TMCnet News
Local Corporation Granted U.S. Pay-Per-Call PatentIRVINE, 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 intellctual 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. About Local Corporation Local Corporation (NASDAQ:LOCM) is a leading online local media company that connects brick-and-mortar businesses with over a million online and mobile consumers each day using a variety of innovative digital marketing products. To advertise, or for more information, visit: http://www.localcorporation.com. Forward Looking Statements This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations and involve certain risks and uncertainties within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words or expressions such as "anticipate," "plan," "will," "intend," "believe" or "expect'" or variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors, some of which are beyond our control and difficult to predict and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements. Key risks are described in the filings we make with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements in this release speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statement for any reason. Unless otherwise stated, all site traffic and usage statistics are from third-party service providers engaged by the company. Traffic and our monetization of that traffic combine to determine our revenues for any given period. Our traffic volume alone for a period should not be viewed as demonstrative of our financial results for such period. *Subhead: BIA/Kelsey |
