Patent Publication Number: US-2009240538-A1

Title: System and Method for Local Call-Based Advertising

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     The use of and development of communications has grown nearly exponentially in recent years. The growth is fueled by larger networks with more reliable protocols and better communications hardware available to service providers and consumers. Despite the improvements in communications technology, advertisers have continued to utilize legacy systems and practices. 
     Existing advertisements mediums, such as television and radio advertising, are effective methods of advertising. However, determining the effectiveness and results of advertising may be difficult, costly, and speculative. Additionally, in most cases, advertisers use a broad approach to advertising. As a result, advertisers may be unable to determine the efficacy of the advertisements based on the associated expenditures. 
     SUMMARY 
     One embodiment provides a system and method for tracking calls based on advertising. An advertisement may be communicated to a user through a communications network. A determination may be made that a call connection is made between the user and one or more numbers associated with the advertiser. The advertiser may be billed in response to the determined call connections. 
     Another embodiment includes a system for tracking calls generated based on advertisements. The system may include a communications network, one or more user connections and one or more advertiser connections communicating with the communications network. The system may also include a server connected to the communications network configured to track calls from the one or more user connections to the one or more advertiser connections. The server may include an advertiser interface configured to transmit advertisements to users through the one or more user connections. The server may also include a call tracking interface configured to identify calls from the one or more user connections to phone numbers dedicated for use with one of the advertisements. The interface may be operable to initiate billing of at least one advertiser based on a number of calls received by the advertiser through the phone numbers as a result of the one or more users calling the phone numbers. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, which are incorporated by reference herein and wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a pictorial representation of a communications system in accordance with an illustrative embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a pictorial representation of a communications environment enabling advertising in accordance with an illustrative embodiment; 
         FIG. 3  is a pictorial representation of a telephone in accordance with an illustrative embodiment; 
         FIG. 4  is a block diagram of an advertising tracking system in accordance with an illustrative embodiment; 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart of a process for tracking advertisements in accordance with an illustrative embodiment; and 
         FIG. 6  is a graphical user interface for tracking advertisements in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Illustrative embodiments provide a system and method for tracking advertising. In one embodiment, an advertisement may be received through a television, radio, phone or other similar advertising or communications medium. The user may elect at that time or later to receive additional information regarding the advertisement. The additional information may include phone numbers, coupons, directions, information, and details about the services or products advertised. Requests for additional information and calls between the user and numbers associated with an advertiser are tracked by a communications service provider. The concurrent or subsequent calls between the user and the advertiser are used to bill the advertiser for the advertising and gathering advertising statistics. The illustrative embodiments leverage the communications services offered by a local communications service provider to consumers through television, computer, wireless devices, radio, and telephones to better convey, track, and bill for advertising. 
       FIG. 1  is a pictorial representation of a communications system in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. The communication system  100  of  FIG. 1  includes various elements used for wireless and wired communication. The communications system  100  includes a mobile switching center (MSC)  102 , a local exchange  104 , voicemail systems  106  and  108 , a database  110 , wireless devices  112  and  114 , a transmission tower  116 , a wired network  118 , a home  120 , home telephone  122 , television  124 , and a client  126 . The different elements and components of the communications system  100  may communicate using wireless communications including satellite connections and/or hardwired connections, such as fiber optics, T1, cable, DSL, high speed trunks, and telephone lines. 
     The wireless devices  112  and  114  may communicate with the transmission tower  116  using communications protocols, such as time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), global systems for mobile (GSM) communications, personal communications systems (PCS), WLAN, WiMAX, or other frequently used cellular and data communications protocols and standards. The wireless devices  112  and  114  may include cellular phones, Blackberry®, personal digital assistances (PDA), mp3 players, laptops, evolution data optimized (EDO) cards, multi-mode devices, and other wireless communication devices and elements. 
     Communications within the communications system  100  may occur on any number of networks which may include wireless networks, data or packet networks, cable networks, satellite networks, private networks, publicly switched telephone networks (PSTN), the wired network  118 , or other types of communication networks. The networks of the communications system  100  may represent a single communication service provider or multiple communications services providers functioning independently or in combination. The features of the embodiments may be implemented by one or more elements of the communications system  100  independently or as a networked implementation. 
     In one embodiment, the MSC  102 , voicemail system  106 , and transmission tower  116  are part of a wireless network that is operated by a wireless service provider. For example, the control signals and operational features may be performed by the MSC  102  and the wireless signals may be broadcast from the transmission tower  116  to the wireless devices  112  and  114 . The wireless network may include any number of systems, towers, servers, and other network and communications devices for implementing the features and performing the methods herein described. The wireless network may enable cellular, data, radio, television service, or other wireless protocols or communications. For example, the transmission tower  116  may transmit signals to cell phones, Blackberry devices, car radios, and high definition televisions. 
     The MSC  102  may be a switch used for wireless call control and processing. The MSC  102  may also serve as a point of access to the local exchange  104 . The MSC  102  is a telephone exchange that provides circuit switched calling and mobility management and may also provide GSM or PCS services to the wireless devices  112  and  114  located within the area the MSC  102  serves. The MSC  102  may include a home location register (HLR) and visitor location register (VLR) that may be used to implement different features of the illustrative embodiments. The voicemail system  106  may be an integrated part of the MSC  102  or alternatively may be an externally connected device. 
     In one embodiment, the voicemail system  106  may include an integrated database for storing customer and usage information and data. The user may communicate, interact, or send and receive data, information, and commands to the voicemail system  106  through the telephone  122 , television  124 , wireless device  112  and  114 , or the client  126 . The MSC  102  and voicemail system  106  may include any number of hardware and software components. 
     In one embodiment, the MSC  106  is an advanced intelligence network device with software modules equipped to track calls from a user to any number of phone numbers, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, or communications lines or elements associated with an advertiser. The calls may be tracked to determine the effectiveness of advertising communications provided to a user by the communications service provider on behalf of one or more advertisers. 
     The local exchange  104 , the MSC  102 , and/or other elements of the communications system  100  may communicate using a signal control protocol, such as a signaling system number 7 (SS7) protocol. The SS7 protocol or similar protocols are used in publicly switched networks for establishing connections between switches, performing out-of-band signaling in support of the call-establishment, billing, routing, and implementing information-exchange functions of a publicly switched network or the wired network  118 . The local exchange  104  may be owned and operated by a local exchange carrier that provides standard telephone service to any number of users. In one embodiment, the local exchange  104  may be a class  5  switch that is part of the network systems of the local carrier. The local exchange  104  may include or may be connected to the voicemail system  106 . However, the local exchange  104  may also be a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM), Internet Protocol (IP) gateway, base station, or any other suitable network access point. 
     The local exchange  104  may be a wire-line switch or public exchange using time domain multiplexing to provide telecommunications services to a particular subscriber or groups of subscribers. The local exchange  104  may be located at a local telephone company&#39;s central office, or at a business location serving as a private branch exchange. The local exchange  104  may provide dial-tone, calling features, and additional digital and data services to subscribers, such as home telephone  122 . The local exchange  104  may also enable VoIP communication of the home telephones  116  and  118  through a data network. VoIP works by sending voice information in digital form, such as packets, rather than using the traditional circuit-committed protocols of the publicly switched network. The local exchange  104  may be or include a feature server, a call control agent, or an IP gateway for implementing VoIP communications. The local exchange  104  may similarly track calls between a user and an advertiser for determining the efficacy of communicated advertisements. 
     The communications system  100  may further include any number of hardware and software elements that may not be shown in the example of  FIG. 1 . For example, in order to facilitate VoIP communications, the communications system and the MSC  102  and local exchange  104  in particular, may include additional application servers, media servers, service brokers, call agents, edge routers, gateways (signaling, trunking, access, sub, etc.), IP network service providers, adapters, exchanges, switches, users, and networks. The voicemail system  108  is similar to the voicemail system  106  except that it is equipped to handle voicemail for landline customers rather than wireless customers. The local exchange  104  or other components of a wire line network, such as a data, PSTN, VoIP, or other wired network may implement the features and perform the methods herein described. 
     The MSC  102  and the local exchange  104  may include an authentication space. The authentication space may be a partition, module, or other storage or memory of the server designated by the communications service provider. The authentication space may validate that a user or device, such as client  126 , is allowed to authorize the MSC  102 , local exchange  104 , or corresponding voicemail systems  106  and  108  to set preferences, implement changes, review information, or perform other updates. For example, a user may first be required to provide a secure identifier, such as a user name, password, or other authentication code or hardware interface, to verify the user is authorized to make changes within the authentication space. 
     The authentication information may be used to create a secure connection between the client and the MSC  102  or the local exchange  104 . The secure connection may be a virtual private network tunnel, an encrypted connection, firewall, or other form of secured communications link. The MSC  102  and local exchange  104  may use any number of gateways, proxies, applications, or interfaces for allowing the client  126  to communicate with the MSC  102  and local exchange  104  through the wired network  118 . Alternatively, the client  126  may use a wireless network or other network to access the MSC  102  and local exchange  104 . The MSC  102  and local exchange  104  may use a host client application for communicating with numerous clients. 
     The home  120  is an example of a dwelling, residence, or location of a person or group that may utilize any number of communications services. The home  120  is shown as a residence in the illustrated example, however, the home  120  may also be an office, business, or other structure wired or otherwise suitably equipped to provide telephone, data, and other communication services to one or more customers. In one embodiment, the home  120  is equipped with multiple communication devices, including home telephone  122  and client  126 . The home telephone  122  may be standard devices that provide dialing and voice conversation capabilities. Home telephone  122  may be integrated in any number of other devices or may be used in different forms. For example, the home telephone  122  may be part of a refrigerator or intercom system. In another embodiment, the home telephone  122  may be integrated with a personal computer or display device, such as client  126  or television  124 . 
     The communications services accessible from the home telephones  122  may include standard telephone service or VoIP telephone service. The home telephones  122  may be VoIP telephones or may be standard telephones that include a modem and/or VoIP adapters for enabling VoIP communications. 
     The client  126  may be a personal computer for performing and executing programs and instructions and accessing the wired network  118 . However, the client  126  may be any computing devices suitable for communicating with the wired network  118  through a network connection. The wired network  118  may be a fiber optic, cable, or telephone network or other wired network suitable for communication over a hard wired connection with the client  126 . In one embodiment, the home  120  may include a wireless router, adapter, switch, hub, or other suitable interface that allows the client  126  to communicate with the wired network  118 . Alternatively, the client  126  may communicate with the wired network  118  through a wireless connection. The MSC  102  and local exchange  104  may use a graphical user interface (GUI), such as website or program accessible from the client  126  or television  124  in order to enter and receive user input for opting-in to advertisements or requesting additional information. 
     In an illustrative embodiment, the user may provide user input, request additional information, opt-in, or otherwise make selections and communicate commands using devices, such as or similar to, wireless devices  112  and  114 , home telephones  122 , television  124 , and client  126 . At any time, a user may select to enable, order, initiate, configure, reconfigure or otherwise interact with an advertisement. In other embodiments, the user may utilize a remote control for the television  124  or a Bluetooth device to provide user input. 
     The television  124  may receive a signal through one or more of a cable, fiber optic, DSL, satellite, or other network connection. The signal may be a traditional analog, digital, or internet protocol television (IPTV) signal. In one embodiment, the home  120  may be equipped with a satellite or other communications equipment, not specifically described herein. The television  124  may also be provided a signal through one or more intermediary devices, such as a digital video player, digital video receiver, satellite receiver, or other form of set-top box. 
       FIG. 2  is a pictorial representation of a communications environment enabling advertising in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. The communication environment  200  is a particular implementation of aspects of the communication system  100  of  FIG. 1 . In one embodiment, the communications environment may include a communications management system  202 , Internet  204 , advertiser  205 , communications network  206 , and home  208 . The home  208  may further include a satellite  210 , cell phone  212 , television  214 , client  216 , graphical user interface  217 , and telephone  218 . 
     The communications management system  202  is the servers, switches, exchanges, intelligent devices and other elements that operate to make and receive calls, as well as send data communications to the user in the home  208 . In particular, the communications management system  202  may be operated by one or more communications service providers. The communications service provider may communicate advertisements to the user through any number of end-devices, including for example, the cell phone  212 , the television  214 , the telephone  218  and the client  216 . The communication service provider may also utilize terrestrial or satellite radios, wireless services, or other data connections to communicate advertisements. The communications management system  202  under the operation of the communications service provider identifies calls between the telephones of the user which may include telephone  218  and cell phone  212  to the advertiser  205 . The calls to the advertiser  205  may be to any number of phone numbers, devices, IP addresses, lines, user names or other applicable communications elements. The communications service provider may send the advertisements to the user through any number of mediums, including television, radio, satellite, data or other forms of communications services. Alternatively, the advertiser  205  may contract with any number of television, media, or any other communications providers to transmit advertisements to the user. 
     In one embodiment, the communications service provider may transmit a television signal through the communications network  207  and satellite  210 . The satellite  210  may transmit applicable advertisements and other media for display to the television  214 . The television may allow a user to view advertisements as they are streamed or displayed to the user. In one embodiment, the satellite  210  may receive a signal that is configured by a set-top box or digital video recorder for display by the television  214 . The user may view the advertisement on the television  214  at any time. 
     In one embodiment, the advertisement may include an icon, button, or other selection element or indicator that the user may select in order to receive additional information. For example, the user may use a remote control of the television  214  to select an icon indicating that the user would like to receive additional information from the advertiser  205 . The additional information may be sent to the television  214 , the cell phone  212 , the telephone  218  or the client  216 . The additional information may be sent in the form of a discrete text message, email message, chat conversation, hyperlink, graphic, chat session, video, picture, or other applicable data or information. By selecting active links or information in the message, the user may be directly connected through the applicable communications device to the advertiser  205  for voice communications. In one embodiment, by requesting additional information, a voice call may be initiated by the user. 
     The additional information may include contact information, such as phone numbers, IP addresses, directions, email addresses, usernames, chat names,  1 - 800  numbers, or other applicable contact information. The additional information may also include advertising related information such as, coupons, discounts, rebates, price, description, web links or other images, textual information or data that allows the user to determine whether to purchase or otherwise research details of the advertisement. Revenue for advertising may be generated based on calls received by the advertiser  205  or computer clicks to a relevant hyperlink or web access element. 
     In one embodiment, the user may access the graphical user interface to view a log of additional information requested by the user. The communications management system  202  may provide a web portal accessible by the client  216  through the Internet  204 . As a result, the user may access the additional advertisement information using an advertising log or other screening function available through the portal. 
     In another embodiment, an advertisement displayed to the user through any of the devices shown in the home  208  may be utilized to directly contact the advertiser  205  through the Internet  204  and/or through the communications network  207 . The communications management system  202  may track when and how advertisements are displayed to the user. In particular, the communications management system  202  may log advertisements or requests for additional information when displayed to the user or requested by the user. For example, time stamps and time periods may be used to determine when an advertisement was played to the user, when additional initial or additional information was requested, and how much time passed before the user contacted the advertiser. This information or other criteria, rules, or logic may be utilized to determine if the advertiser is billed for a subsequent call from the user to the advertiser  205 . Correspondingly, subsequent calls from the user through the cell phone  212 , television  214 , client  216  or telephone  218  may be tracked for billing the advertiser  205  for the calls. As a result, the advertiser  205  may be more effectively billed for advertisements displayed or transmitted to the user by the communications management system  202 . Additionally, the advertiser  205  may receive additional analysis, data, and statistics from the communications management system  202  regarding the most effective advertising method times, demographics, and other applicable advertising information. 
     The user may receive fulfillment services for the selected products, services, or information at any time based on a response to the initial advertisement, additional information, or opt-in request. For example, a user may select to receive additional information regarding a pizza delivery special and then make a call to order various pizzas. The call from the user to the pizza store triggers an advertisement fee billed by the communications service provider to the advertiser. 
     In another embodiment, the user may be listening to a standard or satellite radio within the communication environment  200 . A list of radio stations may be loaded on the cell phone  212 , television  214 , client  216 , or telephone  218 . When a user is interested in a particular advertisement, the user may select the name or call sign of the applicable radio station to receive additional information or view a graphic or textual representation of the advertisement. 
     In another embodiment, the user may view an advertisement through a print or outdoor advertisement. If the user is interested in learning more about the product/service or other message being advertised, the user may send a text, short message service (SMS), email, or other form of message to the advertiser. The user may be required to implicitly or explicitly specify a code identifying the advertisement. For example, a dedicated text message or phone number may specify which billboard advertisement was viewed by the user and the applicable service or product the user is interested in. The advertiser may be billed for advertising hits based on subsequent calls between the user and the advertiser, based on the initial message, or both. Alternatively, the specific advertisement viewed by the user may be ascertained by determining the exact or approximate location of the user when additional information is requested, a call is made, and opt-in request is generated, or based on other user feedback. The specific advertisement may be determined based on a users location during the day. In one embodiment, the user may be required to provide an advertisement identifier as part of a message or communication. 
       FIG. 3  is a pictorial representation of a telephone in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. The telephone  300  is an illustrative embodiment of a VoIP telephone. The telephone  300  may also be equipped for POTS communications or for wireless communications. The telephone  300  may include handset  304  and display  306 . The display  306  may display information  308 , data, and advertisements. 
     In one embodiment, an advertisement may be displayed directly to the telephone  300 . Alternatively, the user may select to receive additional information using a device in communication with the telephone  300 . For example, a user watching television may view an advertisement for an anti-virus software. By selecting an icon presented on the screen, additional information shown as the information  308  may be sent to the telephone  300  for subsequent use by the user. The user may also select an icon, button, indicator, provide a voice command, or otherwise enter a command to automatically call a number associated with the advertiser or to request additional details or information. 
     In one embodiment, by selecting the information  308 , the call from the user utilizing the telephone  300  to the advertiser is tracked and the advertiser is billed by the communications service provider for each call made as a form of advertising revenue. The user may also access a web portal through the telephone  300  to view the information  308 . 
     The handset  304  may be equipped to share a communications line or link with the telephone  300 . For example, the handset  304  may be a cordless extension of the telephone  304  utilizing any number or short-range cordless frequencies. In one embodiment, the handset  304  is simply an extension of the telephone  300  in which the handset  304  and the telephone  300  communicate wirelessly to send and receive data, information, and voice communications. The handset  304  may also include the display  306  for displaying the information  308  or other information commonly displayed by a telephone or utilized in accordance with the illustrative embodiments. The handset  304  and the telephone  300  may communicate using any number of frequencies, standards, or communications protocols, usually effective over short distances throughout a user&#39;s home or business. 
       FIG. 4  is a pictorial representation of a tracking environment in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. The tracking environment  400  may include a tracking system  402 , user phones  404 , advertiser phones  406 . The tracking system  402  may also include a processor  408 , a memory  410 , opt-in information  412 , advertiser interface  414 , user interface  416 , and call tracking interface  418 . 
     The user phones  404  are the communications devices that may be utilized by the user to communicate voice communications. The user phones  404  may be home phones, cell phones, work phones, numbers IP addresses, or other communications devices or elements utilized by the user for carrying on voice communications. The user phones  404  represents numerous users and phones associated with each user. In one embodiment, the user may be required to associate or link numbers or devices with a profile or other information in order to be categorized as the user phones  404 . The advertiser phones  406  are the phones, numbers or communications devices linked with an advertiser. For example, the user phones  404  and the advertiser phones  406  may encompass voice over IP phones, talk telephones, cell phones, soft phones and other communications related elements. 
     In one embodiment, each advertisement and advertiser may specify any number of phone numbers that are linked with the advertiser. The revenue is tracked specifically between the user phones  404  and the advertiser phones  406  by the tracking system  402 . The tracking system  402  may be a switch, server, router, exchange, or other intelligent device for both routing the calls from the user phones  404  to the advertiser phones  406  and/or tracking those calls. The tracking system  402  may include logic for determining whether the call is related to an advertisement and whether credit is to be granted to the communications service provider and/or other party transmitting the advertisement to any number of users. The tracking system  402  may include logic, circuitry, firmware, databases, memory, cards, communications ports and elements, and other hardware and software elements. 
     The processor  408  is circuitry or logic enabled to control execution of a set of instructions. The processor  408  may be a microprocessor, digital signal processor, central processing unit, or other device suitable for controlling an electronic device including one or more hardware and software elements, executing software, instructions, programs, and applications, converting and processing signals and information, and performing other related tasks. The processor  408  may be a single chip or integrated with other computing or communications elements of the tracking system  402 . 
     The memory  410  is a hardware element, device, or recording media configured to store data for subsequent retrieval or access at a later time. The memory  410  may be static or dynamic memory. The memory  410  may include a hard disk, random access memory, cache, removable media drive, mass storage, or configuration suitable as storage for data, instructions, and information. In one embodiment, the memory  410  and processor  408  may be integrated. The memory may use any type of volatile or non-volatile storage techniques and mediums. The tracking system  402  may include any number of computing elements including busses, cards, interfaces, drives, boards, and other elements included in communications equipment although not specifically described herein. 
     The tracking system  402  may also communicate with other user devices or advertiser devices or elements. The tracking system  402  further includes the opt-in information  412 , advertiser interface  414 , user interface  416  and the call tracking interface  418 . The user interface  416  allows the user to interact with the tracking system  402 . The interactions may be performed automatically or manually based on user selections. Similarly, the advertiser interface  414  allows the advertiser phones  406  and other advertising devices to interface with the tracking system  402 . In one embodiment, the tracking system  402  is controlled by a communications service provider or other third party that is not controlled by the user or the advertiser. However as described, the user and the advertiser may interface with the tracking system  402  through the user interface  416  and the advertiser interface  414 , respectively. 
     The opt-in information  412  is the data or information that is transmitted to one or more user devices based on a user selection. For example, based on a user selecting an icon available during a television advertisement, the opt-in information  412  may send information to the user&#39;s phone, television, or to a web portal available through the tracking system  402 . The opt-in information  412  may also allow a user to opt-in to receive additional information regarding categories, stores, products, or services. In one embodiment, the user may subscribe to have new sales information for a car dealership automatically sent to a page accessible by the user through the portal of the communications service provider. In addition, a list of local providers/advertisers may be included in the opt-in information. 
     The advertiser interface  414  and user interface  416  may be integrated with a web portal that allows one or more users and advertisers to access information and data available through the tracking system  402 . In one embodiment, the advertisers may upload advertisements to be distributed by the communications service provider through the advertiser interface  414 . In another embodiment, the user phones may utilize the user interface  416  to request additional information or make a selection to dial the advertiser phones  406 . More specifically, a web portal may be accessible through the tracking system  402  to view opt-in information  412  specifically selected by the user. The opt-in information  412  may include additional details, including phone numbers, directions, price, description, web links or other images, textual information or data that allows the user to determine whether to purchase or otherwise research details of the advertisement. As previously described, the opt-in information  412  may send a message data stream or other information to the user phones  404  or other interconnected devices or elements. 
     The call tracking interface  418  tracks calls between the user phones  404  and the advertiser phones  406 . In particular, the call tracking interface  418  determines when a voice connection is made between the user phone  404  and the advertiser phones  406 . The call tracking interface  418  may track a balance charged to an advertiser based on calls from one or more users to the advertiser phones  406 . For example, the advertiser may be charged 20¢ for each call originating from the user phones  404  which may represent one or more users. 
     The call tracking interface  418  may also include an advertising log that notes when advertisements were displayed to one or more users and when additional information or opt-in information  412  was requested by one or more users. As a result, the call tracking interface  418  may be able to determine the efficacy of an advertisement based on a number of users that called the advertiser phones  406  after communication or playback of an advertisement to any number of users. The call tracking interface  418  may identify any number of advertisements displayed to the users through a code or other identifier. The identifiers of advertisements may be associated with additional requests for information transmitted to the opt-in information  412 . The users and the advertisers may set any number of preferences detailing how advertisements are presented or utilized by the user. For example, the user may select to automatically dial the advertiser phones  406  from a user phone by selecting a link available through the web portal. 
     In one embodiment, the identifier and a log may be utilized to determine and statistically measure the effectiveness of advertisements with regard to call volume to the advertiser prompted by one or more advertisements. For example, a particular series of car commercials may encourage approximately one hundred calls within a target area every time one of the commercials is played over a cable or satellite radio channel. The statistics, tracking information, and projected advertising revenues may be sent to the advertiser and communications service provider hourly, daily, weekly, or as specified by the applicable parties. The tracking system  402  may utilize time stamps to determine when an advertisement was placed, additional information requested, an opt-in request generated, and fulfillment services, such as an order or request for services or products is made. The time stamp may be utilized in conjunction with an advertisement indicator to determine when and how the user responded in any manner to the advertisement. Additionally, the communication service provider and advertiser may have contractually agreed that the calls are to be within specified time period to trigger the agreed upon advertising fees. 
     In another embodiment, the tracking system  402  may also be applicable to radio transmissions. The advertisements played to one or more users through any number of home, call, or other mobile radios may be similarly tracked and calls between the user phones  404  and the advertiser phones  406  may also be utilized for determining advertising revenues to be charged to one or more advertisers. 
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart of a process for tracking advertisements in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. The process of  FIG. 5  may be implemented by a user  502  and a communications provider  504 . The user  502  may be utilizing a television, radio or telephonic device to receive the advertisements, make user selections and provide other feedback as described in  FIG. 5 . The communications provider  504  may be a communications management system server or any number of hardware and software elements utilized by the communications provider  504 . The process of  FIG. 5  may begin with the communications provider communicating an advertisement (step  506 ). As described, the advertisement may be a visual, audio or other form of advertisement of a advertiser or local provider. The advertiser may provide goods, services or other products to any number of users. The communication provider  504  and advertiser may have a contract specifying how and when advertisements are displayed in addition to other distribution terms. 
     Next, the user  502  views the advertisement (step  508 ). The advertisement may be displayed on a television, radio or other telephonic device, such as a cell phone, VoIP telephone, or POTS telephone. The advertisement may be displayed as part of a cable, DSL, Internet Protocol television (IPTV), Internet, satellite or terrestrial radio, or other form of media communications. The advertisement of step  508  may further include an icon, link, or other indicator that allows the user to select to receive more information. 
     The user  502  enters user input to opt in for more information (step  510 ). The user input or user selection may be the selection of an icon or other indicator. By allowing the user to opt in, individual users do not feel like they are coerced or otherwise influenced to receive advertising information they are not interested in. Additionally, the user may feel less pressure to make an immediate decision and may instead review the advertising information at a later time based on a personal timeline or schedule. The additional information may include contact information for the advertiser, additional product or service information, links, hyperlinks or other advertising materials, such as brochures, electronic files, documentation or other information and data. 
     Next, the information provider  504  sends the additional information to the user (step  512 ). The information may be sent from the communications provider  504  to the user  502  through any number of designated communications means. In one embodiment, the user  502  may specify an e-mail address, phone number, IP address, user name, account number or other information for receiving additional information as selected by the user  502 . The additional information provided by the communications provider  504  on behalf of the advertiser may provide the additional information needed by the user  502  to determine whether to purchase or further investigate the products and services offered by the advertiser. The additional information may also include information such as a map, driving directions, coupon, promotional code, or other similar information that may be useful or required for fulfilling a request for a product or service. 
     Next, the user  502  calls the advertiser based on the advertisement or additional information (step  514 ). The call may be made based on the manual selection by the user. Alternatively, the call may be automatically initiated in response to the user selecting an icon or other indicator displayed during the advertisement or when the additional information is received. In one embodiment, the number, IP address, or other information utilized to initiate the call in step  514  may be linked with a particular advertisement. For example, a group of 1-800 numbers may be associated with a series of truck commercials commissioned by the advertiser running only in the month of May. In addition, numerous phone numbers or other communications designators may be rotated in and out of usage in order to more easily track advertising effectiveness. As a result, it is easy to determine that calls to the advertiser are generated based on the advertisement because of the number of calls by consumers to the designated 1-800 numbers or other dedicated lines of communication. 
     The communications provider  504  tracks calls from the user  502  to the numbers associated with the advertiser. The calls are tracked in step  516  based on the contractual agreement, permissions or authorizations from the user  502  to the communications provider  504 . The user  502  may be required to explicitly authorize the tracking of the calls as described herein. In another embodiment, the user may be required to enter a code or identifier related to the advertisement. The code may be a word, number, or other combination of alphanumeric elements that identifies the advertisement viewed by the user. This code may be linked to a sale or promotion and may otherwise indicate that the user is calling based on the advertisement that the user heard, viewed, or otherwise received. The code or dedicated phone numbers may be utilized to ensure that the advertiser is not overcharged by the communications service provider based on random calls from one or more users to the advertiser. 
     In one embodiment, the calls may be easily tracked from a telephonic device of the user  502  because the communications provider  504  provides any number of local services which may include VoIP, POTS, software phones, wireless services, and any number of other communications services. The user  502  and the advertiser may utilize any number of telephone numbers or devices to send and receive communications. The communications provider  504  may track calls from any device or number associated with the user  502  to any number or device associated with the advertiser. The communications provider  504  bills the advertiser based on calls received from a user and has requested more information (step  518 ). 
     In another embodiment, the advertiser may only be billed for a call from the user  502  if the user  502  has previously opted in or requested more information. Alternatively, the advertiser may be billed only if the user  502  makes a call within a designated time period. For example, an agreement between the advertiser and the communications service provider may specify that only calls within a week period of the user  502  requesting more information may be billed to the advertiser. Any number of time periods or other criteria may be utilized to determine whether the advertiser is to be charged by the communications provider  504  for the communicated advertisements. The process of  FIG. 5  provides a more accurate way of tracking advertising effectiveness and revenue generation based on the advertisements. 
     In another embodiment, the communications provider  504  may also track usage of links provided to the user  502  to navigate to a website of the advertiser. As a result, even if the user  502  does not call the advertiser, the effectiveness of the advertisements may be determined using traditional “clicks” or network based access to advertising materials. The illustrative embodiments, may allow local or national advertisements to be more effectively tracked at a local level. For example, nationwide advertisements for a truck company may be broadcast with the resulting sales call tracked by the local communications service provider in order to effectively bill the advertiser. Traditional air time based expenses may be combined with click-based and call-based advertising. 
       FIG. 6  is a pictorial representation of a graphical user interface in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. The graphical user interface  600  may include various sections, icons, indicators, selections, buttons, or other elements for displaying information and receiving user input. In one embodiment, the graphical user interface  600  may include an identifier  602 , associated phone numbers  604 , advertisement  606 , description  608 , location  610 , transmission type  612 , and play times  614 . 
     The graphical user interface  600  may be displayed on a television, VoIP phone, wireless device, or other electronic device. In one embodiment, the graphical user interface  600  may be utilized with a touch screen in order to interactively display and receive information and data from the user. 
     The identifier  602  is information or data that identifies an advertisement. The identifier  602  may also identify a series of advertisements. The identifier  602  may be a code, word, or other information suitable for identifying a particular advertisement. In one embodiment, the identifier may be part of or the entire phone number. 
     The associated phone numbers  604  are one or more phone numbers, IP addresses, email addresses, or other contact information that allows a user to contact an advertiser with regard to the advertisement  606 . Revenue for user actions may be based on calls from the user to the associated phone numbers  604 . The associated phone numbers  604  may be the numbers included in the advertisement or sent to the user based on a request for additional information. In particular, a call from the user to the advertiser denoted by the associated phone numbers  604  indicates that the user has viewed the advertisement and is taking some additional steps based on that information. In one example, the advertiser may be charged a twenty five cent fee for each phone call or other communication that occurs based on the user viewing the advertisement  606 . In another example, the user may select a web link or text message to the advertiser in order to incur an additional revenue expense. 
     The advertisement  606  is the name or identifying information about the particular advertisement. The graphical user interface  600  may display titles or information for any number of advertisements. The graphical user interface  600  only illustrates advertisement  606  for purposes of simplicity. The description  608  may further identify the product, services, or other information offered by the advertisement  606 . In some cases, advertisers may advertise hundreds or thousands of different products at a time and may need more information to properly identify the type of advertisement. 
     The location  610  may specify a region, city, town, metropolitan area, or other information indicating where the advertisement is being communicated. The location  610  may also use zip codes, city names, or other information suitable for identifying where the advertisements are communicated or where a user may take an action based on the advertisement. For example, even though an advertising event is national, requests for additional information may be for local providers or advertisers. 
     The transmission type  612  is a list of the transmissions mediums utilized to broadcast the advertisement to one or more users. In the embodiment illustrated by the graphical user interface  600 , the advertisement  606  may be displayed to users through television including cable, satellite, and IPTV or radio including FM, satellite, or Internet. The transmission type  612  may describe any type of general and specific advertisement transmission information. 
     The play times  614  is information regarding when the advertisement  606  is played to one or more users. The play times  614  may generally describe times when the advertisement  606  has or will be played. Alternatively, the play times  614  may be an exact schedule and/or log detailing the exact time the advertisement  606  is scheduled to or has been played. 
     The illustrative embodiments allow a local communications service provider to leverage services and relationships of the local community to provide more effective call and traditional click based advertising. In addition, national and local advertisements may more effectively be targeted based on results that are more easily determined. 
     The previous detailed description is of a small number of embodiments for implementing the invention and is not intended to be limiting in scope. The following claims set forth a number of the embodiments of the invention disclosed with greater particularity.