Embodiments are generally related to wireless communications devices and techniques. Embodiments are additionally related to the establishment of a data conduit between a wireless communications device and a remote server via a wireless communications network.
With the proliferation of wireless communications devices and networks, a number of businesses and other organizations have created a unique cross-platform application for communicating data with respect to a customer. A wireless communications device, such as, for example, a Smartphone and the like, is capable of providing advanced applications with a high-bandwidth external data connection. Such wireless communications devices typically include a Web browser for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources within a network (e.g., accessing the well-known Internet). Such a wireless communications device can be employed to access a customer-facing website of an organization and download data to enable streamlined interaction with the organization. A notification with respect to the existence of the cross-platform application can be transmitted to the user by establishing a connection to the organization website via the wireless communications device.
Most prior art approaches provide a free-of-charge mobile application, which streamlines the types of interactions the customer typically performs using the website. Such approaches are restricted to organizations having a larger customer-facing web presence. Additionally, there is no explicit way to notify the customer of the existence of such an application, if the customer does not visit the website utilizing the wireless communications device web browser. Furthermore, such prior art approaches do not provide a mechanism for advertising the existence of the cross-platform applications prior to the customer placing the call to the customer care center (e.g., a call center).
Conventionally, a business organization which operates a call center forces the customer to navigate a phone tree to route the customer with respect to a designated department in order to save extra hold time and reduce service costs for the organization operating the call center. Such phone trees can rapidly become cumbersome and significantly worsen the customer experience if the company possesses a large number of unique destinations for the customer. Also, the majority of call centers require that the customer provide identification data such as, for example, an account number, and last four digits of social security number prior to reaching a service representative of the customer care center. The insulation of such private data with respect to the customer from the service representatives can be a persistent conundrum for the customer care centers. Additionally, the service representatives can only provide voice-based instructions with respect to the customer for accessing the cross-platform application. Such prior art approaches can be frustrating, compute intensive, time consuming, and generic rather than specific to establish a data connection with respect to the wireless communications device within the business environment.
Based on the foregoing, there exists a need for an improved system and method for automatically establishing a concurrent data connection between a wireless communications device and a remote data server on initiating a voice call, as described in greater detail herein.
The following summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovative features unique to the disclosed embodiment and is not intended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the various aspects of the embodiments disclosed herein can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, and abstract as a whole.
It is, therefore, one aspect of the disclosed embodiments to provide for an improved wireless communications system and method.
It is another aspect of the disclosed embodiments to provide for an improved data connection technique concurrent with outgoing voice call.
It is further aspect of the disclosed embodiments to provide for an improved method for establishing a data connection with respect to a remote server concurrent to a voice call of a wireless communications device.
The aforementioned aspects and other objectives and advantages can now be achieved as described herein. A system and method for automatically establishing a concurrent data connection between a wireless communications device and a remote data server upon initiating a voice call is disclosed herein. A data connection application can be configured in association with a wireless communications device (e.g., a Smartphone) in order to concurrently connect the wireless communications device and a remote data server (e.g., a company-specific server) of a business organization.
A directory server can be employed to match an outgoing contact number with respect to the wireless communications device with a list of data-active contact numbers stored in the directory server. If a match is found, the location data (e.g., an IP address and/or URL) along with a relevant metadata with respect to the remote data server can be transmitted to the communications device. The data connection application can be further communicated with the remote data server in order to visually transmit a wide range of potential business application associated with the remote data server to the wireless communications device.
Alternatively, the data connection application can initiate a concurrent outgoing call. The data connection application determines the contact number of the outgoing call based on user interactions and/or data from the remote data server. The remote data server is informed that the call has been initiated and can initiate appropriate action.
The business applications with respect to the remote data server can be displayed at a user interface of the wireless communications device on initiating the voice call. The contact number of the wireless communications device can be transmitted to a private branch exchange. The particular voice connection to the wireless communications device can be located via caller identification in order to provide a voice alert to a customer with respect to the data conduit between the wireless communications device and the remote data server. A graphical navigation menu in the communications device can, for example, visually display various options with respect to the voice call of the customer in order to reduce a gross time required to present the options with respect to the remote data server. Authentication information with respect to said customer can be provided in the graphical navigation menu in order to provide a secure communication between the wireless communications device and the remote data server.
A visual aid can be transmitted to the wireless communications device in real-time in order to visually represent information with respect to the potential business application. A voice-over-internet-protocol routing can be processed when the data conduit is established between the wireless communications device and the remote data server.
A non-reversible hash with respect to the wireless communications device can be performed and the non-reversible hash can be matched with the data-active contact numbers stored on said directory server. The matched contact number can be then transmitted to the wireless communications device and the matched contact number can be locally compared with the data-active contacts in order to maintain privacy of the contact number associated with the wireless communications device. Such an approach effectively provides and manages connection with respect to the mobile customers within a wide range of business applications.
The accompanying figures, in which like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally-similar elements throughout the separate views and which are incorporated in and form a part of the specification, further illustrate the present invention and, together with the detailed description of the invention, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.
The particular values and configurations discussed in these non-limiting examples can be varied and are cited merely to illustrate at least one embodiment and are not intended to limit the scope thereof.
As illustrated in
The following discussion is intended to provide a brief, general description of suitable computing environments in which the system and method may be implemented. Although not required, the disclosed embodiments will be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, being executed by a single computer. In most instances, a “module” constitutes a software application.
Generally, program modules include, but are not limited to routines, subroutines, software applications, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types and instructions. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the disclosed method and system may be practiced with other computer system configurations, such as, for example, hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, data networks, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, networked PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, servers, and the like.
Note that the term module as utilized herein may refer to a collection of routines and data structures that perform a particular task or implements a particular abstract data type. Modules may be composed of two parts: an interface, which lists the constants, data types, variable, and routines that can be accessed by other modules or routines, and an implementation, which is typically private (accessible only to that module) and which includes source code that actually implements the routines in the module. The term module may also simply refer to an application, such as a computer program designed to assist in the performance of a specific task, such as word processing, accounting, inventory management, etc.
The interface 153, which is preferably a graphical user interface (GUI), can serve to display results, whereupon a user may supply additional inputs or terminate a particular session. In some embodiments, operating system 151 and interface 153 can be implemented in the context of a “Windows” system. It can be appreciated, of course, that other types of systems are potential. For example, rather than a traditional “Windows” system, other operation systems, such as, for example, a Real Time Operating System (RTOS) more commonly employed in wireless systems may also be employed with respect to operating system 151 and interface 153. The software application 154 can include, for example, a data connection module for establishing a parallel data conduit between a wireless communications device and a remote data server on initiating a voice call. The data connection module 154 can include instructions, such as those of method 300 discussed herein with respect to
The communications device 225 can be configured to include a memory 102, a processor 101 and the user interface 230 coupled to a local interface 235. The local interface 235 can be for example, a data bus with an accompanying control/address bus. A wireless interface 218 can be employed to facilitate wireless communications with other wireless devices and/or wireless networks. The memory 102 stores several components that are executable by the processor 101. The components include, for example, an operating system 151, one or more applications 214, and a data connection application module 154. Note that the communications device 225 can be a data-processing system 100 such as, for example, a Smart phone, an iPhone and/or a Blackberry. The communications device 225 includes both data and voice communications functionality and other types of communications. The communications device 225 can be configured to communicate with other devices via the network 240. Note that one or more other mobile devices 225 such as, for example, a personnel digital assistant and a laptop computer can be also configured to communicate with the remote data server 275 of the business organization.
The data connection application module 154 associated with the communications device 225 concurrently connects the communications device 225 and the remote data server 275 within the network 240. The remote data server 275 disclosed herein can be a business-specific server that provides the business applications with respect to a particular and/or multiple business applications within the network 240. The directory server 250 of the business management system 200 typically matches an outgoing contact number with respect to the communications device 225 with a list of data-active contact numbers 285 stored into a database 260 of the directory server 250. If a match is found, the directory server 250 transmits the location data 280 such as, for example an IP (internet protocol) address and/or a URL (uniform resource locator) along with a relevant metadata 265 of the remote data server 275 to the communications device 225. The data connection application module 154 associated with the communications device 225 further communicates the remote data server 275 in order to visually transmit the potential business applications associated with the remote data server 275 to the communications device 225.
The PBX (Private Branch Exchange) 290 may alert the customer 205 with respect to the data conduit The communications device 225 can transmit the contact number of the customer 205 to the remote data server 275. The remote data server 275 can further transmit the contact number associated with the customer 205 to the PBX 290 in order to confirm the establishment of a data conduit between the communications device 225 and the remote data server 275. The PBX 290 can additionally locate the remote customer 205 via a caller-ID and verify the establishment of a data conduit via an alternative recording within the business organization.
The outgoing contact number with respect to the communications device 225 can be matched with a list of data active contact numbers stored 285 in the database 260 of the directory server 250, as depicted at block 320. The location data along with the relevant metadata of the remote data server 275 can be transmitted to the communications device 225 having matched contact number, as indicated at block 330. A concurrent data conduit can be automatically established between the data connection application 154 and the remote data server 275, as illustrated at block 340. The varied potential business applications associated with the remote data server 275 can be transmitted visually to the communications device 225, as illustrated at block 350.
The business applications 232 with respect to the communications device 225 can be displayed at the user interface 230 of the communications device 225 on initiating the voice call 234. The business applications 232 with respect to the remote data server 275 can be such as for example, a graphical navigation menu (e.g., a phone tree), a secure user authentication, a real time visual aid, a voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) routing and the like.
The graphical navigation menu 410 with respect to the communications device 225 visually displays various options such as, for example, a balance enquiry option, a fund transfer option and a service representative option with respect to the voice call 234 of the customer 205 in order to reduce a gross time required to present the options with respect to the remote data server 275. Private information can be provided with respect to the graphical navigation menu 410 in order to obtain a secured authentication within the business environment. The navigation menu 410 can be randomly accessed in order to tailor the gross time required for displaying the options with respect to the customer 205 based on his cognitive abilities. The customer can typically skim the navigation menu 410 based on his accessing abilities with respect to the communications device 225.
A non-reversible hash can be performed with respect to the outgoing contact number and transmitted to the remote data server 275 in order to match with the contacts 285 stored in the directory server 290 for providing a secured authentication. If a match is found, all contacts matching the hash can be transmitted to the communications device 225 in order to further compare with the list of data-active contacts 285. In this manner, the privacy of a user can be further preserved, as the directory server does not receive information of which outgoing contact number was requested, only that of several matching the hash that was requested.
Based on the foregoing, it can be appreciated that a number of scenarios are possible. For example, in one scenario a user of a Smartphone has an application such as that disclosed herein loaded onto his or her Smartphone. The user calls, for example, an “ACME Widget” call centre for assistance with his or her recently purchased widget. The application notices that the user has placed a call and contacts the directory server 250 to determine whether there is a data server associated with the outgoing phone number. In this case, it turns out that there is, and the application makes the connection to the data server, and the customer experience of the user is therefore enhanced by virtue of the improved ability to navigate the phone tree visually, enter secure information, view information that the operator desires to show the user, and so forth.
In an alternative scenario the user may visit a particular site, such as, for example, an “App Store” and find an “ACME Widget” Help Accelerator Application and then load this particular application into his or her Smartphone. In such a case, the user may need assistance from the “ACME Widget” call centre and might just run the application, which at some point will place the call, but meanwhile can establish the concurrent connection described herein because it (i.e., the application) has within it, the knowledge of the address of the “ACME Widget” help desk server. In such a scenario, the user may recognize the phone number of the “ACME Widget” call center, and begin taking certain actions when the call is placed by the user, or the application could place the call. In other words, the concurrent connection can occur before or after.
The system and method disclosed herein can be employed in a wide range of business organizations such as, for example, customer care centers, product-based industries and other type of industries in order to effectively provide product information with respect to the customer. The directory server can typically generate revenue by collecting a recurring fee with respect to the client servers indexed in the database of the directory server based on a subscription basis. The directory server can provide a mapping between the contact numbers and the network services. The system and method therefore effectively provides managed connection with respect to the mobile customers within a wide range of business applications.
It will be appreciated that variations of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into many other different systems or applications. Also that various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended to be encompassed by the following claims.