Intelligent electronic communications

Abstract

Establishing a telephone call includes enabling display of a visual indicator of a call destination entity and detecting selection by a user of the visual indicator. The availability of the user to receive a first telephone call is determined. Voice communications between the call destination entity and the user are established in response to detection of the selection by the user of the visual indicator and conditioned on the user being determined to be available to receive the first telephone call. Establishing voice communications includes enabling placement of the first telephone call to the user to establish a first PSTN link with the user and enabling a voice communications link to be setup with the call destination entity.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for establishing a telephone call, the method comprising:
 enabling display of a visual indicator of a call destination entity;   detecting selection by a user of the visual indicator;   determining whether the user is available to receive a first telephone call; and   in response to detection of the selection by the user of the visual indicator and conditioned on the user being determined to be available to receive the first telephone call, establishing voice communications between the call destination entity and the user,   wherein establishing voice communications includes:
 enabling placement of the first telephone call to the user to establish a first PSTN link with the user, and 
 enabling a voice communications link to be setup with the call destination entity. 
   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein enabling display of the visual indicator includes enabling display of the visual indicator in a graphical display presented to the user as part of one of an instant messaging user interface, an e-mail user interface, and an Internet browser user interface. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the visual indicator is a graphical advertisement configured to advertise products or services offered by the call destination entity. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein enabling a voice communications link to be setup with the call destination entity includes enabling placement of a second telephone call to the call destination entity to establish a second PSTN link with the call destination entity. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein establishing voice communications between the user and the call destination entity comprises bridging the first PSTN link and the second PSTN link to enable a voice communications path to be setup between the user and the call destination entity over the first PSTN link and the second PSTN link. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein enabling a voice communications link to be setup includes enabling a voice-over-IP communications link to be setup with the call destination entity. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein establishing voice communications between the user and the call destination entity comprises bridging the first PSTN link and the voice-over-IP communications link to enable a voice communications path to be setup between the user and the call destination entity over the first PSTN link and the voice-over-IP communications link. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising enabling the call destination entity to deposit a voice mail in a voice mailbox of the user conditioned on the user being determined not to be available to receive the first telephone call. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein enabling the call destination entity to deposit a voicemail in the voice mailbox of the user includes setting up a voice communications link between the call destination entity and the voice mailbox of the user. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining whether the user is available to receive the first telephone call includes accessing preferences associated with the user and determining whether the user is available to receive the first telephone call based on the preferences. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein determining whether the user is available to receive the first telephone call includes determining that the user is not available if the preferences associated with the user indicate that calls through selection of visual indicators are prohibited. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein determining whether the user is available to receive the first telephone call includes determining that the user is not available if the preferences associated with the user indicate that calls through selection of visual indicators of a category of entities that includes the call destination entity are prohibited. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein determining whether the user is available to receive the first telephone call includes determining that the user is not available if the preferences associated with the user indicate that calls through selection of visual indicators of the call destination entity are prohibited. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining whether the user is available to receive the first telephone call includes determining that the user is not available to receive the first telephone call if, in response to an attempt to place a call to the user, signaling information is received that indicates that a telephone line of the user is busy. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 identifying a location of the user; and   identifying a representative of the call destination entity that is geographically close to the identified location of the user,   wherein establishing voice communications between the user and the call destination entity comprises establishing voice communications between the user and the representative that is geographically close to the identified location of the user.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising establishing alternative communications between the user and the call destination entity when the user is determined not to be available to participate in the telephone call. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein establishing alternative communications comprises establishing an instant messaging session between the user and a representative of the call destination entity.