SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING ADVERTISEMENTS

• US 20080189177A1
• Filed: 02/02/2007
• Published: 08/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ACOL, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ACOL, Inc.
• Inventors: Anderton, Jared M., Bailey, Philip M., Madsen, Clark J.
• Application Number:
  US11/670,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20080189177A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0225 Avoiding frauds

Abstract

One or more advertisements may be provided to telephones. The advertisements may be selected based upon any suitable criteria, including, but not limited to, telephone identifiers, geographical regions, advertisement categories, bids, time periods, and/or other factors. The advertisements may be used to help provide discounted telephone service, for example, to provide telephone calls at a lower cost or no cost.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a database including;

first data associating a first geographical region with a first plurality of identifiers, each identifier of the first plurality of identifiers comprising at least a portion of a telephone identifier; and

second data associating the first geographical region with one or more advertisements; and

a first server configured to receive a first telephone identifier;

to determine whether at least a portion of the first telephone identifier matches at least a portion of at least one of the first plurality of identifiers; and

to, at least partially in response to determining that at least a portion of the first telephone identifier matches at least a portion of at least one of the first plurality of identifiers, send at least one of the one or more advertisements to a first telephone associated with the first telephone identifier.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the database further includes third data and fourth data;

the third data associating the one or more advertisements with one or more advertisement categories;

the fourth data associating the one or more advertisement categories with a second plurality of identifiers, each identifier of the second plurality of identifiers comprising at least a portion of a telephone identifier; and

wherein the first server is further configured to determine whether at least a portion of the first telephone identifier matches at least a portion of at least one of the second plurality of identifiers; and

to, at least partially in response to determining that at least a portion of the first telephone identifier matches at least a portion of at least one of the second plurality of identifiers, send the at least one of the one or more advertisements to the first telephone.

3. The system as in claim 1, wherein the first geographical region comprises a zip code.

4. The system as in claim 1, wherein the first geographical region comprises a city.

5. The system as in claim 1, wherein the first geographical region comprises a county.

6. The system as in claim 1, wherein the first geographical region comprises a state.

7. The system as in claim 1, wherein the first geographical region comprises a country.

8. The system as in claim 1, wherein the first server is configured to send the at least one of the one or more advertisements to the first telephone via a network, the network comprising a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) exchange.

9. The system as in claim 1, wherein the first server is configured to send the at least one of the one or more advertisements to the first telephone via a network, the network comprising a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) server.

10. The system as in claim 1, wherein the first server is a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) server.

11. The system as in claim 1, wherein the first telephone identifier is a telephone number.

12. A method comprising:

receiving at least one advertisement from a server;

the server being configured to send the at least one advertisement at least partially in response to the server receiving a first telephone identifier, identifying at least one geographical region associated with the first telephone identifier, and determining that the at least one advertisement is associated with the at least one geographical region.

13. The method as in claim 12, wherein the server is further configured to send the at least one advertisement at least partially in response to the server identifying at least one advertisement category associated with the first telephone identifier and determining that the at least one advertisement is associated with the at least one advertisement category.

14. The method as in claim 12, further comprising providing the at least one advertisement via one or more output devices of a telephone.

15. The method as in claim 12, wherein the step of receiving is performed by a telephone.

16. The method as in claim 12, wherein the step of receiving is performed by a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) exchange.

17. The method as in claim 12, wherein the step of receiving is performed by a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) server.

18. The method as in claim 12, wherein the at least one geographical region comprises a zip code.

19. The method as in claim 12, wherein the at least one geographical region comprises a city.

20. The method as in claim 12, wherein the at least one geographical region comprises a county.

21. The method as in claim 12, wherein the at least one geographical region comprises a state.

22. The method as in claim 12, wherein the at least one geographical region comprises a country.

23. A method comprising:

identifying one or more geographical regions associated with a first telephone identifier;

identifying one or more advertisements associated with at least one of the one or more geographical regions; and

sending at least one of the one or more advertisements to a first telephone associated with the first telephone identifier.

24. The method as in claim 23, wherein the at least one geographical region comprises a zip code.

25. The method as in claim 23, wherein the at least one geographical region comprises a city.

26. The method as in claim 23, wherein the at least one geographical region comprises a county.

27. The method as in claim 23, wherein the at least one geographical region comprises a state.

28. The method as in claim 23, wherein the at least one geographical region comprises a country.