Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to connect people for services delivered via real time communications and to optionally generate leads to new customers for the services. One embodiment includes: providing a communication reference to an entity for distribution to customers; establishing connections for real time communications between the entity and the customers in response to requests made via the communication reference; charging the customers on behalf of the entity using a process to establish the connections for a service of the entity provided to the customers over the connections; presenting the service of the entity to customers on behalf of the entity; charging the entity a first fee according to what the entity charges a customer for the service; and charging the entity a second fee according to a bid price specified by the entity in response to a determination that the presenting of the service leads to the customer.

Abstract: Systems and methods to selectively block calls from reaching destinations based on an input received from a callback connection. One embodiment includes a web server to receive a selection of an advertisement from an customer and to obtain a communication reference from the customer in response to the selection; a session border controller to interface with a packet switched network; and one or more telecommunication servers coupled to the session border controller and the web server, the one or more telecommunication servers to establish a connection for real time communications using the communication reference, to initiate a connection for real time communications with an advertiser of the advertisement after receiving an indication of acceptance of the connection established using the communication reference; where the advertiser is charged an advertisement fee in response to establishing a connection for real time communications between the advertiser and the customer.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for sorting seller listings or advertisements of a seller network. In one embodiment, a method includes: determining an indicator of potential revenue for a first party from price information of a list of entities, wherein revenue generated according to the price information of at least some of the list of entities is to be split among a plurality of parties; and, sorting the list of entities into a first list based at least partially on the indicator of potential revenue.

Abstract: A technique is disclosed for presenting possible cheek-in venues to a mobile device user, such as for the purpose of checking in with social networking services such as Foursquare. The disclosed technique operates by training a model during an initial training sequence. The trained model, representing a teamed hypothesis, describes venues that are ranked according to their relevance to users who are also described by the model. During a subsequent run-time sequence, the system receives real-time geolocation data that represents users, wherein the data includes user geolocation and the level of accuracy of the geolocation. The system generates a set of candidate venues, ranks the generated candidate venues by applying the learned hypothesis, which can be dependent on the level of accuracy, and presents the user with the ranked venues as possible cheek-in venues. The user can then select the venue actually being checked into from the presented check-in venues.

Abstract: Systems and methods to provide telephonic connections. In one embodiment, a method includes: providing a listing on a marketplace, the listing including an assigned reference to be used to initiate a real time communication connection; and billing for a real time communication lead generated from presenting the listing in response to a real time communication initiated via the reference. In one embodiment, a method includes: conducting online auction of telephonic leads; determining a way to present listings based at least partially on received price bids on the telephonic leads (e.g., the order of placement, the selection for placement, etc); and providing the listings with information to initiate a telephonic connection in a way trackable to measure a number of telephonic calls generated from presenting the listings.

Abstract: A system and method are provided for associating location data from one or more unique sources. The place and time of a unique location enabled device are associated with stored demographic information relating to the particular place and particular time. The place and time of the unique location enabled device are associated with a historical record of past locations and time of locations that the device has been. Based on the association of demographical information and historical information, the unique location enable device is assigned to one or more groups or tribes. The location of all members of the group or tribe can be aggregated and exported for further analysis or display, thereby showing all group or tribe members at a particular time and place.

Abstract: Methods and systems to facilitate real time communications via a telephonic apparatuses that support data communications. In one embodiment, a telephonic apparatus includes: a network interface to submit a query over a data communication network and to receive a listing with embedded information about the query; and a call module coupled to the network interface, the call module to embed the information about the query in a call signaling message for a telephonic connection according to the listing.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to initiate callback with confirmation. In one embodiment, a method includes: receiving a reference (e.g., a callback phone number) in a request for a connection to a destination; providing a code via the reference in response to the request; receiving a code to confirm the request; determining whether the received code matches the provided code; and initiating a connection via the reference for the connection to the destination if the received code matches the provided code.

Abstract: Methods and systems to facilitate real time communications and commerce via answers presented to questions. One embodiment includes one or more web servers to receive from a second user an answer to a question of a first user, and to present the answer with a communication reference of a connection provider to a third user; a session border controller of the connection provider to interface with a packet switched network; and one or more telecommunication servers of the connection provider coupled with the session border controller to connect the third user to the second user for real time communications in response to a request made via the communication referenced. One embodiment includes: receiving from a second user an answer to a question of a first user; and presenting to a third user the answer with a reference for requesting fee-based content from or real time communications with the second user.

Abstract: Methods and systems to facilitate real time communications and commerce via a social network. In one embodiment, a social network is used to provide information about an advertiser to demonstrate the trustworthiness of the advertiser to potential customers. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a request from a customer for a document; and providing the customer with an advertisement embedded in the document, the advertisement including information to identify an advertiser of the advertisement based on a social network. In one embodiment, the presentation of the advertisement or the advertiser is at least partially based on the social network. In one embodiment, communication references are provided to facilitate the requests for real time communications with a member of the social network via a connection provider, which performs scheduling, filtering, payment processing, etc. for the member of the social network.

Abstract: Systems and methods to provide anonymous communication connections between customers in different countries/regions and service providers. Different call-in references are configured for customers residing in different regions and/or having different language preferences. Different prices are computed for foreign customers based on a single price of a service provider and the call-in references used by the customers to initiate the anonymous connections to take into account of the international/long distance call charges. Currency conversion is performed based on exchange rates in backend payment management. Location information of service providers and customers is provided in a configurable way, based on preference, service category, without compromising privacy.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided to transmit advertisements to users of mobile communications networks based, at least in part, on such users' real-time geospatial location and known interests. Advertisers transmit advertisements, such as directory listings, coupons, offers and promotions to a mobile advertising service. Each advertisement is associated with at least one geospatial location and at least one category. Users of mobile communication networks submit queries, via their mobile devices, to the mobile adverting service for advertisements relevant to the users' current geospatial location and interests. Advertisements meeting query criteria are selected and transmitted to the users' mobile devices.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to receive a request from a mobile application identifying a callee and a communication reference, assign a call-in reference to the request, temporarily associate the communication reference and the call-in reference for a period of time, receive a call from a mobile device having the communication reference, authenticate the received call based on the association of the communication reference and the call-in reference, and connect the call to a callee after the call is authenticated. The assigned call-in reference may be randomly selected from a plurality of call-in references of a connection server, in response to the request that is generated when a call button in the mobile application is activated for a connection to the callee.

Abstract: Systems and methods to control web scraping through a plurality of web servers using real time access statistics are described. For example, in one embodiment a web request is categorized based at least in part on a type of data access. The web request can be processed based on threshold determinations. The processing can include blocking, delaying, timely replying, or prioritizing a response to the web request.

Abstract: A smart interactive voice response (IVR) system of the connection server configured to allow customized customer handling based on information known/gathered about individual customers. For example, based on matching the parameters of the current call from a mobile device with previous calls from the mobile device, the system may identify the identity of the caller, the identity of the callee, the language preference of the caller, the payment information for settling the cost of the current call, etc. IVR prompts can be customized based on the preference of the caller and known information about the call.

Abstract: The present disclosure describes a system and method for managing through telephony systems a customer reward system, such as, a spend and get reward system. In one embodiment, a virtual punch card (“VPC”) customer loyalty reward program system and method are managed through a telephonic communication connection provider.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to dynamically allocate location dependent telephone numbers to facilitate voice connections between people. One embodiment includes: responsive to a request from a user, selecting a telephone number from a plurality of telephone numbers of a connection server to match a location indicator of the request; embedding the telephone number in an advertisement, the telephone number to be used by the user to initiate a telephone call to the connection server for further connection to an advertiser of the advertisement; and providing the advertisement with the telephone number of the connection server as a response to the request. In one embodiment, responsive to receiving the telephone call at the telephone number of the connection server from the user, whether to play a prompt message to the user is determined based at least in part on statistic data about telephone calls collected at the connection server.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to select tracking mechanisms for the performance determination of advertisements. One embodiment includes: selecting one reference type from a plurality of reference types; and determining a reference of the selected type, the reference to be embedded in an advertisement to count communication leads generated from the advertisement. In one embodiment, the advertisement is to be charged according to a performance measure based on communication leads generated from the advertisement. For example, a price for the advertisement can be specified by a party for which the advertisement is to be presented. For example, the advertisement can be charged in response to a voice communication responding to the advertisement. In one embodiment, the plurality of reference types correspond to different mechanisms to track communication leads generated from the advertisement.

Abstract: A description of a user is estimated based on the context of the user's travel pattern. A disclosed data-processing system continually receives data points originating from the user's cell phone, for example, wherein each data point represents a visit by the user to a particular geolocation, at a particular time. The system then partitions the received data points into groups, wherein the groups represent the different places that the user has visited. The system counts how many data points are in each group. Based on the number of data points in each group, as well as the number of groups, the system then determines the entropy of the received data points that correspond to the particular user, which is also regarded as the entropy of the user's travel pattern. The data-processing system then estimates a user description for the user, based at least in part on the determined user entropy.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to present communication references to connect people for real time communications via concurrent calls. One embodiment includes: responsive to a search request, identifying information of an entity according to the search request; associating a telephonic reference with the information of the entity; providing the telephonic reference for presentation with the information of the entity to a user; and responsive to a request made via the telephonic reference for a telephonic connection between the user and the entity, initiating a plurality of concurrent calls to a plurality of telephonic references of the entity or a plurality of concurrent calls to a plurality of telephonic references of the user.