Process for placing and reading an advertisement

• US 6,546,086 B1
• Filed: 02/09/2000
• Issued: 04/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Hägebarth, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoosain, Allan
• Application Number:
  US09/500,441
• Time in Patent Office: 1,154 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/71, 379/72, 379/76, 379/79, 379/88.04, 379/88.13, 379/88.17, 379/88.19, 379/88.22, 379/88.23, 379/93.12, 379/114.12, 379/114.13
• US Class Current: 379/88.22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals

Abstract

The invention concerns a process and a system for placing and reading an advertisement. In order to place and read advertisements without undue delay and to reach the largest possible group of interested people with a published advertisement, a process is proposed that is characterised by the following steps:

dialling of a specified directory number of a service computer in a telecommunications (TC) network (1) and making a connection to the service computer (2);

selection of a desired category of advertisement (4); and

input of advertising copy (6) into or output of advertising copy (12) from an advertisement memory (10) allocated to the selected category.

Claims

1. A method for providing an advertisement copy stored on a telecommunications network to a customer, wherein the method comprises:

establishing a connection between a service computer and the customer;

selecting a desired category of advertisement, wherein the customer makes the category selection through the service computer;

selecting a desired geographical area from a plurality of geographical areas, wherein the customer makes the geographical selection through the service computer; and

outputting the advertising copy from an advertisement memory allocated to the selected category and the selected geographical area to the customer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the advertising copy is input by voice input into the advertisement memory comprising a voice mailbox.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the advertising copy is output by voice output from the advertisement memory comprising a voice mailbox.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the category is selected by selecting a classification number assigned to the category.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein data for identifying a person who placed the advertisement is transmitted via the connection to the service computer, and the data is added to the advertising copy by the service computer.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein a directory number of the person who placed the advertisement is transmitted via the connection to the service computer, and the service computer uses the directory number to call up further data related to the person from a databank to which the service computer has access.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the date or the time of placement of the advertisement is added to the advertising copy by the service computer.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the advertisements are sorted and output according to at least one of the date or the time that the advertisement was placed.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of geographical areas comprises at least a local area, a regional area and a national area.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the advertisement is stored in the advertisement memory according to the geographical area.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the geographical area is selected according to the area code of the directory number of a person who has placed the advertisement.

12. A system for providing advertisements stored on a telecommunications network to a customer, the system comprising:

a terminal for establishing a connection between a service computer and the customer;

an advertisement memory for storing advertising copy in a plurality of categories;

means for selecting a desired category, wherein the customer makes the category selection through the service computer;

means for selecting a desired geographical area from a plurality of geographical areas, wherein the customer makes the geographical selection through the service computer; and

means for outputting the advertising copy from the advertisement memory to the customer.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein the advertisement memory comprises a voice mailbox.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein the telecommunications network is designed as an intelligent network, wherein certain functions of the intelligent network are controlled by the service computer.

15. The system according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of geographical areas comprises at least a local area, a regional area and a national area.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the geographical area can be selected according to the area code of the directory number of a person who has placed the advertisement.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the advertisements are stored in the advertisement memory according to their geographical area.

18. The system according to claim 12, wherein the system has means for adding at least one of the date or time of placement of the advertisement to the advertising copy.

19. The system according to claim 12, wherein the system has means for dialling the directory number of a person who placed the advertisement, and for making a connection to the person who placed the advertisement.

20. A system for providing advertisements stored on a telecommunications network to a customer, the system comprising:

a terminal for establishing a connection between a service computer and the customer;

an advertisement memory for storing advertising copy in a plurality of categories;

a first selection device for selecting desired category from the plurality of categories, wherein the customer makes the category selection through the service computer;

a second selection device for selecting a desired geographical area from a plurality of geographical areas, wherein the customer makes the geographical selection through the service computer; and

an output device that outputs the advertising copy from the advertisement memory to the customer.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the plurality of geographical areas comprises at least a local area, a regional area and a national area.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein the geographical area can be selected according to the area code of the directory number of a person who has placed the advertisement.

23. The system according to claim 20, wherein the system adds at least one of the date or time of placement of the advertisement to the advertising copy.

24. The system according to claim 20, wherein the system further comprises a dialer for dialling the directory number of a person who placed the advertisement, and for making a connection to the person who placed the advertisement.