Methods and apparatuses for pay for deal advertisements

• US 8,140,389 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2007
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thryv, Inc. (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: UTBK, Inc.
• Inventors: Altberg, Ebbe, Faber, Scott, Hirson, Ron, Van Der Linden, Sean, Lyon, Ben Harris, Manca, Paul G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vanderhorst, Victoria
• Application Number:
  US11/624,613
• Publication Number:
  US 20070127650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,888 Days
• Field of Search: 379/900
• US Class Current: 705/14.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0274 Split fees
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2218 Call detail recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 379/90 Internet, e.g. Internet phone, webphone, internet-based telephony

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for advertising where the advertisement performance is determined via tracking the deals made as a result of communication leads generated from the advertisements. One embodiment includes: providing an advertisement containing a communication reference to a customer on behalf of a party; providing a connection via the reference for real time communications between the customer and the party; and charging an advertisement fee in response to an action of a predetermined type being performed by the customer (or an agreement between the customer and the party being reached) as a result of the real time communications.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing, via a computing device, an advertisement to a customer on behalf of a party, the advertisement containing a communication reference for providing a connection for real time communications between the customer and the party; and

charging, via the computing device, an advertisement fee in response to an interactive arrangement between the customer and the party resulting from the connection and specified by the party as a condition for the advertisement fee.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection comprises a connection for real time two-way voice communications.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

establishing, via a communication network, a phone connection with the customer through the communication reference;

identifying, via the computing device the party based on the communication reference through which the phone connection is established; and

bridging, via the communication network, the phone connection to the party.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein establishing the phone connection comprises a connection provider communicating with the party in voice over Internet protocol for the phone connection with the customer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein bridging the phone connection to the party further comprises:

the connection provider communicating, via the communication network, with a third party in voice over Internet protocol for a separate call to the party to which the phone connection is bridged.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a first virtual softphone at the third party corresponds to the customer;

a second virtual softphone at the third party corresponds to the party to which the phone connection is bridged; and

bridging the phone connection to the party further comprises;

directing, via the communication network, the first and second virtual softphones to establish a media connection wherein call signaling between the first and second virtual softphones goes through the connection provider only after bridging the phone connection to the party.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the communication reference comprises at least one of a phone number without an extension, a phone number with an extension, a session initiation protocol address, a member identifier of an instant messaging network, and a click-to-call reference.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the advertisement comprises providing, via the computin device, the advertisement using one of a web site, a search result, a banner, a billboard, a printed medium, a broadcasting medium, and an electronic message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the interactive arrangement comprises one of a purchase request from the customer, an order from the customer, a transaction, an electronic payment, a payment via an interactive voice response system, a payment via a wireless device, a consent of the customer to release information to the party, a submission of information from the customer, and a selection of a portion of a web page by the customer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement fee is a predetermined fee independent of a duration of the connection.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement fee comprises a percentage of revenue generated from a transaction as a result of the interactive arrangement.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the interactive arrangement comprises the customer paying the party an amount for a purchase resulting from the real time communications.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the transaction comprises the party paying the customer an amount for an acquisition of one of information, a product and a service resulting from the real time communications.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement fee is based on a bid price of one of the party and the customer.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, via the computing device, the interactive arrangement based on at least a portion of the real time communications between the customer and the party over the connection;

wherein the portion of the real time communications comprises at least one dual-tone multi frequency signal from the customer.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

matching, via the computing device, information related to the interactive arrangement with a record of the connection to determine whether the interactive arrangement resulted from the real time communications;

wherein the information comprises at least one of a phone number of the customer, an Internet protocol address of the customer, and a call time of the customer.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, via a communication network, a data communication channel to facilitate a transaction between the customer and the party; and

detecting, via the computing device, the interactive arrangement in the data communication channel after the connection for real time communications has been provided for a period of time;

wherein the data communication channel is provided in response to a request for the connection for real time communications.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein charging the advertisement fee comprises charging the party at least a portion of the advertisement fee.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein a telecommunication service provider provides the connection for real time communications between the customer and the party;

and charging the advertisement fee comprises charging the telecommunication service provider at least a portion of the advertisement fee.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the advertisement is provided in response to a request from a mobile device;

and the communication reference is used to request the connection through the telecommunication service provider.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

instructing, via the computing device, the telecommunication service provider to bill one of the party and the customer a fee for a transaction as a result of the real time communications.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

instructing, via the computing device, the telecommunication service provider to credit one of the party and the customer a fee for a transaction as a result of the real time communications.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein the mobile device comprises a cellular phone.

24. A tangible machine readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:

providing an advertisement to a customer on behalf of a party, the advertisement containing a communication reference for providing a connection for real time communications between the customer and the party; and

charging the party an advertisement fee in response to an interactive arrangement between the party and the customer resulting from the connection and specified by the party as a condition for the advertisement fee.

25. A system, comprising:

a data processor configured to;

provide an advertisement to a customer on behalf of a party, the advertisement containing a communication reference;

provide, using the reference, a connection for real time communications between the customer and the party; and

charge the party an advertisement fee in response to an interactive arrangement between the party and the customer resulting from the connection and specified by the party as a condition for the advertisement fee.