IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Local Corporation (NASDAQ: LOCM), a leading online local media company, today announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted the company patent number 8,306,208, which covers a pay-per-call Enhanced Directory Assistance method or system. Issued on Nov. 6, 2012, the patent describes an Enhanced Directory Assistance (EDA) method and/or system whereby pay-per-call advertiser listings are provided to consumers in response to directory assistance inquiries. The company believes that the patent may cover numerous pay-per-call EDA inquiry methods, such as text and the latest voice command search integrations offered on many of today’s smartphones, as well as traditional voice-based EDA inquiries. "Borrell Associates estimates that approximately 5 billion Enhanced Directory Assistance (EDA) inquiries from mobile devices will be made in 2012, along with 1 billion more from landlines. EDA is gradually transitioning into an advertiser-pays model, with pay-per-call representing the advertising vehicle," said Heath Clarke, Local Corporation chairman and chief executive officer. “We believe this patent may represent a core intellectual property component of the emerging pay-per-call mobile ad industry because it contemplates the provision of pay-per-call ad listings in response to EDA searches. We’re pleased that this patent validates the considerable time we have spent developing our intellectual property in the area of performance advertising, including EDA.” The patent also provides a method and/or system for dynamically ordering pay-per-call directory listing results and tracking subsequent telephone referrals. EDA pay-per-call ad revenue is intended to provide additional revenue for carriers. The patent is a continuation of a patent previously issued to the company. |