System and method for interactive advertisement augmentation via a called voice connection

• US 8,630,899 B1
• Filed: 09/17/2010
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Audionow Ip Holdings, Llc
• Original Assignee: Alpine Audio Now, Llc
• Inventors: Blutinger, Elan Joel, Bous, Joseph, Isaacson, Thomas M., Barbulescu, Marcel
• Primary Examiner(s): ISLAM, MOHAMMAD K
• Application Number:
  US12/884,929
• Time in Patent Office: 1,215 Days
• Field of Search: 379/67.1, 379/88.25, 455/412.1, 455/414.1, 705/14.4
• US Class Current: 705/14.55
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for streaming audio. The system includes a processor and modules configured to control the processor to present an audio stream from a website to a user phone or device via a telephone call, the audio stream having an advertisement, and detect feedback from the user in response to the advertisement. The system also includes modules configured to control the processor to buffer the audio stream from a point in time associated with the detected feedback, and connect via the telephone call to a commerce presence associated with the advertisement and create a telephone call session between the user device and the commerce presence. The method includes presenting an audio stream from a website to a user device via a telephone call, and detecting feedback from the user about advertisements.

Claims

1. A method for streaming audio, the method comprising:

presenting, via a processor, an audio stream from a website to a user device via a telephone call, the audio stream including, an advertisement;

detecting, via the processor, feedback from the user via the user device in response to the advertisement; and

if the feedback indicates a request to receive more information about the advertisement, performing steps comprising;

buffering the audio stream from a point in time associated with the feedback to yield a buffered audio stream;

connecting, the telephone call to a commerce presence associated with the advertisement; and

resuming playback of the buffered audio stream following completion of the telephone call between the user device and commerce presence.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the commerce presence is one of a call center and an interactive voice response system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising replacing on-hold music of the commerce presence with the buffered audio stream.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein resuming playback of the buffered audio stream further comprises resuming playback of the buffered audio stream from at least one of a paused position and the point in time associated with the detected feedback.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising superseding advertisements in the audio stream with advertisements selected from an advertisement database.

6. The method of claim 1, further composing transmitting information about content of the advertisement to the commerce presence poor to or while connecting the telephone call to the commerce presence.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a user profile maintains user demographic information comprising at least one of age, race, gender, education level, health, economic status, geographic location, and religious affiliation and is used to select the advertisement.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein superseding advertisements further comprises detecting an advertisement identifier and one of replacing, masking, inserting and augmenting the advertisement.

9. The method of claim of claim 8, wherein replacing the advertisement further comprises replacing the advertisement with a new advertisement of equal duration.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein replacing the advertisement further comprises replacing the advertisement with a new advertisement of different duration.

11. A system for streaming, audio, the system comprising:

a processor;

a first module configured to control the processor to present an audio stream from a website to a user device via a telephone call, the audio stream including an advertisement;

a second module configured to control the processor to detect feedback from the user via the user device in response to the advertisement;

a third module configured to control the processor to buffer the audio stream from a point in time associated with the detected feedback to yield a buffered audio stream; and

a fourth module configured to control the processor to connect the telephone call to a merchant associated with the advertisement.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a fifth module configured to control the processor to resume playback of the buffered audio stream following completion of the telephone call between the user device and the merchant.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the merchant communicates via one of a call center and an interactive voice response system.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising a fifth module configured to control the processor to replace on-hold music of the merchant with the buffered audio stream.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising a fifth module configured to control the processor to supersede advertisements in the audio stream with advertisements selected from an advertisement database.

16. The system of claim 11, further comprising a fifth module configured to present information to the merchant about at least the advertisement and the user while connecting the telephone call.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a set of program instructions executable on a data processing device and usable to stream audio, the instruction causing the data processing device to perform the steps:

communicating an audio stream from an audio source to a user device via a telephone call, the audio stream having an advertisement;

receiving feedback from the user via the user device in response to the advertisement;

buffering the audio stream from a point in time associated with the received feedback to yield a buffered audio stream, and

connecting to a commerce presence associated with at least one of the advertisement and creating a telephone call session between the user device and the commerce presence.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions further comprise transmitting user profile information and information related to at least one of the advertisements and the audio stream to the commerce presence.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, the instructions further comprising replacing on-hold music of the commerce presence with the buffered audio stream.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the instructions further comprise superseding the at least one advertisement in the audio stream with advertisements selected from an advertisement database.