The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 12, 2006
Filed:
Mar. 28, 2002
Nathan Bryant Baker, Tigard, OR (US);
Nathan Bryant Baker, Tigard, OR (US);
Metro One Telecommunications, Inc., Beaverton, OR (US);
Abstract
It is typical that a user calls an information assistance service provider to request information, e.g., a destination telephone number desired by the user, and chooses to be connected to the destination number. It is also typical that the information assistance service provider offers enhanced assistance service features, e.g., a StarBack feature. In prior art, to provide the enhanced service features, the user's call invariably continues to be connected to a servicing switch associated with the service provider after the user is connected to the destination number. To efficiently utilize the limited capacity of the servicing switch, in accordance with the invention, the user's call may be selectively released from the servicing switch before the call is connected to the destination number. Such a call release depends on certain criteria for determining whether the user is a candidate for utilizing an enhanced service feature after the call is connected to the destination number.