Method of enhancing emails with targeted ads

• US 10,007,931 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2014
• Issued: 06/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tamiras Per Pte Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Tamiras Per Pte Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Bosarge, Jason, Little, Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Alvarez, Raquel
• Application Number:
  US14/180,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20140229294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,594 Days
• Field of Search: 705 1469, 705 144, 705 1435, 705 1449, 705 1452, 705 1453, 705 1454, 705 1467, 705 1466, 705 1471, 705 1473
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A computer method and system for intercepting email messages, scanning the email messages for key words, determining whether the key words match or relate to key words determined to relate to advertising content, and enhancing the email message by routing the emails to recipients in a manner so that highly relevant, highly targeted advertising tag lines or other content are displayed together with the emails when the emails are accessed and viewed by email recipients.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

associating a keyword with an advertisement for insertion into electronic transmissions;

receiving, at a messaging server from a client computing device, an electronic transmission including information identifying a sender of the electronic transmission and message body content;

extracting, at the messaging server, the message body content from the electronic transmission;

transmitting, from the messaging server to an advertisement selection server, an advertisement request, wherein the advertisement request includes at least a portion the message body content;

selecting, at the advertisement selection server, information identifying the advertisement for insertion into the electronic transmission, said selecting based on a detection of the keyword within a portion of the message body content included in the advertisement request;

transmitting, from the advertisement selection server to the messaging server, the information identifying the advertisement;

upon receipt of the information identifying the advertisement, automatically generating and transmitting, from the messaging server, an enhanced electronic transmission to a recipient, wherein generating the enhanced electronic transmission comprises at least one of;

altering the message body content from the electronic transmission to insert at least a portion of the information identifying the advertisement into an un-used portion of the message body content; and

changing the keyword within the message body content of the enhanced electronic transmission into a hyperlink pointing to content on a network, wherein the hyperlink is generated at least in part on the information identifying the advertisement; and

upon receiving information indicating an interaction with the advertisement or the hyperlink by the recipient of the enhanced electronic transmission, initiating a payment to a user of the client computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the keyword with a second advertisement, wherein the enhanced electronic transmission further comprises the second advertisement inserted in a second un-used portion of the message body content.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

associating a first payment amount with the advertisement; and

associating a second payment amount with the second advertisement, wherein the second payment amount is less than the first payment amount, and wherein the un-used portion of the message body content for the advertisement presents the advertisement before the second un-used portion of the message body content for the second advertisement.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon receiving information indicating the interaction with the advertisement by the recipient of the enhanced electronic transmission, initiating a second payment to the recipient.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

upon receiving information indicating a second interaction with the advertisement by a second recipient of the enhanced electronic transmission, initiating a second payment to the user, wherein the second recipient is not identified in the electronic transmission transmitted from the client computing device or ready for transmission from the client computing device.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

upon receiving the information indicating the second interaction with the advertisement by the second recipient of the enhanced electronic transmission, initiating a third payment to at least one of the recipient or the second recipient.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

anonymously parsing the message body content to detect the keyword.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the message body content included in the advertising request does not include personally identifiable information of the sender or the recipient.

9. A system comprising:

a database storing an association between a keyword and an advertisement for insertion into electronic transmissions;

an advertisement server in data communication with the database and configured to;

receive, from an electronic messaging server, a request for an advertisement to be inserted into an electronic transmission;

select information identifying the advertisement for insertion into the electronic transmission, said selecting based on a detection of a keyword within at least a portion of the request; and

transmit, to the electronic messaging server, the information identifying the advertisement;

the electronic messaging server configured to;

receive the electronic transmission from a client computing device, the electronic transmission including information identifying a sender of the electronic transmission and message body content;

extract, at the messaging server, the message body content from the electronic transmission;

transmit the request including at least a portion of the message body content to the advertisement server;

receive, from the advertisement server, the information identifying advertisement for insertion into the electronic transmission;

upon receipt of the information identifying the advertisement, automatically generate and transmit an enhanced electronic transmission to a recipient, wherein generating the enhanced electronic transmission comprises;

altering the message body content from the electronic transmission to insert at least a portion of the information identifying the advertisement into an un-used portion of the message body content; and

changing the keyword within the message body content of the enhanced electronic transmission into a hyperlink pointing to content on a network, wherein the hyperlink is generated at least in part on the information identifying the advertisement; and

a networked server, configured to, upon receiving information indicating an interaction with the advertisement or the hyperlink by the recipient of the enhanced electronic transmission, initiate a payment to a user of the client computing device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the database stores a second association between the keyword and a second advertisement, wherein the electronic messaging server is further configured to receive the second advertisement for insertion into a second un-used portion of the message body content.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the database further stores a first payment amount for the advertisement, and a second payment amount for the second advertisement, wherein the second payment amount is less than the first payment amount, and wherein the electronic messaging server receives the advertisement and the second advertisement ranked by payment amount and wherein the un-used portion of the message body content for the advertisement presents the advertisement before the second un-used portion of the message body content for the second advertisement.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the networked server is further configured to, upon receiving information indicating the interaction with the advertisement by the recipient of the enhanced electronic transmission, initiating a second payment to the recipient.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the networked server is further configured to, upon receiving information indicating a second interaction with the advertisement by a second recipient of the enhanced electronic transmission, initiating a second payment to the user, wherein the second recipient is not identified in the electronic transmission transmitted from the client computing device or ready for transmission from the client computing device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the networked server is further configured to, upon receiving the information indicating the second interaction with the advertisement by the second recipient of the enhanced electronic transmission, initiating a third payment to at least one of the recipient or the second recipient.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the advertising server is configured to anonymously parse the message body content to detect the keyword.

16. A system comprising:

a data store storing specific computer-executable instructions; and

a computing device in communication with the data store, the computing device including a processor that executes the specific computer-executable instructions to cause the system to at least;

associate a keyword with an advertisement for insertion into electronic transmissions;

receive, at a messaging server from a client computing device, an electronic transmission including information identifying a sender of the electronic transmission and message body content;

extract, at the messaging server, the message body content from the electronic transmission;

transmit, from the messaging server to an advertisement selection server, an advertisement request, wherein the advertisement request includes at least a portion the message body content;

select, at the advertisement selection server, information identifying the advertisement for insertion into the electronic transmission, said selecting based on a detection of the keyword within a portion of the message body content included in the advertising request;

transmit, from the advertisement selection server to the messaging server, the information identifying the advertisement;

upon receipt of the information identifying the advertisement, automatically generate and transmit, from the messaging server, an enhanced electronic transmission, wherein generating the enhanced electronic transmission comprises at least one of;

altering the message body content from the electronic transmission to insert at least a portion of the information identifying the advertisement into an un-used portion of the message body content; and

changing the keyword within the message body content of the enhanced electronic transmission into a hyperlink pointing to content on a network, wherein the hyperlink is generated at least in part on the information identifying the advertisement; and

upon receiving information indicating an interaction with the advertisement or the hyperlink by a recipient of the enhanced electronic transmission, initiate a payment to a user of the client computing device.