The present invention relates generally telecommunications and more specifically to systems and methods for providing anonymous calling.
Typically, phone calls are made by one user dialing the telephone number of a second user. However, it would be desirable to be able to get a user ID and have other users call the userID for many reasons. This will create marketing and privacy advantages by allowing the first user to call the second user without having an actual phone number. Further, the users may use their User ID as a form of marketing. For example, the user may choose FIRSTCLASSCLEANERS as their user ID for a cleaning company. In a business with many different partners, they may want to have certain days that new clients call one partner to field new customers and other days the other partner receives incoming new client calls. The phone number associated with the userID may be changed, but the new customers never know this. They may also very easily remember how to contact the company and/or individuals, rather than having to remember ten digits. This is also particularly useful given that many people use mobile phones with different area codes requiring people to remember ten digits instead of seven. There are many ways it can be envisioned that this would be useful.
Another problem with the prior art is that individuals surfing the web often find a phone number for a business or a person (on personal websites such as myspace, etc.). It may be desirable for the business or individual to keep their personal phone number private and only allow calls through anonymous userID or by clicking on a link.
Accordingly, the present invention provides systems and methods for providing anonymous calling and marketing.
The present invention relates generally to systems and methods relating to telecommunications.
According to one embodiment, a method of providing anonymous calling is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of: providing a first user having a first user ID associated with a first phone number; providing a second user having a second user ID associated with a destination phone number; accepting an call request from the first user containing the second user ID; receiving in a computer based system the call request, wherein the computer based system checks to inquire whether the destination phone number is registered with the computer based system, wherein the destination phone number is not registered the first user is notified that the second userID is invalid, wherein the destination phone number is registered, the method comprises the step determining whether the first user is on a paid plan or a free plan, and wherein the first user is on a free plan, an advertisement is played to the initiating user prior to placing phone call and wherein the first user is on a paid plan the advertisement is not played and the first user is called; calling the destination phone number to provide an anonymous phone connection between the first user and the destination phone number.
According to another embodiment, a method of providing anonymous calling is disclosed, the method comprising the steps of: providing a first user having a first user ID associated with a first phone number; providing a second user having a second user ID associated with a destination phone number; accepting a text message from the first user containing the second user ID; determining the destination phone number locale status, wherein the destination phone number locale status is either domestic or international; wherein the destination phone number locale status is international, the method further comprises the step of determining the first users membership status, the first users membership status being selected from the group consisting of registered and paying, registered and free or unregistered; and wherein the first users membership status is registered and paying the step of calling the destination phone number is completed; wherein the first users membership status is registered and free the step of playing an advertisement to the user is performed and the step of calling the destination phone number is completed; wherein the first users membership status is unregistered, the initiating user is directed towards a membership application and the step of calling the destination phone number is not completed until the membership status is either registered and paying or registered and free; determining the destination membership status of the second destination phone number, wherein the destination membership status is either registered or unregistered; wherein the destination membership status is registered the computer based system calls the destination phone number and an anonymous phone connection between the first user and the second user is completed; wherein the aid origination membership status is unregistered, the computer based system informs the connection cannot be made.
A method of providing anonymous web based calling, the method comprising the steps of: providing a web page having an embedded call icon associated with a destination phone number; providing an initiating user, wherein the initiating user clicks on the embedded call icon; calling the initiating user; playing an advertisement to the initiating user; and calling the destination phone number to provide an anonymous phone connection between the initiating user and the destination phone number.
A method of providing anonymous web based calling, the method comprising the steps of: providing a web page having an embedded call icon associated with a destination phone number; providing an initiating user, wherein the initiating user clicks on the embedded call icon; determining the destination phone number locale status, wherein the destination phone number locale status is either domestic or international; wherein the destination phone number locale status is international, the method further comprises the step of determining the initiating users membership status, the initiating users membership status being selected from the group consisting of registered and paying, registered and free or unregistered; and wherein the membership status is registered and paying the step of calling the destination phone number is completed to provide an anonymous phone connection between the initiating user and the destination phone number; wherein the membership status is registered and free the step of playing an advertisement to the user is performed and the step of calling the destination phone number is completed to provide an anonymous phone connection between the initiating user and the destination phone number; wherein the membership status is unregistered, the initiating user is directed towards a membership application and the step of calling the destination phone number is not completed until the membership status is either registered and paying or registered and free.
A system of providing anonymous calling, the system comprising: a first user having a first user ID associated with a first phone number and a first user plan stored in the computer based system; a second user having a second user ID associated with a destination phone number and a second user plan in the computer based system; wherein the computer based system accepts a call request from the first user containing the second user ID and determines the registration status of the second user and the destination phone number; wherein the registration status of the destination phone number is not registered the first user is notified that the second userID is invalid; wherein the registration status of destination phone number is registered, the computer based system determines whether the destination phone number is a domestic or international call to the first user and determines whether the first user is on a paid plan or a free plan, and wherein the first user is on a free plan, an advertisement is played to the initiating user prior to placing phone call and wherein the first user is on a paid plan the advertisement is not played and the first user is called and the first user is billed for the phone call; the computer based system initiates a call between by calling the first phone number and the destination phone number and connecting the first user and the second user to provide an anonymous phone connection between the first user and the destination phone number.
A system for providing anonymous calling, the system comprising: a master database; at least one server farm; at least one load balancer; a web page; config files; VOIP trunk provider; at least one advertisement storage server; and wherein a first user performs a call request, one of the at least one load balancer determines the available server in the at least one server farm, the available server accepts the call request and determines from the master database the first user's plan and wherein the first user has a free plan the at least one advertisement storage server plays the advertisement, the load balancer determines the available server in the at least one server farm and the at least one server farm communicates with a phone system to connect a call to a second user to provide a phone connection.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following description and claims.
The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.
A method of providing anonymous calling, the method comprising the steps of: providing a first user having a first user ID associated with a first phone number.
As shown in
According to the present invention, a second user having a second user ID associated with a destination phone number is provided. This may be an individual, for example who chooses the second user ID “Golfer”. The first user would text the word “golfer” into their mobile phone (or computer). The method would comprise the step of accepting a text message from the first user containing the second user ID and receiving in a computer based system the text message. The computer based system would check to inquire whether the destination phone number (“GOLFER”) is registered the system, wherein the destination phone number is not registered the first user is notified that the second userID is invalid, wherein the destination phone number is registered, the method comprises the step determining whether the first user is on a paid plan or a free plan. When the first user is on a free plan, an advertisement is played to the first user or initiating user prior to placing phone call and wherein the first user is on a paid plan the advertisement is not played and the first user is called. The advertisement may be played on the users mobile phone, any hand held device or computer, or any of these methods simultaneously depending on the advertiser and whether the first user is inputting the call request in their computer or their telephone via text message. Then the step of calling the destination phone number is performed to provide an anonymous phone connection between the first user and the destination phone number. This is useful because it uses a first user and second users existing telephones. That is, they can have any type of phone and the system will call that phone number. It could be a mobile phone, a VOIP phone, a standard land line, any technology the user prefers.
The present invention also envisions a call center, in which users can track and record the phone connection. Also, the toolbar of either user may update according to the status of said anonymous phone connection.
A method of providing anonymous calling, the method comprising the steps of: providing a first user having a first user ID associated with a first phone number; providing a second user having a second user ID associated with a destination phone number; accepting a text message from the first user containing the second user ID; determining the destination phone number locale status, wherein the destination phone number locale status is either domestic or international; wherein the destination phone number locale status is international, the method further comprises the step of determining the first users membership status, the first users membership status being selected from the group consisting of registered and paying, registered and free or unregistered; and wherein the first users membership status is registered and paying the step of calling the destination phone number is completed; wherein the first users membership status is registered and free the step of playing an advertisement to the user is performed and the step of calling the destination phone number is completed; wherein the first users membership status is unregistered, the initiating user is directed towards a membership application and the step of calling the destination phone number is not completed until the membership status is either registered and paying or registered and free; determining the destination membership status of the destination phone number, wherein the destination membership status is either registered or unregistered; wherein the destination membership status is registered the computer based system calls the destination phone number and an anonymous phone connection between the first user and the second user is completed; wherein the origination membership status is unregistered, the computer based system informs the connection cannot be made.
The method may comprise the step of tracking the anonymous phone connection and recording the anonymous phone connection. The data regarding the length of the call and an audio clip of the actual phone connection may be stored on either users account and viewable on their webpage. Also there may be the step of updating the toolbar of the first user according to the status of the anonymous phone connection.
The advertisement may be played on the on the first users or second users cell phone, hand held device, or computer.
According to another embodiment, and with reference to
The method may comprise the step of tracking the anonymous phone connection (3020). The information regarding the anonymous phone connection may be stored in the users account web page (3026). The method may further comprise the step of updating the toolbar of the initiating user according to the status of the anonymous phone connection (3022). The toolbar of the destination phone number may also be updated according to the status of the anonymous phone connection (3022). Once the call is ended (3024), the toolbar may return to the ready state (3028).
It may also be necessary to provide the step of: determining the destination phone number locale status (3002), wherein the destination phone number locale status is either domestic or international; wherein the destination phone number locale status is international, the method further comprises the step of determining the initiating users membership status (3030), the initiating users membership status being selected from the group consisting of registered and paying, registered and free or unregistered; and wherein the membership status is registered and paying the step of calling the destination phone number is completed (3004, 3006, 3008, 3010, 3016); wherein the membership status is registered and free the step of playing an advertisement to the user is performed and the step of calling the destination phone number is completed (3004, 3006, 3008, 3010, 3012, 3016); wherein the membership status is unregistered, the initiating user is directed towards a membership application (3032) and the step of calling the destination phone number is not completed until the membership status is either registered and paying or registered and free. The advertisement when the phone number locale status is international may be a longer advertisement or a more expensive advertisement. Also, the user may chose not to activate international calling (3036) and may be provided with a message that international calling may be turned on at a later time, the tool bar returns to ready status (3028) and the process is ended (3040). The method may also comprise the step of accepting an input from the first user's phone in response to the step of playing an advertisement. For example, the ad may say “American Airlines e-savers for this week are $69 from New York to Los Angeles, press “1” to make a reservation”. This may be accomplished via IVR integration (3014) with the audio advertisement.
According to another embodiment, a method of providing anonymous web based calling is provided, the method comprising the steps of: providing a web page having an embedded call icon associated with a destination phone number; providing an initiating user, wherein the initiating user clicks on said embedded call icon; determining the destination phone number locale status, wherein the destination phone number locale status is either domestic or international; wherein the destination phone number locale status is international, the method further comprises the step of determining the initiating users membership status, the initiating users membership status being selected from the group consisting of registered and paying, registered and free or unregistered; and wherein the membership status is registered and paying the step of calling the destination phone number is completed to provide an anonymous phone connection between the initiating user and the destination phone number; wherein the membership status is registered and free the step of playing an advertisement to the user is performed and the step of calling the destination phone number is completed to provide an anonymous phone connection between the initiating user and the destination phone number; wherein the membership status is unregistered, the initiating user is directed towards a membership application and the step of calling the destination phone number is not completed until the membership status is either registered and paying or registered and free.
As shown in
According to another embodiment, a system of providing anonymous calling is provided, the system comprising: a first user having a first user ID associated with a first phone number and a first user plan stored in the computer based system; a second user having a second user ID associated with a destination phone number and a second user plan in the computer based system; wherein the computer based system accepts a call request from the first user containing the second user ID and determines the registration status of the second user and the destination phone number; wherein the registration status of the destination phone number is not registered the first user is notified that the second userID is invalid; wherein the registration status of destination phone number is registered, the computer based system determines whether the destination phone number is a domestic or international call to the first user and determines whether the first user is on a paid plan or a free plan, and wherein the first user is on a free plan, an advertisement is played to the initiating user prior to placing phone call and wherein the first user is on a paid plan the advertisement is not played and the first user is called and the first user is billed for the phone call; the computer based system initiates a call between by calling the first phone number and the destination phone number and connecting the first user and the second user to provide an anonymous phone connection between the first user and the destination phone number.
The first user plan may be free, free and international, paid, paid and international. The first user toolbar resident on the first user's computer. The second user toolbar resident on the second user's computer.
The call request may be made or requested through a web page input, mobile device input, or any other input device.
It should be understood that the foregoing relates to preferred embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.
This application claims priority to application No. 60/865,026 filed Nov. 9, 2006 entitled “Systems and Methods for Teleconferencing”.
Number | Date | Country | |
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60865026 | Nov 2006 | US |