Patent ID: 8594302

Claim:
A method for scheduling a call between parties, comprising the steps of: providing a system for enabling a first party in a plurality of first parties to schedule a call with a second party in a plurality of second parties at a scheduled time period, the system including a database having stored therein an availability of at least one first party in the plurality of first parties for calls for a plurality of time periods; accessing the system by the second party; determining, using the system, an availability of a specific first party in the plurality of first parties for a call at a scheduled time period based on the plurality of time periods; selecting the scheduled time period by the second party for the call with the specific first party; selecting, by the second party, a mode of the call between the second party and the specific first party at the scheduled time period, wherein: in a first mode, the system establishes communications with the second party and the system enables communications between the second party and the specific first party; and in a second mode, the second party calls the specific first party directly, the system, in the second mode, determines whether the second party called the specific first party within a predetermined time frame of the scheduled time period, wherein if the second party called the specific first party earlier than the predetermined time frame of the scheduled time period, the system does not connect the second party to the specific first party, provides an indication to the second party that the second party called the specific first party earlier than the scheduled time period, and provides the second party with at least one early call option; if the second party called the specific first party later than the predetermined time frame of the scheduled time period, the system does not connect the second party to the specific first party, provides an indication to the second party that the second party called the specific first party later than the scheduled time period, and provides the second party with at least one late call option if the second party called the specific first party within the predetermined time frame of the scheduled time period, the system connects the second party to the specific first party; requesting payment from the second party for communicating with the specific first party, wherein the requested payment is determined based on a combination of at least one of the following: specific first party, the scheduled time period, a length of communication between the specific first party and the second party, a frequency of communication between the second party and at least one first party in the plurality of first parties, and a popularity of the specific first party.