Automated system and method for dynamic number provisioning and conversion attribution tracking

Abstract

A computing system for managing and tracking phone number usage conveyed by various digital marketing materials is described. The computing system features a processor communicatively coupled to a non-transitory storage medium. The non-transitory storage medium features logic configured to provision contact information, in real time as a substitute for a phone number present on a digitized marketing material, based on attributes, parameters or a combination of the attributes and the parameters included within a provisioning request received by the computing system. The contact information corresponds to a dynamically provisioned phone number for conversion attribution or channel or touch point attribution.

Description

AUTOMATED SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DYNAMIC NUMBER PROVISIONING AND CONVERSION ATTRIBUTION TRACKINGCROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[OOOlJThis application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 428,843, filed January 31, 2024; the entirety of each of which is incorporated herein by reference.FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the disclosure relate to the field of networking. More specifically, one aspect of the disclosure relates to a system and a method for automatically and dynamically provisioning data for conversion attribution and interaction tracking through an automated and global phone number replacement process.GENERAL BACKGROUND

[0003] In traditional marketing and advertising practices, businesses tend to display phone numbers in digitized marketing materials as contact points to purchase marketed goods or services (referred to as “impression”) and have attempted to track which phone calls were initiated the impressions (referred to as “conversions”). Examples of digitized marketing materials may include, but are not limited or restricted to the following: advertisements, preferred placements, sponsorships, billboards, banner ads, consumer websites, or landing pages. However, for years, businesses have recognized a number of challenges associated with managing and tracking phone calls to measure conversions from the digitized marketing materials, especially in the context of marketing campaigns.

[0004] Firstly, for tracking phone number usage, businesses currently maintain a large phone number pool (e.g., a collection of tens or hundreds of active phone numbers). However, phone number pools used in traditional marketing and advertising practices are costly to support as businesses typically incur costs for each phone number in the pool regardless of whether or not the phone number is being used or not. As a result, a greater amount of overhead expenses are incurred independent of actual utilization of the phone numbers. Moreover, it is extremely difficult to accurately conduct and track both attribute conversions and consumer interactions to specific marketing channels or campaigns through conventional phone number pools.

[0005] Stated differently, from phone number usage, businesses tend to struggle as to how to determine which digitized marketing materials or marketing efforts are driving conversions and which ones are less effective. For instance, conversion tracking mechanisms offered by phone number pools are ineffective, as they rely on conversions that occur concurrently with consumer interaction. When there is a time gap between the initial interaction with an advertisement that initiated the conversion and the actual conversion, businesses struggle to associate which advertisement and / or which advertising or marketing channel played a role in driving that conversion.

[0006] In fact, the existing technology lacks efficient mechanisms to dynamically provision phone numbers, track conversion attribution accurately, track channel attribution accurately, capture and analyze user interactions, and provide easy customization options. Manual integration processes and limited tracking capabilities can hinder businesses' ability to measure the success of their marketing efforts accurately. This leads to inefficiencies, increased costs, and missed opportunities for optimization.

[0007] Secondly, in traditional marketing and advertising practices, it is extremely challenging to change phone numbers across various digitized marketing materials and track conversions associated with these changed numbers. In fact, phone number changes are incapable of being managed in real-time. This lack of flexibility hinders a business' ability to quickly change their marketing needs or optimize campaigns on the fly.

[0008] Lastly, businesses tend to utilize multiple phone number vendors, secure phone numbers for marketing purposes, and manage databases and / or Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for different use cases. This utilization and management can be a cumbersome and time-consuming process, as it requires businesses to establish relationships with vendors, set-up infrastructure, and maintain complex integrations, which has led to increased costs and potential technical issues.

[0009] In response to these challenges and limitations, a system is needed to provide a comprehensive solution that addresses the need for dynamic number provisioning, conversion attribution tracking, interaction tracking, and / or global replacement of phone numbers in response to consumer interaction with digital marketing material including the dynamic number. By deploying a system that eliminates the need for complex integrationsand management, marketing campaigns may become more effective and more efficient with respect to costs and resource usage.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS[OOlOJEmbodiments of the disclosure are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements and in which:[0011JFIG. 1 is an exemplary embodiment of a computing device operating as a dynamic number provisioning system (DNPS) in communication with a plurality of computing devices hosting transformation scripts to support phone number provisioning and deprovisioning.[0012JFIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of logic associated with a transformation script of FIG. 1.[0013JFIG. 3 is a flowchart diagram of exemplary operations of the RTN detection logic of the transformation script of FIG. 2.[0014JFIG. 4 is an exemplary embodiment of a logical representation of components included within the DNPS logic of FIG. 1 that control provisioning, de-provisioning, and management of dynamically provisioned CTNs.[0015JFIG. 5 is an exemplary block diagram of the DNPS REST services as well as the internal data store of FIG. 4 is shown[0016JFIG. 6 is an exemplary workflow of the dynamic provisioning operations conducted by the DNPS system logic of FIGS. 4-5.[0017JFIG. 7 is an exemplary workflow of call convention attribution conducted by the DNPS system logic of FIGS. 4-5.[0018JFIG. 8 is an exemplary workflow of channel touchpoint attribution conducted by the DNPS system logic of FIGS. 4-5.[0019JFIG. 9 is a workflow diagram of exemplary operations of the global replacement logic deployed within the transformation script of FIG. 3.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Various embodiments of the disclosure are directed to a dynamic number provisioning system (DNPS) with logic configured to manage and track phone number usage conveyed by various digitized marketing materials. Adapted to be vendor agnostic, the DNPS is configured to support real-time, dynamic provisioning (and de-provisioning) of phone numbers, conversion attribution tracking, channel attribution tracking, interaction tracking, and / or global replacement of traditional contact information, such as phone numbers (sometimes referred to as “Ring To Numbers” or “RTNs”) for example, with provisioned contact information such as phone numbers (hereinafter, “call tracking numbers” or “CTNs”) based on attributes and / or parameters.

[0021] In contrast to traditional marketing systems, the DNPS includes CTNs based on marketing needs and / or business use cases, and thus, the DNPS is configured to eliminate the need for businesses to maintain a large pool of phone numbers (z.e., RTN pools) when attempts to track conversion attribution and consumer interaction. Instead, the DNPS is configured to provision a unique number (CTN) in real-time as a substitute for a RTN present on a digitized marketing material, where the CTN is assigned and mapped to the RTN based on attributes and / or parameters included in the CTN provisioning request. These attributes may constitute one or more criterion of a marketing campaign or business usage including, but not limited or restricted to a location identifier, web page identifier, page uniform resource locator (URL), time of day, call source identifier, subscription identifier, or any combination thereof. The parameters may constitute contextual data that identifies a source computing device, a marketing campaign, a medium of transmission associated with the marketing campaign, or the like.

[0022] For some embodiments, each CTN constitutes a dynamically provisioned phone number assigned to specific digitized marketing material and / or standard Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) parameters for conversion attribution and channel / touch point attribution as described below. By streamlining the management and tracking of phone numbers, the DNPS aims to improve marketing campaign effectiveness, optimize conversion, and enhance overall efficiency in the industry. Also, by provisioning CTNs on-demand, the DNPS optimizes cost efficiency by allocating resources efficiently based on the actual demand and utilization. This approach helps businesses minimize expenses and ensuresthat they only pay for the phone numbers that are actively used in their marketing campaigns or consumer interactions.

[0023] The described system offers several significant improvements over conventional technology by providing a vendor agnostic solution with dynamic phone number (CTN) provisioning and de-provisioning, conversion attribution tracking, channel attribution tracking, interaction tracking, and / or global replacement. As a vendor agnostic solution, the DNPS may leverage support from multiple CTN vendors to optimize costs. More specifically, by leveraging different CTN vendors based on their pricing and offerings, businesses may negotiate competitive pricing and contract terms to achieve lower costs for different types of CTNs, such as local phone numbers or toll-free phone numbers to be associated with specific digitized marketing material for example, to reduce overall system costs. Additionally, a vendor agnostic system empowers businesses to choose the CTN vendor or vendors based on pricing, service quality, coverage, and / or other features to select the most suitable CTN vendors for different types of CTNs (e.g., first CTN vendor for CTNs representing local phone numbers, a second CTN vendor for CTNs representing toll- free phone numbers, etc.).

[0024] Also, collaborating with multiple CTN vendors also adds a layer of redundancy and reliability to the system and provides scalability options. For instance, if one CTN vendor experiences service disruptions or issues, the DNPS can seamlessly switch to another CTN vendor, ensuring uninterrupted CTN provisioning and minimizing any potential impact on consumer experience. Also, businesses can easily scale up their operations by provisioning additional CTNs from different CTN vendors to meet increasing demand. This scalability ensures that businesses can accommodate growth without limitations imposed by a single CTN vendor.

[0025] With respect to dynamic provisioning, the DNPS allows for dynamic CTN provisioning based on configurable criteria and identifiable attributes in a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) document for example. This system configuration offers flexibility and personalization. With respect to flexibility, businesses can manage and track CTNs in real-time, accommodating different marketing campaigns or business requirements. Also, they can easily assign specific CTNs based on various criteria, such as generating CTNs for given sponsorship, advertisement, website, landing page etc. With respect to personalization, by dynamically assigning CTNs, businesses can personalizetheir interactions with consumers, providing a tailored experience based on specific attributes or criteria.

[0026] The DNPS deploys logic to perform conversion attribution tracking, which enables businesses to accurately attribute credit to different marketing channels or touch-points contributing to conversions. This feature provides granular insight, where businesses gain in-depth insights into making informed decisions about resource allocation, campaign optimization, and strategic planning with respect to digitized marketing materials. By understanding which channels are driving conversions and generating the best return on investment (ROI), the impact and effectiveness of marketing initiatives is optimized. Conversion attribution tracking also enables businesses to quantify the impact of their advertising efforts accurately, leading to better evaluation and optimization of marketing campaigns.

[0027] The DNPS further deploys logic to perform interaction tracking. More specifically, the DNPS is configured to capture and track consumer interactions with the dynamically provisioned CTNs, which enables businesses to analyze consumer engagement and its impact on conversions. This feature offers a number of advantages. For instance, it provides insightful analytics as to user behavior, namely an understanding as to how consumers engage with their marketing channels and optimize campaigns accordingly. By analyzing user interactions, businesses can identify bottlenecks or areas for improvement in their conversion funnel, leading to targeted optimizations that increase conversion rates and overall campaign effectiveness.

[0028] The system's global replacement feature replaces existing phone numbers found on the website with dynamically provisioned CTNs after consumer interaction with an advertisement. The global replacement feature provides a number of advantages, including accurate attribution. By replacing phone numbers, the system ensures that conversions can be attributed to the respective advertisements, even if the consumer contacts the client at a later stage. This allows businesses to accurately track the impact of specific advertisements on consumer behavior and measure the success of their campaigns. Also, global replacement provides a seamless user experience through consistent replacement of phone numbers with CTNs throughout the website, creating a seamless user experience and reducing confusion for consumers who may have initially interacted with specific advertisements.

[0029] The DNPS is also configured to de-provision CTNs, namely releasing or removing CTNs from active usage. This can occur when the DNPS determines that a CTN is no longer needed or utilized. Reasons for de-provisioning may include situations where the CTN has not received any impressions by a consumer such as no views of the digitized marketing material inclusive of the CTN for a first period of time and / or no calls associated with the CTN have been made for a second period of time. Automated de-provisioning achieves cost reduction, especially where CTNs are typically associated with costs, either as recurring fees or pay-per-usage charges. By de-provisioning CTNs that are not actively utilized or associated with advertisements that are not shown, the system can reduce expenses by eliminating the ongoing costs of maintaining those numbers.I. TERMINOLOGY

[0030] In the following description, certain terminology is used to describe aspects of the invention. For example, in certain situations, the terms “logic” and “component” is representative of hardware, firmware, and / or software that is configured to perform one or more functions. As hardware, logic (or component) may include circuitry having data processing or storage functionality. Examples of such circuitry may include, but are not limited or restricted to, a hardware processor (e.g., a microprocessor with one or more processor cores, a digital signal processor, a programmable gate array, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit “ASIC,” etc.), a semiconductor memory, or combinatorial elements.

[0031] Alternatively, logic and “component” may be software, such as executable code in the form of an executable application, an Application Programming Interface (API), a subroutine, a function, a procedure, an applet, a servlet, a routine, source code, object code, a shared library / dynamic library, or one or more instructions. The software may be stored in any type of a suitable non-transitory storage medium or transitory storage medium (e.g., electrical, optical, acoustical, or other forms of propagated signals such as carrier waves, infrared signals, or digital signals). Examples of the non-transitory storage medium may include, but are not limited or restricted to, a programmable circuit; semiconductor memory; non-persistent storage such as volatile memory (e.g., any type of random-access memory “RAM”); or persistent storage such as non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory “ROM,” power-backed RAM, flash memory, phase-change memory, etc.), a solid-state drive, hard disk drive, an optical disc drive, or a portable memory device. As firmware, the executable code may be stored in persistent storage.

[0032] The term “computing device” may be construed as a physical or logical device with the data processing capability and / or a capability of connecting to any type of network, such as a public network (e.g., Internet), a private network (e.g., a wireless data telecommunication network, a local area network “LAN,” etc.), or a combination of networks. Examples of a computing device may include, but are not limited or restricted to, the following: a physical or virtual server, an endpoint device (e.g., a laptop computer, a smartphone, a tablet, a desktop computer, a netbook, chromebook, or any general -purpose or special-purpose, user-controlled electronic device); a mainframe; a physical or virtual router; or the like.

[0033] The term “interconnect” generally refers to a physical or logical communication link (or path) between two or more network devices. For example, as a physical communication path, wired and / or wireless interconnects in the form of electrical wiring, optical fiber, cable, bus trace, or a wireless channel using infrared, radio frequency (RF), may be used. As a logical communication path, the interconnect may simply constitute a communication interface (e.g., API, etc.) or any logical pathway that allows for messages to be exchanged between two components.[0034JA “ conversion” may be construed as an action undertaken by a potential consumer that is deemed valuable to a business action and is necessitated by digitized marketing material. The conversion may include a sale of a product or service presented within the digitalized marketing material or an impression (or interaction) with the digitized marketing material. For example, the conversion may include a sale of a product or service presented within the digitalized marketing material, a “click” to an advertisement or view of video data associated with an advertised product or service, calling the business to purchase or receive further information associated with the product or service, a submission of contact information that constitutes a “lead” for a potential sale of the product or service, or the like.[0035JA “ call tracking number” or “CTN” may be construed as a unique number dynamically provisioned by a third-party vendor in response to a request and associated with selected data for conversion attribution such as placement attribution and / or channel(or touchpoint) attribution. For example, the CTN may be associated with a specific digitized marketing material made available to consumers or may be associated with one or more UTM parameters for more precise channel attribution.[0036JA “ring to number” or “RTN” may be construed as a traditional phone number prior to dynamic provisioning for substitution with a CTN.[0037JA “message” may be generally construed as information transmitted as one or more electrical signals that collectively represent data in a prescribed format. Each message features a data structure, as these messages may take the form of one or more packets, frames, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)-based transmissions, function call, or any other data exchange having the prescribed format.

[0038] The term “computerized” generally represents that any corresponding operations are conducted by hardware in combination with software and / or firmware.

[0039] Lastly, the terms “or” and “and / or” as used herein are to be interpreted as inclusive or meaning any one or any combination. Therefore, “A, B, or C” or “A, B, and / or C” mean “any of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B, and C.” An exception to this definition will occur only when a combination of elements, functions, steps, or acts are in some way inherently mutually exclusive.II. GENERAL EMBODIMENT - DYNAMIC NUMBER PRO VI SIGNING SYSTEM (DNP S)

[0040] Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary embodiment of a host computing device 100 is shown. The host computing device 100 is configured to operate as a dynamic number provisioning (DNP) system in communication with a plurality of client computing devices 1 10I-1 10N (N>1). AS shown, for this embodiment, the host computing device 100 features one or more processors 130 (hereinafter, “processor”), a non-transitory storage medium 140, a network interface 150, and an interconnect 160 that supports communications between the processor 130, the non-transitory storage medium 140, and the network interface 150. Herein, the interconnect 160 may be deployed as a physical interconnect (e.g., a data communication pathway formed by wire(s), bus trace(s), fiber optics, layered semiconductor materials, wireless transceivers, etc.) or as a logical interconnect (e.g., API or another type of logical interface, etc.) through which messages are provided between logical components (e.g., virtual processor, virtual server, etc.).

[0041] The non-transitory storage medium 140 is configured to store dynamic number provisioning system (DNPS) logic 165. The DNPS logic 165, when executed by the processor 130, is configured to control dynamic provisioning / de-provisioning of the CTNs, updating CTNs, conversion attribution tracking, and / or interaction tracking. Additionally, the DNPS logic 165, when executed by the processor 130, is further configured to support communications with the client computing devices 110I-110N via the network interface 150.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 1, each of the plurality of client computing devices 1 10I-110N features one or more software applications 120I-120N, respectively. Each software applications 120i.. ., or 120N is configured to control the placement and / or display of digitized marketing material content on the client computing devices 110I-110N. AS an illustrative example, each software application 1201. . . , or 120N may correspond to (i) a web browser application that controls the rendering of web content (e.g., web page, banner ad, landing page, etc.) and / or (ii) an email management application that controls the retention and display of email messages.

[0043] As further shown in FIG. 1, according to one embodiment of the disclosure, each of the software applications 120i . . . or 120N may be loaded with a transformation script 1251. . . or 125N, which analyzes HTML documents used in formatting and displaying a web page or email message featuring digitized marketing material (hereinafter, “HTML advertising document”). As an illustrative embodiment, each transformation script (e.g., transformation script 125i) analyzes HTML advertising documents for the presence of one or more traditional phone numbers (RTNs). Upon detecting one or more RTNs, the transformation script is configured to initiate call tracking number (CTN) provisioning based on configurable criteria such as attributes pertaining the digitized marketing material captured from the HTML advertising document and / or standard UTM parameters captured from a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) pertaining to traffic including the digitized marketing material. Additionally, the transformation script 1251 is configured to manage global replacement of one or more traditional phone numbers (RTNs) located in the HTML advertising documents with corresponding CTN(s).

[0044] Referring now to FIG. 2, an exemplary embodiment of logic associated with a transformation script (e.g., transformation script 125i) operating in conjunction with the DNPS logic 165 of FIG. 1 (collectively referred to as “DNPS system logic”) is shown. Thetransformation script 125i includes RTN detection logic 210, local storage / cookie management logic 215, DNPS communication logic 220, interaction tracking logic 225, impression tracking logic 230, channel attribution tracking logic 235, and global replacement logic 240. Herein the RTN detection logic 210 is configured to scan a Document Object Model (DOM) associated with the HTML advertising document pertaining to the digitized marketing material. The scan is conducted to determine whether particular nodes within a logical tree-structure of the DOM includes contact information such as a phone number (RTN).

[0045] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the RTN detection logic 210 of FIG. 2 scans a DOM representing the HTML advertising document under analysis for content associated with a phone number (RTN). The DOM features a head element and a body element, where the body element features a plurality of nodes such as different types of child nodes such as a first type child node that includes text information and / or a second type of child node that includes attributes for example. Starting at the body element, an iterative determination is made whether the body element features a node awaiting analysis that includes one or more text child nodes and / or one or more attribute child nodes (block 300 and 310). If not, the DOM analysis has concluded (block 320). If so, the RTN detection logic 210 is configured to conduct an analysis to determine whether the text / attribute child node includes a value that matches a phone number (blocks 330 and 340). This analysis may be conducted by performing a regular expression (regex) comparison, where the RTN is detected when the regex comparison is successful (i.e., return ‘TRUE’).

[0046] In response to detecting the RTN, the content within the text / attribute node (or location of the text / attribute node) is stored within a data store that may be accessed by the global replacement logic 240 of FIG. 2 (block 350). This DOM analysis continues iteratively until no further nodes include any child nodes (blocks 360-370).

[0047] Referring back to FIG. 2, upon detecting a RTN within the HTML advertising document for replacement, as an optional operational scheme, the RTN detection logic 210 may be configured to issue a request for a CTN as substitution content for the RTN to the local storage / cookie management logic 215. The request may identify the RTN to enable the local storage / cookie management logic 215 to determine whether the CTN for the identified RTN is stored within a cookie in order to reduce traffic to DNPS logic 165.Alternatively, the request may include attributes / UTM parameters from which the CTN, if stored as part of the cookie memory, would be based.

[0048] Upon determining that the CTN for the identified RTN is stored within a cookie, the local storage / cookie management logic 215 returns the CTN to a data store accessible by the global replacement logic 240. The global replacement logic 240 is configured to substitute the CTN for the RTN within the HTML advertising document associated with the digitized marketing material. The substitution may be in response to a triggering event such as a consumer interacting with the digital marketing material (e.g., single “click” event, “double click” event, “hovering” cursor, etc.). Otherwise, the RTN detection logic 210 is configured to gather, by scanning of the DOM, attributes associated the digital marketing material and / or parameters that may be associated with a marketing campaign or channel and providing a request (REQ) message 170 to the host computing device 100 as described below.

[0049] As further shown in FIG. 2, the interaction tracking logic 225 is configured to locally monitor for interaction events associated with the CTN substituted for a detected phone number. The monitored interaction events may include actions that are deemed as views by a consumer such as a consumer interaction event such as a “single click” or “double-click,” a “hovering” event e.g., cursor is positioned above a display region associated with the CTN or the digitized marketing materials) or other monitored events over the detected phone number. The CTN identifier, along with the day / time of the interaction event and an identifier of the consumer (e.g., IP address, provided contact information, etc.), are captured by the interaction tracking logic 225.

[0050] Also, the impression tracking logic 230 is configured to locally monitor for impression events, namely events that represent operations by the software (web) application directed to publicize the CTN. For example, an impression event may represent a number of times that the CTN is displayed over a prescribed period of time along with the number of views of or calls involving the CTN by a consumer.

[0051] The channel attribution tracking logic 235 is configured to locally monitor and inspect UTM parameters included with traffic coming into one of the software application 120I-120N. The UTM parameters provide additional granularity as to ascertain the sourceand intent associated with a digital marketing material. This additional granularity allows for clearer determination in optimizing digital marketing spend.

[0052] Referring back to FIG. 1, the processor 130 of the host computing device 100 may execute the DNPS logic 165 in order to process the REQ message 170 received from one of the transformation scripts 125I-125N (e.g., transformation script 125i) via the network interface 150. According to one embodiment of the disclosure, the REQ message 170 may include one or more attributes pertaining to the digitized marketing material and / or one or more UTM parameters. The UTM parameters are utilized during transit / display of the digitized marketing material to track effectiveness of an online marketing campaign. The attribute(s) may operate as an identifier to correlate a detected conversion to an item (e.g., RTN, digital marketing material, source computing device, URL, etc.) responsible for that conversion.

[0053] The DNPS logic 165 is configured to receive the REQ message 170 and provision a call-tracking number (CTN) for the detected RTN, where the CTN will be associated with attributes of the digitized marketing material featuring the detected RTN for conversion tracking. More specifically, in response to the REQ message 170, the DNPS logic 165, when executed by the processor 130, conducts a search of a data store 180 to uncover CTNs that are actively being used by a consumer with authorized access to the host computing device 100. This search may be conducted for attributes and / or UTM parameters that are included in the REQ message 170 and correspond to a requested CTN.

[0054] According to one embodiment of the disclosure, the data store 180 may be configured to maintain collections of data directed to different look-up functions. For instance, the data store 180 may feature a first collection of data 181 corresponding to a mapping between a provisioned CTN and its corresponding RTN (hereinafter, “CTN-RTN data store” 181). Additionally, or in the alternative, the data store 180 may feature a second collection of data 182 corresponding to a mapping between a RTN and its configurable criteria (e.g., attributes and / or UTM parameters) for usage in attribution computations (hereinafter, “CTN attribute data store” 182). Other collections of data may include, but are not limited or restricted to (i) a third collection of data 183 including all provisioned CTNs, (ii) a fourth collection of data 184 including all REQ messages and the content associated with these messages, (iii) a fifth collection of data 185 including impressions on variousCTNs by device and / or user information, and / or (iv) a sixth collection of data 186 including information needed to interact with vendor systems for provisioning CTNs.

[0055] Upon confirmation by the DNPS logic 165 that the CTN associated with the attributes and / or UTM parameters set forth in the REQ message 170 is active and maintained in the data store 180, the host computing device 100 returns a Response (RSP) message 172, including the stored CTN, to the requesting transformation script 1251. In the event that the CTN is not contained in the data store 180, the DNP logic 165 is configured to initiate a second request (REQ CTN) message 190 to one or more CTN vendors to retrieve a CTN therefrom. The CTN, included as part of a return (RTN) message 192 from the CTN vendor, is provided to the requesting transformation script 1251 via the RSP message 172.

[0056] In addition to receiving signaling for CTN provisioning, the network interface 150 may be configured to receive signaling for de-provisioning a CTN considered to be in an inactive state. An “inactive state” constitutes a state of usage in which there have been no impressions (e.g., views, calls, or other interactions) associated with CTN for at least a first prescribed period of time or no received calls using the CTN for at least a second prescribed period of time. The first and second prescribed period of times may be of the same duration or different durations when usage inactivity within the digitized marketing material has more weighting (and a shorter duration of acceptance) than usage of the CTN. The network interface 150 is further configured to provide access to administrators to update content within the data store 180 incorporated as part of the host computing device 100 or remotely located and accessible via the host computing device 100 and / or content within the DNP logic 165.

[0057] Referring now to FIG. 4, an exemplary embodiment of a logical representation of the DNPS logic 165 of FIG. 1 is shown. The DNPS logic 165 includes DNPS Representational State Transfer (REST) services 400, call details aggregation logic 420, and CTN de-provisioning logic 430. With access to content within the data store 180, the DNPS REST services 400 are lightweight, scalable services configured to enable communications with the transformation scripts 125I-125N and provide these transformation scripts 125I-125N with access to logic that controls CTN provisioning services 402, CTN management services 404, CTN activity monitoring services 406, and / or reporting services 408. As shown, the DNPS REST services 400 are communicativelycoupled to (i) a vendor API 410 for dynamically provisioning of a CTN from a CTN vendor (e.g., vendor authorized to issue phone number) and (iii) an administrative portal 440 that allows administrator control portions of the DNP logic 165 and / or content within the data store 180.

[0058] Herein, according to one embodiment of the disclosure, each transformation script 125i. . . or 125N (e.g, transformation script 125]) may be adapted to conduct analyses of HTML advertising documents associated with web pages generated by the software (web) application 120i, especially HTML advertising documents including content operating as digitized marketing material. More specifically, the transformation script 1251 is configured to conduct analyses of a HTML advertising document to determine whether certain contact information is included therein. The contact information may include a phone number (RTN) that is rendered within digitalized marketing material displayed as part of a web page and produced from the HTML advertising document. In response to detecting that the web application 120i is to render contact information being monitored (e.g., RTN) and there is no local storage of a substitute CTN for that detected phone number, the transformation script 125i generates the REQ message 170, which includes selected attributes to operate as a key for tracking conversions associated with the phone numbers and its associated digitized marketing material.

[0059] According to one embodiment of the disclosure, the REQ message 170 may include attributes 450 that operate as identifiers for the digitized marketing material (and / or web page including the digitized marketing material) and the RTN included as part of that digitized marketing material. According to one illustrated example, obtained from a scan of the HTML advertising document associated with the digitized marketing material, the attributes 450 may include driver information 452 representing a location identifier of the detected RTN to be swapped with the CTN, such as an advertisement identifier, a web page identifier, a web page URL (uniform resource locator), or the like. The attributes 450 may further include a value 454 associated with driver information 452 to assist in conversion and / or interaction attributions. A non-exhaustive and illustrative listing of the attributes 450, inclusive of the driver information 452 and the value 454, is shown in Table A below.TABLE A

[0060] Additionally, or as an alternative to the attributes 450, the REQ message 170 may include the RTNs (included as part of that digitized marketing material) and the parameters 456 (e.g., UTM parameters) that operate to identify sources, channels and / or advertisement campaigns associated with the digitized marketing material (and / or web page including the digitized marketing material). According to one illustrative example, the UTM parameters 456 may include source information representing an identifier for the marketing campaign, a medium pertaining to the digitized marketing material, a type of digitized marketing material (e.g., banner ad, link, etc.), source of the traffic including the digital marketing material, or the like. A non-exhaustive and illustrative listing of the UTM parameters 456 is shown in Table B below.TABLE B

[0061] The DNPS REST services 400, upon receipt of the REQ message 170, may be configured to access the CTN attribute data store 182 to determine whether an CTN associated with the attributes 450 and / or parameters 456 (hereinafter, “attributes / parameters 450 / 456”) included as part of the REQ message 170 (hereinafter, “requested CTN”) is actively in use. The CTN attribute data store 182 may be implemented as part of the data store 180 when deployed as local storage or operating as a separate data store within the data store is deployed remotely from the host computing device 100.

[0062] If the CTN associated with the detected RTN is included within the CTN attribute data store 182, the DNPS REST services 400 is configured to include the CTN 460 as part of the RSP message 172. The CTN may be extracted from the CTN-RTN data store 181 or the CTN attribute data store 182 for example. If not, the DNPS REST services 400 generates a CTN request message 470 (hereinafter, “CTN REQ message”) and provides the CTN REQ message 470 to a vendor via an API 410. The CTN REQ message 470 may include some or all of the attributes / parameters 450 / 456 provided in the REQ message 170 along with a message identifier 472 to assist in mapping of the provided CTN to the attributes / parameters 450 / 456 included within the CTN attribute data store 182.

[0063] Responsive to the CTN REQ message 470, the call details aggregation logic 420 is configured to receive a CTN 422 issued by the vendor. The call details generation logic 420 is further configured to obtain (pull) or receive (push) call information 424 associated with connected calls utilizing the CTN 422, where the pull / push may be vendor specific. For instance, the call information 424 may include, but is not limited or restricted to (i) the start time 425 of the connected call, the end time 426 of the connected call, a duration 427 of the connected call, a phone number 428 for an originator of the connected call, a geographic location 429 of the originator of the connected call, and / or other call characteristics and details may be downloaded and positioned and placed into the data store180.

[0064] As further shown in FIG. 4, the CTN de-provisioning logic 430 is configured to monitor all CTNs with respect to impressions (e.g., actions deemed to be views by consumer such as clicks, mouse hovering over a region of the web page associated with the contact information, web page accesses, etc.). In response to the number of impressions for a CTN falling before a first threshold (e.g., “X” interactions over a first time period such as one or more days), the CTN de-provisioning logic 430 may be configured to de-provision the CTN by initiating a message 432 to the DNPS REST services 400. The message 432 is configured to de-provision (i.e., inactivate) the CTN by deleting an entry associated with the CTN from the data store 180 (e.g., CTN-RTN data store 181, CTN attribute data store181, etc.) and initiate a message 434 to the CTN vendor via the CTN API 410 to discontinue usage of the CTN. This automated process optimizes cost savings by retaining CTNs that are being used.

[0065] Additionally, or in the alternative, the CTN de-provisioning logic 430 may be configured to monitor all CTNs with respect to call activity (e.g., number of attempted or connected calls initiated to the CTN). In response to the call activity for the CTN falling below a second threshold (e.g., “Y” calls over a second time period, where Y > X or Y < X), the CTN de-provisioning logic 430 may be further configured to de-provision the CTN by initiating the message 432 to the DNPS REST services 400

[0066] Referring still to FIG. 4, the DNPS logic 165 is communicatively coupled to the administrative portal 440, which is configured to allow a CTN administrator to access the DNPS REST services 400. With such access, the CTN administrator may alter content within the data store 180 as well as modify operability of the DNPS REST services 400.

[0067] Referring now to FIG. 5, an exemplary block diagram of the DNPS REST services 400 as well as the internal data store 180 of FIG. 4 is shown. Herein, the DNPS REST services 400 features a plurality' of service layers including a first service layer 510 and a second service layer 515. The first service layer 510 operates as an API by providing an interface for components within the second service layer 515 to receive request messages from and returning data to a transformation script (e.g., transformation script 125i). The components within the second sendee layer 515 are configured to provide services that include, but are not limited or restricted to the CTN provisioning services 402 (ii) CTN management services 404 (e.g., update, de-provisioning, etc.), (iii) CTN activity monitoring services 406, and / or (iv) reporting services 408.

[0068] More specifically, the second service layer 510 includes CTN provisioning services 402 represented by Get CTN logic 520 and Provision CTN logic 530. Herein, the Get CTN logic 520 is adapted to determine whether the CTN, requested by the transformation script 125i using the REQ message 170, is currently active. This determination may be accomplished by conducting an analysis of the CTN attribute data store 182 to determine whether a CTN pertains to attributes / parameters 450 / 456 recovered from the REQ message 170. Alternatively, this determination may be accomplished by conducting analyses of (i) the CTN-RTN data store 181 to determine whether a CTN pertains to the RTN detected within the analyzed HTML advertising document and included in the REQ message 170 along with (ii) the presence of attributes associated with the CTN. Additionally, the Get CTN logic 520 is adapted to generate the CTN REQ message 470 to the CTN API 410 of FIG. 4 in the event that a desired CTN, corresponding to the attributes / parameters 450 / 456associated with the HTML advertising document analyzed by the transformation script 125i, has not been assigned.

[0069] The Provision CTN logic 530 is adapted to perform similar operations as the Get CTN logic 520. More specifically, the Provision CTN logic 530 is adapted to obtain CTNs requested by other systems to provision CTNs with a longer time span, namely CTNs with a longer life cycle than the CTNs obtained through the Get CTN logic 520, to substitute for one or more RTNs presented in HTML advertising document under analysis. More specifically, the Provision CTN logic 530 is utilized to obtain a CTN that will be active for a long duration (e.g., 3 months or more). Examples of the types of CTNs may include, but are not limited or restricted to a CTN that will be used for a set time period (e.g., Holiday season, contracted series of months, etc.). As a result, the CTN acquired via the Provision CTN logic 530 are CTNs that are to remain active independent of prolonged non-use, in contrast to the CTNs assigned by the Get CTN logic 520 that may be de-provisioned based on prolonged non-use.

[0070] The second service layer 515 further includes CTN management services 404 represented by Update CTN logic 540 and Delete CTN logic 550. Herein, the Update CTN logic 540 is configured to allow for updates of a stored CTN and its related attributes or (UTM) parameters after provisioning of the CTN through the Get CTN logic 520 and / or the Provision CTN logic 530. More specifically, accessible via the administrative portal 440, the Update CTN logic 540 is configured, based on administrative input, to update the CTN and its related attributes and / or parameters post provisioning (i.e., after provisioning by Get CTN logic 520 or Provision CTN logic 530). This allows for more detailed management of the CTNs. Similarly, the Delete CTN logic 550 is adapted to enable administrators or the system itself to automatically de-provision (e.g., delete, etc.) certain CTNs through the CTN de-provisioning logic 430 of FIG. 4, especially where the consumer cancels a subscription to access the host computing device 100 or the subscription expires.

[0071] Additionally, the second service layer 515 includes CTN activity monitoring services represented by Ping CTN logic 560 and / or reporting services represented by Call Stats logic 570. Herein, the Ping CTN logic 560 is adapted to receive messages from the transformation scripts 125I-125N (e.g., transformation script 125i) with respect to impressions detected for a particular CTN by the impression tracking logic 230 of FIG. 2and / or interactions detected for a particular CTN by the interaction tracking logic 225. For example, the transformation script 1251 may issue a message 562 to Ping CTN logic 560, where the message 562 provides information as to impressions (or alternately perhaps impressions and interaction) pertaining to different CTNs as detected by each transformation scripts 125i . . . or 125N for use by the de-provisioning logic 430 in its deprovisioning analyses.

[0072] The Call Stats logic 570 is adapted for reporting of statistical information associated with calls directed to CTNs associated with a particular consumer to provide a comprehensive solution for managing and tracking marketing campaigns, user interactions, and conversion attribution with a solution that is vendor agnostic. Herein, the Call Stats logic 570 may be configured, in response to a request message 572 from a consumer, generate messages to retrieve call details associated with a particular CTN from the data store 180 as well as interactions, impressions and / or channels associated with attributions from the transformation script 125i initiating the request message 572. Collectively, the retrieved content assists the consumer in understanding the origination of certain purchases based on the digitized marketing materials used on a marketing campaign.

[0073] Referring to FIG. 6, an exemplary workflow of the dynamic provisioning operations conducted by the DNPS system logic of FIGS. 4-5 is shown. Herein, the dynamic number provisioning is based on configurable criteria such as attributes and / or (UTM) parameters as described above. The transformation scripts of the DNPS system logic conducts a scanning operation of the DOM for selective attributes that will be utilized to create the CTN (block 600). After deduplicating any duplicative nodes in the DOM with the same attributes (block 610), the transformation script checks for CTNs with these attributes in cookie memory (block 620). If found, the RTN detected by the transformation script is substituted with the CTN (block 630). If not, the transformation script generates an API request (REQ) message with the selective attributes included in the payload of the message (block 640). The API REQ message is transmitted as a call to the Get CTN logic to provision a new CTN dynamically based on locally stored CTNs that are active and / or acquisition of a new CTN through a CTN vendor (block 650).

[0074] Upon receipt of the new CTN from the DNP logic located in the host computing device, the RTN in the DOM is substituted for the CTN that was newly acquired (block660). Thereafter, the RTN and the newly acquired CTN are mapped and stored in cookie memory for subsequent use on a temporal basis (block 670).

[0075] Referring now to FIG. 7, an exemplary workflow of call convention attribution conducted by the DNPS system logic of FIGS. 4-5 is shown. Herein, placement attribution is performed by generating a unique CTN dynamically using selected attributes associated with an HTML document including digital marketing material under analysis. In contrast, channel, or touchpoint attribution for use in determining channels or origins of marketing material is performed by generating unique CTN dynamically using selected UTM parameters. As a result, subsequent impressions and interactions associated with a specific CTN can be attributed accurately to a particular preferred placement or particular marketing campaign or channel.

[0076] As shown, digitized marketing materials 700 may be analyzed. These digitized marketing materials may include sponsorship 710, advertisement or banner ad 711, widgets 712, lander page 713, search engine marketing (SEM) campaign 714, profile 715, website 716, email 717, or the like. The identifiers associated with these digitized marketing materials such as a sponsorship ID 720, for example, is provided so that the CTNs are dynamically provisioned for each identifier whether it be one or more attributes or one or more UTM parameters. In response to calls 735 from a consumer 730 using the provisioned CTN 740, the calls are forwarded using the RTN 750, but the call details 755 associated with the CTN are provided to the Call Stats logic 570 of FIG. 5, which creates a call report 760. The call report 760 includes generated calls attributed back to the identifiers, namely, the attribute(s) or UTM parameter(s) using the unique CTN as a link to track the call back to the particular digitized marketing material or a campaign or traffic channel associated with that digitized marketing material.

[0077] Referring to FIG. 8, an exemplary workflow of channel touchpoint attribution conducted by the DNPS system logic of FIGS. 4-5 is shown. Herein, the transformation script scans the DOM associated with the HTML document pertaining to the digitized marketing material for selective attributes, where one of the attributes that drives channel attribution is referred to as the “CTN vary by” parameter. Hence, the DOM is scanned for the CTN vary by criteria (block 800). Thereafter a determination is made whether a CTN exists for the provided CTN vary by criteria (block 810). If not, CTN(s) is(are) dynamically provisioned for the provided CTN vary by criteria (block 820). However, if a CTN existsfor a particular CTN vary by parameter or a set of UTM parameters, the RTN associated with those parameters is replaced with the CTN in order to provide better tracking of the marketing channels and marketing campaigns (block 830).

[0078] Referring now to FIG. 9, a workflow diagram of exemplary operations of the global replacement logic deployed within the transformation script of FIG. 3 is shown. Herein, a consumer 900 interacts with the digitized marketing material such as an advertisement or a sponsorship presented on a web page (operation 910). This interaction constitutes a trigger event that initiates a global replacement process to substitute RTNs within the digitized marketing material with the CTN (operation 920). The interaction may be stored in ephemeral memory and the CTN replaces the RTN globally throughout the entire digitized marketing material (operations 930 and 940).

[0079] As an illustrative example, on a web page load, the DNPS system logic scans the DOM and processes all the elements which have targeted attributes and sets up the trigger event to be a user interaction such as a click, a hover, or a double-click, for example. Once the consumer interacts with the element and triggers the global replacement process, the RTN is replaced with the associated CTN throughout the entire webpage (and perhaps website) thus attributing any conversion on the website through a call to CTN to specific advertisements to which the consumer interacts with initially on the website.

[0080] In the foregoing description, the invention is described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

ClaimsWhat is claimed is:

1. A computing system, comprising: a processor; and a non-transitory storage medium communicatively coupled to the processor, the non-transitory storage medium comprises logic configured to provision contact information, in real time as a substitute for a phone number present on a digitized marketing material, based on attributes, parameters or a combination of the attributes and the parameters included within a provisioning request received by the computing system, wherein the contact information corresponds to a dynamically provisioned phone number for conversion attribution or channel attribution.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the attributes, parameters, or the combination of the attributes and the parameters comprises one or more criterion of a marketing campaign or business usage including a location identifier, a web page identifier, a page uniform resource locator (URL), time of day, a call source identifier, or a subscription identifier.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the logic deployed within the non- transitory storage medium further includes detection logic configured to scan a Document Object Model (DOM) representing the digitized marketing material under analysis for content associated with the phone number and performing a regular expression (regex) comparison to determine whether nodes of the DOM includes values corresponding in structure to a phone number.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the logic deployed within the non- transitory storage medium further includes interaction tracking logic is configured to locally monitor for an interaction event associated with the dynamically provisioned phone number substituted for the phone number, the monitored interaction event includes an action that is deemed as a view by a consumer including a single-click event, a double-click event, or a hovering event in which a cursor controlled by the consumer is positioned above a display region associated with the dynamically provisioned phone number or the digitized marketing material.

5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the logic deployed within the non- transitory storage medium further includes impression tracking logic to locally monitor for impression events corresponding to events that represent operations by a software application directed to publicize the dynamically provisioned phone number.

6. The computing system of claim 5, wherein the impression event represents a number of times that the dynamically provisioned phone number is displayed over a prescribed period of time along with a number of views of or a number of calls involving the dynamically provisioned phone number by a consumer.

7. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the logic deployed within the non- transitory storage medium further includes channel attribution tracking logic configured to locally monitor and inspect Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) parameters to ascertain a source and intent associated with the digitized marketing material.

8. The computing system of claim 4, wherein the logic deployed within the non- transitory storage medium further includes global replacement logic configured to substitute the dynamically provisioned phone number for the phone number within an HTML advertising document associated with the digitized marketing material in response to the monitored interaction event.

9. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the logic deployed within the non- transitory storage medium further includes de-provisioning logic configured to release or remove the dynamic provisioned phone number from active usage by a consumer with access to the computing system.

10. A dynamic number provisioning system, comprising a web application including a transformation script configured to analyze a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) advertising document for presence of a phone number corresponding to a ring-to-numbers (RTN) and initiating a provisioning request including at least attributes associated with the HTML advertising document; and a representational state transfer (REST) services including a provisioning service configured to determine whether a first call tracking number (CTN) associated with at leastthe attributes associated with the HTML advertising document is currently active by being previously stored within a data store accessible by the REST services and generate a message to a vendor Application Programming Interface (API) to generate a second CTN based on one or more of the attributes in response to the first CTN is not stored in the data store.

11. The dynamic number provisioning system of claim 10 further comprising: de-provisioning logic configured to monitor a plurality of CTNs including the firstCTN or the second CTN with respect to impressions being actions deemed to be views by a consumer) and to deactivate the first CTN or the second CTN based on a number of the actions conducted over a prescribed period of time fall below a threshold.

12. A non-transitory storage medium including logic that are executable by a processor, the non-transitory storage medium comprising logic configured to provision contact information, in real time as a substitute for a phone number present on a digitized marketing material, based on attributes, parameters or a combination of the attributes and the parameters included within a provisioning request received by a computing system, wherein the contact information corresponds to a dynamically provisioned phone number for conversion attribution or channel attribution.

13. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, wherein the attributes, parameters, or the combination of the attributes and the parameters comprises one or more criterion of a marketing campaign or business usage including a location identifier, a web page identifier, a page uniform resource locator (URL), time of day, a call source identifier, or a subscription identifier.

14. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, wherein the logic further comprises detection logic configured to scan a Document Object Model (DOM) representing the digitized marketing material under analysis for content associated with the phone number and performing a regular expression (regex) comparison to determine whether nodes of the DOM include values corresponding in structure to a phone number.

15. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, wherein the logic further comprises interaction tracking logic is configured to locally monitor for an interaction eventassociated with the dynamically provisioned phone number substituted for the phone number, the monitored interaction event includes an action that is deemed as a view by a consumer including a single-click event, a double-click event, or a hovering event in which a cursor controlled by the consumer is positioned above a display region associated with the dynamically provisioned phone number or the digitized marketing material.

16. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, wherein the logic further comprises impression tracking logic to locally monitor for impression events corresponding to events that represent operations by a software application directed to publicize the dynamically provisioned phone number.

17. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, wherein the impression event represents a number of times that the dynamically provisioned phone number is displayed over a prescribed period of time along with a number of views of or a number of calls involving the dynamically provisioned phone number by a consumer.

18. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, wherein the logic further comprises channel attribution tracking logic configured to locally monitor and inspect Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) parameters to ascertain a source and intent associated with the digitized marketing material.

19. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 15, wherein the logic further comprises global replacement logic configured to substitute the dynamically provisioned phone number for the phone number within an HTML advertising document associated with the digitized marketing material in response to the monitored interaction event.

20. The non-transitory storage medium of claim 12, wherein the logic further comprises de-provisioning logic configured to release or remove the dynamic provisioned phone number from active usage by a consumer with access to the computing system.

Images