公开(公告)号：US10951773B2

公开(公告)日：2021-03-16

申请号：US16808947

申请日：2020-03-04

Applicant: TEXTNOW, INC

Inventor： Jonathan Dennis Halk ,  Derek Ting

IPC: H04M7/00 ,  H04L29/12 ,  H04W8/26

Abstract: An example method of suggesting contacts in a communications routing system includes: routing, via a routing engine, communications events between a communications device and a plurality of further communications devices coupled to the communications routing system as VoIP calls using respective VoIP telephone numbers; storing, for a user account associated with the communications device, a contact database representing VoIP telephone numbers stored in a contact tracking application of the communications device; storing, in the contact database for the user account, a log of communications events including a record for each new telephone number; and when the record for a new telephone number satisfies a threshold condition, providing a prompt, at the communications device, to add the new telephone number to the contact tracking application.

公开(公告)号：US20210029252A1

公开(公告)日：2021-01-28

申请号：US17071409

申请日：2020-10-15

Applicant: TextNow, Inc.

Inventor： Derek Ting ,  Jonathan Lerner

IPC: H04M7/00 ,  H04M15/00 ,  H04L29/06 ,  H04L29/12 ,  H04M17/02 ,  H04L29/08 ,  H04W4/14

Abstract: A database stores unique associations between account identifiers and mobile-network telephone numbers assigned by a mobile network to mobile communications devices. The account identifiers are also associated with voice-over-IP (VoIP) telephone numbers. Voice calls between the mobile communications devices are made as voice-over-IP (VoIP) calls using respective VoIP telephone numbers. Tracking of the VoIP calls is performed through the mobile network using respective mobile-network telephone numbers, so that a prepaid balance can be enforced.

公开(公告)号：US20190379787A1

公开(公告)日：2019-12-12

申请号：US16549288

申请日：2019-08-23

Applicant: TEXTNOW, INC.

Inventor： Derek TING ,  Michael KOVACEVIC ,  Jonathan Dennis HALK

IPC: H04M3/42 ,  H04L29/12

Abstract: An example method of assigning a telephone number to a user account in a communications system is provided. The method includes obtaining a mnemonic seed and obtaining a subset of telephone numbers filtered from a global telephone number pool based on the mnemonic seed. The alphanumeric representation of each telephone number in the subset is within a threshold Hamming distance of the mnemonic seed. The method further includes receiving an indication of a selected telephone number from the subset and assigning the selected telephone number to the user account.

公开(公告)号：US20190124210A1

公开(公告)日：2019-04-25

申请号：US16222085

申请日：2018-12-17

Applicant: TEXTNOW, INC.

Inventor： Derek TING ,  Tristan HUNTINGTON ,  Rich WONG

IPC: H04M15/00 ,  H04M17/00 ,  H04M15/02 ,  G06Q30/02 ,  H04W4/21 ,  H04M17/02

Abstract: A mobile communications device receives an indication of a balance from a server when establishment of a voice call or sending of a message is requested. The mobile communications device determines whether the balance is sufficient to place the voice call or send the message over a mobile network. If the balance is sufficient to place the voice call or send the message over the mobile network, the voice call is established or the message is sent under normal operating conditions. If the balance is insufficient to place the voice call or send the message over the mobile network, a grace period is activated and the voice call is established or the message is sent during the grace period over an available wireless local-area network.

公开(公告)号：US09621735B2

公开(公告)日：2017-04-11

申请号：US14314209

申请日：2014-06-25

Applicant: TEXTNOW, INC.

Inventor： Derek Ting ,  Jonathan Lerner

IPC: H04M7/00 ,  H04M15/00 ,  H04L29/06 ,  H04M17/02 ,  H04L29/12

CPC classification number: H04M7/006 ,  H04L61/157 ,  H04L61/1588 ,  H04L65/1006 ,  H04L65/1069 ,  H04L65/1076 ,  H04L67/26 ,  H04M7/0075 ,  H04M15/56 ,  H04M15/60 ,  H04M15/8044 ,  H04M17/02 ,  H04W4/14 ,  H04W84/12

Abstract: A database stores unique associations between account identifiers and mobile-network telephone numbers assigned by a mobile network to mobile communications devices. The account identifiers are also associated with voice-over-IP (VoIP) telephone numbers. Voice calls between the mobile communications devices are made as voice-over-IP (VoIP) calls using respective VoIP telephone numbers. Tracking of the VoIP calls is performed through the mobile network using respective mobile-network telephone numbers, so that a prepaid balance can be enforced.

公开(公告)号：US12250340B2

公开(公告)日：2025-03-11

申请号：US17637354

申请日：2020-08-18

Applicant: TEXTNOW, INC.

Inventor： Michael Kovacevic ,  Alexandru Gabriel Roman

IPC: H04M3/22 ,  H04M7/00

Abstract: An example communications system includes: a source device and a destination device; a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service, the VoIP service configured to support a voice call between the source device and the destination device over at least one of a wide-area IP network and a public-switched telephone network; wherein, for at least one leg in the voice call: an encoding device is configured to encode an analog audio stream to a digital audio stream according to one or more input parameters, the input parameters including variable input parameters; a receiving device is configured to send a quality indicator to the encoding device, the quality indicator representing the quality of the digital audio stream received at the receiving device; and the encoding device is configured to, at a feedback controller, determine updated variable input parameters for encoding a subsequent analog audio stream.

公开(公告)号：US11778104B2

公开(公告)日：2023-10-03

申请号：US17171725

申请日：2021-02-09

Applicant: TEXTNOW, INC.

Inventor： Jonathan Dennis Halk ,  Derek Ting

IPC: H04W8/26 ,  H04M7/00 ,  H04L61/4535 ,  H04L61/4594 ,  H04L101/65

CPC classification number: H04M7/0075 ,  H04L61/4535 ,  H04L61/4594 ,  H04W8/26 ,  H04L2101/65

Abstract: An example method of suggesting contacts in a communications routing system includes: routing, via a routing engine, communications events between a communications device and a plurality of further communications devices coupled to the communications routing system as VoIP calls using respective VoIP telephone numbers; storing, for a user account associated with the communications device, a contact database representing VoIP telephone numbers stored in a contact tracking application of the communications device; storing, in the contact database for the user account, a log of communications events including a record for each new telephone number; and when the record for a new telephone number satisfies a threshold condition, providing a prompt, at the communications device, to add the new telephone number to the contact tracking application.

公开(公告)号：US11558511B2

公开(公告)日：2023-01-17

申请号：US17226756

申请日：2021-04-09

Applicant: TEXTNOW, INC.

Inventor： Alexandru Gabriel Roman ,  Armando Mauricio Murga

IPC: H04M7/00 ,  H04M3/22 ,  H04W36/30 ,  H04W48/14 ,  H04W36/14 ,  H04W36/00 ,  H04M15/00 ,  H04W48/18

Abstract: A mobile communications system includes switching between communication paths based on the quality of service. A VoIP service is coupled to a mobile network and a wireless local-area network (WLAN) via a wide-area IP network. A plurality of mobile communications devices are associated with VoIP telephone numbers. A public switched telephone network (PSTN) is coupled to the plurality of mobile communications devices and coupled to the VoIP service. A quality of service server is coupled to the plurality of mobile communications devices via the wide-area IP network for determining the quality of data channels to a mobile communications device via the mobile network and to the mobile communications device via the WLAN. A voice call is carried over one of the mobile network, the WLAN, and the PSTN depending on the quality of the data channels.

公开(公告)号：US11144851B2

公开(公告)日：2021-10-12

申请号：US16539234

申请日：2019-08-13

Applicant: TEXTNOW, INC.

Inventor： U Kong Wong ,  Chen Chen

IPC: G06Q30/02 ,  G06Q10/04 ,  H04M7/00

Abstract: An example communications routing system includes a prediction engine to, for each user account, generate a predicted cost of communications events using a gamma-gamma cost model, generate a predicted revenue of presented advertisements using a gamma-gamma revenue model, generate a margin based on the predicted cost and the predicted revenue, and, when the margin for a given user account is below a margin threshold, restrict a status associated with the given user account.

公开(公告)号：US20210227360A1

公开(公告)日：2021-07-22

申请号：US17226842

申请日：2021-04-09

Applicant: TEXTNOW, INC.

Inventor： Derek Ting

IPC: H04W4/24 ,  H04M15/00

Abstract: An example communications system for providing communication services between communications devices may employ multiple usage rates for metered communication services. A method for adjusting usage amounts to account for multiple usage rates may include determining a usage adjustment factor for a communications event; determining a metered usage amount for the communications event; and determining an adjusted usage amount based on the usage adjustment factor and the metered usage amount for the communications amount. Thus, a billing system in the communications system may determine an invoice amount based on the adjusted usage amount and a predetermined bill rate.