Toll-free directory assistance with category search

Abstract

The current invention is a system for providing telephone directory assistance service in which a telephone user calls to the system and the system will, based on the requested category of business or product, such as in a yellow pages search, hear a recorded advertisement. The advertisements are selected from a databank, which may include any number advertisements categorized within the category associated with the service, according to selection criteria. After the advertising announcement is completed, the directory assistance call is processed as usual. The selection criteria can include the use of SIC codes.

1 . A method for providing directory assistance information comprising: 
 at the customer station,    dialing a telephone number used for accessing the call processing station;    setting up a call connection from the customer station to the call processing station;    providing a request for information relating goods or services;    at the call processing station,    receiving the request for information from the customer station;    examining the request for information to identify a category associated with the goods or services;    automatically selecting information to be played back that is categorized within the category;    retrieving the selected information to be played back from a stored media;    forwarding the selected advertisement to the customer station; and    at the customer station, receiving the selected advertisement.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 querying a database to determine the selected advertisement, the querying using as at least one query parameter a result of examining the request for information.    
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the query parameter is a geographic location component of the goods or services in the request for information.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the query parameter is a name of a business that provides the goods or services.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the query parameter is a general type of business associated with the goods or services specified in the request for information.  
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the query parameter is a description of the goods or services.  
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the query parameter is a code associated with the goods or services related to the request for information.  
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the code is a Standard Industry Classification (SIC) code of the goods or services related to the request for information.  
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the query parameter is a telephone number associated with a provider of the goods or services associated with the request for information.  
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the query parameter is a SIC code associated with the telephone number associated with the provider.  
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the automatically selecting an advertisement further comprises automatically selecting the advertisement based on an additional criteria including at least one of geographic location for the customer station or a telephone number for the customer station.  
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the database query furthermore returns an optional intercept parameter associated with the selected advertisement, wherein the optional intercept parameter is used to determine whether the user of the customer station is to be prompted to request access to a service associated with the advertisement.  
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 querying a database to determine the selected advertisement, the querying using the associated category determined from the request and a location associated with the customer station as database query parameters.    
     
     
         14 . A system for providing access to directory assistance information for a public network via a toll-free number, the system comprising: 
 a customer station including call connection circuitry; and    a call processing station that operates to receive a request for information from the customer station, examine the request for information to identify a category associated with goods or services, automatically select an advertisement categorized within the category and selectively forward the selected advertisement to the customer station.    
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , the customer station further comprising: 
 a user input device to obtain a telephone number used for accessing the call processing station;    a transmitter that operates to transmit the request for directory assistance information received from the user, wherein the call connection circuitry operates to set up a call connection from the customer station to the call processing station via the toll-free number; and    a first a receiver that operates to receive the selected advertisement.    
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein the request for information includes a geographic location component of the goods or services in the request for information.  
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 14 , further comprising: 
 a database apparatus that operates to process a query to determine the selected advertisement, the query having at least one query parameter derived from the request for directory assistance information.    
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the query parameter is a name of a business that provides the goods or services.  
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the query parameter is a description of the goods or services.  
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the query parameter is a code associated with the request for directory assistance information related to the goods or services.  
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the code is a Standard Industry Classification (SIC) code.  
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the query parameter is a telephone number associated with a provider of the goods or services associated with the request for directory assistance information.  
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the query parameter is a SIC code associated with the telephone number associated with the provider.  
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the call processing system further automatically selects the advertisement based on an additional criteria including at least one of geographic location for the customer station or a telephone number for the customer station.