# US 11,025,778 B2 · Automated telephone host system interaction > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,025,778 B2 - Document ID: US11025778B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/920,265 - Filed: 2018-03-13 - Published: 2019-05-23 - Granted: 2021-06-01 - Earliest claimed: 2017-11-22 - Assignees: Repnow Inc. - Applicants: Repnow Inc. - Inventors: Alexander Boone; Stanfell Boone; Fredrick Korfin - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11025778B2 ## CPC - H04M 3/5183: {Call or contact centers with computer-telephony arrangements} - H04M 3/4935: {Connection initiated by DAS system} - H04M 3/5231: {with call back arrangements} - H04M 3/493: Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries {; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals} - H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08) ## Abstract Systems and methods for automated telephone host system interaction. A system can include one or more client applications executable by respective communication devices and a server in communication with the respective communication devices. The system can store user information for a user and receive, from the user, requests associated with a service provider. Responsive to the requests, the system can cause initiation of a call center call to a call center associated with the service provider, automatically navigate a call handling system of the call center, monitor a held call center call, and detect when a live agent answers the call. Responsive to detecting the live agent, the system can initiate a call to the user device and bridge the calls such that the user can speak to the live agent. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: a client application executable by a communication device alternatively operable for calling in a handset mode and a speaker mode, the client application configured to receive, from a user of the communication device, requests associated with a service provider of a plurality of known user service providers, and transmit request information associated with the request via a communication network; and a server comprising one or more processors configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising: receiving, via the communication network, the request information from the communication device; determining, using natural language processing and based at least in part on the request information, metadata associated with a call center corresponding to the request; causing, based at least in part on the metadata, initiation of a call center call from a telephony service to the call center corresponding to the request; and responsive to determining that a live agent has answered the call center call, causing initiation of a user call from the telephony service, the user call bridged with the call center call such that audio can be transmitted between the communication device and the call center; wherein the communication device is further configured to: detect that an incoming call is the user call; and automatically answer the user call in the speaker mode such that the communication device plays audio transmissions from the call center at a first volume. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein detecting that the incoming call is the user call comprises: identifying at least one of a source phone number, a session initiation protocol (SIP) header, and a push message associated with the incoming call; and determining that the at least one of a source phone number, SIP header, or push message corresponds to the request information. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the client application is further configured to: determine, based on an output of one or more sensors of the communication device, that the communication device has been picked up subsequent to answering the user call; and responsive to determining that the communication device has been picked up, cause the communication device to transition to the handset mode such that the communication device plays audio transmissions from the call center at a second volume lower than the first volume. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more sensors of the communication device comprise at least one of an accelerometer, a proximity sensor, a photodetector, and a microphone. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the client application is further configured automatically dismiss incoming calls that are not the user call between a time when the request information is transmitted and a time when the user call is answered. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors of the server are further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising causing the telephony service to transmit a proxy message to the live agent while the user call is initiated, the proxy message comprising an audio representation of a conversational response to the live agent. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the proxy message is transmitted over the call center call and the user call such that at least a portion of the proxy message is played at the communication device in the speaker mode while at least a portion of the proxy message is being transmitted over the call center call. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more processors of the server are further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising: receiving data indicating a selection by the user of one of a plurality of messages to be presented when connecting with a live agent; storing, in a data store, the data; and responsive to determining that the live agent has answered the call center call, retrieving one of the plurality of messages. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors of the server are further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising: detecting, subsequent to the user call being answered, that the call center call has been placed on a hold; transmitting a control message to suspend audio transmissions to the communication device; detecting, subsequent to transmitting the control message that a live agent has answered the call center call; and transmitting a control message to resume audio transmissions to the communication device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the client application is further configured to: detect that audio transmissions to the communication device have resumed; and automatically cause the communication device to transition to the speaker mode such that the communication device plays audio transmissions from the call center at the first volume. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the client application is further configured to: determine, based on an output of one or more sensors of the communication device, that the communication device has been picked up subsequent to detecting that audio transmissions to the communication device have resumed; and responsive to determining that the communication device has been picked up, cause the communication device to transition to the handset mode such that the communication device plays audio transmissions from the call center at a second volume lower than the first volume. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the control message to suspend audio transmissions causes the telephony service to terminate the user call, and wherein the control message to resume audio transmissions causes the telephony service to: initiate a second user call from the telephony service to the communication device; and bridge the second user call and the call center call such that audio can be transmitted between the communication device and the call center. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the communication device is further configured to: detect that an incoming call is the second user call; and automatically answer the second user call in the speaker mode such that the communication device plays audio transmissions from the call center at the first volume. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the client application is further configured to automatically dismiss incoming calls that are not the second user call between a time when the user call is terminated and a time when the second user call is received. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the control message to suspend audio transmissions causes the telephony service to place the user call into a muted mode such that audio transmitted from the call center is not played by the communication device, and wherein the control message to resume audio transmissions causes the telephony service to deactivate the muted mode such that audio transmitted from the call center is played by the communication device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the client application is further configured to: detect deactivation of the muted mode; and automatically cause the communication device to transition to the speaker mode such that the communication device plays audio transmissions from the call center at the first volume. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The system of claim 15, wherein the client application is further configured to automatically dismiss incoming calls between a time when the user call is placed into the muted mode and a time when the muted mode is deactivated. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors of the server are further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising, before the live agent answers the call center call, navigating a call handling system of the call center by causing a response to be transmitted from the telephony service to the call center in response to an interactive voice response (IVR) prompt. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The system of claim 18, wherein the response is determined based at least in part on previously stored information associated with the call center, the previously stored information comprising at least one of a representation of the IVR prompt, a known sequence of IVR prompts, and a predetermined response. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors of the server are further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising: detecting, subsequent to causing initiation of the user call, that the user call has been disconnected; causing initiation of a second user call from the telephony service to the communication device; and causing the telephony service to bridge the second user call and the call center call. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The system of claim 20, wherein the communication device is further configured to detect that an incoming call is the second user call, and automatically answer the second user call in the speaker mode such that the communication device plays audio transmissions from the call center at the first volume. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors of the server are further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising: detecting, subsequent to causing initiation of the user call, that the call center call has been disconnected; causing initiation of a second call center call from the telephony service to the call center; determining that a live agent has answered the second call center call; and responsive to determining that the live agent has answered the second call center call, causing the telephony service to bridge the user call and the second call center call. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more processors of the server are further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising transmitting a control message to suspend audio transmissions to the communication device until the live agent answers the second call center call. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The system of claim 23, wherein the client application is further configured to: detect, subsequent to transmitting the control message to suspend audio transmissions, a resumption of audio transmissions; and automatically cause the communication device to transition to the speaker mode such that the communication device plays audio transmissions from the call center at the first volume. ### Claim 25 (depends on 22) The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more processors of the server are further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising: responsive to detecting that the call center call has been disconnected, causing the telephony service to disconnect the user call; and responsive to determining that the live agent has answered the second call center call, causing the telephony service to initiate a second user call and bridge the second user call with the second call center call. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The system of claim 25, wherein the communication device is further configured to detect that an incoming call is the second user call, and automatically answer the second user call in the speaker mode such that the communication device plays audio transmissions from the call center at the first volume. ### Claim 27 (depends on 25) The system of claim 25, wherein the one or more processors of the server are further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising causing the telephony service to transmit a proxy message to the live agent in response to determining that the live agent has answered the second call center call. ### Claim 28 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors of the server are further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising: detecting, subsequent to causing initiation of the user call, that the call center call has been disconnected; identifying an available pre-queued call center call to the call center; determining that a live agent has answered the pre-queued call center call; and responsive to determining that the live agent has answered the pre-queued call center call, causing the telephony service to bridge the user call and the pre-queued call center call. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) The system of claim 28, wherein the one or more processors of the server are further configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising causing the telephony service to transmit a proxy message to the live agent in response to determining that the live agent has answered the pre-queued call center call. ### Claim 30 (depends on 29) The system of claim 29, wherein the proxy message is simultaneously transmitted over the user call such that at least a portion of the proxy message is played at the communication device.