Patent ID: 8050973

Claim:
A process performed by a server, the process comprising: (a) the server receiving a request over a data network from a computing device of a user to cause a duplex voice communication session over a voice network to be established between a user telephone associated with a user phone number of the user and a merchant telephone associated with a merchant phone number of a merchant from a group of one or more merchants capable of providing a good or service specified in the request, wherein the user telephone is separate and distinct from the computing device of the user; (b) the server causing a first voice communication leg to be made to the user phone number; (c) the server generating a notice to at least one of the merchants in the group of merchants capable of providing the good or service specified in the request, the notice including an offer to establish the duplex voice communication session with the user in exchange for payment of a definite fee, the generating performed sequentially and repeatedly by the server for each of the merchants in the group of merchants until the offer is either accepted by an accepting merchant or the generating has been attempted to all of the merchants in the group of merchants; (d) the server receiving an acceptance of the offer from the accepting merchant; (e) the server causing a second voice communication leg to be made to the accepting merchant at the merchant phone number; (f) the server causing the first voice communication leg and the second voice communication leg to be bridged to thereby establish the duplex voice communication session over the voice network between the user telephone associated with the user phone number of the user and the merchant telephone associated with the merchant phone number of the accepting merchant; and (g) the server causing the definite fee to appear on a bill for telephone service of the accepting merchant.