Voice and video greeting system for personal advertisement and method

• US 7,197,544 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2004
• Issued: 03/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Match Group, LLC (Match Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Wei, Zhang, Hui, Zvinyatskovsky, Stanislav
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, VIET DUY
• Application Number:
  US10/754,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20040143841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,173 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/217, 709/219, 719/328, 719/329
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4753 for user identification, e.g. by entering a PIN or password cryptographic authentication protocols H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08

Abstract

A system is provided for appending a personal greeting onto a personal advertisement for presentation on a hosted website over the Internet. The system includes a client, a communication link, and a server. The client has an input device and a browser. The server has memory for storing a database of personal advertisements and at least one of a voice and a video greeting system. The greeting system cooperates with the database and the communication link to enable a user of the client to access a personal advertisement from the database, input a personal greeting to the server from client, and associate the personal greeting with the personal advertisement. A method is also provided.

Claims

1. A method for adding content to a personal advertisement over a network, comprising:

providing to a client an application program interface that enables access to the personal advertisement, wherein at least a portion of content for the personal advertisement is associated with a particular user, and wherein the client is associated with the particular user;

employing the application program interface, on the client, to select one of a plurality of communication links to submit additional content over the selected one of the plurality of communication links, for association with the personal advertisement to a service provider for approval, wherein the additional content includes at least one of video or audio;

submitting the additional content over the selected one of the plurality of communication links;

enabling at least one other client to access at least the additional content approved for association with the personal advertisement.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling editing of the additional content for the personal advertisement on the client.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of communication links include at least one of a telephone communication link or a camera coupled to the client.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing audio guidance for the submission of the audio for the additional content over a telephone communication link.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising

employing a provided telephone number to initiate a telephone communication link with the particular user;

and

providing audio guidance to the particular user for submitting at least a portion of the audio for the additional content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio content includes at least one of voice, music, or sound.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing information to the particular user associated with the personal advertisement, wherein the information is directed to at least one of creating, editing, and playing the additional content.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying information for playing the additional content to the at least one other user.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising embedding a player for the additional content in the personal advertisement, wherein the player is displayed to enable the playing back of the additional content.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing the application program interface to record the additional content, wherein the application program interface provides at least one control for recording the additional content and at least one control for submitting the additional content for approval.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the additional content is recorded separate from the application program interface that provides access to the personal advertisement.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the additional content includes selectable content that is prerecorded.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a notification to the particular user that the submission of additional content is approved for access by the at least one other user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the actions of the claimed method are implemented by at least one of a client, server, host, or peer application.

15. An apparatus for adding content to a personal advertisement over a network, comprising:

a memory for storing information;

a processor for employing the information to enable actions, including;

providing to a client an application program interface that enables access to the personal advertisement, wherein at least a portion of content for the personal advertisement is associated with a particular user, and wherein the client is associated with the particular user;

employing the application program interface, on the client, to select one of a plurality of communication links to submit additional content over the selected one of the plurality of communication links, for association with the personal advertisement to a service provider for approval, wherein the additional content includes at least one of video or audio;

submitting the additional content over the selected one of the plurality of communication links;

enabling at least one other client to access at least the additional content approved for association with the personal advertisement.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the application program interface is enabled by a browser application, and wherein the at least one other user employs the browser application to access the additional information approved for association with the personal advertisement.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus is a mobile device.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising enabling submission of at least a portion of the video for the additional content by a camera coupled to the apparatus.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising enabling submission of at least a portion of the audio for the additional content by a microphone coupled to the apparatus or over a telephone communication link.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the application program interface is provided at a website associated with the service provider.

21. A processor readable storage medium that includes information for adding content to a personal advertisement over a network, comprising:

a module for providing to a client an application program interface that enables access to the personal advertisement, wherein at least a portion of content for the personal advertisement is associated with a particular user, and wherein the client is associated with the particular user;

a module for employing the application program interface, on the client, to select one of a plurality of communication links to submit additional content over the selected one of the plurality of communication links, for association with the personal advertisement to a service provider for approval, wherein the additional content includes at least one of video or audio;

a module for submitting the additional content over the selected one of the plurality of communication links;

a module for enabling at least one client to access at least the additional content approved for association with the personal advertisement.