Systems and Methods for Transferring Personal Session Information for Telephonic Use

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems and associated methods for operating web interactive services in conjunction with communication services, linking the communication with the interaction by means of a session-specific identifier such as a telephone number. During the course of a web session, user interaction information may be collected, that information potentially indicating subjects of interest to a user associated with the session-specific identifier. In the event the user uses the identifier make a contact regarding the information, the identifier can be used to associate the interaction information and subjects of interest, such that the contact may have that information and those subjects available to assist a user making contact. Interaction and subject information may also be used to customize the interaction with a contacting user with regard to the routing of a telephone call, a greeting, a product or service offering, or other communication.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A communication server usable within a system adapted for associating a limited number of telephone numbers within a limited number of possible numbers within a public telephonic addressing scheme with users interacting with a website, the telephone numbers being preselected from an entity managing a public telephone system, the telephone system supplying a means whereby members of the public can call and communicate audibly with receiving others, the system using telephone numbers that provide a means of the selection of a destination for the placement of those calls, the system including a web server configured to interact with users over a network, the system further including a memory containing a pool of preselected telephone numbers secured within the public telephone system, each telephone number within the pool conforming to the public telephonic addressing scheme allowing for the selection of the destination of a call by a calling party, the web server being further configured to provide web pages to individual users in the context of browsing sessions, the web server maintaining for each browsing session a session-specific identifier and optionally a history as to which pages and elements of web pages were served to users associated with particular session-specific identifiers, those histories not necessarily containing any further identifying information other than that need to separate individual browsing sessions, the web server being further configured to perform the selection of a telephone number from the pool of preselected telephone numbers secured within the public telephone system allowing for the selection of the destination of a telephone call by a browsing party, and following such a selection of a telephone number associating that number to a browsing session by way of a maintained session-specific identifer and making the selected telephone number available to a user interacting with the web server in connection with a browsing session, the web server being further configured to serve customized web pages within a browsing session to which a session-specific identifier has been associated, the web server being further configured to record web site interaction data within the context of a browsing session to which a session-specific identifier has been associated, the web server being further configured to provide recorded web site interaction data in reference to a telephone number that has been selected from the pool of preselected telephone numbers secured within the public telephone system to said communication server, said communication server comprising:
 a telephonic receiver connected to a public telephonic communications system, said telephonic receiver adapted to receive incoming telephone calls from outside persons using a plurality of the pool of preselected telephone numbers, said telephonic receiver being further adapted to identify an incoming telephone call by the telephone number used by a calling outside person;   a data receiver connected through a network to a store for which web site interaction data has been recorded, said data receiver being adapted to receive recorded web site interaction data that has been associated to a session-specific identifer, wherein in the course of said receiving the association between the session-specific identifier and the web site interaction data is maintained; and   a response manager adapted to select or adjust a telephonic interaction with an outside person making an incoming telephone call at one of the pool of preselected telephone numbers, said telephonic interaction being dependent upon the web site interaction data associated to the telephone number used by the outside person to initiate the incoming telephone call;   wherein said communication server is further configured to perform a lookup of web site interaction data associated to a telephone call received through said telephonic receiver, whereupon by the lookup of web site interaction data said communication server may associate earlier-entered web site interaction data to a person who is later placing a telephone call at the one or more of the pool of preselected telephone numbers, and wherein through said response manager a person who is later placing a telephone call may be presented with a telephonic conversation selected or adapted for his personal qualities and information as received through his interaction with the web site.   
     
     
         2 . A communication server according to  claim 1 , further comprising a store containing web site interaction data, said store being further connected to a network to which said data receiver is connected and by which network said store is operable to receive web site interaction data from the web server and provide received web site interaction data to said data receiver. 
     
     
         3 . A communication server according to  claim 1 , further comprising an IVR module through which an incoming caller may interact with said communication server without the immediate presence of an agent. 
     
     
         4 . A communication server according to  claim 3 , wherein said response manager is configured to control said IVR module such that a menu may be presented to an incoming caller that is selected on the basis of the interaction data associated with the telephone number used by the incoming caller in the initiation of contact with said telephonic receiver. 
     
     
         5 . A communication server according to  claim 1 , wherein said telephonic receiver further comprises a PBX module, and further wherein said response manager directs said PBX module to route a telephone call originating from an outside person to a specific line on a private phone network on the basis of the content of the web site interaction data associated to the telephone number used by the outside person to initiate the incoming telephone call. 
     
     
         6 . A communication server according to  claim 1 , wherein said telephonic receiver is further configured to select an ACD plan on the basis of the content of the web site interaction data associated to the telephone number used by the outside person to initiate the incoming telephone call, whereby the ACD plan will be presented to an agent selected to interact vocally with the outside person. 
     
     
         7 . A communication server according to  claim 1 , wherein the web site interaction data received by said data receiver are each referenced by a session-specific identifier that contains the associated telephone number from the pool of preselected telephone numbers stored within the memory, whereby the web site interaction data of a particular user may be directly referenced in a lookup using the telephone number of an incoming telephone call. 
     
     
         8 . A communication server according to  claim 1 , wherein the web site interaction data received by said data receiver are each referenced by a session-specific identifier that does not contain a telephone number from the pool of preselected telephone numbers stored within the memory, whereby the web site interaction data of a particular user may be indirectly referenced in a lookup using the telephone number of an incoming telephone call against a further relational database of telephone numbers and session-specific identifiers. 
     
     
         9 . A communication server usable within a system adapted for associating a limited number of telephone numbers within a limited number of possible numbers within a public telephonic addressing scheme with users interacting with a website, the telephone numbers being preselected from an entity managing a public telephone system, the telephone system supplying a means whereby members of the public can call and communicate audibly with receiving others, the system using telephone numbers that provide a means of the selection of a destination for the placement of those calls, the system including a web server configured to interact with users over a network, the system further including a memory containing a pool of preselected telephone numbers secured within the public telephone system, each telephone number within the pool conforming to the public telephonic addressing scheme allowing for the selection of the destination of a call by a calling party, the web server being further configured to provide web pages to individual users in the context of browsing sessions, the web server maintaining for each browsing session a session-specific identifier and optionally a history as to which pages and elements of web pages were served to users associated with particular session-specific identifiers, those histories not necessarily containing any further identifying information other than that need to separate individual browsing sessions, the web server being further configured to perform the selection of a telephone number from the pool of preselected telephone numbers secured within the public telephone system allowing for the selection of the destination of communication over a telephone network by a browsing party, and following such a selection of a telephone number associating that number to a browsing session by way of a maintained session-specific identifer and making the selected telephone number available to a user interacting with the web server in connection with a browsing session, the web server being further configured to serve customized web pages within a browsing session to which a session-specific identifier has been associated, the web server being further configured to record web site interaction data within the context of a browsing session to which a session-specific identifier has been associated, the web server being further configured to provide recorded web site interaction data in reference to a telephone number that has been selected from the pool of preselected telephone numbers secured within the public telephone system to said communication server, said communication server comprising:
 a telephonic receiver connected to a public telephonic communications system, said telephonic receiver adapted to receive incoming communications from outside persons using a plurality of the pool of preselected telephone numbers, said telephonic receiver being further adapted to identify an incoming communication by the telephone number used by an outside person;   a data receiver connected through a network to a store for which web site interaction data has been recorded, said data receiver being adapted to receive recorded web site interaction data that has been associated to a session-specific identifer, wherein in the course of said receiving the association between the session-specific identifier and the web site interaction data is maintained; and   a response manager adapted to select or adjust an interaction with an outside person making an incoming communication at one of the pool of preselected telephone numbers, said interaction being dependent upon the web site interaction data associated to the telephone number used by the outside person to initiate the incoming communication;   wherein said communication server is further configured to perform a lookup of web site interaction data associated to a communication received through said telephonic receiver, whereupon by the lookup of web site interaction data said communication server may associate earlier-entered web site interaction data to a person who is later placing a communication at the one or more of the pool of preselected telephone numbers, and wherein through said response manager a person who is later placing a communication may be presented with a conversation selected or adapted for his personal qualities and information as received through his interaction with the web site.   
     
     
         10 . A communication server according to  claim 9 , further comprising a store containing web site interaction data, said store being further connected to a network to which said data receiver is connected and by which network said store is operable to receive web site interaction data from the web server and provide received web site interaction data to said data receiver. 
     
     
         11 . A communication server according to  claim 9 , further comprising an IVR module through which an incoming caller may interact with said communication server without the immediate presence of an agent. 
     
     
         12 . A communication server according to  claim 11 , wherein said response manager is configured to control said IVR module such that a menu may be presented to an incoming caller that is selected on the basis of the interaction data associated with the telephone number used by the incoming caller in the initiation of contact with said telephonic receiver. 
     
     
         13 . A communication server according to  claim 9 , wherein said telephonic receiver further comprises a PBX module, and further wherein where an outside person uses a telephone call to communicate with said communication server, said response manager directs said PBX module to route that telephone call to a specific line on a private phone network on the basis of the content of the web site interaction data associated to the telephone number used by the outside person to initiate the incoming telephone call. 
     
     
         14 . A communication server according to  claim 9 , wherein said telephonic receiver is further configured to select an ACD plan on the basis of the content of the web site interaction data associated to the telephone number used by the outside person to initiate contact with said communication server, whereby the ACD plan will be presented to an agent selected to interact with the outside person. 
     
     
         15 . A communication server according to  claim 9 , wherein the web site interaction data received by said data receiver are each referenced by a session-specific identifier that contains the associated telephone number from the pool of preselected telephone numbers stored within the memory, whereby the web site interaction data of a particular user may be directly referenced in a lookup using the telephone number of an incoming telephone call. 
     
     
         16 . A communication server according to  claim 9 , wherein the web site interaction data received by said data receiver are each referenced by a session-specific identifier that does not contain a telephone number from the pool of preselected telephone numbers stored within the memory, whereby the web site interaction data of a particular user may be indirectly referenced in a lookup using the telephone number of an incoming telephone call against a further relational database of telephone numbers and session-specific identifiers. 
     
     
         17 . A communication server according to  claim 9 , further comprising a messaging module through which a user may interact non-vocally with said communication server through the use of a telephone number that has been selected from the pool of preselected telephone numbers secured within the public telephone system. 
     
     
         18 . A communication server according to  claim 9 , further comprising a messaging module through which a user may interact non-vocally with said communication server through the use of a telephone number that has been selected from the pool of preselected telephone numbers secured within the public telephone system, and further wherein said response manager is adapted to select or adjust the interaction through said messaging module. 
     
     
         19 . A communication server according to  claim 9 , wherein said messaging module uses the SMS protocol. 
     
     
         20 . A method of servicing the needs of individuals that desire vocal interaction after having interacted with a web site configured to interact with users over a network, that vocal interaction preserving personal information offered by those individuals in the course of interaction with a web site such that that information is available in the course of that vocal interaction without additional querying, the method relying upon a memory containing a pool of subscribed telephone numbers secured within a public telephone system, that memory accessible to select a telephone number from the pool of subscribed telephone numbers as they are needed for association of web interaction data to an individual who is to make a telephone call, the web site having recorded information concerning interactions with users in the course of sessions, that information being distinguished through the use of session-specific identifers, the web site optionally using browsing protocols and recording a history as to which pages and elements of web pages were served to users associated with particular session-specific identifiers, those histories not necessarily containing any further identifying information other than that need to separate individual sessions, the method relying upon a web server or other device configured to select a subscribed telephone number from the pool contained within the memory and associate that number to personal interactional information acquired in the course of web site interactions with an individual, said method comprising the steps of:
 subscribing to a pool of telephone numbers available through a public telephone system, the public telephone system supplying a means whereby members of the public can call and communicate audibly with receiving others, the system using telephone numbers that provide a means of the selection of a destination for the placement of those calls;   operating a data receiver connected through a network to a store for which web site interaction data has been recorded, the data receiver receiving recorded web site interaction data that has been associated to a session-specific identifer;   operating a communication server comprising a telephonic receiver connected to the public telephone system such that the telephonic receiver is adapted to receive incoming telephone calls from outside persons using the pool of subscribed telephone numbers;   when receiving individual telephone calls at the telephonic receiver, identifying the telephone numbers used by outside persons such that the telephone number used may be obtained for any incoming active call processed by the telephonic receiver;   when receiving individual telephone calls at the telephonic receiver, recognizing a session-specific identifier for individual incoming callers, such recognizing being made by identifying the telephone number used by an individual incoming caller and attributing the recognized session-specific identifier to an individual telephone call;   recognizing web site interaction data received at the data receiver and associating web site interaction data for particular sessions to individual telephone calls received at the telephonic receiver by way of the session-specific identifer assigned to the web site interaction data of a particular session; and   conducting telephonic interaction with individual incoming callers, the telephonic interaction being selected or adjusted for individual incoming callers, the telephonic interaction for a particular incoming caller being dependent upon the web site interaction data received at the data receiver associated to the telephone number used to initiate an incoming telephone call to the telephonic receiver.   
     
     
         21 . A method according to  claim 20 , wherein the telephonic interaction that is selected or adjusted is provided by an IVR module through which an incoming caller may interact with a communication server without the immediate presence of an agent. 
     
     
         22 . A method according to  claim 21 , wherein the IVR module presents a menu to an incoming caller that is selected on the basis of the interaction data associated with the telephone number used by the incoming caller in the initiation of contact with the telephonic receiver. 
     
     
         23 . A method according to  claim 20 , wherein the telephonic interaction that is selected or adjusted is routed through a PBX module, and further wherein the destination of incoming telephone calls is made on the basis of the content of the web site interaction data associated to the telephone number used by the outside person to initiate the incoming telephone call. 
     
     
         24 . A method according to  claim 20 , wherein the telephonic interaction that is selected or adjusted made through an ACD plan presented to an agent selected to interact with the particular incoming caller, and wherein the ACD plan that is used is dependent upon the content of the web site interaction data associated to the telephone number used by the outside caller to initiate contact with the communication server. 
     
     
         25 . A method according to  claim 20 , wherein in the receiving of the web site interaction data received by a data receiver, the session-specific identifer associated to the web site interaction data of a particular user contains the associated telephone number selected from the pool contained within the memory for that particular user. 
     
     
         26 . A method according to  claim 20 , wherein in the receiving of the web site interaction data received by a data receiver, the session-specific identifer associated to the web site interaction data of a particular user does not contain a telephone number from the pool of preselected telephone numbers stored within the memory, and wherein said method includes the further step of performing a lookup against a relational database of telephone numbers and session-specific identifiers associated to web site interaction data.