Systems and methods to provide information via connections for real time communications between people
View Patent ↗Methods and apparatuses to connect people for real time communications to access diverse categories of information. One embodiment includes; storing data representing a privilege of a user during a predetermined period of time; responsive to a first request made via a presentation of a listing of the first entity for a service of the first entity, establishing a connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity to deliver the service of the first entity, if the user has the privilege at a time of the first request; and responsive to a second request made via a presentation of a listing of the second entity for a service of the second entity, establishing a connection for real time communications between the user and the second entity to deliver the service of the second entity, if the user has the privilege at a time of the second request.
1. A method, comprising:
storing, using a computing device, data representing a privilege of a user during a predetermined period of time, wherein the privilege of the user allows the user to access a respective service of each entity of a plurality of entities over a respective real time communication connection within the predetermined period of time;
presenting, using the computing device, a listing of a first entity of the plurality of entities to the user for a service of the first entity;
receiving, using the computing device, a first request from the user via a presentation of the listing of the first entity at a first time;
determining, using the computing device, the user has the privilege at the first time, wherein determining the user has the privilege at the first time comprises determining the first time falls within the predetermined period of time;
in response to determining the user has the privilege at the first time, establishing, using the computing device, a first connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity to deliver the service of the first entity via the first connection for real time communications;
presenting, using the computing device, a listing of a second entity of the plurality of entities to the user for a service of the second entity;
receiving, using the computing device, a second request from the user via a presentation of the listing of the second entity at a second time;
determining, using the computing device, the user has the privilege at the second time, wherein determining the user has the privilege at the second time comprises determining the second time falls within the predetermined period of time;
in response to determining the user has the privilege at the second time, establishing, using the computing device, a second connection for real time communications between the user and the second entity to deliver the service of the second entity via the second connection for real time communications;
tracking time expended by the user in real time communication with the first and second entities during the first and second connections; and
maintaining, using the computing device, a cumulative privilege time balance remaining to the user prior to expiration of the predetermined period of time.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the balance is in a unit of minutes of time for real time communications with one or more of a plurality of advisors, including the first entity and the second entity.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the balance is maintained on a telephonic apparatus of the user.
4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
transferring, using the computing device, the balance of the user from the telephonic apparatus of the user into an account of the user in a centralized server in response to the user signing off from the telephonic apparatus; and
transferring, using the computing device, the balance of the user from the centralized server to a separate telephonic apparatus of the user in response to the user signing in from the separate telephonic apparatus.
5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
sending, using the computing device, the first amount to a telephonic apparatus of the first entity via a peer to peer connection between the telephonic apparatus of the user and the telephonic apparatus of the entity.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing, using the computing device, a predetermined amount of the balance to the user responsive to a subscription fee from the user for the predetermined period of time.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, using the computing device, a communication reference of a third entity from the user;
establishing, using the computing device, a third connection for real time communications between the user and the third entity according to the communication reference of the third entity; and
deducting, using the computing device, a third amount from the balance of the user based on a length of a time period of the real time communications between the user and the third entity.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the listing of the first entity is presented with a rating of the first entity according to feedback from prior users and an indicator of whether the first entity is available for real time communications with the user at a time the listing of the first entity is presented.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the service of the first entity comprises information, advice, or consultation.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the service of the first entity and the service of the second entity are of different categories; the listing of the first entity is presented in response to a search of the user in a first category; and the listing of the second entity is presented in response to a search of the user in a second category.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the listing of the first entity includes a telephonic reference of a connection server; and the establishing of the connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity comprises:
the connection server establishing a first telephonic connection with the user using the telephonic reference of the connection server;
the connection server determining a telephonic reference of the first entity based on the telephonic reference of the connection server used to establish the first telephonic connection;
the connection server establishing a second telephonic connection with the first entity using the telephonic reference of the first entity; and
connecting the first telephonic connection and the second telephonic connection to provide a telephonic connection between the user and the first entity.
12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the telephonic reference of the connection server comprises a telephone number of the connection server without an extension, a telephone number of the connection server with an extension, a session initiation protocol (SIP) uniform resource identifier (URI), a user identifier of an instant messaging network, or a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) user identifier.
13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the telephonic reference of the connection server includes an encrypted version of the telephonic reference of the first entity.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the establishing of the connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity comprises:
a connection server identifying a telephonic reference of the user and a telephonic reference of the first entity;
the connection server initiating a first telephonic connection with the user using the telephonic reference of the user;
the connection server initiating a second telephonic connection with the first entity using the telephonic reference of the first entity; and
joining the first telephonic connection and the second telephonic connection to connect the user and the first entity.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the list of the first entity is presented on a telephonic apparatus of the user; and the list is selectable to request the telephonic apparatus to initiate the connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the telephonic apparatus of the user comprises a softphone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, or a wireless mobile phone integrated with a personal data assistant.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity includes a peer to peer connection between the telephonic apparatus of the user and a telephonic apparatus of the first entity over a data communication network.
18. A tangible machine-readable medium, storing instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:
storing, using a computing device, data representing a privilege of a user during a predetermined period of time, wherein the privilege of the user allows the user to access a respective service of each entity of a plurality of entities over a respective real time communication connection within the predetermined period of time;
presenting, using the computing device, a listing of a first entity of the plurality of entities to the user for a service of the first entity;
receiving, using the computing device, a first request from the user via a presentation of the listing of the first entity at a first time;
determining, using the computing device, the user has the privilege at the first time, wherein determining the user has the privilege at the first time comprises determining the first time falls within the predetermined period of time;
in response to determining the user has the privilege at the first time, establishing, using the computing device, a first connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity to deliver the service of the first entity via the first connection for real time communications;
presenting, using the computing device, a listing of a second entity of the plurality of entities to the user for a service of the second entity;
receiving, using the computing device, a second request from the user via a presentation of the listing of the second entity at a second time;
determining, using the computing device, the user has the privilege at the second time, wherein determining the user has the privilege at the second time comprises determining the second time falls within the predetermined period of time;
in response to determining the user has the privilege at the second time, establishing, using the computing device, a second connection for real time communications between the user and the second entity to deliver the service of the second entity via the second connection for real time communication;
tracking time expended by the user in real time communication with the first and second entities during the first and second connections; and
maintaining, using the computing device, a cumulative privilege time balance remaining to the user prior to expiration of the predetermined period of time.
19. A computing device, comprising:
a memory; and
a processor coupled to at least the memory to:
store, using a computing device, data representing a privilege of a user during a predetermined period of time, wherein the privilege of the user allows the user to access a respective service of each entity of a plurality of entities over a respective real time communication connection within the predetermined period of time;
present, using the computing device, a listing of a first entity of the plurality of entities to the user for a service of the first entity;
receive, using the computing device, a first request from the user via a presentation of the listing of the first entity at a first time;
determine, using the computing device, the user has the privilege at the first time, wherein determining the user has the privilege at the first time comprises determining the first time falls within the predetermined period of time;
in response to determining the user has the privilege at the first time, establish, using the computing device, a first connection for real time communications between the user and the first entity to deliver the service of the first entity via the first connection for real time communication;
present, using the computing device, a listing of a second entity of the plurality of entities to the user for a service of the second entity;
receive, using the computing device, a second request from the user via a presentation of the listing of the second entity at a second time;
determine, using the computing device, the user has the privilege at the second time, wherein determining the user has the privilege at the second time comprises determining the second time falls within the predetermined period of time;
in response to determining the user has the privilege at the second time, establish, using the computing device, a second connection for real time communications between the user and the second entity to deliver the service of the second entity via the second connection for real time communication;
tracking time expended by the user in real time communication with the first and second entities during the first and second connections; and
maintaining, using the computing device, a cumulative privilege time balance remaining to the user prior to expiration of the predetermined period of time.