Merchant powered click-to-call method

Abstract

A method is disclosed for enhancing the predictability, scalability and cost effectiveness of online advertising with voice over IP connectivity and event tracking technologies. A service provider maintains a list of merchants who have offered to pay for customer VoIP calls to their establishment. The service provider maintains a real time connection with this merchant list and renders an advertisement in a distinguishing way in real time. A potential customer who views this advertisement on a web page may establish a VoIP call session with a merchant by selecting a free click-to-call link on the web page. When the customer places the call, the service provider pays for the call. Merchants in turn pay the service provider for displaying the ads that generated the calls on a price per call, price per impression or fixed fee basis.

1 . A method for a merchant to advertise to customers via a service provider, comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing a webpage including merchant information;   (b) validating the merchant information against a stored list of merchant information;   (c) receiving a unique identifier for the merchant;   (d) mapping the unique identifier to a telephone number for the merchant; and   (e) establishing a voice connection between a customer and the merchant using the telephone number by establishing the telephone call over a first voice over IP pathway, and sending a media stream for the telephone call over a second voice over IP pathway different than the first IP pathway.   
     
     
         2 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , said step (e) of establishing the telephone call over a first voice over IP pathway comprising the steps of sending calling signals for establishing the telephone call over the first IP pathway, and transforming voice from the voice over IP telephone call into voice signals. 
     
     
         3 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , said step (e) of establishing the telephone call over a first voice over IP pathway comprising the step of passing the telephone number to a dialer to establish the telephone connection. 
     
     
         4 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising the step of storing in a memory a listing of the unique identifiers and associated telephone numbers for merchants who have subscribed to have the service provider provide voice connections between the merchants and customers. 
     
     
         5 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising the step of presenting an advertisement for the subscribing merchant to customers in response to searches by the customers for goods and/or services provided by the subscribing merchants. 
     
     
         6 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , the web page being identified from accessing an advertisement for the merchant from one of: a toolbar, an online search directory and a website operated by the merchant. 
     
     
         7 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising the step of validating the merchant prior to rendering the web page from a list of merchants subscribing to the service. 
     
     
         8 . A method as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising the step of updating the merchants listed in the stored list of merchant information in real time. 
     
     
         9 . A method of facilitating a telephone interaction between a customer and a merchant via a service provider, the customer being presented with a telephone number for the merchant over a web page, the method comprising the steps of:
 (a) receiving a unique identifier for the merchant whose telephone number was selected from the web page by the customer;   (b) mapping the unique identifier received in said step (a) to a telephone number for the merchant;   (c) establishing a voice connection between the customer and the merchant using the telephone number mapped in said step (b) by establishing the telephone call over a first voice over IP pathway, and sending a media stream for the telephone call over a second voice over IP pathway different than the first IP pathway.   
     
     
         10 . A method as recited in  claim 9 , said step (c) comprising the steps of: i) sending calling signals for establishing the telephone call over a first voice over IP pathway, ii) transforming voice from the voice over IP telephone call into voice signals, and iii) sending a media stream of the voice signals for the telephone call over a second voice over IP pathway different than the first voice over IP pathway. 
     
     
         11 . A method as recited in  claim 10 , said step (c) comprising the step of facilitating a public switched telephone network connection. 
     
     
         12 . A method as recited in  claim 10 , further comprising the step of selecting a web page using a mobile phone, the step of sending a media stream for the telephone call comprising the step of sending the media stream over a public switched telephone network mobile telephone connection. 
     
     
         13 . A method as recited in  claim 9 , further comprising the step of arranging for the telephone interaction between the customer and the merchant to be free of charge to the customer. 
     
     
         14 . A method of facilitating a telephone interaction between a customer and a merchant via a service provider as recited in  claim 9 , further comprising the step of providing the merchant with demographic information relating to at least one of the customer and the telephone session. 
     
     
         15 . A method as recited in  claim 14 , said step of providing demographic information comprising the step of providing information relating to at least one of: the number of calls from customers, the duration of the calls from customers, the location of origin of calls from customers, and the time at which calls from customers are made. 
     
     
         16 . A method of facilitating a voice over IP telephone session between a merchant and customers via a service provider, the method comprising the steps of:
 (a) offering a subscription to the merchant for a service allowing the customers to identify the merchant from a webpage and contact the merchant via a telephone connection through the service provider;   (b) maintaining a list of merchants that have subscribed to the service, the list including an identifier for subscribing merchants and a telephone number for subscribing merchants;   (c) receiving an indication that a customer wishes to establish a telephone session with a merchant;   (d) validating the merchant information against the list of merchants maintained in said step (b);   (e) obtaining a unique identifier for the merchant;   (f) mapping the unique identifier to a telephone number for the merchant; and   (g) establishing a voice connection between a customer and the merchant using the telephone number by establishing the telephone call over a first voice over IP pathway, and sending a media stream for the telephone call over a second voice over IP pathway different than the first IP pathway.   
     
     
         17 . A method as recited in  claim 16 , further comprising the step (h) of storing information relating to the telephone session. 
     
     
         18 . A method as recited in  claim 17 , further comprising the step (j) of providing the information stored in said step (h) to the merchant. 
     
     
         19 . A method as recited in  claim 17 , further comprising the step (k) of providing the information stored in said step (h) to a competitor of the merchant. 
     
     
         20 . A method as recited in  claim 16 , said step (g) of establishing the telephone call over a first voice over IP pathway comprising the steps of sending calling signals for establishing the telephone call over the first IP pathway, and transforming voice from the voice over IP telephone call into voice signals.