System and method for establishing communications between a remote computer and a computer service provider using a telephonic switch

A system 100 and method for interconnecting a remote computer 102 and a computer service provider 104 via a telephonic switch 122 is provided. The telephonic switch 122 connects the remote computer 102 to the computer service provider 104 based on information received from the remote computer 102. An adult material circuit 126 in the telephonic switch 122 detects a request from the remote computer 102 to prohibit access to adult material available on the computer service provider 104. The request may be contained in automatic number identification information or dialed number identification service information. The telephonic switch 122 further comprises a caller prompting circuit 132 which prompts the remote computer 102 for instructions regarding whether to deny access to adult material. An advertising circuit 136 in the telephonic switch 122 stores advertisements, selects one of the advertisements based on the information received from the remote computer 102 and displays the selected advertisements on the remote computer 102. The telephonic switch 122 further comprises an audio circuit 140 for establishing voice communications between a subscriber associated with the remote computer 102 and an agent telephonic unit 142 associated with the telephonic switch 122. While voice communications are established between the subscriber and the agent telephonic unit 142, a data link circuit 141 maintains a data connection between the telephonic switch 122 and the computer service provider 104 such that data communications are substantially automatically reestablished upon completion of the voice communications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates generally to on-line computer service 
providers and, more particularly, to a system and method for selectively 
connecting remote computers to on-line computer service providers through 
a telephonic switch. 
On-line computer service providers, such as America On-Line, Prodigy and 
the like, have grown at prolific rates. The computer service providers are 
experiencing difficulty in handling this increasing membership. In 
particular, the computer servers and the other computer devices used to 
access the services are frequently being overloaded. As a result, some 
subscribers may be unable to gain access to a service or when access is 
obtained, may experience slow responses. 
Prior computer service providers use a plurality of computer servers to 
connect subscribers to a service. The computer servers are interconnected 
by wide area networks (WANs). When a subscriber attempts to access a 
service, a modem in the subscriber's computer dials a designated telephone 
number which is transmitted over a telephone system. As is well known, the 
telephone system is comprised of a number of interconnected central 
offices (CO) which route calls. From a central office, the call is routed 
to a terminal server. Typically, the terminal server receives signals over 
60-120 analog lines from a CO. From the terminal server, the call is 
transmitted to one of the computer servers. The call may be then 
transferred between one or more computer servers over the WAN. 
Unfortunately, the capabilities of these prior systems are limited. If all 
of the analog lines from one of the COs are in use, for example, the 
subscriber receives a busy signal even though one or more computer servers 
may be capable of handling the call. Further, any one or more of the 
terminal servers or the computer servers may be overloaded resulting in 
sluggish responses. 
A significant concern for parents is the access of children to adult 
materials available from the computer services. To remedy these concerns, 
computer service providers attempt to screen adult materials from 
subscribers who request such screening. Unfortunately, prior system 
designs are not readily adapted to provide such screening. Typically, one 
or more of the computer servers includes a "firewall" for blocking adult 
material. To be connected to a computer server having a firewall, a 
subscriber may need to be transferred between one or more computer servers 
over the WAN. This is a very inefficient use of resources since some of 
the computer servers are being used only to transfer the subscriber. 
Prior systems are further not conducive to purchasing goods advertised by a 
computer service provider. After viewing an advertisement, a subscriber 
usually must disconnect their computer from the telephone network and call 
the advertising company over the telephone to purchase products. This is 
especially true since computer users are reluctant to transmit credit card 
numbers over a computer network due to security concerns. Consequently, 
subscribers must make an additional telephone call before purchasing 
products and, in the process, loose their data connection to the computer 
service provider. 
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a system and method for 
connecting a remote computer to a computer service provider wherein a 
telephonic switch selectively connects the remote computer to a computer 
server associated with the desired computer service provider and wherein 
the telephonic switch establishes voice communications between a 
subscriber of the computer service provider and an agent telephonic unit 
while maintaining a data connection with the computer service provider. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
This need is met by a system and method in accordance with the present 
invention wherein a telephonic switch, such as an automatic call 
distributor, selectively connects remote computers to computer service 
providers. The telephonic switch advantageously provides intelligent 
routing of calls from the remote computers to the computer service 
providers. By intelligently routing the calls, the telephonic switch can 
decrease the likelihood that a subscriber will experience a busy signal or 
receive sluggish responses from the computer service provider. By using 
the telephonic switch to intelligently connect to the computer service 
provider restricting the availability of adult materials on the provider 
is more readily accomplished. 
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a system comprises 
a remote computer and a computer service provider for providing computer 
services. A subscriber accesses the computer service provider via the 
remote computer. The subscriber enters the appropriate commands in the 
remote computer requesting to connect to the computer service provider. In 
response, the remote computer transmits information to a telephonic switch 
which selectively connects the remote computer to the computer service 
provider based on the information. 
The information received from the remote computer relates to the routing of 
the connection between the remote computer and the computer service 
provider. For example, the information may contain automatic number 
identification information or dialed number identification system 
information. A prompting circuit in the telephonic switch may prompt the 
subscriber for information. Using this information, the telephonic switch 
connects the remote computer to the computer service provider. 
The subscriber may want to restrict access to adult materials available on 
the computer service provider. A request for restricted access to adult 
materials is transmitted from the remote computer to the telephonic 
switch. An adult material circuit in the telephonic switch detects the 
request to prohibit access to adult material from the remote computer. 
Thereafter, the telephonic switch connects the remote computer to the 
computer service provider based on the request. The request may be a 
particular ANI or DNIS number received from the remote computer. For 
example, the telephonic switch may store a plurality of ANI and/or DNIS 
numbers which desire restricted access to adult materials. The subscriber 
may also input instructions to restrict access or be prompted for such 
instructions. A caller prompting circuit prompts instructions from the 
remote computer whether to prohibit access to adult material. 
A reporting system generates reports related to connection of the remote 
computer to the computer service provider. By analyzing these reports, the 
computer service provider can allocated resources among different areas 
based on frequency of use, times of use and the like. An advertising 
circuit associated with the telephonic switch stores at least one 
advertisement and selects one or more of the at least one advertisement. 
The advertising circuit then displays the selected one of the at least one 
advertisement to the remote computer based on the information received 
from the remote computer. As is well known, the advertisements may be 
audio, video or a combination of both. 
The system further permits the subscriber to maintain a data connection 
with the computer service provider while establishing voice communications 
with an agent associated with the telephonic switch. An audio circuit 
associated with the telephonic switch establishes voice communications 
between the agent and the remote computer. A data link circuit maintains 
the data connection between the telephonic switch and the computer service 
provider while voice communications are established between the telephonic 
unit and the agent. 
To talk to the agent through the telephonic switch, the subscriber picks up 
a telephone, or telephonic unit. If the remote computer has the capability 
of receiving and transmitting voice signals, the telephonic switch would 
then connect the remote computer to the agent. In either method, the 
telephonic switch could maintain the data connection with the computer 
service provider. 
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a method for 
interconnecting a remote computer and a computer service provider is 
provided. The method comprises the steps of detecting by a telephonic 
switch information received from the remote computer and connecting the 
remote computer to the computer service provider by the telephonic switch 
based on the information. The method may further comprise the step of 
determining from the information whether access to adult materials should 
be denied. With respect to access to adult materials, the method may 
comprise the steps of prompting the remote computer for instructions 
indicating whether access to adult materials should be denied and 
connecting the remote computer to the computer service provider based on 
the instructions. 
In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a 
telephonic switch interconnects a subscriber associated with a remote 
computer and a computer service provider. The telephonic switch comprises 
a detection circuit for detecting information received from the remote 
computer requesting connection to the computer service provider. A routing 
circuit connects the remote computer to the computer service provider 
based on the information. The detection circuit may comprise an adult 
material circuit for detecting a request to prohibit access to adult 
material from the remote computer. The routing circuit then connects the 
remote computer to the computer service provider based on the request. 
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will 
become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying 
drawings and the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
A system 100 is shown in FIG. 1 for interconnecting a remote computer 102 
and a computer service provider 104. The computer service provider 104 is 
shown for exemplary purposes as being implemented by a network of terminal 
servers 106, 108 and 110 and computer servers 112, 114 and 116. The 
computer servers 112, 114 and 116 are interconnected via a wide area 
network (WAN), represented by lines 118 and 120. The computer server 114 
includes a firewall 114a for restricting access to adult materials. A 
telephonic switch 122, such as an automatic call distributor, routes 
signals from a telephone network central office (CO) 124 to the computer 
service provider 104. The CO 124 represents a telephone switching network 
which may contain one or more COs and other switching devices for routing 
telephone calls to the telephonic switch 122. Although not shown, a 
telephone network, or CO, may be interposed between the telephonic switch 
122 and the computer service provider 104 in a well known manner. It 
should be further understood that the illustrated configuration of the 
computer service provider 104 is exemplary and different configurations 
may be advantageously employed in the invention. For example, the computer 
service provider 104 may be differently configured, such as comprising 
only computer servers 112, 114 and 116. 
During operation, the telephonic switch 122 receives signals, or a signal, 
from the remote computer 102 requesting access to the computer service 
provider 104. The signals typically comprises at least a telephone number 
associated with the telephonic switch 122 and/or the computer service 
provider 104. As will be discussed more fully below, additional 
information may also be contained in the signals. The telephonic switch 
122 processes the information contained in the signals and, based on the 
information, connects the remote computer 102 to the computer service 
provider 104. 
The telephonic switch 122 typically comprises a central processing unit, a 
memory and a multiport switch. Exemplary switches which may be 
advantageously implemented in the present invention are disclosed in U.S. 
Pat. No. 5,452,348, entitled "Automatic Call Distribution System with 
Emergency Conferencing and Method" issued on Sep. 19, 1995 to Adams et al. 
and U.S. Pat. No. 5,384,841, entitled "Automatic Call Distribution Network 
with Call Overload System and Method" issued on Jan. 24, 1995 to Adams et 
al., the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. As is 
well known, software-based routing vectors are stored in the memory and 
are executed by the central processing unit. The multiport switch routes 
incoming calls based on the routing vectors. By appropriately programming 
the routing vectors, the telephonic switch 122 can route calls to 
efficiently utilize the resources of the computer server provider 104. 
Typically, such routing vectors route calls to agents, or agent groups, 
having particular skills. In the present invention, the computer service 
provider 104, and more particularly, the computer servers 112, 114 and 116 
are considered agents for routing purposes. Since the structure and 
philosophy of the routing vectors are heavily dependent upon the exact 
configurations of the telephonic switch 122 and the computer service 
provider 104 and can be readily developed by those skilled in the art for 
a particular application, exact details of such routing vectors will not 
be further disclosed herein. Those desiring additional information 
regarding routing vectors are referred to U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,269, 
entitled "Two Dimensional Routing Apparatus in an Automatic Call 
Director-Type System" issued to Steinlicht on Aug. 2, 1994 which is 
incorporated herein by reference. 
In the present invention, the telephonic switch 122 comprises an adult 
material circuit 126 for detecting a request to prohibit access to adult 
material from the remote computer 102. Frequently, parents wish to 
prohibit their children from having access to adult materials. The request 
from the remote computer 102 to restrict access to adult materials may be 
performed in a number of manners. 
The request may comprise automatic number identification (ANI) information 
that is detected by an ANI circuit 128 included in the adult material 
circuit 126. When one or more designated ANI numbers are detected, the 
telephonic switch 122 routes the call to the computer server 114 
containing the firewall 114a via the terminal server 108. The telephonic 
switch 122 comprises a dialed number identification service (DNIS) circuit 
130 for detecting the request contained in DNIS information. 
Alternatively, the telephonic switch 122 may prompt the caller for 
additional information or instructions. A caller prompting circuit 132 in 
the telephonic switch 122 prompts instructions from the remote computer 
102. For example, the caller prompting circuit 132 may inquire whether the 
subscriber wishes to prohibit access to adult materials. The adult 
material circuit 126 then blocks access to adult material based on the 
instructions from the subscriber. The caller prompting circuit 132 may be 
comprised of a voice response unit (VRU) or other known device for 
providing voice communications with a caller. 
The telephonic switch 122 may include a reporting system 134 for generating 
reports related to connection of the remote computer 102 to the computer 
service provider 104. As those skilled in the art will readily comprehend, 
the reporting system 134 may comprise any number of information gathering 
and displaying devices, such as dedicated terminals or printers. Computer 
service providers may advantageously use these reports to more efficiently 
utilize their resources. Based on these reports, a computer service 
provider may decide that an additional computer server having a firewall 
may be needed because of increased requests for blocking adult materials. 
The telephonic switch 122 further comprises an advertising circuit 136 for 
presenting advertisements to subscribers as they are being connected to 
computer services. The advertising circuit 136 stores one or more 
advertisements. The advertisement, or advertisements, played for any 
particular subscriber is selected based on the service the subscriber is 
accessing. As noted above, the service which the subscriber is accessing 
may be identified by any of a number of methods, like ANI information or 
prompting the caller for information. After selecting one or more 
advertisements, the advertising circuit 136 then plays the selected 
advertisements to the remote computer 102. 
A method for interconnecting the remote computer 102 and the computer 
service provider 104 is also provided in the invention. The telephonic 
switch 122 detects the signals requesting connection to the computer 
service provider 104. The information contained in the signals is detected 
by the telephonic switch 122. Based on the information, the telephonic 
switch 122 connects the remote computer 102 to the computer service 
provider 104. The information may be included in ANI information or DNIS 
information. 
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the telephonic 
switch 122 interconnects the remote computer 102 and the computer service 
provider 104. The telephonic switch 122 comprises a detection circuit for 
detecting signals from the remote computer 102 requesting connection to 
the computer service provider 104 and a routing circuit 138 for connecting 
the remote computer 102 to the computer service provider 104 based on the 
signals. The detection circuit may comprise the adult material circuit 126 
for detecting a request to prohibit access to adult material from the 
remote computer 102. 
Additionally, a subscriber who is connected to the computer service 
provider 104 may establish a voice connection with an agent via an audio 
circuit 140 in the telephonic switch 122 without losing the data 
connection, or data link, to the computer service provider 104. For 
example, a subscriber may want to order a product advertised by the 
computer service provider 104. However, the subscriber wishes to give a 
credit card number to an agent at an agent telephonic unit 142 over an 
external telephonic unit 144. In such a case, a data link circuit 141 
maintains a data connection with the computer service provider 104 while 
the audio circuit 140 establishes audio communications with the agent 142. 
As is known, the data link circuit 141 may maintain the data connection by 
any of a number of methods, such as periodically sending signals to the 
computer service provider 104. 
The subscriber can then use the external telephonic unit 144 to talk to the 
agent telephonic unit 142. After hanging up the external telephonic unit 
144, the telephonic switch 122 then reconnects the remote computer 102 to 
the computer service provider 104. As those skilled in the art will 
readily comprehend, the telephonic switch 122 does not have to maintain 
the data connection while the subscriber is talking to the agent 
telephonic unit 142. The telephonic switch 122 may disconnect the data 
connection while the agent telephonic unit 142 and subscriber are talking 
and then reestablish the data connection when the subscriber stops talking 
to the agent. 
If the remote computer 102 has the capability of receiving video/voice 
communications over a data link, the telephonic switch 122 could then 
establish a data link with the agent telephonic unit 142. Voice and video 
communications would then be sent over the data link from the agent 
telephonic unit 142 to the remote computer 102 via the telephonic switch 
122. Once again, the telephonic switch 122 may, or may not, maintain the 
data link with the computer service provider 104 while the subscriber and 
the agent communicate. 
Having thus described the invention in detail by way of reference to 
preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that other 
modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope 
of the invention defined in the appended claims. Therefore, the spirit and 
scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of 
the preferred versions contained herein.