Method and apparatus for content presentation in association with a communication connection
A method and apparatus are provided for presenting content to a caller and/or a called party in association with a telephone call or other communication connection. Content may be presented pre-ring (before the called party's telephone rings), in-call, and/or post-call, and may be related to a party participating in the call or may be related to a third party. Presentation of specified content may include assisted sharing, wherein both parties view the same content and one guides or assists the other. A received call may be split into signal and voice channels, with the signal channel used to notify a call controller of the call and the voice channel being directed to an agent selected by the call controller to handle the call.
1. A method of facilitating presentation of content on a communication device, the method comprising:
receiving notification of a call from a first communication device;
in response to the notification:
delaying routing of the call without soliciting action by a first operator of the first communication device, wherein said delaying comprises transmitting a signal to the first communication device to delay dialing the call; and
selecting a second operator of a second communication device to receive the call, based on at least one of:
a language of one or more of the first operator and the second operator;
a location of one or more of the first operator and the second operator;
previous interaction between the first operator and the second operator;
a first telephone number of the first communication device; and
a second telephone number to which the call was directed; and
connecting the call to the second communication device after termination of the delay.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to the notification:
causing to be transmitted, to one or more of the first communication device and the second communication device, pre-ring content delivered before the call rings at the second communication device.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second operator is further selected based on at least one of:
a gender of one or more of the first operator and the second operator;
an age of one or more of the first operator and the second operator; and
a protocol of the call, wherein the protocol is one of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second operator is further selected based on at least one of:
a previous transaction between the first operator and an organization represented by the agent;
attributes of operators with whom the first operator previously interacted;
a cost of directing the call to the second communication device; and
a quality of a communication link to the second communication device.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving the call at a telephone gateway; and
separating the call into a signaling channel and a voice channel;
wherein receiving the notification comprises receiving the signaling channel, at a call controller, from the gateway; and
wherein connecting the call comprises causing the voice channel to be directed to the second communication device.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
after connecting the call to the second communication device, causing to be transmitted, to one or more of the first communication device and the second communication device, in-call content delivered during the call.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the in-call content comprises content displayed simultaneously, during the call, on the first communication device and the second communication device.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the in-call content comprises a first sequence of content items from the first communication device interleaved with a second sequence of content items from the second communication device.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
causing to be transmitted, to one or more of the first communication device and the second communication device, post-call content delivered after the call is terminated.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said causing to be transmitted comprises transmitting a reference to the post-call content to the one or more of the first communication device and the second communication device.
11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of facilitating presentation of content on a communication device, the method comprising:
receiving notification of a call from a first communication device;
in response to the notification:
delaying routing of the call without soliciting action by a first operator of the first communication device, wherein said delaying comprises transmitting a signal to the first communication device to delay dialing the call; and
selecting a second operator of a second communication device to receive the call, based on at least one of:
a language of one or more of the first operator and the second operator;
a location of one or more of the first operator and the second operator;
previous interaction between the first operator and the second operator;
a first telephone number of the first communication device; and
a telephone number to which the call was directed; and
connecting the call to the second communication device after termination of the delay.
12. An apparatus for facilitating presentation of content on a communication device, the apparatus comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:
receive notification of a call from a first communication device;
in response to the notification:
delay routing of the call without soliciting action by a first operator of the first communication device, wherein said delaying comprises transmitting a signal to the first communication device to delay dialing the call; and
select a second operator of a second communication device to receive the call, based on at least one of:
a language of one or more of the first operator and the second operator;
a location of one or more of the first operator and the second operator;
previous interaction between the first operator and the second operator;
a first telephone number of the first communication device; and
a second telephone number to which the call was directed; and
connect the call to the second communication device after termination of the delay.
13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to, in response to the notification:
cause to be transmitted, to one or more of the first communication device and the second communication device, pre-ring content delivered before the call rings at the second communication device.
14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the second operator is further selected based on at least one of:
a gender of one or more of the first operator and the second operator;
an age of one or more of the first operator and the second operator; and
a protocol of the call, wherein the protocol is one of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
15. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the second operator is further selected based on at least one of:
a previous transaction between the first operator and an organization represented by the agent;
attributes of operators with whom the first operator previously interacted;
a cost of directing the call to the second communication device; and
a quality of a communication link to the second communication device.
16. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:
receive the call at a telephone gateway; and
separate the call into a signaling channel and a voice channel;
wherein receiving the notification comprises receiving the signaling channel, at a call controller, from the gateway; and
wherein connecting the call comprises causing the voice channel to be directed to the second communication device.
17. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to:
after connecting the call to the second communication device, cause to be transmitted, to one or more of the first communication device and the second communication device, in-call content delivered during the call.
18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the in-call content comprises content displayed simultaneously, during the call, on the first communication device and the second communication device.
19. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the in-call content comprises a first sequence of content items from the first communication device interleaved with a second sequence of content items from the second communication device.
20. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to, further comprising:
causing to be transmitted, to one or more of the first communication device and the second communication device, post-call content delivered after the call is terminated.