Methods and apparatuses for pay-per-call advertising in mobile/wireless applications
View Patent ↗Methods and apparatuses to connect telephone calls and track information about the telephone calls resulting from advertisements on mobile/wireless media channels. In one embodiment, a method includes: assigning a telephone number to an advertiser, one of the telephone number and a reference to the telephone number to be included in an advertisement provided to an end user via a wireless media; and, monitoring telephone connections to the telephone number to bill the advertiser for the advertisement in response to each telephone connection to the telephone number. In one embodiment, a method includes: a first party providing an advertisement to a mobile device on behalf of an advertiser, the advertisement to include at least a reference to a telephonic connection with the advertiser; and, the first party collecting a fee from the advertiser in response to a telephonic connection being established between the advertiser and customer.
1. A method, comprising:
receiving a search request via a first of multiple demand partners;
selecting an advertisement based on the search request;
assigning a first telephone reference of a connection provider to an advertiser of the advertisement, the first assigned telephone reference to replace a previous separate telephone reference of the advertiser within the advertisement, and the first assigned telephone reference to further identify the first demand partner to provide the advertisement;
providing the advertisement, including the first assigned telephone reference, to a mobile communication device via the first demand partner, to receive a telephone call at the connection provider from the mobile communication device via the assigned telephone reference;
in response to a telephone call via the first assigned telephone reference, identifying the previous separate telephone reference of the advertiser and identifying the first demand source; and
connecting the received telephone call to the separate telephone reference of the advertiser to track telephone connections to the advertiser established via calls to the first assigned telephone reference included in the advertisement provided via the first demand partner; and
charging the advertiser a predetermined fee for the advertisement provided to the mobile communication device, in response to connecting the telephone call received by the connection provider at the first telephone reference provided in the advertisement, to the separate telephone reference of the advertiser.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing the advertisement to the mobile communication device via a wireless media channel, wherein the media channel comprises one of the group consisting of:
a web-based channel;
a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) channel;
a custom client-server channel over a wireless communication link; and
a Short Message Service (SMS) based channel.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
determining a location of a mobile device in response to the search request; selecting the advertisement according to the location of the mobile device for transmission to the mobile device via the wireless media channel.
4. The method of claim 3 , further including determining the location of the mobile device by one of a group consisting of:
an Automatic Number Identification (ANI) based location determination system;
a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver coupled to the mobile device; and
a cellular communication system.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the mobile device comprises a cellular phone;
wherein the search request is received via Short Message Service (SMS) from the mobile device, the search request not including location information;
wherein the determining of the location of the mobile device is in response to the search request received via SMS; and
wherein the advertisement selected according to the location of the mobile device is provided to the mobile device via SMS in response to the search request.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the telephone call connected to the advertiser is at least partially carried via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the receiving the search request further includes receiving the search request submitted from the mobile device.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assigned telephone reference comprises a local telephone number having a same area code as the separate telephone reference of the advertiser.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the telephone reference comprises an extension unique to the advertiser among a plurality of advertisers.
10. A system, comprising: means for providing an advertisement for presentation, via a first of multiple demand partners, to a mobile device in response to the mobile device entering a commercial district, the advertisement to include at least a first reference assigned to the advertiser, the assigned reference being separate from a previous communication reference of the advertiser, and the first assigned reference to further identify the first demand partner to provide the advertisement;
means for establishing a telephonic connection with the mobile device via a user of the mobile device selecting the first assigned reference on the mobile device;
means for identifying the previous communication reference of the advertiser and the first demand partner, based on the first assigned reference used to establish the telephonic connection between the first party and the mobile device;
means for connecting the telephonic connection to the identified previous communication reference of the advertiser for real time communications between the user of the mobile device and the advertiser; and
means for collecting a predetermined fee from the advertiser for the advertisement provided via the first demand partner, in response to a connection being established to the advertiser via connecting the telephonic connection to the advertiser.
11. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions which, when executed, perform a method comprising:
providing an advertisement for presentation to a mobile device, via a first of multiple demand partners, on behalf of an advertiser without a specific user request from the mobile device, the advertisement to include at least a first reference assigned to the advertiser, the first assigned reference being separate from a communication reference of the advertiser, and the first assigned reference to further identify the first demand partner to provide the advertisement;
establishing a telephonic connection with the mobile device via a user of the mobile device selecting the first assigned reference on the mobile device;
identifying the communication reference of the advertiser and the first demand partner, based on the first assigned reference used to establish the telephonic connection between the first party and the mobile device;
connecting the telephonic connection to the identified communication reference of the advertiser for real time communications between the user of the mobile device and the advertiser; and
collecting a predetermined fee from the advertiser for the advertisement provided to the mobile device via the first demand partner, in response to a connection being established to the advertiser via connecting the telephonic connection to the advertiser.
12. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon a set of instructions which,
when executed, perform a method comprising:
receiving a search request via a first of multiple demand partners;
selecting an advertisement based on the search request;
assigning a first telephone reference of a connection provider to an advertiser of the advertisement, the first assigned telephone reference to replace a previous separate telephone reference of the advertiser within the advertisement, and the first assigned telephone reference to further identify the first demand partner to provide the advertisement;
providing the first advertisement, including the first assigned telephone reference, to a mobile communication device via the first demand partner, to receive a telephone call at the connection provider from the mobile communication device via the assigned telephone reference;
in response to a telephone call via the first assigned telephone reference, identifying the previous separate telephone reference of the advertiser and identifying the first demand partner, and connecting the received telephone call to the separate telephone reference of the advertiser to track telephone connections to the advertiser established via calls to the first assigned telephone reference included in the advertisement provided via the first demand partner; and
charging the advertiser a predetermined fee for the advertisement provided to the mobile communication device, in response to connecting the telephone call received by the connection provider at the first telephone reference provided in the advertisement, to the separate telephone reference of the advertiser.
13. The machine-readable medium of claim 12 , further comprising providing the advertisement to the mobile communication device via a wireless media channel, wherein the media channel comprises one of the group consisting of:
a web-based channel;
a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) channel;
a custom client-server channel over a wireless communication link; and
a Short Message Service (SMS) based channel.
14. The machine-readable medium of claim 13 , further comprising:
determining a location of a mobile device in response to the search request;
selecting the advertisement according to the location of the mobile device for transmission to the mobile device via the wireless media channel.
15. The machine-readable medium of claim 14 , further including determining the location of the mobile device by one of a group consisting of:
an Automatic Number Identification (ANI) based location determination system;
a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver coupled to the mobile device; and
a cellular communication system.
16. The machine-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein the mobile device comprises a cellular phone;
wherein the search request is received via Short Message Service (SMS) from the mobile device, the search request not including location information;
wherein the determining of the location of the mobile device is in response to the search request received via SMS; and
wherein the advertisement selected according to the location of the mobile device is provided to the mobile device via SMS in response to the search request.
17. The machine-readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the telephone call connected to the advertiser is at least partially carried via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
18. The machine-readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the receiving the search request further includes receiving the search request submitted from the mobile device.
19. The machine-readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the assigned telephone reference comprises a local telephone number having a same area code as the separate telephone reference of the advertiser.
20. The machine-readable medium of claim 12 , wherein the telephone reference comprises an extension unique to the advertiser among a plurality of advertisers.
21. A system comprising:
a means for receiving a search request via a first of multiple demand partners;
a means for selecting an advertisement based on the search request;
a means for assigning a first telephone reference of a connection provider to an advertiser of the advertisement, the first assigned telephone reference to replace a previous separate telephone reference of the advertiser within the advertisement, and the first assigned telephone reference to further identify the first demand partner to provide the advertisement;
a means for providing the first advertisement, including the first assigned telephone reference, to a mobile communication device via the first demand partner, to receive a telephone call at the connection provider from the mobile communication device via the assigned telephone reference;
a means for identifying the previous separate telephone reference of the advertiser and identifying the first demand partner, in response to a telephone call via the first assigned telephone reference;
a means for connecting the received telephone call to the separate telephone reference of the advertiser to track telephone connections to the advertiser established via calls to the first assigned telephone reference included in the advertisement provided via the first demand partner; and
a means for charging the advertiser a predetermined fee for the advertisement provided to the mobile communication device, in response to connecting the telephone call received by the connection provider at the first telephone reference provided in the advertisement, to the separate telephone reference of the advertiser.
22. The system of claim 21 , further comprising a means for providing the advertisement to the mobile communication device via a wireless media channel, wherein the media channel comprises one of the group consisting of:
a web-based channel;
a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) channel;
a custom client-server channel over a wireless communication link; and
a Short Message Service (SMS) based channel.
23. The system of claim 22 , further comprising:
a means for determining a location of a mobile device in response to the search request;
a means for selecting the advertisement according to the location of the mobile device for transmission to the mobile device via the wireless media channel.
24. The system of claim 23 , wherein the means for determining the location of the mobile device further comprises at least one of a group consisting of:
an Automatic Number Identification (ANI) based location determination system;
a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver coupled to the mobile device; and
a cellular communication system.
25. The system of claim 23 , wherein the mobile device comprises a cellular phone and the system further comprises:
a means to receive the search request via Short Message Service (SMS) from the mobile device, the search request not including location information;
a means for determining of the location of the mobile device is in response to the search request received via SMS; and
a means for selecting the advertisement according to the location of the mobile device.
26. The system of claim 21 , wherein the telephone call connected to the advertiser is at least partially carried via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
27. The system of claim 21 , wherein the means for receiving the search request further includes a means for receiving the search request submitted from the mobile device.
28. A system comprising:
a unit to receive a search request via a first of multiple demand partners;
a unit to select an advertisement based on the search request;
a unit to assign a first telephone reference of a connection provider to an advertiser of the advertisement, the first assigned telephone reference to replace a previous separate telephone reference of the advertiser within the advertisement, and the first assigned telephone reference to further identify the first demand partner to provide the advertisement;
a unit to provide the first advertisement, including the first assigned telephone reference, to a mobile communication device via the first demand partner, to receive a telephone call at the connection provider from the mobile communication device via the assigned telephone reference;
a unit to identify the previous separate telephone reference of the advertiser and identifying the first demand partner, in response to a telephone call via the first assigned telephone reference;
a unit to connect the received telephone call to the separate telephone reference of the advertiser to track telephone connections to the advertiser established via calls to the first assigned telephone reference included in the advertisement provided via the first demand partner; and
a unit to charge the advertiser a predetermined fee for the advertisement provided to the mobile communication device, in response to connecting the telephone call received by the connection provider at the first telephone reference provided in the advertisement, to the separate telephone reference of the advertiser.
29. The system of claim 28 , further comprising a unit to provide the advertisement to the mobile communication device via a wireless media channel, wherein the media channel comprises one of the group consisting of:
a web-based channel;
a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) channel;
a custom client-server channel over a wireless communication link; and
a Short Message Service (SMS) based channel.
30. The system of claim 29 , further comprising:
a unit to determine a location of a mobile device in response to the search request;
a unit to select the advertisement according to the location of the mobile device for transmission to the mobile device via the wireless media channel.
31. The system of claim 30 , wherein the unit to determine the location of the mobile device further comprises at least one of a group consisting of:
an Automatic Number Identification (ANI) based location determination system;
a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver coupled to the mobile device; and
a cellular communication system.
32. The system of claim 30 , wherein the mobile device comprises a cellular phone and the system further comprises:
a unit to receive the search request via Short Message Service (SMS) from the mobile device, the search request not including location information;
a unit to determine of the location of the mobile device is in response to the search request received via SMS; and
a unit to select the advertisement according to the location of the mobile device.
33. The system of claim 28 , wherein the telephone call connected to the advertiser is at least partially carried via Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
34. The system of claim 28 , wherein the unit to receive the search request further includes a unit to receive the search request submitted from the mobile device.
35. A method comprising:
providing an advertisement for presentation to a mobile device, via a first of multiple demand partners, on behalf of an advertiser without a specific user request from the mobile device, the advertisement to include at least a first reference assigned to the advertiser, the first assigned reference being separate from a communication reference of the advertiser, and the first assigned reference to further identify the first demand partner to provide the advertisement;
establishing a telephonic connection with the mobile device via a user of the mobile device selecting the first assigned reference on the mobile device;
identifying the communication reference of the advertiser and the first demand partner, based on the first assigned reference used to establish the telephonic connection between the first party and the mobile device;
connecting the telephonic connection to the identified communication reference of the advertiser for real time communications between the user of the mobile device and the advertiser; and
collecting a predetermined fee from the advertiser for the advertisement provided to the mobile device via the first demand partner, in response to a connection being established to the advertiser via connecting the telephonic connection to the advertiser.
36. A method comprising:
providing an advertisement for presentation, via a first of multiple demand partners, to a mobile device in response to the mobile device entering a commercial district, the advertisement to include at least a first reference assigned to the advertiser, the assigned reference being separate from a previous communication reference of the advertiser, and the first assigned reference to further identify the first demand partner to provide the advertisement;
establishing a telephonic connection with the mobile device via a user of the mobile device selecting the first assigned reference on the mobile device;
identifying the previous communication reference of the advertiser and the first demand partner, based on the first assigned reference used to establish the telephonic connection between the first party and the mobile device;
connecting the telephonic connection to the identified previous communication reference of the advertiser for real time communications between the user of the mobile device and the advertiser; and
collecting a predetermined fee from the advertiser for the advertisement provided via the first demand partner, in response to a connection being established to the advertiser via connecting the telephonic connection to the advertiser.