Ringback advertising

• US 8,135,613 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2008
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ho, Ronald, Lin, Jennifer W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Frenel, Vanel
• Application Number:
  US12/014,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20090182616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,519 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/7, 705/14.69, 705/14.13, 705/34, 379/70
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0252 based on events or environment, e.g. weather or festivals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, in which an indication of a telephone call being placed from a calling number is received, and a determination is made of an audio advertisement to play based on the calling number. The audio advertisement is played based on the determination.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving an indication of a telephone call being placed from a calling number;

determining, using one or more processors, an audio advertisement to play;

playing at least a portion of the audio advertisement prior to a called party answering the telephone call;

updating, using one or more processors, a listen-through rate of the advertisement, wherein the listen-through rate is a measure of a number of times the audio advertisement was played for at least a threshold time period divided by a measure of a number of times the audio advertisement was delivered; and

providing listen-through rate data to an advertiser associated with the audio advertisement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the threshold time period is measured from a beginning of the advertisement to a time when the called party answers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an audio advertisement to play comprises:

receiving a category of audio advertisements from an entity associated with the called party; and

identifying the audio advertisement from one or more audio advertisements associated with the category.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining an audio advertisement to play comprises:

determining a location associated with a calling party; and

identifying the audio advertisement based on the location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein playing the audio advertisement prior to a called party answering the telephone call comprises:

playing the audio advertisement as at least one of a ringback tone, call waiting tone, or hold tone.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a length of time the audio advertisement is played; and

charging an advertiser associated with the audio advertisement an amount based on the length of time.

7. A method, comprising:

receiving a first category from an entity associated with a called number;

receiving one or more audio advertisements, wherein each of the advertisements is associated with a respective category;

receiving a second category associated with a calling number;

receiving an indication of a telephone call from the calling number to the called party;

identifying, using one or more processors, an audio advertisement associated with a category that matches the first category and the second category; and

providing the identified audio advertisement for playing during the telephone call from the calling number.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

charging an advertiser associated with the identified audio advertisement.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a length of time the audio advertisement is played; and

charging an advertiser associated with the audio advertisement an amount based on the length of time.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

paying the publisher an amount based on a number of times the audio advertisement was played.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein providing the audio advertisement for playing during the telephone call from the calling number to the called number comprises:

providing the advertisement for playing as at least one of a ringback tone, a call waiting tone, or a hold tone.

12. A system, comprising:

a data store configured to store audio advertisements; and

a call-through engine comprising instructions stored in a computer readable medium that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising;

receiving an indication of a telephone call;

determining an audio advertisement to play;

playing at least a portion of the audio advertisement prior to a called party answering the telephone call;

updating a listen-through rate of the advertisement, wherein the listen-through rate is a measure of a number of times the audio advertisement was played for at least a threshold time period divided by a measure of a number of times the audio advertisement was delivered; and

providing listen-through rate data to an advertiser associated with the audio advertisement.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the threshold time period is measured from a beginning of the advertisement to a time when the called party.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a category of audio advertisements from an entity associated with the called party or a calling party; and

identifying the audio advertisement from one or more audio advertisements associated with the category.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a location associated with a calling party; and

identifying the audio advertisement based on the location.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

playing the audio advertisement as at least one of a ringback tone, a call waiting tone, or a hold tone.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a length of time the audio advertisement is played; and

charging an advertiser associated with the audio advertisement an amount based on the length of time.

18. A system, comprising:

a data store configured to store audio advertisements; and

a call-through engine comprising instructions stored in a computer readable medium that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising;

receiving a first category from an entity associated with a called number;

receiving one or more audio advertisements, wherein each of the advertisements is associated with a respective category;

receiving a second category associated with a calling number;

receiving an indication of a telephone call from the calling number to the called party;

identifying an audio advertisement associated with a category that matches the first category and the second category; and

providing the identified audio advertisement for playing during the telephone call from the calling number.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

charging an advertiser associated with the identified audio advertisement.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a length of time the audio advertisement is played; and

charging an advertiser associated with the audio advertisement an amount based on the length of time.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

paying the publisher an amount based on a number of times the audio advertisement was played.