Predictive toll-free number search

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9571667-B2
Application number	US-201514984816-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2015
Priority date	Nov 1, 2014
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

A method of searching for a toll-free number including identifying a previous search number history for a user; and offering a toll free number associated with the previous search number history to the user.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method of searching for a toll-free number, comprising:
storing a user's toll-free number search history, wherein the search history includes at least one search parameter entered by the user when searching for an available toll-free number;
identifying criteria of a customer-desired toll-free number based at least in part on the search parameter;
associating each of a toll-free number inventory with at least one search parameter;
searching the inventory for a toll-free number matching the criteria of the customer-desired toll-free number; and
sending an offer to the user, wherein the offer includes a notification of the available toll free number matching the criteria of the customer desired toll-free number,
wherein predictive analytics is used for searching and retrieving an available toll-free number.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying criteria of the customer-desired toll-free number includes identifying the frequency of a search for a particular toll free number.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising identifying toll free numbers that are to become available.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising identifying a toll free number associated with the search history with at least one toll free number that is to become available.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising presenting predictive search results at each future user login.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising presenting predictive search results to the user on a recurring basis.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising presenting predictive search results to the user via email on a subscription basis.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising examining toll-free numbers that are going to become available and determining if the toll-free numbers meet a pattern to which the user has expressed interest.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein searching the inventory for a toll-free number matching the criteria of the customer-desired toll-free number includes at least one of searching a current responsible organization inventory, and a list of upcoming available toll free numbers.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising automatically reserving the toll free number associated with the previous search number history to the user.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein offer facilitates automatically reserving the toll-free number as a fee-based function.

12. A method of searching for a toll-free number, comprising:
storing a listing of toll-free numbers that are associated with a responsible organization, wherein the association is based at least in part on a toll-free number being managed by the responsible organization;
entering a search parameter for an available toll-free number, wherein the search parameter is associated with a characteristic of a toll-free number being managed by the responsible organization;
receiving a toll-free number search result, based at least in part on the search parameter,
wherein the toll-free number in the search result is among toll-free numbers that are available for reservation; and
sending an offer to reserve the toll-free number in the search result
wherein predictive analytics is used for searching and retrieving an available toll-free number.

13. A method of searching for a toll-free number, comprising:
entering a search parameter for an available toll-free number;
receiving a listing of toll-free numbers in a search result, based at least in part on the search parameter,
wherein the toll-free numbers in the search result are ordered according to their availability for reservation and include toll-free numbers bearing a relation to the search parameter that are currently available for reservation and numbers that are not currently available for reservation but will become available within a time frame defined a user performing the search; and
presenting the listing to the user,
wherein predictive analytics is used for searching and retrieving an available toll-free number.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising presenting an offer to reserve a toll-free number in response to the presenting the listing.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising presenting a means for the user to activate a toll-free number within the listing.

Assignees

• Somos Inc

Inventors

• Kimmel Michael

Classifications

• H04M3/367

  Traffic or load control · CPC title

• G06F16/24573

  using data annotations, e.g. user-defined metadata · CPC title

• H04M2203/555

  Statistics, e.g. about subscribers but not being call statistics · CPC title

• H04L45/22

  Alternate routing · CPC title

• G06Q30/0201

  Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data · CPC title