Methods and apparatuses for advertisement presentation

• US 9,208,495 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2006
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thryv, Inc. (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: YellowPages.com LLC (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Inventors: Altberg, Ebbe, Faber, Scott, Hirson, Ron, Van Der Linden, Sean, Yang, Virginia Hong-Jia
• Primary Examiner(s): Alvarez, Raquel
• Application Number:
  US11/505,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20060277108A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,402 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.54, 705/14.69, 705/14.49, 705/14.67, 705/14.52, 379/112.05, 379/114.13
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• 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

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses to present advertisements which provide references to request real time communication connections. One embodiment includes presenting an advertisement including information usable to request a real time communication connection to a predetermined advertiser, which is to be charged a fee for the advertisement responsive to the real time communication connection established to the advertiser using the information.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

processing, by a server system, a first request for an advertisement received via a network from an end-user device running an application associated with a tool bar, where;

the tool bar is configured to process content of a web page requested by the end-user device and to automatically search for a relevant advertisement based on the content; and

the first request corresponds to a search request based on first content of a first web page requested by the end-user device and processed by the tool bar;

in response to the first request;

determining, by the server system, an availability status of at least one advertiser, the availability status corresponding to whether the at least one advertiser is currently available for real time communications; and

transmitting, by the server system, a first transmission to the end-user device, the first transmission comprising a first advertisement for presentation with the first web page, the first transmission including information usable to request a real time communication connection to a device associated with a predetermined advertiser, the at least one advertiser including the predetermined advertiser, which predetermined advertiser is to be charged a fee for the first advertisement responsive to the real time communication connection established using the information;

wherein the tool bar is to cause presentation of the i) first advertisement and ii) an indication of the availability status in a graphical user interface of the end-user device consequent to the transmitting, and wherein the information includes a first communication reference to the predetermined advertiser; and

in response to a user selection of a user-selectable option associated with the tool bar, establishing, by a connection server communicatively coupled to a router of the server system, the real time communication connection based at least in part on a voice over Internet protocol connection and at least in part by connecting a real time communication received via the information in the first advertisement with a separate communication reference associated with the predetermined advertiser, wherein the separate communication reference differs from the first communication reference to the predetermined advertiser, and the tool bar causes display of the first communication reference with the end-user device in response to the user selection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the real time communication connection comprises a telephonic connection.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing, by the server system, a second request received via the network from the end-user device, and, in response to the second request, transmitting a second transmission to facilitate presentation of a plurality of advertisements for a plurality of advertisers with a banner, wherein the banner comprises the plurality of advertisements.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, when displayed, the banner animates the plurality of advertisements to display a portion of the plurality of advertisements a time over a period of time with less than all of the plurality of advertisements displayed at any single point in time.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the fee is based on a price specified by the predetermined advertiser;

and the method further comprises;

determining placement of the advertisement relative to separate advertisements including separate communication references based at least partially on a price specified by the predetermined advertiser.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

a first party paying a first amount for including the banner in the first web page;

the first party charging a third party, who requests a second real time communication connection with the predetermined advertiser, a second amount based on a time duration of real time communication with the predetermined advertiser and a rate of the predetermined advertiser; and

the first party charging the predetermined advertiser a second fee through paying the predetermined advertiser a portion of the second amount after subtracting the second fee.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein, when selected by a third party in a browser, the banner causes the browser to display additional advertisements in the banner.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

selecting the plurality of advertisements based on at least a portion of content of the first web page.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, when selected by a third party in a browser, the first advertisement causes the browser to load another web page of a first party to initiate the real time communication connection between the third party and the predetermined advertiser.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, when selected by a third party in a browser, the first advertisement causes the browser to reveal contact information of the predetermined advertiser for the real time communication connection between the third party and the predetermined advertiser.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein, when selected by a third party in a browser, the first advertisement causes the browser to establish the real time communication connection between the third party and the predetermined advertiser via voice over internet protocol.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

a first party paying an amount for including a banner in the first web page;

the first party charging the predetermined advertiser a second fee for a second advertisement provided via the banner and responsive to a second real time communication connection to the predetermined advertiser being established consequent to a selection of the second advertisement.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the amount paid by the first party is unrelated to the second fee charged by the first party.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the first advertisement based on at least the first content of the first web page after the first web page is requested.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the plurality of advertisements based on at least the first content of the first web page after the first web page is at least partially displayed.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the tool bar searching to obtain the first advertisement according to current content displayed in the graphical user interface.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the presentation of the first advertisement corresponds to at least one of:

presenting the first advertisement in response to a cursor being positioned over a portion of the first web page;

presenting the first advertisement in response to a selection of an element of the first web page;

presenting the first advertisement in a portion of a desktop of a graphical user interface;

or

presenting the first advertisement in a result page of a search.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the presentation of the first advertisement comprises:

presenting the first advertisement on a voice over internet protocol user terminal.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

the voice over internet protocol user terminal searching to obtain the first advertisement based at least in part on a telephone number dialed on the voice over internet protocol user terminal.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the information usable to request the real time communication connection to the predetermined advertiser includes a user interface element selectable to send a message to a server to arrange the real time communication connection to the predetermined advertiser according to the message.

21. One or more non-transitory, machine-readable media containing instructions, which instructions, when executed by a server system, cause the server system to:

process a first request for an advertisement received via a network from an end-user device running an application associated with a tool bar, where;

the tool bar is configured to process content of a web page requested by the end-user device and to automatically search for a relevant advertisement based on the content; and

the first request corresponds to a search request based on first content of a first web page requested by the end-user device and processed by the tool bar;

responsive to the first request;

determine an availability status of at least one advertiser, the availability status corresponding to whether the at least one advertiser is currently available for real time communications;

transmit a first transmission to the end-user device, the first transmission comprising a first advertisement for presentation with the first web page, the first transmission including information usable to request a real time communication connection to a device associated with a predetermined advertiser, the at least one advertiser including the predetermined advertiser, which predetermined advertiser is to be charged a fee for the advertisement responsive to the real time communication connection established using the information;

wherein the tool bar is to cause presentation of the i) first advertisement and ii) an indication of the availability status in a graphical user interface of the end-user device consequent to the transmitting, and wherein the information includes a first communication reference to the predetermined advertiser; and

in response to a user selection of a user-selectable option associated with the tool bar, establish, by a connection server communicatively coupled to a router of the server system, the real time communication connection based at least in part on a voice over Internet protocol connection and at least in part by connecting a real time communication received via the information in the first advertisement with a separate communication reference associated with the predetermined advertiser, wherein the separate communication reference differs from the first communication reference to the predetermined advertiser, and the tool bar causes display of the first communication reference with the end-user device in response to the user selection.

22. A server system, comprising:

one or more servers coupled to one or more network interfaces to facilitate access to a communication network, and memory coupled to the one or more servers and storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more servers, cause the communication connection system to;

process a first request for an advertisement received via a network from an end-user device running an application associated with a tool bar, where;

the tool bar is configured to process content of a web page requested by the end-user device and to automatically search for a relevant advertisement based on the content; and

the first request corresponds to a search request based on first content of a first web page requested by the end-user device and processed by the tool bar;

responsive to the first request;

determine an availability status of at least one advertiser, the availability status corresponding to whether the at least one advertiser is currently available for real time communications;

transmit a first transmission to the end-user device, the first transmission comprising a first advertisement for presentation with the first web page, the first transmission including information usable to request a real time communication connection to a device associated with a predetermined advertiser, the at least one advertiser including the predetermined advertiser, which predetermined advertiser is to be charged a fee for the advertisement responsive to the real time communication connection established advertiser using the information;

wherein the tool bar is to cause presentation of the i) first advertisement and ii) an indication of the availability status in a graphical user interface of the end-user device consequent to the transmitting, and wherein the information includes a first communication reference to the predetermined advertiser; and

in response to a user selection of a user-selectable option associated with the tool bar, establish, by a connection server communicatively coupled to a router of the server system, the real time communication connection based at least in part on a voice over Internet protocol connection and at least in part by connecting a real time communication received via the information in the first advertisement with a separate communication reference associated with the predetermined advertiser, wherein the separate communication reference differs the first direct communication reference to the predetermined advertiser, and the tool bar causes display of the first communication reference with the end-user device in response to the user selection.