Abstract:
A method for providing communications between a requester and a desired party including receiving a request from a requester for information related to a desired party and retrieving at least one connection information related to the desired party. At least one connection message is sent to the desired party including at least one identifying information about the requester nd further offering the desired party at least one option for reply to be selected among of plurality of available predefined options. A reply is received from the desired party indicating an instruction for handling the request from the requester.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61196108, filed on Oct. 14, 2008, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    This application relates to a system and method for communication services. More particularly, the application relates to a system and method for communication services offering connection to desired parties. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    In the area of directory assistance, a requestor is typically seeking connection information or connection to a desired party. Additionally, numerous examples exist where connectivity content for mobile contact information via directory assistance can only be accessed in a secure manner from a variety of methods. However, the various existing solutions for providing wireless/mobile contact information may not achieve the combined advantageous features of contact information security (both to the contacts themselves as well as the overall security of the databases), feasibility for integration into existing systems, and usability from a customer perspective. 
       OBJECTS AND SUMMARY 
       [0006]    The present arrangement solves the problems of the prior art by providing a method of connecting with a mobile/wireless device of a desired party that maintains the security of the desired party&#39;s contact information. 
         [0007]    To this end a method is provided for communications between a requester and a desired party including receiving a request from a requester for information related to a desired party and retrieving at least one connection information related to the desired party. At least one connection message is sent to the desired party, including at least one identifying information about the requester and offering the desired party at least one option for reply to be selected among of plurality of available predefined options. A reply is received from the desired party indicating an instruction for handling the request from the requester. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    The present invention can be best understood through the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  illustrates a system for communication in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a flow chart showing the operations of the communication system of  FIG. 1 , in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  is a system flow diagram showing one exemplary call flow through the system of  FIG. 1 , in accordance with one embodiment; 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  is a system flow diagram showing one exemplary call flow through the system of  FIG. 1 , in accordance with one embodiment; and 
           [0013]      FIG. 5  is a system flow diagram showing one exemplary call flow through the system of  FIG. 1 , in accordance with one embodiment. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION 
       [0014]    In one arrangement as shown in  FIG. 1  a connection platform  10  is shown. Platform  10  is configured to receive communications from a requester  12  at a communication interface  14 . Once received, the communication is transferred to an assistance platform  16  within system  10  and coupled to a listing database  18 . Such a system is arranged such that requester  12  may seek a contact information and connection to one or more desired parties  30 . 
         [0015]    Requester  12  may be an individual seeking a desired party  30  using any device, including but not limited to a land line telephone, desk top computer, mobile electronic device with communication capabilities (mobile phone, PDA, mobile e-mail device, web enabled mobile device etc.). Requester  12  is capable of communicating a request for a contact information for a desired party, such as party  30 , so as to initiate some form of communication with them. 
         [0016]    For the purposes of illustrating the salient features, requester  12  is designated as a mobile telephone user with text SMS capabilities, however, the invention is not limited in this respect. 
         [0017]    Interface  14  of platform  10 , as well as the carrier of requester  12  are configured to support any form of electronic or telephonic incoming and outgoing communication formats, including but not limited to telephone, SS7 signalling, cellular telephone, SMS, e-mail, Live chat, MMS, HTML, or any other of such formats. 
         [0018]    Once received, interface  14  transfers the request communication to assistance platform  16  for handling of the request, with any format translations if required. Assistance platform  16  may be either live operator(s), IVRs (interactive Voice Response) units or some combination of the two. 
         [0019]    Database  18  is configured to store listing (contact) information for any number of desired parties  30 . This information may be provided to system  10  by the parties&#39; carriers or directly by parties  30 . The information is formatted for retrieval by assistance platform  16 . It is contemplated that databases  18  may be maintained internally by system, may be purchased from and/or located at third party venders, or may be a combination of the two. 
         [0020]    In the context of this basic configuration, one embodiment of the present arrangement provides an improved method for allowing requester  12  to contact platform  10  and request a mobile contact number of desired party  30 . According to the arrangement, assistance platform  16  searches for a desired contact of a party  30 , and, if found, sends a message to them to ascertain some form of permission to allow a form of connection between the original requester  12  and themselves. The following descriptions include several exemplary embodiments of such a directory assistance arrangement. 
         [0021]    It is noted that the following descriptions take into account that:
       1) Mobile Originated/Mobile Terminated (MO/MT) SMS(s) may traverse a given network;   2) The system&#39;s  10  termination and origination of SMS(s) can be completed via an aggregator or via a proprietary system or service;   3) Party A (requester  12 ) and Party B (contact being sought  30 ) can be on the same network (carrier) or diverse;   4) Carrier Networks generally describes the path that a message will traverse. This can be a data or telephony system;   5) The handset that either party uses can receive and send SMS information;   6) If the handset cannot, then another system or apparatus may perform the SMS function along with the display of the information;   7) Access to the content is assumed to be through an appropriate data interface or network;   8) The protocol used for these transmissions is arbitrary;   9) There is a unique ANI/MIN/DN/TN for each Party (A and/or B);   10) System  10  may or may not verify Party A&#39;s ( 12 ) information sent to Party B ( 30 );   11) System  10  may identify objectionable content and restrict its transmission;   12) System  10  may warn the desired party  30  to save the message and log for future violations;   13) the terms “platform” and “system” are used interchangeably to describe a arrangement of servers and equipment required to process information, a call or request. Platform/system  10  refers to the communication system as a whole and platform/system  16  refers to at least one sub-component of system  10  that handles the request from requester  12  to connect to desired party  30 .       
 
         [0035]    Turning to the operation of the exemplary embodiments described herein, in one exemplary embodiment as described in connection with  FIG. 2 , at step  100 , a request from Party A ( 12 ) is received by system  10  for a contact information for desired Party B ( 30 ). At step  102 , Party B is searched for by platform  16  within database  18 . At step  104 , if located, system  10  sends message to Party B identifying Party A, for example, by name or telephone number of a combination of the two. At step  106 , Party B replies to the system using either telephonic key codes or text communication in any one of three options:
       1. Party B responds with “no” ( 106 A)   2. Party B responds with “yes” ( 106 B)   3. Party B does not respond ( 106 C)       
 
         [0039]    In the instance of the first option  106 A, at step  108  Party B may chose to:
       1. Do not accept a call at this time ( 108 A)   2. Never accept a call from Party A ( 108 B)   3. Never accept a request from/with this service (opt-out) ( 108 C)       
 
         [0043]    At selection of  108 A, platform  16  of system  10  notifies requester  12  (Party A) that Party B does not accept the attempted retrieval of their wireless contact information. At the selection of  108 B platform  16  of system  10  further records in database  18 , for that desired party  30  (Party B), that they never want to accept retrieval of their wireless contact information for that requester  12 . In such an instance system  10  may add Party A to a permanently blocked list for Party B, (or request of Party B the same) if some combination of non-responses and ‘no’ responses occur from the same Party B ( 30 ) relating to Party A ( 12 ). 
         [0044]    At the selection of  108 C platform  16  of system  10  records in database  18 , that desired party  30  (Party B) has opted out of all future attempts to reach their contact information for all requesters  12 . 
         [0045]    Alternatively, if Party B ( 30 ) accepts the request at step  106 B, then Party B may chose at step  110  to Connect to requester  12  immediately (step  110 A) which may include telephonic or two way text communications initiated or facilitated by system  10 . 
         [0046]    Alternatively, at step  110 B, Party B ( 30 ) may request connection to Party A at a specific time XX:XX in the future. 
         [0047]    Alternatively, at step  110 C, Party B ( 30 ) may request that system  10  provide Party A with Party B&#39;s contact information. 
         [0048]    Alternatively, at step  110 D, Party B ( 30 ) may request that system  10  provide them with the contact information of Party A ( 12 ), so that they may seek connection at some later time. This information may be provided verbally or in text format. 
         [0049]    Alternatively, at step  110 E, Party B ( 30 ) may send, or have system  10  send, a prepackaged message to Party A ( 12 ). For example “In the middle of a discussion not a good time.” This option may additionally include some of the above options regarding the transmission of contact data. 
         [0050]    In the alternative, should Party B simply not respond (step  106 C), then system  10  will notify requester  12  of that non-response, after some predefined time frame. Potentially, after several “no responses” to requests from a particular Party A, system  10  may proceed as described above in step  108 B. Potentially, after several “no responses” to requests from all Parties A ( 12 ), system  10  may proceed as described above in step  108 C. 
         [0051]    In another embodiment, system  10  may log any and all abuse that can be identified. For example, an algorithm may be deployed to develop a score for Party A, when such a Party A should be recommended for censure. This may be generally executed for vulgar content or messages of a threatening nature. 
         [0052]    The following is one exemplary connection pattern, through system  10 , where Party B ( 30 ) declines a request to be connected with Party A ( 12 ) as described above in step  106 A. 
         [0053]    As shown in flow/system diagram  FIG. 3 , at a first step  200 , Party-A sends an SMS message to a pre-defined number or short code, some attributes that describe Party-B. At step  202 , the message (information) is passed through the network interface  14  to platform  16 . The message is parsed, reformatted and assigned a unique identifier for tracking through system  10   
         [0054]    At step  204 , the unique identifier may also be used to link Party-B&#39;s response to Party-A&#39;s initial request. Next, at step  206 , platform  16  queries database  18  to uniquely identify information for Party-B. Once a response is returned to platform  16 , at step  208  system  10  reformats the information in the form of a request to Party-B. 
         [0055]    The formatted request is sent from system  10 , via Party B&#39;s carrier network, to Party-B&#39;s device at step  210 . Party-B&#39;s response to Party-A&#39;s request falls into one of the above described options set forth in step  106 A- 106 C. (For this call flow it is assumed Party-B sends, or selects, a “No” response ( 106 A)). Party-B&#39;s response traverses their carrier network back to platform  16  at step  212 . At step  214  Party-B&#39;s return response is matched with the Party-A&#39;s initial request and stored, for example in database  18 . The message or request matching is accomplished via the unique identifier and/or attributes of Party-A and/or Party-B. 
         [0056]    At step  216 , platform  16  sends a message back to Party-A, via a network, that Party-B does not wish to communicate. The message created may initially be a pre-formatted message. However, a dynamically created message may be sent based on actions of Party-A and responses from Party-B. 
         [0057]    The following is one exemplary connection pattern, through system  10 , where Party B ( 30 ) accepts a request to be connected with Party A ( 12 ) as described above in step  106 B. In this first exemplary scenario Party-B receives Party-A&#39;s information (step  110 C), a phone number in this example, Party B ( 30 ) calls them directly via a telephony network. The information communicated could be an email address, SMS/MMS/WAP information or Instant Message Address. 
         [0058]    At step  300 , as shown in system flow diagram  FIG. 4 , Party-A SMS(s) to a predefined number or short code, some attributes that describe Party-B ( 30 ), and, at step  302 , the message (information) is passed through system  10  to platform  16 . The message is parsed, reformatted and assigned a unique identifier for tracking through system  10 . 
         [0059]    At step  304 , the unique identifier is used to link Party-B&#39;s response to Party-A&#39;s initial request. Next, at step  306 , system  10  queries database  18  to uniquely identify information for Party-B. Once a response is returned to platform  16 , at step  308 , system  10  reformats the information in the form of a request to Party-B ( 30 ). Initially, the request is to accept Party-A&#39;s invitation to talk. However, the request may be for other services. 
         [0060]    At step  310 , the formatted request is sent from system  10  to Party-B&#39;s device. Next, at step  312 , Party-B&#39;s response to the Party-A&#39;s request falls into one of the options selected above (steps  106 A- 106 C). For this scenario Party-B sends, or selects, a “YES” response ( 106 B). At step  314 , Party-B&#39;s response traverses a network back to platform  16  and is matched and stored against Party-A&#39;s initial request. This matching may be advantageously accomplished via the universal identifier and/or attributes of Party-A and/or Party-B. 
         [0061]    At step  316 , platform  16  sends a message to Party-A notifying them that Party-B has accepted their request to communicate. At step  318 , Party-A initiates the service to communicate, for example by a button press or code delivery. In this context, “service” may mean telephone call, email, direct SMS/MMS or Instant Message. As such, at step  320 , platform  16  sends a message to Party-B with Party-A&#39;s contact details. 
         [0062]    Thus, by the above scenario, Party-B has elected to place a call to Party-A via a voice network. Such communication is based upon the information that is sent back to Party-B. There are no timeframes or time outs for this initiation to begin and if Party-B elects not to call, then the system or Party-A are not informed. Once the call from Party-B passes through their carrier network to Party-A, Party-A can elect or reject to pick up the call and communicate with Party B if they have changed their mind. Regarding security, at this point, based on Party-B&#39;s telephony provider&#39;s network, the services they have elected with that provider and Party-B services (ANI restriction/blocking) may determine whether caller-ID is offered for the call received from Party-B. 
         [0063]    The following is another exemplary connection pattern, through system  10 , where Party B ( 30 ) manages the connection of the two Parties via its system  10  or a third-party carrier network. In this example, neither Party, A or B, receives identifying information of the other (step  110 ). The only vehicle for communication is through system  10 , or an agent of the system&#39;s network. 
         [0064]    At step  400 , as shown in system flow diagram  FIG. 5 , Party-A SMS(s) to a predefined number or short code, some attributes that describe Party-B. At step  402 , the message (information) is passed through system  10  to platform  16 . The message is parsed, reformatted and assigned a unique identifier for tracking through system  10 . The unique identifier may also be used to link Party-B&#39;s response to Party-A&#39;s initial request. 
         [0065]    At step  404 , system  10  queries database  18  or sources to uniquely identify information about Party-B. Once a response is returned to platform  16 , at step  406 , system  10  reformats the information in the form of a request to Party-B. At step  408 , the formatted request is sent from system  10 , to Party-B&#39;s ( 30 ) device. 
         [0066]    Next at step  410 , Party-B&#39;s response to Party-A&#39;s request falls into one of the options discussed above ( 106 A- 106 C) For this call flow Party-B sends, or selects, a “YES” response as set forth in step  106 B. At step  412 , Party-B&#39;s response traverse their carrier network and system  10  back to platform  16 , where it is matched with Party-A&#39;s initial request and stored. The message or request matching may be accomplished via the unique identifier and/or attributes of Party-A and/or Party-B. 
         [0067]    At step  414 , platform  16  sends a message to Party-A notifying them that Party-B has accepted their request to communicate. At step  416 , platform  16  sends a message to Party-B with a toll-free number for North America or a free-phone number for Europe, to communicate with Party-A. In one arrangement, system  10  may have a pool of toll free (free number) numbers to assign based upon expected call volume(s). 
         [0068]    In this call flow, Party-B, at step  418  places a call to the toll-free number via the voice network. For example, system  10  may store with a unique identifier the name/contact of Party B as well as the requesting party A and their contact information as well. The toll free number(s) terminate on the network of system  10 . Party B&#39;s communication to system  10 , when received is analyzed using identification information such as Party B&#39;s ANI (Automatic Number Identifier) to retrieve the necessary contact information of requesting Party A ( 12 ). There are no timeframes for this initiation to begin. 
         [0069]    In one arrangement, platform  16  is configured, based on a set of criteria and timeframe, to send SMS(s) reminders to Party-B to call, based on prior acceptance (at step  106 A). Platform  16  may also be configured, based on a set of criteria and timeframe, to send SMS(s) to Party-A notifying them that Party-B has not yet initiated a call to them. 
         [0070]    At step  420 , once a call has been received at system  10  from Party-B, system  10  initiates a call to Party-A. If Party-A picks up the call from system  10 , then Party-A and Party-B are conferenced together, via platform  16 . System  10  may elect to play an announcement once the conference begins, such as “Your connection was made possible by the services of (XXX).” Additionally, once Party A and B are conferenced, other add-on services can be made available to one or both parties. For example, a key-press (* or #) may be configured to conference in an operator of platform  16  to ask a question or receive additional information. 
         [0071]    In one arrangement a subscriber profile registry may hold (remember) information about requester  12  so they do not have to be prompted again. As an example, the language preference of requester  12 , once chosen by a requester/caller  12 , such as Spanish, may be stored so that all subsequent transactions with system  10  and requester  12  are automatically conducted in Spanish without further prompting. 
         [0072]    In another embodiment, look ahead call systems that allow the system to proactively determine the state of the called Party B ( 30 ) prior to even attempting connection. In the SMS context, the look ahead feature may inform system  10  if Party B ( 30 ) was available to receive a call. If so, then the call would progress. If not, then a message could be played to the requester  12  that second Party B ( 30 ) is not available (for technical reasons) at this time. 
         [0073]    In another embodiment, system  10  may attempt to verify Party A ( 12 ) prior to sending a request to Party B ( 30 ). Based on public records, predefined or dynamic security questions Party-A ( 12 ), may be “validated” to continue through the system to communicate with Party-B. This could be used to catch unauthorized telemarketer requesters  12 . 
         [0074]    While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes or equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore, to be understood that this application is intended to cover all such modifications and changes that fall within the true spirit of the invention.