WO2001047264A2

WO2001047264A2 - Automatic connection of telephone calls with concurrent advertisement display

Info

Publication number: WO2001047264A2
Application number: PCT/CA2000/001499
Authority: WO
Inventors: Terrence Pocock; Andrew Pocock
Original assignee: Terrence Pocock; Andrew Pocock
Priority date: 1999-12-22
Filing date: 2000-12-21
Publication date: 2001-06-28
Also published as: AU2136701A; WO2001047264A3

Abstract

A system and method for subscribers of interactive services to automatically initiate least-cost telephone calls while viewing a series of interactive advertisements displayed during the telephone call. The system can be implemented in a two-way television system or a computer network such as the Internet. The subscriber selects a party to be called from a list of frequently called telephone numbers displayed on the subscriber's television set or computer monitor and this information is transmitted to an Interactive Television system or Internet Server. The Interactive Television system automatically determines the calling subscriber's telephone number and passes this number and the selected called party's number on to a call bridging gateway. The call bridging gateway dials the subscriber's telephone number and the called party's telephone number, and bridge connects the two parties together. Since the subscribers are required to be in front of their respective display screens to make a low-cost telephone call, an opportunity is created to show the subscriber interactive advertisements during the call.

Description

AUTOMATIC CONNECTION OF TELEPHONE CALLS WITH CONCURRENT ADVERTISEMENT DISPLAY

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION To make low-cost long distance calls over many of the discount long distance services, callers have to remember and then dial a service access number, input an identification number with possibly a password, and then input the number of the party they want to call. This tedious input is error prone and hardly worth the effort for the small amount of savings for short calls . In other long distance programs the caller has to remember different "10-10 numbers" with various savings rates for different styles of call, duration of the call and time of day. There are also large long distance carriers, such as AT&T, MCI, SPRINT, with their own set of special rates in addition to the standard rates which subscribers receive when they originally select a long distance carrier. The above situation is confusing to the consumer who is bombarded with a multiplicity of competing long distance television advertisements. Some of these calling schemes remain in the consumers mind, but not necessarily the correct scheme for the types of calls they want to make.

Since the subscriber's telephone is a single connection to the massive public switched telephone network, the individual subscriber is unable to make calls with least cost routing or to make calls using low-cost IP packetized Internet protocols on specialized Internet style networks. With all the different plans and options, the subscriber has no way of knowing whether the way he is making calls is the best way to obtain the lowest rates. It is an objective of this invention to eliminate this tedious input and proliferation of calling schemes and make all calls at the best possible rates.

With call-back savings systems, the subscriber is required to input his own number and the called party's number to make a call. When the telephone rings, anyone in the household can pick it up and answer the call. It is an intention of this invention to eliminate both of these inputs and user confusion when the telephone rings.

It is inconvenient when the subscriber wants to make a long distance call but the phone book with frequently called numbers is not close or is temporarily lost. It is also difficult and expensive when a subscriber doesn't know the called party's telephone number, particularly a foreign telephone number, and has to go through the language problems of conversing with a foreign information operator. Because of the revenue potential it is an objective of this invention to have all information and frequently called numbers immediately available to a subscriber at no charge for retrieval, for easy instant automatic connection.

With this multiplicity of ways to make long distance calls, the subscriber's telephone bill is also complex with charges from different telephone carriers appearing on any bill over a three-month window. It is an objective of this invention to have immediately updated bills available to the subscriber for automatic payment by credit card or other means.

Most of cost saving schemes available to the subscriber have some criteria attached, such as calls up to fifteen minutes for one dollar that require attention from the subscriber so that the criteria is not exceeded. This invention monitors calls and warns the subscriber if any criteria are exceeded. To make or receive a telephone call in the television viewing room it is often inconvenient to get to or locate a telephone. It is an object of this invention to modify the ever present television remote control into a convenient telephone handset.

Conference calls are expensive and time consuming to set up using regular phone networks. It is the intention of this invention to make setting up conference calls easy and at the lowest cost to the subscriber. Multi-party games lack excitement without the players verbally interacting as they play. This invention facilitates playing multi-party games with group audio interaction.

The invention makes low-cost rates available for outgoing calls from a cable subscriber to the called party. Many subscribers would also like to have friends or relatives be able to phone them at these same low rates. It is the intention of this invention to allow remote authorized parties to connect to an authorizing subscriber by using the Internet or other interactive service network.

Some subscribers are located on two way cable systems, while others have access to the Internet or other interactive services. It is an objective of this invention to make the benefits available to every one with access to an interactive system.

In today's market, regardless of the advertised savings plan, all long distance telephone calls cost money. It is the intention of this invention to make use of the non-productive time during a telephone call to create a new source of advertising revenue that will allow long distance calls in the future to be free.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention uses two main interactive services, one delivered over cable television and the other delivered via the Internet or similar interactive service, such as AOL, to automatically make least-cost long distance calls while showing the subscriber a series of advertisements on the screen of the television set or computer monitor.

A cable subscriber requests the interactive television elements of this invention to display frequently called telephone numbers on the cable subscriber's television set. The subscriber uses the television remote control to select the party to be called. This information is transmitted to a head end computer by the O 01 /47264 PCT/CAOO/Ol 499

subscriber's converter. The head end computer automatically determines the calling subscriber's telephone number and passes this number and the selected called party's number on to a call bridging gateway. The call bridging gateway dials the subscriber's telephone number and the called party's telephone number, and bridge connects the two parties together.

Similarly in an Internet-based system, the subscriber requests the Internet server to display frequently called numbers on the screen of the subscriber's personal computer on request. The subscriber uses the mouse or keyboard input to select the party to be called. This information is transmitted to the Internet server by the subscriber's personal computer. The Internet server determines the subscriber's telephone number and passes this number and the called party's number to the call bridging gateway. The call bridging gateway calls the calling subscriber's number first and the called party second, and bridge connects the two parties together. The call bridging gateway of both the Internet and cable television systems uses the lowest cost of the connected carriers to achieve the lowest cost for the call.

Since the subscribers to the cable television system and the Internet system are required to be in front of their respective display screens to make a low-cost telephone call, an opportunity is created to show the subscriber interactive advertisements during the call. The subscribers use the remote control in the cable television system and the personal computer keyboard in the Internet system to interact with a particular advertisement, obtaining more information immediately or saving the ad for further review after the call. The systems of the invention uses their respective input devices to enter the lists of numbers for storage and later display or to enter a specific number into the system if it is not included on one of the lists at the time of the call. Similarly the system displays telephone directory information for any city in the world and the subscribers use their input devices to select the number to be called.

The systems of the invention keep track of call progress and display appropriate warning messages to the subscriber depending on the call criteria. The systems also accumulate billing information that is available for display to the subscriber whenever required for paperless billing and electronic payment.

Both systems of the invention enable an authorized remote Internet user to access a subscriber's calling page over the Internet and initiate a call between the remote user and the authorizing subscriber. The systems of the invention enable subscribers to set up conference calls using their respective input devices to indicate the parties for the system to call and connect together. When the parties are on line they can play games or share other common screen activities using their respective interactive facilities.

The call bridging gateways of both systems transmit a telephone call originating in one city to a call bridging gateway in another city, using low-cost IP telephony over an Internet-style communications network.

In one embodiment of the invention, the remote control has all the functionality of a telephone handset and transmits the telephone signal via wireless radio to a receiver that transmits the signal up to the cable company head end, and then on to the called party.

When the elements of this invention are combined together it is possible for interactive system subscribers to easily initiate telephone calls at least cost rates while watching and interacting with informative advertisements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the system components for a cable subscriber to initiate least-cost telephone calls and view interactive television advertisements. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the system components for a subscriber to an interactive system such as the Internet to initiate least-cost telephone calls and view interactive advertisements.

DETAILED DISCLOSURE Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a block diagram illustrating the components of a system in which cable subscribers who are in front of their television sets can initiate telephone calls automatically, at least-cost rates over one of the carriers connected to a call bridging gateway, while viewing a series of interactive television advertisements. One component of the invention is an interactive cable television system that provides cable subscribers with information, entertainment and transactional opportunities whenever the subscriber requests them. It consists of a two way cable system 10 where multiple streams of data are transmitted on different frequencies both upstream and downstream on the cable network. The data of the interactive television system is comprised of audio, pictures and text converted into digital form, and is stored in a head end computer system 20 that is connected to the two way cable system 10. The pictures and text are displayed on the subscriber's television set 50 with accompanying audio. The interactive television service is always active, looking for input from the subscriber any time the television set 50 is turned on.

In response to user input, and/or automatically when the television is first turned on, a menu of options can be displayed on the television set 50. To make a telephone call, a cable subscriber uses the remote control or other remote keyboard 30 of a set top converter 40 to position a cursor on the screen of the television set 50 to select an operation from the options shown on the television set 50. The first option the subscriber selects is the icon for automatic telephone calls. This selection is instantly transmitted by the converter 40 up to the head end computer 20 over the two way cable system 10.

The head end computer 20 analyses the input that was transmitted and sends a page of information back to the subscriber consisting of lists of the subscriber's most frequently called numbers. These numbers were previously input by the subscriber. This page of information also has a space for the subscriber to input a telephone number if it is not included in one of the displayed lists.

The head end computer 20 is the controlling intelligence for the interactive television system. Databases stored on the head end computer 20 include the pictures and audio that are transmitted to the subscriber's converter 40, lists of frequently called telephone numbers, groups of numbers for multiparty calls, television advertisements that are shown during a call and call charges with billing information. Additional head end computer databases contain personal information about the subscriber including the converter 40 serial number or other identification, the subscriber's home telephone number and any remote callers' private passwords, language of choice plus demographic information about the family and family members.

The subscriber places the cursor over the telephone number to call on one of the displayed lists or inputs the telephone number on the remote control 30 and touches the entry key. This data is then transmitted to the head end computer 20 by the converter 40.

Originally, converters converted multiple channels of analog television transmitted on different cable frequencies to channel three on the television set 50. More recent digital cable converters 40 convert digital data transmitted on multiple frequencies from programs received over satellite, video on demand systems and from the head end computer 20 into television pictures with accompanying audio. The digital transmission format allows many more channels of individualized information to be transmitted to the converter 40 than the older analog format.

The term converter 40 used in the context of this invention includes all the functionality mentioned above in an electronic box generally situated on the top of the television set 50 and accessed by an infrared remote control 30. However an alternative converter 65 covered by the invention includes telephony functionality where a telephone 70 is connected to the converter 65 which converts the analog audio telephone signal to a digital signal. This digital signal is transmitted to the head end computer 20 over the two way cable 10. Digital data transmitted from the head end computer 20 to the converter 65 is similarly converted to analog audio for the subscriber to hear on the telephone 70. Alternatively a digital telephone is directly connected to the two way cable system with its own cable interface (not illustrated).

In another embodiment of the invention, a remote control 80 contains all the functionality of a telephone handset including speaker, receiver and dialing capability and communicates by wireless radio with a wireless radio equipped converter 90. The wireless radios in both the converter 80 and the remote control 90 are based on technologies similar to the Bluetooth single chip radio specification. This specification includes both audio and data channels so that voice and data are transmitted on separate channels to and from the remote control

80 and converter 90. The voice in this case is the telephone conversation and the data is the number to call plus all the other regular converter functions.

When the telephone number input information is received from the subscriber's converter 40 by the head end computer 20, it identifies which subscriber initiated the call and matches the identity with the subscriber's telephone number stored in the head end computer's 20 database. Since the head end computer 20 is able to determine a subscriber's telephone number, the subscriber isn't required to input this telephone number for every call. The head end computer 20 then directs a connected call bridging gateway 100 to first call the calling cable subscriber and then dial the telephone number selected or input by the subscriber and bridge connect the two parties together. By dialing the calling subscriber first, the calling subscriber performs the call progress function and hangs up if the number is busy, talks to an operator if connected to a PBX or touches the appropriate keys if a touch tone response is required. This also ensures that the calling party is on line before the called party picks up the telephone. The subscriber enters lists of telephone numbers and names into the head end computer 20 using the numeric and alphabetic keys on the remote control 30, in response to prompts displayed on the television screen 50. The head end computer 20 accesses this stored data and under program control sends this data back to subscribers as organized pages on request. Alternately the subscriber can place the cursor over an information icon and call up information directories for any country and city. Small banner advertisements are displayed on the information pages to defray the cost of supplying telephone number information. The subscriber uses the remote control 30 to input the called party's name and address, and when the correct telephone number is found, places the cursor over the number and presses the enter key.

The system automatically dials the subscriber and then the called party indicated by the cursor. Since all cable subscribers use the same information directory for the United States, it is cost-effective to store and format all the information in one spot so that it is easily readable, fits on a screen of a television set and is accessible from any cable company by Internet. This eliminates the need for the interactive systems to format each page as it is received or having to locally store and maintain the complete directory. For various reasons there may not be sufficient storage on the head end computer 20 for all the telephone number lists and information directories. In these cases the names, numbers and lists are stored on another separate computer system (not illustrated) which is accessed by the head end computer 20 to display the numbers to the requesting subscriber.

Although one head end computer 20 has been described in connection with the foregoing embodiment, it is reasonable for multiple head end computers to have the same general interactive functionality required by the invention but specialize in one or more other specific areas. Examples of these are displaying movies on demand, connecting telephone calls, handling Internet, interactive television or other applications. Any of these head end computers can be connected to the two way cable network 10 and the call bridging system 100 to accomplish the objectives of the invention. Alternatively the interactive television service is provided by an off cable network service such as the Internet which is displayed over the cable television system.

The call bridging gateway 100 of the invention in its simplest variation is connected to the public switched telephone network 110 and to the head end computer 20. The connection 105 to the public switched telephone network is preferably a high speed access such as a Tl communications line. The system of the invention is a convenient and cost efficient way to automatically complete long distance calls. Since the subscriber likely resides in the local calling area of the call bridging gateway 100, the portion of the call dialed by the gateway 100 to the subscriber is a local call and results in little or no cost to the subscriber. The long distance portion of the call to the called party from the call bridging gateway 100 is at low-cost wholesale rates.

In addition to the connection 105 with the public switched telephone network 110, the call bridging gateway 100 is alternatively connected to other networks 120, 130, 140 which have different rates for various call destinations, time of day, day of the week and likely duration of the call. Data about the call options, rates and on-line monitoring of the length of call in relation to the type of call made, is available for display to the subscriber. Of the networks connected, the network with the lowest United States long distance wholesale rates may not have the lowest wholesale rates to the United Kingdom. This gives rise to an opportunity for the head end system 20 to direct the call bridging gateway 100 to place a call on the network 120, 130, or 140 that is the least-costly for a particular call considering all the criteria. When digital telephony is introduced into the cable systems, the call bridging gateway 100 is connected to the two way cable network 10 via a direct connection 12, as well as to other carriers 120, 130, 140. The call bridging gateway 100 calls the calling subscriber who has a digital converter 65 using the cable network 10 instead of the public switched network 110. Since a cable company is a local franchise, the call from the call bridging gateway 100 to the subscriber is a local call with minimal or no charge.

The most cost effective call occurs when both the calling party and the called party are located on two way cable systems with digital telephones. Here the call bridging gateway 100 of the subscriber's system communicates using low- cost VoIP or voice-over-Internet protocol, using an Internet type network 200 to the call bridging gateway 115 of the called party's system, avoiding the costs associated with connection to the public switched telephone network 110.

In this embodiment of the invention, the subscriber is positioned in front of the television set 50 to initiate a telephone call. This creates a significant business opportunity to use the television set 50 to present advertisements to the subscriber for the duration of the call. This opportunity is fulfilled by the head end system 20, which knows the subscriber is connected and displays a series of interactive advertisements to the subscriber with which the subscriber interacts, using the remote control 30. To ensure the subscriber is watching the advertisements, the system looks for a subscriber response to specific pages displayed during the call. The system also blocks the subscriber's converter 40 from other operations except interacting with the advertisements while the call is in progress.

When the call bridging gateway 100 detects the call is finished, it notifies the head end computer 20 which stops sending the series of advertisements to the caller. If the subscriber has saved advertisements, the head end computer 20 immediately shows the more detailed versions of the advertisements selected. The head end computer 20 saves the identification number of all the advertisements shown, allowing the subscriber to request a replay of any advertisement not marked for recall during the telephone call.

Physical limitations and other factors limit the amount of equipment that is located in the same facility as the head end computer 20. In these cases (not illustrated) the call bridging gateway 100 is located at a remote site and the data to make a telephone call is transmitted to this new gateway location over separate communication lines. In alternate embodiments the gateway functionality is located at a telephone or other carrier's central office or international call hub. Subscribers can use the system of the invention to make multiparty conference and multicasting calls. The potential members of a multiparty call are entered on a frequently called number list if the group is called regularly. The subscriber uses the remote control 30 to pick a whole group, members of a group or to add any numbers not included in a predefined group from subscriber requested lists displayed on the television set 50. The head end computer 20 directs the call bridging gateway 100 to call the initiating subscriber and all the selected members of the multiparty conference call and connect them together. The call bridging gateway 100 blends the voices of all the speakers in a conference call into one common voice output that is then sent out for all the conference members to hear. The call initiator controls the conference call and blocks and unblocks participants from being heard using the television remote control 30. In one version of the invention a conference call is set up and the participants play in the same interactive game while they talk to each other in the conference call. This additional interactive feamre makes games more entertaining and adds a social dimension to the interaction. Alternatively, a list of chat groups is displayed on the television set 50 by the head end computer 20 and the subscriber indicates with the remote control 30 which group to enter. The members of the chat group see a series of advertisements displayed on their respective television sets by the head end computer 20 to the group as they talk. When multiple parties are involved in an interactive game and talking together, the system displays banner ads that don't interfere with the game. The cost of the outgoing call to each party is free if it is a local call, and at most four cents per minute for remote out of town players.

In another embodiment of the invention the call bridging gateway 100 digitally compresses a call and places the digital data into packets, allowing the transmission of multiple calls simultaneously to another call bridging gateway 115 where the call is decompressed and provided to a called party 64. The illustrated party 64 is located on the two way cable 15 of another cable company, however it could be an individual in any city with an IP host connected to a local public switched telephone network 110. A common packetizing and transmission protocol is Internet Protocol, or IP. This packetized protocol makes use of an Internet-type network 200 that allows combined data, compressed voice and digitized video to be transmitted efficiently as opposed to a standard point-to-point voice-only circuit. When a video camera 150 is connected to a video enabled converter 43, picmres of the subscriber are transmitted over the two way cable 10 to the called party during the telephone call. This video equipped converter 43 also receives digital picmres transmitted from the called party and displays these in a portion of the calling subscriber's television set 52.

The pictures from each member of the conference are transmitted separately to each conference member's converter and displayed in an array around the screen of each subscriber's television set.

A call set up by this invention has the potential to have audio, video and data all within the same call, with the data received by the head end computer 20 and the audio and video transmitted to and received from another party or parties. The bandwidth and speed of the two way cable permit multiple digital conversations to occur at one time on the network.

The cable subscriber using this invention enjoys low-cost long distance telephone rates and shares these savings with remote family and friends by providing these parties with a private access number. The remote family member uses a personal computer 215 to enter this access number over an Internet connection 210 to the head end computer 20 to activate the system to initiate a call to the authorizing subscriber's telephone 60 and the remote party 66. The call is billed to the authorizing subscriber 60.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a block diagram illustrating the components of a system that enables Internet service subscribers in front of their personal computer screens to initiate telephone calls automatically, at least-cost rates, while viewing advertisements. The interactive Internet system provides subscribers with information, entertainment and transactional opportunities whenever the subscriber requests. It consists of a subscriber's personal computer 310 with a connection 315 to an Internet server 345 via an Internet network 340. The data of the interactive Internet system is comprised of picmres, text and audio converted into digital form and stored on the Internet server 345.

When individuals subscribe to an internet service provider they are generally referred to as users. However, for purposes of this disclosure they are referred to subscribers. To make a telephone call, a subscriber accesses the Internet server 345 with the personal computer 310 and selects an icon for automatic telephone calls from the options displayed on screen 320.

The Internet server 345 analyzes this input and sends a page of information back to the subscriber consisting of lists of the subscriber's most frequently called numbers, which were previously input by the subscriber. This page of information also has a space for the subscriber to input a telephone number if it is not included in one of the displayed lists.

The Internet server 345 is the controlling intelligence for the interactive Internet system, it controls the actions of a call bridging gateway 350 and sends a series of advertisements to the subscriber. The databases that are stored and functions performed on the Internet server 345 are the same as those on the head end computer of the interactive cable system described in connection with FIG. 1.

The call bridging gateway 350 in its simplest variation is connected to the public switched telephone network 400 and to the Internet server 345. The connection to the public switched telephone network 450 is preferably a high speed access such as a Tl communications line.

In addition to the connection 450 with the public switched telephone network 400, the call bridging gateway 350 is alternatively connected to other networks 360, 370, 380 which have different rates for various call destinations, time of day, day of the week and likely duration of the call. Data about the call options, rates and on-line monitoring of the length of call in relation to the type of call made, is available for display to the subscriber.

The network with the lowest United States long distance wholesale rates may not have the lowest wholesale rates to the United Kingdom. This gives rise to an opportunity for the Internet server 345 to direct the call bridging gateway 350 to place a call on one of the networks 360, 370, or 380 that is the least costly for a particular call.

To make low-cost international calls it is advantageous to locate the call bridging gateway in a carrier's hub for international calls. In this case (not illustrated) the call bridging gateway 350 is located at the hub and the data to make a telephone call is transmitted to this new gateway location over separate communication lines.

To initiate a call, the subscriber places the cursor over the telephone number to call on the list displayed on the subscriber's computer screen 320, or the subscriber inputs the telephone number. This data is then transmitted to

Internet server 345. When this information is received the Internet server 345 identifies which subscriber initiated the call and matches the identity with the subscriber's telephone number stored in the Internet server's 345 database. The Internet server 345 then directs the connected call bridging gateway 350 to first call the calling subscriber's telephone 300 and then dial the telephone number selected or input by the subscriber and bridge connect the two parties together.

The subscriber enters these lists of frequently called telephone numbers and names into the Internet server 345 using the personal computer 310 in response to prompts displayed on the screen 320. Alternately the subscriber places the cursor over the information icon displayed on the screen of the personal computer 320 and calls up information directories for any country and city. The subscriber inputs the called party's name and address, and when the correct telephone number is found, places the cursor over the number and presses the enter key. The system automatically dials the subscriber and then the called party indicated by the cursor. Small banner type advertisements are displayed to the subscriber at this time to defray the cost of the information service.

Although one Internet server 345 has been described, it is reasonable for multiple Internet servers each with their own specialties and set of regular customers to access a common call bridging gateway and send their series of advertisements only to their own subscribers. The most cost effective call occurs when both the calling party and the called party are located in area with a local call bridging gateway. Here the call bridging gateway 350 of the first subscriber's system communicates using low-cost VoIP or Voice-over-Internet protocol, using an Internet type network 440 to the call bridging gateway 390 of the called party's system. Subscribers use the system of the invention to make multiparty conference calls. The potential members of a multiparty call are entered on a frequently called number list if the group is called regularly. The subscriber uses the keyboard of the personal computer 310 to pick a whole group, members of a group or to add any numbers not included in a predefined group from subscriber requested lists displayed on the screen of the personal computer 320. The Internet server 345 directs the call bridging gateway 350 to call the initiating subscriber and all the selected members of the multiparty call and connect them together.

In setting up a conference call, the head end computer or Internet server directs the call bridging gateway to first call a participant, but then postpone the bridging action until the subscriber indicates he is in front of the system's viewing screen. This allows the subscriber to pick up the phone anywhere in the house where the voice response unit of the gateway informs the subscriber that the call is a conference call. The subscriber is not connected to the conference until the subscriber is in front of the screen where advertisements are displayed for the duration of the conference call.

Although the invention addresses primarily the long distance market, the convenience of instant dialing from the television, plus the inducements to watch advertisements, make local calling another source of revenue. This source of revenue has almost zero cost associated with it so that it is in the operator's interest to promote the subscribers' use of the television to initiate telephone calls. In one version of the invention, a conference call is set up and the participants play in the same interactive game while they talk to each other in the conference call. This additional interactive feamre makes games more entertaining and adds a social dimension to the interaction. Alternatively a list of chat groups is displayed on the computer screen 320 by the Internet server 345 and the subscriber indicates which group to enter. Each member of the chat group sees a series of advertisements on their respective screens displayed by the Internet server

345 to the group.

In another embodiment of the invention, the call bridging gateway 350 digitally compresses a call and places the digital data into packets, allowing the transmission of multiple calls simultaneously to another call bridging gateway 390 where the call is decompressed and provided to the called party 420. The illustrated party 420 is located on the call bridging gateway 390 in another city connected to a local public switched telephone network 410. A common packetizing and transmission protocol is Internet Protocol, or IP. This packetized protocol makes use of an Internet type network 440 that allows combined data, compressed voice and digitized video to be transmitted efficiently, as opposed to a standard point-to-point voice only circuit. If the Internet server 345 and call bridging gateway 350 are located in Chicago, the calling party in New York and the called party in Las Vegas, for example, then the cost of a telephone call is the cost of the Chicago/New York call plus the Chicago/Las Vegas call. To reduce this cost, the Internet subscriber attaches speakers 500 and a microphone 520 to the sound board mounted in the personal computer 540 and uses an Internet connection 550 to the Internet network 340 to receive the Chicago/New York leg of the call initiated by the Internet server 340. Software running in the personal computer 540 converts the audio input into the microphone 520 into data that is transmittable over the Internet connection 550 to the Internet server 345. Similarly the same software converts digital data received over the Internet 340 transmitted from the Internet server 345 into audio that is heard over the connected speakers 500. At the site of the Internet server 345 and call bridging gateway 350, the call is converted into audio and bridge connected to the called party over the public switched telephone network 400. In adaptations of this variation the speaker and microphone are combined into a standard telephone hand set plugged into the sound board of the personal computer. It is feasible for the Internet server to call out to the remote party's Internet connection to determine if that party is available for a call so that both legs of the call are made using a low-cost standard Internet connection. Advertisements are shown to the calling party during the call.

The subscriber using this invention enjoys low-cost long distance telephone rates and shares these saving with remote family and friends by providing these parties with a private access number. The remote family member uses a personal computer 460 to enter this access number over an Internet connection 340 to the Internet server 345. This access number activates the system to initiate a call to the authorizing subscriber's telephone 300 and the remote party's telephone 470. The call is billed to the authorizing subscriber 300. The subscriber is positioned in front of the screen of the personal computer 320 when initiating a telephone call. This creates a significant business opportunity to use the computer screen 320 to present advertisements to the subscriber for the duration of the call. This opportunity is fulfilled by the Internet server 345 which knows the subscriber is connected and displays a series of interactive advertisements to the subscriber, with which the subscriber interacts.

When the call bridging gateway 350 detects that the caller's call is finished, it directs the Internet server 345 to stop sending the series of advertisements to the caller. If the subscriber has saved advertisements, the Internet server 345 immediately shows more detailed versions of the selected advertisements. The

Internet server 345 saves the identification number of all the advertisements shown, allowing the subscriber to request a replay of any advertisement not marked for recall during the telephone call.

The call bridging gateway in the cable and Internet versions of the invention is aware of all the controlling criteria of a subscriber-initiated telephone call and informs the Internet server 345 or head end computer 20 of this criteria. The Internet server 345 or head end computer 20 calculates the cost of the call and posts this amount to the subscriber's account as soon as the call is finished. Periodically the subscriber accesses this account and determines if the billing is correct. If the bill is approved, the subscriber directs the Internet server 345 or head end computer 20 to automatically pay the bill via credit card, automatic checking or by billing from the cable company. This automatic system provides a cost effective paperless billing scheme.

The call bridging gateways 100, 350 in both the cable and Internet embodiments of the invention cause the subscriber's telephones to ring in a distinctive fashion. This feamre ensures that family members are aware that the call they hear ringing is not a regular incoming call but an automated call initiated from the television set or the household personal computer. Alternatively the special ring is varied per family member determined by the frequently used number list of the calling family member or by other input.

The telephone carriers have the ability to bridge calls, make calls, and monitor calls with the equipment in their central offices. The call bridging gateway functionality is available in the central office with the introduction of an interface that accepts the telephone numbers to call from the head end system and provides them to the carrier's system.

The advertisements shown the subscribers to the cable or Internet versions of the invention are interactive and still frame or full motion picmres with or without audio. The subscriber's interaction with the advertisements includes but is not limited to, selecting from and saving an advertisement for later viewing, clicking on the advertisement to obtain more immediate detail, returning to look at an ad again, ordering a product or responding to questions. In certain situations the screen is split so that the subscriber receives more product information in the lower portion of the screen while advertisements continue to display in the upper portion of the screen.

The head end computer 20 and the Internet server 345 select advertisements to display to the subscriber based on a personal information profile stored in a subscriber database regarding the particular family member in the subscriber household making the telephone call. This data would include general family information such as finances, pets, children etc. and specific subscriber information such as gender, age, interests and preferred language.

Each advertisement is classified to reflect a consumer's general interest in the advertisement to assist in long term profiling of the consumer. Subscriber selections of each advertisement are recorded in the subscriber database to evenmally prepare a dynamic consumer profile of the subscriber's interests. This profile is used to target specific advertisements to this family member and to individualize advertisements to a specific family member.

The advertisements shown to the subscriber link only to information pages relating to the initial advertising page, and the subscriber is returned to the stream of advertisements after viewing the set of related pages.

The interactive advertisements are capable of generating electronic coupons with issuance at a retail outlet or of printing coupons at the subscriber's home. The advertisements allow the subscriber to order a product, obtain more information or be automatically connected to the advertiser after the call is completed.

The number of times an advertisement is shown to a particular subscriber is retained in a database to eliminate an advertisement being shown too many times to a subscriber in a particular time period. This also allows an advertiser to evaluate an advertisement's effectiveness and graph the number of times shown against average response.

If interactive ads are saved during a call, small scale images of these ads are displayed on the screen for the subscriber to select which advertisement to view first, so the subscriber doesn't have to page through the advertisements one- by-one to find any specific advertisement. This display is dynamically created by the head end computer or Interactive server as advertisements are marked during the call.

A standard form is completed outlining the criteria required to show an advertisement when an advertiser submits an advertisement. For example; Show my advertisement for a small garden tractor to;

Residence any ( ) home owner (X) apartment dweller ( )

Income any ( ) over $20,000 ( ) over $40,000 (X)

Gender any ( ) male (X) female ( )

Age any ( ) over 12 ( ) over 20 (X) over 35 ( )

Location any(X), or quadrants 1( ) 2( ) 3( ) 4( ) 5( ) 6( ) 7( ) 8( ) 9( ) Country called any(X) USA( ) Europe( ) Japan( ) South America(

)

Day of week any(X) Sun( ) Mon( ) Tue( ) Wed( ) Thur( ) Fri( ) Sat( )

Time of day any(X) Morning ( ) Afternoon( ) Evening( )

This selection shows the advertisement to all male home owners over 20 years of age with income more than $40,000 anywhere in the city, on any day or time of day during calls to any destination. The residence information is available in the cable company's street address database. The probable income level for that address is available from census data. The only questions for the viewer at set up time are gender and age. The criterion for "when" to show an advertisement is determined by the advertiser. As advertisements are shown to viewers a database is constructed of the ads where an interest is indicated and ads where no activity occurs. This information is analyzed to construct a personal profile of a viewer to further focus the selection of advertisements that are shown to that individual.

This personal profile is evaluated by automated artificial intelligence computer programs to select which viewers to show a particular product offering.

Test marketing using samples from these selected viewers determines the validity and economic feasibility of marketing to the larger selection. This database activity coupled with the advertiser selection of who and when to show an ad is of particular importance with direct response advertising. This profile database, constructed from viewer input, is used to determine which subscribers to send e-mail to promoting a product or service.

The advertisements displayed during the telephone call do not necessarily have accompanying audio that would disturb the subscriber's call. With current interactive technology it is possible select an advertisement based on demographics and then to individualize the advertisement as it is shown in response to questions asked during the advertisement.

The wholesale cost of long distance calls is substantially less than the revenue earned from displaying advertisements during the telephone call. For example, the wholesale rate for the outgoing portion of a long distance call in the United States today is approximately four cents per minute, the display rate for a small Internet banner advertisement is approximately thirty dollars per thousand or three cents each. Revenue of eighteen cents per minute is generated when a new advertisement is displayed every ten seconds. The long distance telephone cost is only four cents. At this profitable differential in rates, it is reasonable to give away long distance telephone calls, and directory services, including live operators, to obtain advertising viewers. Although two way cable and the Internet have been described as delivery mechanisms for the functionality of the invention, it is also deliverable over high speed telephone lines such as ADSL to the home. Alternatively, a Voice over Internet Protocol network converter is provided at the subscriber's house, and all the above functionality of the invention can be delivered over this entirely different style network, including telephone calls, interactivity with advertising display on either the subscriber's personal computer or television set.

To ensure the subscriber is watching the advertisements, the cable television system and the Internet system of the invention look for a response to specific pages displayed during the call. With the interactive television system the head end system knows if the subscriber has changed channels. In the Internet system a downloaded program that runs in the personal computer, controls all aspects of the call initiation and display of advertisements. If any interruption of the program occurs, the Internet server 345 becomes instantly aware. In either case the call bridging gateways of the respective systems 100, 350 inform the calling party of the rules to obtain free telephone calls and disconnect the call if non compliance continues.

In summary, the system of the invention provides low-cost automated telephone calls which are initiated on the screen of a television set or personal computer, where the systems of the invention select and display a series of advertisements to the subscriber. In one embodiment, the ability to make such calls is maintained only if the subscriber permits the advertisements to be regularly displayed. In a large metropolitan area, four or five cable companies serve the local calling area and each company requires its own interactive system with a head end computer to adequately serve the volume of customers located in each cable franchise. Each of the head end computers is connected to one call bridging gateway serving a common local calling area. The call bridging gateway could be located in the local exchange that maximizes the number of local exchanges the call bridging gateway could telephone without charge. An Internet server, with the same advertising database as the interactive TV head end computers, services the Internet population in the same common local calling area and is connected to the same call bridging gateways as the interactive TV head end computers.

The same advertisement displayed on the two separate styles of system reduces the cost to produce and administer the ads. Increased penetration because of the separate subscribers on each of the systems increases the number of potential viewers of an advertisement making the advertisements easier to sell. In cities with only one cable company, one interactive TV head end computer and an

Internet server connected to a common call bridging gateway would service the local calling area.

The location of an Internet server has no bearing on the user access cost and multiple local sites mirroring the databases of separate interactive systems are potentially located on a single Internet server. This single Internet server is connected to the call bridging gateways of the cable companies serving the same local calling areas as the Internet sites located on the Internet server.

In another situation where there is no participation of cable companies in the local markets, one Internet server is connected to the call bridging gateways that are located in the local calling area of each of these markets.

Where the service is provided by an Internet server, the viewer of the interactive advertisements can be instructed by an advertisement how to request a coupon. This coupon is printed out on the printer that is attached to the subscriber's personal computer.

Subscribers to either the Internet server system or the interactive television system, upon instruction from an interactive advertisement selected during the telephone call, can initiate a new telephone call between themselves and an advertiser.

The converters of the interactive cable systems require pages presented in a MPEG format while pages for the Internet server are formatted in the HTML format. In general the pages presented on a television set have larger text, fewer characters per line, fewer lines than Internet pages and a slightly different aspect ratio. To have similar advertising pages on both styles of system, the ability to convert from one format to another is desirable. The universal popularity of the Internet makes HTML and XML good standards with which to produce pages worldwide plus the Internet penetration today is significantly greater than the penetration of interactive cable systems. HTML pages are transmitted to the interactive system's head end computer using the Internet where they are automatically converted to television presentable pages that are displayed by the digital cable converter. Similarly the audio files used on the Internet servers are converted to the format acceptable to the cable converter. Similarly the pages created for the interactive cable system are likely formatted in a format that resembles HTML prior to conversion to MPEG. These picmres are sent to the Internet system where they are converted to HTML for viewing on that system.

The current systems for interactive television are based upon a head end system communicating to set top converters, where most of the intelligence is at the head end system. In the fumre, more and more intelligence will reside in the set top box, and any and all of the present invention's functionality can reside in programs that are downloaded from a head end computer system. For example, frequently called telephone numbers can be stored in the set top converter and a series of advertisements downloaded to the converter for display to the caller when a call is made with little interaction with the head end system. While the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2 have been described separately, both the Internet and interactive television can be employed together to perform any of the functionality to provide low cost telephone calls while watching targeted interactive advertisements. For example, a subscriber can choose from a list of frequently called numbers i.e. initiate the call, over the internet while receiving the advertisements over interactive TV, or alternatively the subscriber can choose from a list of frequently called numbers i.e. initiate the call, displayed on an interactive TV service while receiving the advertisements over the Internet.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An interactive television system that automatically connects the telephone of a subscriber to another party's telephone, comprising: a television converter connected to a subscriber's television set and to a two-way television system; a television remote control operated by the subscriber that directs the operation of the television converter and provides input means for the subscriber to enter data and select telephone numbers; a television set for each subscriber that displays picmres and information with accompanying audio received by the television converter in data transmitted over the interactive television system; a call bridging gateway connected to one or more telephone networks, that automatically dials called and calling parties' telephones and bridge connects them together; a head end computer that is connected to the call bridging gateway and the two way television system that functions to: i) store picmres, data and audio information and upon request transmit selected information and data over the two-way television system to the subscriber's converter for presentation on a connected television set, ii) accept telephone numbers input by subscribers using the television remote control, iii) create and store lists of frequently called telephone numbers from the telephone numbers input by the subscriber, iv) access stored subscriber telephone lists of frequently called numbers and other telephone lists and display these lists to the subscriber, v) accept the selection of specific telephone numbers by the subscriber, and vi) direct the call bridging gateway to dial the calling party and the selected party and connect the two parties together.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein advertisements are displayed on a subscriber's television set during the subscriber's telephone call.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the head end computer monitors the converter of an advertising viewing subscriber and takes specific corrective action if other than approved operations are detected.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the head end system recognizes the identity of the calling subscriber and matches this identity with the subscriber's telephone number stored in a database and directs the call bridging gateway to use this number to automatically dial the calling parry.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the head end computer causes information directories to be displayed on a television set for a party's telephone number, to provide subscriber selection of the number to call with the remote control.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein, in response to at least one of the selection telephone numbers from on-screen lists and the manual input of telephone numbers, the head end computer directs the call bridging gateway to call the calling subscriber and the selected telephone numbers and conferences them together.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the head end computer displays an interactive television application to multiple parties participating in a screen- originated telephone call.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the functionality of the call bridging gateway is remotely located and the called and calling parties' telephone numbers are transmitted over communication lines from the cable companies head end system to the off site call bridging gateway location.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the call bridging gateway routes the calling party's call over one or more alternate networks for delivery to a remote local public switched telephone network and final connection to the called party.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the call bridging gateway routes the calling party's call over one or more alternate networks for delivery to the call bridging gateway of a remote cable company for final connection to the called party.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein a subscriber's telephone is a digital cable telephone which is dialed by the call bridging gateway under direction of the head end computer using the two way cable system rather than a public switched telephone network.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein a screen originated call from a calling subscriber on one cable system is routed by the call bridging gateway to the call bridging gateway of another cable system via IP telephony and delivered to the called subscriber without connection to the public switched telephone network.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the television remote control has telephone hand set functionality and uses a wireless radio in the remote control to effect the telephone call with the converter's wireless radio, which passes the call to the call bridging gateway for connection to the called party.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the calling party's telephone is dialed with a distinctive ring distinguishable from the ring of a regular incoming telephone call.

15 The system of claim 1 wherein the head end computer calculates the least-cost routing for a call considering the resources connected to the call bridging gateway.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein a local call bridging gateway is connected to and is directed to complete calls by one or more interactive TV head end computers and an Internet server.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said Internet server is connected to the call bridging gateway of more than one interactive cable system.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein said Internet server is connected to two or more call bridging gateways that serve a local calling area.

19. The system of claim 2 wherein advertisements prepared for the head end computer of an interactive cable system are automatically convertible into the picture and audio formats required by an Internet server.

20. The system of claim 2 wherein advertising material contained in the data bases of one or more interactive cable systems serving a local calling area and an Internet server serving the same area contain similar advertising content modified for optimum presentation on each style of system.

21. The system of claim 2 wherein the advertiser indicates for each advertisement whom to show the advertisement to and when to show it, which information is matched with the profile of the calling party, the day, time, location called and other criteria to determine whether to show the advertisement.

22. The system of claim 2 wherein the call bridging gateway is directed to initiate a telephone call between the calling party and an advertiser on request of the calling party.

23. The system of claim 1 wherein the information stored in data bases generated by viewer usage generates e-mail to a viewer promoting the viewing of a particular set of advertisements.

24. A system that uses information displayed on the screen display of the personal computer of a subscriber to an Internet service to automatically connect the telephone of the Internet subscriber to another party's telephone while displaying advertisements to the subscriber, comprising: a personal computer that displays picmres, audio and information received over an Internet connection from an Internet server and accepts and transmits data input by the subscriber to the Internet server; a call bridging gateway connected to one or more telephone networks that upon direction from the connected Internet server automatically dials called and calling parties ' telephones and bridge connects them together; an Internet server connected to the call bridging gateway that functions to: i) store picmres, data and audio information and upon request transmit via the Internet selected information, telephone number lists, picmres, audio and data to the subscriber for presentation on the screen of the subscriber's personal computer, ii) accept telephone numbers input by subscribers using the personal computer keyboard, iii) create and store lists of frequently called telephone numbers from the telephone numbers input by the subscriber, iv) access stored subscriber telephone lists of frequently called numbers and other telephone lists and display these lists on the screen of the subscriber ' s personal computer , v) accept the selection of specific telephone numbers by the subscriber indicating the party to be called, vi) direct the call bridging gateway to dial the calling party and the selected party and connect the two parties together, and vii) upon connection of the call, transmit a series of advertisements for display on the subscriber's personal computer screen for the duration of the telephone call.

25. The system of claim 24 wherein advertisements prepared for the Internet server are automatically convertible into the picture and audio formats required by the head end computer of the interactive system.

26. The system of claim 24 wherein the head end computer monitors the personal computer actions of the advertising viewing subscriber and takes specific corrective action if other than approved actions are detected.

27. The system of claim 24 wherein the Internet server recognizes the identity of the calling subscriber and matches this identity with the subscriber's telephone number stored in a database and directs the call bridging gateway to use this number to automatically dial the calling party.

28. The system of claim 24 wherein the personal computer displays information directories on the computer screen for a party's telephone number, to provide subscriber selection of the number to call.

29. The system of claim 24 wherein a conference call is initiated in response to at least one of the selection of telephone numbers from on screen lists and the manual input of telephone numbers, and the Internet server directs the call bridging gateway to call the calling subscriber and the selected telephone numbers and connect them.

30. The system of claim 24 wherein the subscriber shares an interactive Internet application while talking on a personal computer originated telephone call to other party's sharing the same interactive Internet application.

31. The system of claim 24 wherein the functionality of the call bridging gateway is remotely located and the called and calling parties' telephone numbers are transmitted over communication lines from the Internet server to the off site call bridging gateway location.

32. The system of claim 24 wherein the call bridging gateway routes the calling party's call over one or more connected alternate networks for delivery to a remote local public switched telephone network and final connection to the called party.

33. The system of claim 24 wherein the telephone call originates from microphones and speakers attached to the subscriber's personal computer and is transmitted over the Internet to the call bridging gateway.

34. The system of claim 24 wherein the call bridging gateway routes the calling party's call over one or more alternate networks for delivery to a remote call bridging gateway for final local connection to the called party.

35. The system of claim 24 wherein the calling party's telephone is dialed with a distinctive ring distinguishable from the ring of a regular incoming telephone call.

36. The system of claim 24 wherein the head end computer calculates the least-cost routing for a call considering the resources connected to the call bridging gateway.

37. The system of claim 24 wherein the viewer of the interactive advertisement displayed during the telephone call by the Internet server requests a coupon be printed on the printing device attached to the personal computer.

38. A method that uses information displayed on the television set of a subscriber to an interactive television service provided over two-way television to automatically connect the telephone of the subscriber to another party's telephone, comprising the steps of: directing the operation of a television converter by a remote control that provides an input means for the subscriber to select the telephone number of the party to call, to enter telephone numbers into the system and to indicate other selections from the television screen; connecting a television converter that converts digital data received over the connected two-way television system into television picmres and audio for presentation on the subscriber's television set; displaying on a television set for each subscriber picmres and information with accompanying audio received by the television converter in data transmitted over the two-way interactive television service from a head end computer; connecting a call bridging gateway to one or more telephone and cable telephony networks that upon direction from the head end computer automatically dials called and calling parties' telephones and bridge connects them together; and operating a head end computer to: i) store picmres, data and audio information and upon request transmit selected information and data over the two-way television system to the subscriber's converter for presentation on a television set, ii) accept telephone numbers input by subscribers using the television remote control, iii) create and store lists of frequently called telephone numbers from the telephone numbers input by the subscriber, iv) access stored subscriber telephone lists of frequently called numbers and other telephone lists and display these to the subscriber on the television set, v) accept the selection of telephone numbers by the subscriber, and vi) direct the call bridging gateway to dial the calling party and the selected party and connecting the two parties together.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein interactive advertisements are displayed on the subscriber's television set during the subscriber's telephone call.

40. The method of claim 39 wherein the head end computer monitors the converter actions of the advertising viewing subscriber and takes specific corrective action if other than approved actions are detected.

41. The method of claim 38 wherein the head end system recognizes the identity of the calling subscriber and matches this identity with the subscriber's telephone number stored in one of its databases and directs the call bridging gateway to use this number to automatically dial the calling party.

42. The method of claim 38 wherein the subscriber uses the interactive television system and the remote control to search information directories displayed on the television set for a party's telephone number and when the number is found indicate the number to call with the remote control.

43. The method of claim 38 wherein a subscriber initiates a conference call by selecting telephone numbers from on screen lists, inputs telephone numbers not on the lists, and the head end system directs the call bridging gateway to call the calling subscriber and the selected numbers and connect them together.

44. The method of claim 38 wherein the subscriber shares an interactive television application while talking on a screen originated telephone call to other party's sharing the same interactive television application as they talk.

45. The method of claim 38 wherein the functionality of the call bridging gateway is remotely located and the called and calling parties' telephone numbers are transmitted over communication lines from the cable companies head end system to the off site call bridging gateway location.

46. The method of claim 38 wherein the call bridging gateway routes the calling party's call over one or more alternate networks for delivery to a remote local public switched telephone network and final connection to the called party.

47. The method of claim 38 wherein the call bridging gateway routes the calling party's call over one or more alternate networks for delivery to a remote cable company call bridging gateway for final connection to the called party.

48. The method of claim 38 wherein a subscriber's telephone is a digital cable telephone and is dialed by the call bridging gateway under direction of the head end system using the two way cable system.

49. The method of claim 38 wherein screen originated calls from a subscriber on one cable system are routed by the call bridging gateway to the call bridging gateway of another cable system via IP telephony and delivered to the called subscriber without connection to the public switched telephone network.

50. The method of claim 38 wherein the television remote control has telephone hand set functionality and uses a wireless radio in the remote control to effect a telephone call to the wireless converter, which passes the call to the call bridging gateway for connection to the called party.

51. The method of claim 38 wherein the calling party's telephone is dialed with a distinctive ring distinguishable from the ring of a regular incoming telephone call.

52. The method of claim 38 wherein the head end computer calculates the least-cost routing for a call considering the resources connected to the call bridging gateway.

53. A method that uses information displayed on the screen of the personal computer of a subscriber to an interactive Internet service to automatically connect the telephone of the subscriber to another party's telephone, while displaying advertisements on the personal computer, comprising the steps of: displaying on the screen of a subscriber's personal computer picmres and information received from an Internet server and accepting and transmitting subscriber input to the Internet server; connecting a call bridging gateway to one or more telephone networks that upon direction from the connected Internet server automatically dial called and calling parties' telephones and bridge connect them together in a least-cost manner; operating an Internet server to: i) store picmres, data and audio information and upon request transmit selected information and data via the Internet for presentation on the screen of the subscriber's personal computer, ii) accept telephone numbers input by subscribers using the keyboard of the personal, iii) create and store lists of frequently called telephone numbers from the telephone numbers input by the subscriber, iv) access stored subscriber telephone lists of frequently called numbers and other telephone lists and display these to the subscriber on the screen of the personal computer, v) accept the selection of telephone numbers by the subscriber, vi) direct the call bridging gateway to dial the calling party and then the selected party and connect the two parties together, and vii) upon connection of the telephone call, transmit via the Internet a series of advertisements for display on the screen of the subscriber's personal computer for the duration of the call.

54. The method of claim 53 wherein the head end computer monitors the personal computer actions of the advertising viewing subscriber and takes specific corrective action if other than approved actions are detected.

55. The method of claim 53 wherein the Internet server recognizes the identity of the calling subscriber and matches this identity with the subscriber's telephone number stored in one of its databases and directs the call bridging gateway to use this number to automatically dial the calling party.

56. The method of claim 53 wherein the subscriber uses the personal computer to search information directories displayed on the computer screen for a party's telephone number and when the number is found indicate the number to call with the remote control.

57. The method of claim 53 wherein a subscriber initiates a conference call by selecting telephone numbers from on screen lists, inputting telephone numbers not on the lists, whereupon the Interactive server directs the call bridging gateway to call the calling subscriber and the selected telephone numbers and conference them together.

58. The method of claim 53 wherein the subscriber shares an interactive Internet application while talking on a screen originated telephone call to other parties sharing the same interactive Internet application.

59. The method of claim 53 wherein an authorized remote Internet user accesses the subscriber's Internet server to initiate the calling process between the authorizing subscriber and themselves.

60. The method of claim 53 wherein the functionality of the call bridging gateway is remotely located and the called and calling parties' telephone numbers are transmitted over communication lines from the Internet server to the off site call bridging gateway location.

61. The system of claim 53 wherein the telephone call originates from microphones and speakers attached to the subscriber's personal computer and is transmitted over the Internet to the call bridging gateway.

62. The method of claim 53 wherein the call bridging gateway routes the calling party's call over one or more alternate networks for delivery to a remote local public switched telephone network and final connection to the called party.

63. The method of claim 53 wherein the call bridging gateway routes the calling party's call over one or more alternate networks for delivery to a remote call bridging gateway for final local connection to the called party.

64. The method of claim 53 wherein calling party's telephone is dialed with a distinctive ring distinguishable from the ring of a regular incoming telephone call.

65. The method of claim 53 wherein the head end computer calculates the least-cost routing for a call considering the resources connected to the call bridging gateway.

66. An interactive television system that automatically connects the telephone of a subscriber to another party's telephone, comprising: a call bridging gateway that automatically dials called and calling parties' telephones and bridge connects them together; a head end computer that is connected to the call bridging gateway and a two way television system, and that functions to: i) store picmres, data and audio information and transmit selected information and data over the two-way television system to subscribers' sites for presentation on a television set, ii) accept telephone numbers input by subscribers, iii) create and store lists of frequently called telephone numbers from the telephone numbers input by subscribers, iv) access stored subscriber telephone lists of frequently called numbers and other telephone lists and display these lists to subscribers, v) accept the selection of specific telephone numbers by subscribers, and vi) direct the call bridging gateway to dial a calling party and a selected party and connect the two parties together.

67. The system of claim 66 wherein advertisements are displayed on a subscriber's television set during the subscriber's telephone call.

68. A system that uses information displayed on the screen display of the personal computer of a subscriber to an Internet service to automatically connect the telephone of the Internet subscriber to another party's telephone while displaying advertisements to the subscriber, comprising: a call bridging gateway connected to one or more telephone networks that automatically dials called and calling parties' telephones and bridge connects them together; and an Internet server connected to the call bridging gateway that functions to: i) store picmres. data and audio information and transmit via the Internet selected information, telephone number lists, picmres, audio and data to subscribers for presentation on subscribers' personal computers, ii) accept telephone numbers input by subscribers, iii) create and store lists of frequently called telephone numbers from the telephone numbers input by the subscriber, iv) access stored subscriber telephone lists of frequently called numbers and other telephone lists and display these lists on the screen of the subscriber's personal computer, v) accept the selection of specific telephone numbers by subscribers indicating parties to be called, vi) direct the call bridging gateway to dial a calling party and a selected party and connect the two parties together, and vii) upon connection of the call, transmit a series of advertisements for display on the subscriber's personal computer for the duration of the telephone call.