Systems and methods to dynamically generate listings to selectively track user responses

• US 10,147,099 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thryv, Inc. (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: YellowPages.com LLC (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Inventors: Altberg, Ebbe, Chang, Jonathan, Faber, Scott, Hirson, Ron, Van Der Linden, Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Alvarez, Raquel
• Application Number:
  US11/960,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20090030755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,003 Days
• Field of Search: 705 1467, 705 1458, 705 1466, 705 1449, 705 1453, 705 1454, 705 1469, 705 1441
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses to dynamically customize a listing to track a selected type of responses to be generated from a presentation of the customized listing, where the selection of the type of responses is based at least in part on one or more characteristics of the request for the listing. One embodiment includes receiving a request for a listing of an entity; determining a characteristic of the request; selecting a type of responses for the listing based on the determined characteristic; generating a version of the listing to track the type of responses that are responsive to a presentation of the listing; and providing the version of the listing in response to the request.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, via a connection server, a request from a user terminal of a user;

identifying, via a listing generator, a base listing, based in part on a determined geographic region of a detected location of the user terminal, of an advertiser entity in response to the request, the base listing corresponding to the request;

determining, via the listing generator, a characteristic of the request from the user, the characteristic corresponding to one or more of a time of a day of the request and/or a day of a week of the request;

identifying, via the listing generator, an availability status of the advertiser entity for receiving a set of one or more types of responses;

selecting, via the listing generator, a type of response from the set of one or more types of responses for a customized version of the base listing based on the characteristic of the request from the user and the availability status of the advertiser entity to receive communications;

generating, via the listing generator, the customized version of the base listing, based in part on the determined geographic region, to track a type of response that is responsive to a presentation of the customized version of the base listing;

providing, via the connection server, visible indicia of the customized version of the base listing for display via a user interface of a display device of the user terminal of the user, and for user interaction with the visible indicia by the user, in response to the request; and

establishing a real time communication session, via the connection server, by routing a telephone call, via a Voice over Internet Protocol using a Session Initiation Protocol connection, via a session border controller device of the connection server, between a user device of the advertiser entity and the user terminal of the user in response to detection of an indication of a selection of visible content, via the user interface, of a telephonic reference presented in the visible indicia of the base listing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the requester comprises one of an internet address of the requester, a phone number of the request, a user identifier of the requester, and a communication service provider of the requester.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the request is based at least on one of (a) when the request is made, (b) how the request is made, (c) who made the request, and (c) from where the request is received.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of response is via one of telephone, instant messaging, email, web request, short text message, and multimedia messaging service.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of response is real time communication between people.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the availability status is based on a scheduled time duration of the advertiser entity to receive telephone calls to the customized version of the base listing.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the connection server, a response of the selected type via a presentation of the generated customized version of the base listing;

directing, via the connection server, the response to the advertiser entity; and

charging, via the listing generator, the advertiser entity an advertisement fee for directing the response to the advertiser entity.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the customized version of the base listing comprises embedding the telephonic reference in the customized version of the base listing;

and the response comprises a telephone call made via the telephonic reference.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

selecting, via the listing generator, a mechanism to track telephone calls to the customized version of the base listing; and

generating, via the listing generator, the telephonic reference according to the selected mechanism.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the telephonic reference comprises one of a telephone number without an extension, a telephone number with an extension, a session initiation protocol uniform resource identifier, a user identifier of an instant messaging network, and a voice over Internet protocol user identifier.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein when the characteristic of the request indicates that the request is from a software robot of a search engine, the generated version does not include a dynamically assigned reference to the customized version of the base listing.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein when the characteristic of the request indicates that the request is not from a software robot of a search engine, the method further comprises:

dynamically assigning, via the listing generator, a reference to the customized version of the base listing, the reference to be used to receive the type of response, wherein the generated customized version of the base listing includes the reference dynamically assigned to the customized version of the base listing in response to the received request.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein when a time of the request is within a scheduled time period of the advertiser entity for real time communication, the customized version of the base listing is generated to include a reference to be used to request a connection to the advertiser entity for real time communication in person.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein when a time of the request is outside a scheduled time period of the advertiser entity for real time communication, the customized version of the base listing is generated to include a reference to be used to send a message to the advertiser entity.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein when the request is from a user terminal capable of making a telephonic connection, the customized version of the base listing is generated to include a reference selectable to initiate a telephonic connection to the advertiser entity.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, via the listing generator, likelihoods of receiving different types of responses from a presentation of the base listing based at least in part on statistical data and the determined characteristic;

wherein the type of response is selected according to the likelihoods.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the customized version of the base listing is provided via syndication.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of response is selected based on a plurality of schedules of the advertiser entity to receive different types of real time communication.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, via the session border controller device, at least one of firewall protection of the connection server and controlling bandwidth of the connection server.

20. The method of 1, further comprising:

perform encoding translation, via the session border controller device, enabling the connection server to process calls as outgoing calls via the Voice over Internet Protocol, in response to receiving the calls in one or more other protocols.

21. One or more non-transitory, machine-readable media storing instructions, that, when executed by a communication device, cause the communication device to:

receive a request from a user terminal of a user;

identify a base listing, based in part on a determined geographic area of a detected location of the user terminal, of an advertiser entity in response to the request, the base listing corresponding to the request and provided by a listing generator;

determine a characteristic of the request from the user, the characteristic corresponding to one or more of a time of a day of the request and/or a day of a week of the request;

identify an availability status of the advertiser entity for receiving a set of one or more types of responses;

select a type of response from the set of one or more types of responses for a customized version of the base listing based on the characteristic of the request from the user and the availability status of the advertiser entity to receive communications;

generate the customized version of the base listing, based in part on the determined geographic region, to track a type of response that is responsive to a presentation of the customized version of the base listing to the user;

provide visible indicia of the customized version of the base listing for display via a user interface of a display device of the user terminal of the user, and for user interaction with the visible indicia by the user, in response to the request; and

establish a real time communication session by routing a telephone call, via a Voice over Internet Protocol using a Session Initiation Protocol connection, via a session border controller device of the communication device, between a user device of the advertiser entity and the user terminal of the user in response to detection of an indication of a selection of visible content, via the user interface, of a telephonic reference presented in the visible indicia of the base listing.

22. The non-transitory, machine-readable media of claim 21, wherein the instructions are further executed by the communication device to cause the communication device to:

provide, via the session border controller device, at least one of firewall protection of the communication device and control of bandwidth of the communication device.

23. The non-transitory, machine-readable media of claim 21, wherein the instructions are further executed by the communication device to cause the communication device to:

perform encoding translation, via the session border controller device, enabling the communication device to process calls as outgoing calls via the Voice over Internet Protocol, in response to receiving the calls in one or more other protocols.

24. A system comprising:

one or more network interfaces configured to provide access to a network;

one or more processors of a communication device, coupled to the one or more network interfaces, and one or more storage media coupled to the one or more processors to retain the instructions, the one or more processors to execute instructions which cause the communication device to;

receive a request from a user terminal of a user;

identify a base listing, based in part on a determined geographic region of a detected location of the user terminal, of an advertiser entity in response to the request, the base listing corresponding to the request and provided by a listing generator;

determine a characteristic of the request from the user, the characteristic corresponding to one or more of a time of a day of the request and/or a day of a week of the request;

identify an availability status of the advertiser entity for receiving a set of one or more types of responses;

select a type of response from the set of one or more types of responses for a customized version of the base listing based on the characteristic of the request from the user and the availability status of the advertiser entity to receive communications;

generate the customized version of the base listing, based in part on the determined geographic region, to track a type of response that is responsive to a presentation of the customized version of the base listing to the user;

provide visible indicia of the customized version of the base listing for display via a user interface of a display device of the user terminal of the user, and for user interaction with the visible indicia by the customer, in response to the request; and

establish a real time communication session by routing a telephone call, via a Voice over Internet Protocol using a Session Initiation Protocol connection, via a session border controller device of the communication device, between a user device of the advertiser entity and the user terminal of the user in response to detection of an indication of a selection of visible content, via the user interface, of a telephonic reference presented in the visible indicia of the base listing.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to cause the communication device to:

provide, via the session border controller device, at least one of firewall protection of the communication device and control of bandwidth of the communication device.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute the instructions to cause the communication device to:

perform encoding translation, via the session border controller device, enabling the communication device to process calls as outgoing calls via the Voice over Internet Protocol, in response to receiving the calls in one or more other protocols.