agent search server over a network, wherein interactive elements are associated with search results by the search engine server, wherein the search results are generated by the search engine server in response to a search request including the topic data, wherein the search request does not include a request for an agent, wherein an agent search request is generated using the topic data, wherein the agent search request is separate from the search request and includes the topic data, and wherein the agent search request is used to determine relevant agents associated with the topic data; and

receiving data corresponding to a selection of an interactive element associated with search results, wherein an interactive element is separate from a search result and is displayed concurrently with a search result, wherein the selected interactive element is associated with one or more agents based on the status data, wherein the selection of the interactive element facilitates a real-time interaction option among two or more devices, and wherein at least one device is associated with an active relevant agent associated with the topic data.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the status data is dynamically modifiable.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the status data is active or inactive, wherein the status data is active when a relevant agent associated with the topic is active, and wherein the status data is inactive when a relevant agent associated with the topic is inactive.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the real-time interactions include using communication logic capable of facilitating a real-time communication session.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein real-time communication sessions include text messaging sessions, internet telephony sessions, or real-time chat sessions, and wherein real-time chat sessions include audio, video, or textual communication.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein an agent corresponds to an individual, and wherein when a relevant agent is active, the individual is available, and wherein when a relevant agent is inactive, the individual is unavailable.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein an available individual is an individual that is available for a real-time communication session including text messaging sessions, internet telephony sessions, or real-time chat sessions, and wherein real-time chat sessions include audio, video, or textual communication.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein facilitating real-time communication includes evaluating additional data including credential data or historical data.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the status data is generated in response to the search request, and wherein the search request includes a search query or one or more keywords.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein when a relevant agent associated with the topic data is active, corresponding status data is generated.

21. A computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of an agent search server, including instructions configured to cause a data processing apparatus to:

store topic data and agent data in a database within a system;

associate topic data with one or more agents, wherein agents are active or inactive, and wherein agents are relevant or irrelevant to the topic data;

determine whether any agents associated with the topic data are active and relevant, wherein agents are relevant when a topic included in one or more profiles of the one or more relevant agents matches the topic data;

associate one or more real-time interaction options with active relevant agents;

determine status data, wherein the status data is stored in the database, and wherein the status data corresponds to active relevant agents associated with one or more real-time interaction options and the topic data;

transmit the status data to a search engine server operating remotely from the agent search server and in communication with the agent search server over a network, wherein interactive elements are associated with search results by the search engine server, wherein the search results are generated by the search engine server in response to a search request including the topic data, wherein the search request does not include a request for an agent, wherein an agent search request is generated using the topic data, wherein the agent search request is separate from the search request and includes the topic data, and wherein the agent search request is used to determine relevant agents associated with the topic data; and

receive data corresponding to a selection of an interactive element associated with search results, wherein an interactive element is separate from a search result and is displayed concurrently with a search result, wherein the selected interactive element is associated with one or more agents based on the status data, wherein the selection of the interactive element facilitates a real-time interaction option among two or more devices, and wherein at least one device is associated with an active relevant agent associated with the topic data.

22. The computer-program product of claim 21, wherein the status data is dynamically modifiable.

23. The computer-program product of claim 21, wherein the status data is active or inactive, wherein the status data is active when a relevant agent associated with the topic is active, and wherein the status data is inactive when a relevant agent associated with the topic is inactive.

24. The computer-program product of claim 21, wherein the real-time interactions include using communication logic capable of facilitating a real-time communication session.

25. The computer-program product of claim 21, wherein real-time communication sessions include text messaging sessions, internet telephony sessions, or real-time chat sessions, and wherein real-time chat sessions include audio, video, or textual communication.

26. The computer-program product of claim 21, wherein an agent corresponds to an individual, and wherein when a relevant agent is active, the individual is available, and wherein when a relevant agent is inactive, the individual is unavailable.

27. The computer-program product of claim 26, wherein an available individual is an individual that is available for a real-time communication session including text messaging sessions, internet telephony sessions, or real-time chat sessions, and wherein real-time chat sessions include audio, video, or textual communication.

28. The computer-program product of claim 21, wherein facilitating real-time communication includes evaluating additional data including credential data or historical data.

29. The computer-program product of claim 21, wherein the status data is generated in response to the search request, and wherein the search request includes a search query or one or more keywords.

30. The computer-program product of claim 21, wherein when a relevant agent associated with the topic data is active, corresponding status data is generated.