System and method of delivering audio communications

• US 8,768,756 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Unwired Asset Management LLC (IPValuation Partners, LLC)
• Original Assignee: UnWired Nation, Inc.
• Inventors: Smith, Charles Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Alvin L
• Application Number:
  US11/932,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20090037276A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,435 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4878 Advertisement messages

Abstract

A method of delivering an audio communication is disclosed and includes selectively delivering an audio message including a content portion and an advertising portion to a voice communication device. The audio message has a first available delivery format for live communication with a user of the voice communication device and a second available delivery format for communication with a voice mail system associated with the voice communication device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

selectively delivering an audio message including a content portion and an advertising portion to a voice communication device based on a determination of whether a call placed to the voice communication device has been routed to a voice mail system associated with the voice communication device, wherein the audio message is delivered to the voice communication device via a computer in a first available delivery format when the determination indicates that the call was not routed to the voice mail system and the audio message is delivered in a second available delivery format when the determination indicates that the call has been routed to the voice mail system, wherein the advertising portion includes a primary advertisement when the audio message is delivered in the first available delivery format, and wherein the advertising portion includes a non-interactive advertisement that is different from the primary advertisement when the audio message is delivered in the second available delivery format.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio message includes control information corresponding to interactive options.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the interactive options include a re-trigger call option selectable to receive a live call having the audio message, a live lead transfer option selectable to connect with a customer service representative of a publisher or advertiser, a feedback option selectable to interact with a website related to a content publisher, a forwarding option selectable to cause a second call having a substantially identical audio message to be placed to a contact of a subscriber receiving the call, an opt-out option selectable to not receive future calls, an opt-out option selectable to not receive future content from the content publisher, or any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio message includes a call branding portion, a greeting, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio message includes a sponsor indication.

6. A method of delivering an audio communication, the method comprising:

placing a call to a mobile telephone device of a subscriber via a computer;

detecting that the call has been routed to a voice mail system; and

in response to detecting that the call has been routed to the voice mail system, delivering an audio message having an advertising portion and a content portion in a voice mail delivery format selected from a plurality of formats for delivering the audio message via the call, the plurality of formats including a live delivery format and the voice mail delivery format, wherein the advertising portion includes a non-interactive advertisement when the audio message is delivered in the voice mail delivery format, and wherein the non-interactive advertisement is different from a primary advertisement included in the advertising portion when the audio message is delivered in the live delivery format.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the voice mail delivery format includes a plurality of post-receipt interactive options.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the content portion includes at least one of financial information, e-commerce information, government information, auction information, social network information, news information, web log information, entertainment information, personal communications, account status, messaging information, or any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the audio message includes opt-out instructions comprising tasks that can be performed to not receive future calls related to a publisher of the content portion.

10. A method of receiving an audio communication, the method comprising:

receiving an audio message at a mobile telephone device, the audio message having an advertising portion and a content portion, wherein the audio message is delivered to the mobile telephone device via a computer, wherein the audio message is received via a delivery format selected from a plurality of formats for delivering the audio message based on whether the audio message is routed to a voice mail system associated with the mobile telephone device, the plurality of formats including a live delivery format and a voice mail delivery format, wherein, when the audio message is not routed to the voice mail system, the advertising portion includes a primary advertisement that is received in the live delivery format, and wherein, when the audio message is routed to the voice mail system, the advertising portion includes a non-interactive advertisement that is different from the primary advertisement that is received in the voice mail delivery format.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the audio message includes a call branding portion, a greeting, or a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the audio message includes a sponsor indication.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the audio message includes a plurality of interactive options when the audio message is received via the voice mail delivery format.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the audio message includes a live lead transfer option when the audio message is received via the live delivery format.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the advertising portion is played before the content portion is played.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the audio message includes a second advertising portion.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the audio message may be forwarded to another person by the user.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the content portion includes at least one of financial information, e-commerce information, government information, auction information, social network information, news information, web log information, entertainment information, personal communications, account status, messaging information, or any combination thereof.

19. A method of allocating advertising capacity between a first party and a second party, the method comprising:

identifying, via a computer, advertising capacity for advertisements that are insertable into at least one audio message to be selectively delivered over a voice based communication medium to an end user wherein, when a determination indicates that an audio message has not been routed to the voice mail system, a primary advertisement is inserted into the audio message and is delivered in a live delivery format, and wherein, when the determination indicates that the audio message has been routed to the voice mail system, a non-interactive advertisement that is different from the primary advertisement is inserted into the audio message and is delivered in a voice mail delivery format;

allocating a first portion of the advertising capacity to a first party; and

allocating a second portion of the advertising capacity to a second party.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first party is a content provider of audio content.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the first party is a content provider and wherein the content provider provides content that is convertible to audio message content.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the second party is a service provider.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the second party is a voice publishing network provider.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the allocation of the advertising capacity varies based on call volume.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising selling advertising capacity allocated to at least one of the first and second party to a third party.

26. The method of claim 19, wherein a monthly call volume determines the allocation of the advertising capacity between the first and the second party.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the first party is a content provider and wherein one or more voice calls are placed for the content provider at a subsidized cost.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the subsidized cost is zero.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein the first party acquires advertising capacity from the second party.

30. The method of claim 19, wherein the first portion is equal to the second portion.

31. The method of claim 19, wherein the audio message includes at least one of financial content, e-commerce content, government content, auction content, social network content, news content, web log content, entertainment content, personal communications, account status, messaging information, or any combination thereof.

32. A method of advertising, the method comprising:

acquiring advertising capacity to place audio messages to at least one user via a voice communication channel, the voice communication channel to selectively communicate a particular audio message that includes non-advertising content and advertising content based on a determination of whether the particular audio message is routed to a voice mail system associated with the voice communication channel; and

distributing the particular audio message, via a computer, over the voice communication channel based on the acquired advertising capacity, wherein, when the determination indicates that the particular audio message has not been routed to the voice mail system, the particular audio message includes a primary advertisement and is delivered in a live delivery format, and wherein, when the determination indicates that the particular audio message has been routed to the voice mail system, the particular audio message includes a non-interactive advertisement that is different from the primary advertisement and is delivered in a voice mail delivery format.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the advertising capacity is acquired from a service provider having access to voice over internet protocol (VoIP) call placement capacity.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the advertising capacity is acquired from a content provider.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the content provider is compensated for providing the advertising capacity.

36. An Internet portal system comprising:

at least one server to store Internet site data;

a user interface to allow a user having a remote internet connection to provide search queries and to retrieve search results, the search results including content from at least one web site; and

an advertising module to provide advertising via the user interface;

wherein the advertising module has an interface to a voice delivery platform, the voice delivery platform to provide for selective delivery of audio messages via a voice communication medium to end users based on a determination of whether the audio messages are routed to a voice mail system that is associated with the voice communication medium, at least one of the audio messages including a content portion and an advertising portion, wherein, when the determination indicates that the at least one audio message has not been routed to the voice mail system, the advertising portion includes a primary advertisement and is delivered in a live delivery format, and wherein, when the determination indicates that the at least one audio message has been routed to the voice mail system, the advertising portion includes a non-interactive advertisement that is different from the primary advertisement and is delivered in a voice mail delivery format.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the advertising portion is inserted into the at least one audio message prior to delivery.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein the at least one audio message is delivered to a mobile communications device and wherein the mobile communications device provides feedback content that may be accessed at the server.

39. An Internet portal system comprising:

at least one server to store Internet site data;

a user interface to allow a user having a remote Internet connection to retrieve content including the Internet site data; and

an interface to a voice delivery platform, the voice delivery platform to provide for selective delivery of audio messages via a voice communication medium to end users based on a determination of whether the audio messages are routed to a voice mail system that is associated with the voice communication medium, at least one of the audio messages including a content portion and an advertising portion, wherein, when the determination indicates that the at least one audio message has not been routed to the voice mail system, the advertising portion includes a primary advertisement and is delivered in a live delivery format, and wherein, when the determination indicates that the at least one audio message has been routed to the voice mail system, the advertising portion includes a non-interactive advertisement that is different from the primary advertisement and is delivered in a voice mail delivery format.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the advertising portion is inserted into the at least one audio message prior to delivery.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the at least one audio message is delivered to a mobile communications device and wherein the mobile communications device provides feedback content that may be accessed at the at least one server.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the mobile communications device is a wireless phone.

43. The system of claim 39, wherein the interne site data includes at least one of financial information, e-commerce information, government information, auction information, social network information, news information, web log information, entertainment information, personal communications, account status, messaging information, or any combination thereof.

44. The system of claim 39, wherein the at least one audio message is delivered via an instant message in real-time or in near real-time when the at least one audio message is delivered in the live delivery format.