Method and apparatus to provide pay-per-call performance based advertising

US7120235B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Ingenio, LLC · US

Inventors

• Ebbe Altberg · Mill Valley, US
• Marc Barach · Oakland, US
• Scott Faber · San Francisco, US
• Michael Fordyce · San Francisco, US
• Chris Hickson · East Palo Alto, US
• Ron Hirson · San Francisco, US
• John Somorjai · San Mateo, US
• Sean Van Der Linden · Berkeley, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 6, 2003
• Grant date: Oct 10, 2006
• Expiry date: Oct 6, 2023

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q30/0277
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

In one embodiment, the invention provides a method. The method includes assigning a unique telephone number to an advertiser; providing an advertisement on a media channel on behalf of the advertiser, the advertisement including one of the unique telephone number and a reference to the unique telephone number; monitoring telephone calls to the unique telephone number; and billing the advertiser for telephone calls to the unique telephone number in accordance with a predefined model.