Google have dramatically entered the ring back advertising market with a patent application filed in 2009.  This application ads relevance to the market and significantly enhances the prospects for our own portfolio which is based around a US filing date of 2001 some eight years earlier than Google’s effort.

An extract and link to the article is listed below.

“The newly announced Google Voice looks like a great service that should ease your communication problems on multiple devices significantly.

And Google is already thinking of the ways of monetizing Voice. In a way it knows best – through advertising. And it just might work.

When I use my phone, there is actually one time, when I wouldn’t really mind listening to some short audio adverts. Especially if Google can make them relevant to me.

It’s that time between when I dial the number and the person I called answers the phone. Filled with those boring beeps or stupid ringback tones from the operator.

This is exactly the place where Google wants to insert their short audio advertisements, described in a patent app “Ringback  advertising”.”

Read the full article here