# US 12,225,156 B2 · Call control for providing targeted content

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,225,156 B2
- Document ID: US12225156B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/651,434
- Filed: 2022-02-17
- Published: 2022-08-18
- Granted: 2025-02-11
- Earliest claimed: 2021-02-17
- Assignees: MBTE Holdings Sweden AB
- Applicants: MBTE Holdings Sweden AB
- Inventors: Ran Meriaz; Yoram Meriaz; Alexander Tkachman
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12225156B2

## CPC

- H04L 65/1046: Call controllers; Call servers
- H04M 3/4217: {Managing service interactions}
- G06N 20/00: Machine learning
- G06Q 30/016: After-sales
- G06Q 30/0251: Targeted advertisements
- G10L 25/78: Detection of presence or absence of voice signals (switching of direction of transmission by voice frequency in two-way loud-speaking telephone systems H04M9/10)
- H04L 65/1059: End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
- H04L 65/1096: Supplementary features, e.g. call forwarding or call holding (systems providing special services or facilities to telephony subscribers H04M3/42)
- H04L 65/4025: {where none of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. downloading a file in a parallel FTP session, initiating an email or combinational services}
- H04M 1/72445: for supporting Internet browser applications
- H04M 1/72454: according to context-related or environment-related conditions
- H04M 1/72484: wherein functions are triggered by incoming communication events
- H04M 1/57: Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set (at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20)
- H04M 2201/42: Graphical user interfaces
- H04M 2203/10: related to the purpose or context of the telephonic communication
- H04M 2203/2038: Call context notifications
- H04M 2203/256: comprising a service specific user interface
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)
- H04M: TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION (circuits for controlling other apparatus via a telephone cable and not involving telephone switching apparatus G08)
- G06N: COMPUTING ARRANGEMENTS BASED ON SPECIFIC COMPUTATIONAL MODELS
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING

## Abstract

Computer program products, methods, systems, apparatus, and computing entities are provided for providing targeted content to a user. In one embodiment, a method is provided comprising: determining whether a phone number for a digital call involving a mobile device or a user computing entity is one of a plurality of target phone numbers; responsive to determining that the phone number is one of the target phone numbers, identifying content control rules associated with the phone number; responsive to identifying the content control rules, identifying actions to be carried out in accordance with the content control rules, wherein at least one of the actions involves providing the targeted content via a call companion interface available through the mobile device or the user computing entity in response to an occurrence of an idle instance experienced by the user on the digital call while the digital call is connected.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for providing targeted content to a user, the method comprising:
determining, by one or more processors, whether a phone number for a digital call to a user device is one of a plurality of target phone numbers;
responsive to determining that the phone number is one of the plurality of target phone numbers:
(a) identifying one or more content control rules associated with the phone number; and
(b) allowing the digital call to be established and enabling initiation of a call companion interface on the user device in accordance with the one or more content control rules, wherein one or more actions associated with one or more content control rules comprises providing the targeted content via the call companion interface available;
processing, by the one or more processors, one or more features of the digital call using a machine learning model to generate a prediction of a length of an idle instance;
responsive to the prediction of the length of the idle instance satisfying a configurable idle threshold, providing, by the one or more processors, the targeted content for display via the call companion interface;
identifying, by the one or more processors, an end of the idle instance experienced by the user of the user device during on the digital call; and
responsive to identifying the end of the idle instance, stopping, by the one or more processors, to provide the targeted content for display via the call companion interface.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are executing on a call management computing entity remote.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the targeted content comprises application-enabled content, the call companion interface comprises an application resident on the user device, and providing the targeted content for display via the call companion interface comprises:
providing the application-enabled content; and
causing the application to display the application-enabled content.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein providing the targeted content for display via the call companion interface comprises:
providing a hyperlink through a communication channel; and
responsive to a selection of the hyperlink, causing the call companion interface to display the targeted content.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 further comprising responsive to determining that the phone number is not one of the plurality of target phone numbers, allowing the digital call to follow normal call operation.

### Claim 6

An apparatus for providing targeted content to a user, the apparatus comprising one or more processors and memory including program code, the memory and the program code configured to, with the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to at least:
determine whether a phone number for a digital call to a user device is one of a plurality of target phone numbers;
responsive to determining that the phone number is one of the plurality of target phone numbers:
(a) identifying one or more content control rules associated with the phone number; and
(b) allowing the digital call to be established and enabling initiation of a call companion interface on the user device in accordance with the one or more content control rules, wherein one or more actions associated with one or more content control rules comprises providing the targeted content via the call companion interface available;
process one or more features of the digital call using a machine learning model to generate a prediction of a length of an idle instance;
responsive to the prediction of the length of the idle instance satisfying a configurable idle threshold, provide the targeted content for display via the call companion interface;
identify an end of the idle instance experienced by the user of the user device during on the digital call; and
responsive to identifying the end of the idle instance, stop providing the targeted content for display via the call companion interface.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the apparatus comprises a call management computing entity remote.

### Claim 8

A non-transitory computer storage medium comprising instructions for providing targeted content to a user, the instructions being configured to cause one or more processors to at least perform operations configured to:
determine whether a phone number for a digital call to a user device is one of a plurality of target phone numbers;
responsive to determining that the phone number is one of the plurality of target phone numbers:
(a) identifying one or more content control rules associated with the phone number; and
(b) allowing the digital call to be established and enabling initiation of a call companion interface on the user device in accordance with the one or more content control rules, wherein one or more actions associated with one or more content control rules comprises providing the targeted content via the call companion interface available;
process one or more features of the digital call using a machine learning model to generate a prediction of a length of an idle instance;
responsive to the prediction of the length of the idle instance satisfying a configurable idle threshold, provide the targeted content for display via the call companion interface;
identify an end of the idle instance experienced by the user of the user device during on the digital call; and
responsive to identifying the end of the idle instance, stop providing the targeted content for display via the call companion interface.