Systems and methods to avoid collisions in establishing real-time communication connections
Inventors
Dopiro, Olena • Stefan, Iulia • Skow, Geoffrey Wagner
Assignees
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Publication Number
US-9971817-B2
Publication Date
2018-05-15
Expiration Date
Abstract
A computing apparatus configured in the communication system to store data about advisers, including availability status of the advisers for real time communications with customers, ratings of the advisers by prior customers, compensate rates of the advisers, probability of being connected within a period of time for real time communication with customers, etc. The computing apparatus customizes the selection of lists of advisers for presentation to customers and/or the sequences of the lists to reduce collisions in concurrent requests for connections to same advisers for real time communication connections. The customization may include randomizing top portions of the lists, selecting and/or ranking the advisers in real time based on probability of advisers being connected within a period of time for real time communication with customers, etc.
Core Innovation
A computing apparatus configured in a communication system stores data identifying a plurality of advisers, availability of the advisers for real time communications over the communication system, and information about the advisers. The computing apparatus provides a user interface, receives user input requesting a list of advisers, and identifies and ranks the list of advisers based at least in part on adviser availability, adviser information, and the user input. In related implementations, the computing apparatus identifies and sorts advisers using user input, adviser information, and a probability of the advisers to become unavailable in a predetermined period of time.
The computing apparatus randomizes a top portion of the advisers of the list and presents the list with the top portion randomized in the user interface. The computing apparatus detects a process for being connected to an adviser from the list by receiving, through the user interface, a user selection of an adviser from the list, and subsequent to receiving the user selection, provides a real time communication connection between a user of the user interface and the adviser selected from the list.
To address collision of requests for real time communication connections to advisers, the computing apparatus identifies lists of advisers for users based on requests and identifies a subset of advisers of the lists. The computing apparatus customizes orders of the lists to avoid collision of requests, wherein the subset of advisers is in a top portion of each respective list, and the customizing includes randomizing the top portion of the advisers of each respective list.
Claims Coverage
The document includes three independent claims. Across these independent claims, the inventive features cover adviser data storage and availability, ranked or sorted list identification with randomization of a top portion, and establishing real time communication connections based on user selection, with collision-avoidance customization using a subset and probability/inventory-based constraints.
Adviser data storage and availability-based ranked randomized listing
Storing data identifying a plurality of advisers, availability of the advisers for real time communications, and information about the advisers; receiving user input requesting a list of advisers; identifying and ranking the list based at least in part on adviser availability, adviser information, and the user input; randomizing a top portion of the advisers; and presenting the list with the top portion randomized.
Detect user selection and establish real time communication connection
Detecting a process for being connected to an adviser from the list by receiving a user selection of an adviser from the list; and subsequent to receiving the user selection, providing a real time communication connection between a user and the adviser selected from the list.
Probability-aware sorting and randomized top portion on a computing apparatus
Identifying and sorting the list based at least in part on an availability of the advisers, the information about the advisers, the user input, and a probability of the advisers to become unavailable in a predetermined period of time; randomizing a top portion of the advisers of the list; presenting the list with the top portion randomized; and establishing a real time communication connection between a user and the adviser selected from the list.
Collision-avoidance customization via subset selection and randomized top portion
Receiving requests from users to search for advisers; identifying lists of advisers based on the requests; identifying a subset of advisers of the lists; customizing orders of the lists to avoid collision of requests for real time communication connections to advisers of the subset, wherein the subset of advisers is in a top portion of each respective list; customizing includes randomizing the top portion of the advisers of each respective list; receiving respective selections of advisers from the lists; and providing respective real time communication connections between the respective users and the advisers respectively selected.
The claims collectively cover systems and media that store adviser availability and adviser information, identify and rank or sort requested adviser lists using availability and user input, randomize a top portion of the lists for presentation, and establish real time communication connections based on user selection. They also cover collision of requests being addressed by customizing list orders using a subset positioned in the top portion of each list and randomizing that top portion.
Stated Advantages
Avoid collision of requests for real time communication connections to advisers.
Documented Applications
A real-time adviser-customer (user) communication workflow where users request and receive lists of advisers and then receive real time communication connections with selected advisers.
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