Systems and methods to provide voice connections via local telephone numbers
First Claim
1. A method, comprising:
- storing by a server system a plurality of advertisements in association with respective specifications of respective geographic areas of service in a database of the server system;
processing, by the server system, a transmission from an end-user device associated with a user to facilitate a user interface presented with an application of the end-user device, the transmission corresponding to a request for an advertisement from the user made with the user interface, the transmission comprising query information;
in response to the request from the user;
determining, by the server system, a location indicator relating to the request, the determining comprising;
processing the query information to identify whether the query information comprises a location search criterion;
consequent to identifying that the query information comprises the location search criterion, basing the location indicator at least partially on the location search criterion;
consequent to identifying that the query information does not comprise the location search criterion, estimating the location indicator based at least partially on processing source information about the request;
searching by the server system the database to identity a first advertisement based at least in part on the query information and the location indicator, the location indicator corresponding to one or more specifications of a first geographic area of service associated with the first advertisement;
generating by the server system a second advertisement comprising a telephone number of a connection server based at least in part on the first advertisement stored in association with the one or more specifications of the first geographic area of service, the telephone number of the connection server (a) allocated to the second advertisement from a plurality of telephone numbers stored by a database server of the server system, and (b) being a local telephone number with respect to a location corresponding to the location indicator and the first geographic area of service associated with the first advertisement, wherein the plurality of telephone numbers each correspond to one of a plurality of different locations, the generating comprising;
embedding, by the server system, the telephone number in the second advertisement, the telephone number used by the user to initiate a telephone call to the connection server for further connection to an advertiser of the second advertisement; and
transmitting, by the server system, the second advertisement with the telephone number of the connection server as a response to the request.
12 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatuses to dynamically allocate location dependent telephone numbers to facilitate voice connections between people. One embodiment includes: responsive to a request from a user, selecting a telephone number from a plurality of telephone numbers of a connection server to match a location indicator of the request; embedding the telephone number in an advertisement, the telephone number to be used by the user to initiate a telephone call to the connection server for further connection to an advertiser of the advertisement; and providing the advertisement with the telephone number of the connection server as a response to the request. In one embodiment, responsive to receiving the telephone call at the telephone number of the connection server from the user, whether to play a prompt message to the user is determined based at least in part on statistic data about telephone calls collected at the connection server.
-
Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method, comprising:
-
storing by a server system a plurality of advertisements in association with respective specifications of respective geographic areas of service in a database of the server system; processing, by the server system, a transmission from an end-user device associated with a user to facilitate a user interface presented with an application of the end-user device, the transmission corresponding to a request for an advertisement from the user made with the user interface, the transmission comprising query information; in response to the request from the user; determining, by the server system, a location indicator relating to the request, the determining comprising; processing the query information to identify whether the query information comprises a location search criterion; consequent to identifying that the query information comprises the location search criterion, basing the location indicator at least partially on the location search criterion; consequent to identifying that the query information does not comprise the location search criterion, estimating the location indicator based at least partially on processing source information about the request; searching by the server system the database to identity a first advertisement based at least in part on the query information and the location indicator, the location indicator corresponding to one or more specifications of a first geographic area of service associated with the first advertisement; generating by the server system a second advertisement comprising a telephone number of a connection server based at least in part on the first advertisement stored in association with the one or more specifications of the first geographic area of service, the telephone number of the connection server (a) allocated to the second advertisement from a plurality of telephone numbers stored by a database server of the server system, and (b) being a local telephone number with respect to a location corresponding to the location indicator and the first geographic area of service associated with the first advertisement, wherein the plurality of telephone numbers each correspond to one of a plurality of different locations, the generating comprising; embedding, by the server system, the telephone number in the second advertisement, the telephone number used by the user to initiate a telephone call to the connection server for further connection to an advertiser of the second advertisement; and transmitting, by the server system, the second advertisement with the telephone number of the connection server as a response to the request. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. One or more non-transitory, computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by a server system, cause the server system to:
-
store a plurality of advertisements in association with respective specifications of respective geographic areas of service in a database of the server system; process a transmission from an end-user device associated with a user to facilitate a user interface presented with an application of the end-user device, the transmission corresponding to a request for an advertisement from the user made with the user interface, the transmission comprising query information; in response to the request from the user; determine a location indicator relating to the request, the determining comprising; processing the query information to identify whether the query information comprises a location search criterion; consequent to identifying that the query information comprises the location search criterion, basing the location indicator at least partially on the location search criterion; consequent to identifying that the query information does not comprise the location search criterion, estimating the location indicator based at least partially on processing source information about the request; search the database to identity a first advertisement based at least in part on the query information and the location indicator, the location indicator corresponding to one or more specifications of a first geographic area of service associated with the first advertisement; generate a second advertisement comprising a telephone number of a connection server based at least in part on the first advertisement stored in association with the one or more specifications of the first geographic area of service, the telephone number of the connection server (a) allocated to the second advertisement from a plurality of telephone numbers stored by a database server of the server system, and (b) being a local telephone number with respect to a location corresponding to the location indicator and the first geographic area of service associated with the first advertisement, wherein the plurality of telephone numbers each correspond to one of a plurality of different locations, the generating comprising; embedding the telephone number in the second advertisement, the telephone number used by the user to initiate a telephone call to the connection server for further connection to an advertiser of the second advertisement; and transmit the second advertisement with the telephone number of the connection server as a response to the request.
-
-
19. A system, comprising:
-
a server system comprising a connection server, a database server, a database, memory storing instructions, one or more servers coupled with the memory to execute the instructions, the instructions configured to instruct the one or more servers to; store a plurality of advertisements in association with respective specifications of respective geographic areas of service in the database; process a transmission from an end-user device associated with a user to facilitate a user interface presented with an application of the end-user device, the transmission corresponding to a request for an advertisement from the user made with the user interface, the transmission comprising query information; in response to the request from the user; determine a location indicator relating to the request, the determining comprising; processing the query information to identify whether the query information comprises a location search criterion; consequent to identifying that the query information comprises the location search criterion, basing the location indicator at least partially on the location search criterion; consequent to identifying that the query information does not comprise the location search criterion, estimating the location indicator based at least partially on processing source information about the request; search the database to identity a first advertisement based at least in part on the query information and the location indicator, the location indicator corresponding to one or more specifications of a first geographic area of service associated with the first advertisement; generate a second advertisement comprising a telephone number of a connection server based at least in part on the first advertisement stored in association with the one or more specifications of the first geographic area of service, the telephone number of the connection server (a) allocated to the second advertisement from a plurality of telephone numbers stored by the database server of the server system, and (b) being a local telephone number with respect to a location corresponding to the location indicator and the first geographic area of service associated with the first advertisement, wherein the plurality of telephone numbers each correspond to one of a plurality of different locations, the generating comprising; embedding the telephone number in the second advertisement, the telephone number used by the user to initiate a telephone call to the connection server for further connection to an advertiser of the second advertisement; and transmitting the second advertisement with the telephone number of the connection server as a response to the request. - View Dependent Claims (20)
-
Specification