| Marchex, Inc. Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
|---|
| 20120027191 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR BLOCKING TELEPHONE CALLS - A facility for blocking telephone calls is described. The facility is implemented by a telecommunications system that manages assigned and unassigned telephone numbers. The facility determines that a call originator has made two telephone calls to two different unassigned telephone numbers. The facility adds the call originator to a blacklist for a default time period. If the call originator calls any managed telephone number during the default time period, the facility renews the default time period. After the default time period expires, if the call originator makes additional telephone calls to other unassigned telephone numbers, the facility adds the call originator to the blacklist for a time period that is increased from the default time period. The facility increases the time period with each additional call to an unassigned telephone number. Accordingly, the time period is a function of the number of unassigned telephone numbers called by the call originator. | 02-02-2012 |
| 20120002799 | SYSTEM AND METHOD TO DIRECT TELEPHONE CALLS TO ADVERTISERS - A system and method for highlighting telephone numbers that are sponsored by advertisers on electronic content, and directing voice calls to those numbers to the corresponding advertiser. The call advertising system receives parameters of an advertising campaign from an advertiser, including telephone numbers in the campaign and an amount per call that the advertiser is willing to pay. The call advertising system transmits an indication of the advertised telephone numbers to a voice communication system. The voice communication system, upon determining that a campaign number is contained in electronic content, can to indicate to users that a call can be made at a rate reduced from what a user would normally pay in order. When the user calls the number, the voice communications system directs the call to the advertiser. The call advertising system tracks the call so that the advertiser can be charged the per-call amount. | 01-05-2012 |
| 20120002795 | SYSTEM AND METHOD TO ANALYZE CALLS TO ADVERTISED TELEPHONE NUMBERS - A system and method for analyzing information associated with voice calls placed during a telephone number advertising campaign is described. The system receives information characterizing voice calls to advertiser telephone numbers and information from advertisers such as information about the outcome of the voice call (e.g., conversion information). The system correlates the voice call information with the advertiser information and generates reports based on the correlated information. The system can perform or enable the performance of other actions based on the correlated information. For example, the system may modify an ongoing advertising campaign based on an analysis of the correlated information. | 01-05-2012 |
| 20120002664 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CALLING ADVERTISED TELEPHONE NUMBERS ON A COMPUTING DEVICE - Advertisers submit advertising campaigns to a call advertising system, each campaign including a telephone number associated with the advertiser and an amount per call that the advertiser is willing to pay to receive calls from users at the advertised telephone number. When an advertised telephone number is contained in content that is displayed on a computing device of a user, or when a user enters a telephone number that corresponds with the advertised telephone number, the computing device highlights the advertised telephone number to indicate to the user that the call can be made at a free or reduced rate to what a user would normally pay in order to make such a call. If the user initiates a call to the advertised telephone number, the call is routed to the advertiser and the advertiser is charged the amount that they agreed to pay to receive the call. | 01-05-2012 |
| 20110029467 | FACILITY FOR RECONCILIATION OF BUSINESS RECORDS USING GENETIC ALGORITHMS - A facility for the reconciliation of data records pertaining to business entities. One or more fitness functions are applied to fields contained in two conflicting data records to assess the similarity of each field. The results of the fitness functions are then weighted and combined to assess the likelihood that the two data records are associated with the same business entity. When the weighted fitness functions are applied to conflicting data records, the fitness functions generate a confidence level that the compared records are associated with the same business entity. If the confidence level exceeds a certain threshold, the facility accepts that the data records refer to the same business entity and synthesizes a business record from the data records. | 02-03-2011 |
