IP Library Granted Patent US 9,292,861
Granted Patent B2
US 9,292,861 · App. 14/847,876 · Granted Mar 22, 2016

Methods and systems for routing calls

Inventors: Jason S. Spievak (Santa Barbara, CA); Colin D. Kelley (Santa Barbara, CA); David S. Trandal (Santa Barbara, CA)
Assignee: Invoca, Inc.
G06Q30/0246H04M3/5191H04M7/003
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,292,861
App. No.
14/847,876
Granted
Mar 22, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

An online and offline communication processing and tracking using data processing and data/voice networks is described. A phone address from a phone address number pool is automatically assigned to a first entity. A call quality rating is determined and recorded. A call from a caller directed to the phone address is received at a call bridging system coupled to at least one network, wherein the call is associated with call signaling information. Based at least in part on the call quality associated with the caller call, the caller call is assigned to a first location in a call queue. An outbound call is generated from the call bridging system and the inbound and the outbound calls are bridged. One or more parameters of the bridged call are compared to the call quality rating. An indication is recorded regarding the successful bridging of the calls in association with an entity identifier.

Claims (72)

1. A system, comprising:

a computing device;

a telephony interface configured to be coupled to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN);

non-transitory media storing instructions readable by the computing device, that when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to:

cause, at least in part, a first phone address to be displayed on a first computing device of a first customer prospect in association with a first media element,

wherein the first phone address is selected from a pool of phone addresses;

store in memory an association of the first phone address with a first persistent unique identifier;

cause, at least in part, a second phone address to be displayed on a first computing device of a second customer prospect in association with the first media element,

wherein the second phone address is selected from the pool of phone addresses;

store in memory an association of the second phone address with a second persistent unique identifier;

prior to a display of a second media element to the first customer prospect, determine whether a second computing device associated with the first customer prospect is online;

at least partly in response to a determination that the second computing device associated with the first customer prospect is online, cause, at least in part, the first phone address to be displayed on the second computing device of the first customer prospect in association with the second media element;

receive, via the telephony interface, a first call from the first customer prospect directed to the first phone address;

originate, via the telephony interface, a second call directed to a third phone address, wherein the third phone address is selected based at least in part on the received first call to the first phone address; and

bridge, via the telephone interface, the first call and the second call to enable the first customer prospect to communicate with a called party associated with the third phone address,

wherein the first media element, the second media element, or the first media element and the second media element are configured to be displayed to the first customer prospect in a Webpage or within the context of an application.

2. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first persistent unique identifier is created using a received credential identifying the first customer prospect.

3. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the first phone address comprises a phone address local to the first customer prospect.

4. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the telephony interface comprises an Internet Protocol interface.

5. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the selection of the third phone address is further based upon a response to a query to determine a unique persistent identifier associated with the first phone address.

6. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the selection of the third phone address is further based upon a response to a query to determine a marketing funnel stage of the first customer prospect, the marketing funnel stage representing an indication of a likelihood that a customer prospect will be a customer for a good or service.

7. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the selection of the third phone address is further based upon a response to a query to determine a state of a marketing campaign in which the first customer prospect has been entered.

8. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to:

subsequent to the display of the first media element on the first computing device of the first customer prospect, cause, at least in part, the first phone address to be displayed in association with the first media element on the second computing device of the first customer prospect.

9. The system as defined in claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to:

subsequent to the display of the first media element on the first computing device of the first customer prospect, cause, at least in part, the first phone address to be displayed in association with the second media element on the first computing device of the first customer prospect.

10. A system, comprising:

a computing device;

a telephony interface configured to be coupled to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN);

non-transitory media storing instructions readable by the computing device, that when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to:

cause, at least in part, a first phone address to be displayed on a first computing device of a first customer prospect in association with a first media element,

wherein the first phone address is selected from a first pool of phone addresses;

store in memory an association of the first phone address with a first customer prospect identifier;

cause, at least in part, a second phone address to be displayed on a first computing device of a second customer prospect in association with the first media element,

wherein the second phone address is selected from a second pool of phone addresses;

store in memory an association of the second phone address with a second customer prospect identifier;

prior to a display of the first media element or a second media element on a second computing device associated with the first customer prospect, determine whether the second computing device associated with the first customer prospect is currently accessible over a communication medium;

at least partly in response to a determination that the second computing device associated with the first customer prospect is currently accessible over a communication medium, cause, at least in part, the first phone address to be displayed on the second computing device of the first customer prospect in association with the second media element;

receive, via the telephony interface, a first call from the first customer prospect directed to the first phone address; and

route a second call directed to a third phone address, wherein the third phone address is selected based at least in part on the received first call to the first phone address,

wherein the first media element, the second media element, or the first media element and the second media element comprise Web-based display media elements or are configured to be displayed within the context of an application.

11. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the first customer prospect identifier comprises a persistent unique identifier.

12. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the first customer prospect identifier comprises a secondary persistent unique identifier received or accessed from a Web service provider or applications provider.

13. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the first pool of phone addresses comprises the second pool of phone addresses.

14. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the first phone address comprises a toll-free phone address.

15. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the telephony interface comprises an Internet Protocol interface.

16. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the selection of the third phone address is further based upon a response to a query to determine a customer prospect identifier associated with the first phone address.

17. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the selection of the third phone address is further based upon a response to a query to determine a marketing funnel stage of the first customer prospect, the marketing funnel stage representing an indication of a likelihood that a customer prospect will be a customer for a good or service.

18. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the selection of the third phone address is further based upon a response to a query to determine a state of a marketing campaign in which the first customer prospect has been entered.

19. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the system is configured to:

subsequent to the display of the first media element on the first computing device of the first customer prospect, cause, at least in part, the first phone address to be displayed in association with the first media element on the second computing device of the first customer prospect.

20. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the system is configured to:

subsequent to the display of the first media element on the first computing device of the first customer prospect, cause, at least in part, the first phone address to be displayed in association with the second media element on the first computing device of the first customer prospect.

21. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the first media element comprises an online merchant promotion.

22. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the first customer prospect includes members of a household which share the first computing device, or which share the second computing device, or any combination thereof.

23. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein the first customer prospect comprises members that share at least one identity credential.

24. The system as defined in claim 10 , wherein, during a marketing campaign in which the first customer prospect has been entered, the first phone address is not associated with a prospect identifier of another customer prospect for purposed of tracking campaign performance.

25. A system, comprising:

a computing device;

a telephony interface configured to be coupled to a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN);

non-transitory media storing instructions readable by the computing device, that when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to:

cause, at least in part, a first phone address to be displayed on a first computing device of a first customer prospect in association with a first media element,

wherein the first phone address is selected from a first pool of phone addresses;

store in memory an association of the first phone address with a first customer prospect identifier;

cause, at least in part, a second phone address to be displayed on a first computing device of a second customer prospect in association with the first media element,

wherein the second phone address is selected from a second pool of phone addresses;

store in memory an association of the second phone address with a second customer prospect identifier;

prior to a display of a second media element to the first customer prospect, determine whether an application hosted on a second computing device associated with the first customer prospect is currently accessible over a communication medium;

at least partly in response to a determination that the application hosted on the second computing device associated with the first customer prospect is currently accessible over a communication medium, cause, at least in part, the first phone address to be displayed within the application hosted on the second computing device of the first customer prospect in association with the second media element;

receive, via the telephony interface, a first call from the first customer prospect directed to the first phone address; and

route a second call directed to a third phone address, wherein the third phone address is selected based at least in part on the received first call to the first phone address,

wherein the first media element, the second media element, or the first media element and the second media element comprise Web-based display media elements or are configured to be displayed within the context of an application.

Assignments (6)
RELEASE OF SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Jan 24, 2023
From: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC
To: INVOCA, INC.
Reel/Frame 062463/0390 →
REAFFIRMATION OF AND SUPPLEMENT TO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Jan 28, 2022
From: INVOCA, INC.
To: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC
Reel/Frame 058892/0404 →
REAFFIRMATION OF AND SUPPLEMENT TO INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Oct 21, 2021
From: INVOCA, INC.
To: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC
Reel/Frame 057884/0947 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 19, 2018
From: INVOCA, INC.
To: PACIFIC WESTERN BANK
Reel/Frame 046909/0908 →
SECURITY INTEREST Recorded Sep 18, 2018
From: INVOCA, INC.
To: ORIX GROWTH CAPITAL, LLC
Reel/Frame 046903/0583 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 15, 2015
From: SPIEVAK, JASON S.; KELLEY, COLIN D.; TRANDAL, DAVID S.
To: INVOCA, INC.
Reel/Frame 036800/0330 →
Continuity (14)
Continuation In Part 14680994 · Apr 7, 2015
Continuation In Part 14546452 · Nov 18, 2014
Continuation In Part 14319843 · Jun 30, 2014
Continuation In Part 14184330 · Feb 19, 2014
Continuation In Part 14069152 · Oct 31, 2013
Continuation In Part 13828623 · Mar 14, 2013
Continuation In Part 13563493 · Jul 31, 2012
Continuation 13455845 · Apr 25, 2012
Continuation In Part 12552905 · Sep 2, 2009
Provisional Application 61095255 · Sep 8, 2008
Provisional Application 61107269 · Oct 21, 2008
Provisional Application 61161654 · Mar 19, 2009
Provisional Application 61976325 · Apr 7, 2014
Related Publication 20150379562A1 · Dec 31, 2015