Method and apparatus for presenting advertisements

• US 10,181,135 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2006
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ou, Canhui, Bridges, J. Bradley, Kalmanek, Charles R., Savoor, Raghvendra G., Greenberg, Albert G., Sposato, Stephen, Li, Zhi, Osato, Jerold, Gerber, Alexandre, Spatscheck, Oliver, Park, Sun-Uk
• Primary Examiner(s): Sorkowitz, Daniel M
• Application Number:
  US11/458,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20080033794A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,564 Days
• Field of Search: 705 14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0258 Registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A method and apparatus for presenting advertisements is disclosed. An apparatus that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a system having an inspection element that monitors packet traffic associated with an end user, and determines a behavioral profile of the end user from the monitored packet traffic, a publisher element that detects an end user visiting a website managed thereby, and generates an advertisement request associated with the website, and advertisement element that selects one or more advertisements according to the behavioral profile of the end user, and submits said one or more advertisements to the publisher element for presentation thereof to the end user. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device, comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at an advertisement device, an advertisement request via Internet from a publisher device in response to an end user device of an end user utilizing communication services of an internet service provider system, the communication services including access via the Internet to a website operated by the publisher device, the advertisement request being generated by the publisher device based on a detection by the publisher device of the end user device visiting the website, wherein the advertisement request includes presentation constraints associated with a presentation of website advertising by the end user device at a designated location in a web page of the website, the presentation constraints being associated with hardware of the end user device, and wherein the advertisement device is operated by a first entity that is different from a second entity operating the publisher device;

submitting, via the Internet by the advertisement device, search criteria to the internet service provider system, wherein the search criteria includes search terms and associated search guidelines that are based on content of the website operated by the publisher device;

receiving, via the Internet from the internet service provider system, a behavioral profile of the end user, wherein the behavioral profile is received at the advertisement device, wherein the internet service provider system is in communication with the publisher device over the Internet, wherein the advertisement device operated by the first entity is different from a third entity providing the communication services via the internet service provider system, and wherein the behavioral profile of the end user is determined by the internet service provider system according to monitoring, by the internet service provider system, of packet traffic associated with the end user according to the search terms and the associated search guidelines, and wherein the internet service provider system operated by the third entity sends the behavioral profile of the end user to the advertisement device operated by the first entity, wherein the packet traffic of a plurality of user devices associated with the end user is monitored by an inspection element of the internet service provider system by analyzing packet headers of the packet traffic via a packet switched network transmission protocol that is applied to the packet traffic during data communications between hardware devices of the internet service provider system;

selecting, by the advertisement device, advertisement information according to the behavioral profile of the end user and the presentation constraints; and

submitting, via the Internet by the advertisement device, the advertisement information to the publisher device to cause the publisher device to generate and integrate an advertisement into the website according to the advertising information and the presentation constraints.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise determining a publisher profile from content associated with the website, wherein the advertisement information is selected according to the behavioral profile of the end user and the publisher profile, and wherein the processor comprises a plurality of processors operating in a distributed processing environment.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 2, wherein the publisher device and the advertisement device are separate devices in communication with each other, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a registration request from the publisher device; and

determining the publisher profile in response to the registration request.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the behavioral profile comprises a demographic profile from market analysis tools analyzing data from the end user device.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the behavioral profile comprises a psychographic profile from market analysis tools analyzing data from the end user device.

6. The computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise submitting search criteria to the internet service provider system to assist the internet service provider system in determining the behavioral profile of the end user.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 6, wherein the search criteria comprises search terms with associated search guidelines that are based on content subject matter.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the advertisement request includes identification information associated with the end user device and includes a script, wherein the advertisement request comprises an operational parameter associated with the website, and wherein the operations further comprise tailoring the advertisement information according to the operational parameter.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise submitting a charge to the advertisement device for submitting the advertisement information to the publisher device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 1, comprising computer instructions for:

receiving a notice from the publisher device for a selection of the advertisement;

submitting a charge to an advertiser associated with the advertisement;

receiving a payment from the advertiser in response to the charge submitted; and

submitting a portion of the payment to the publisher device.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by a publisher device, cause the publisher device to perform operations comprising:

maintaining a website;

detecting an end user device visiting the website, the end user device being associated with an end user;

generating and submitting an advertisement request associated with the website to an advertisement device via Internet, wherein the generating and submitting of the advertisement request is responsive to the detecting of the end user device visiting the website, wherein the advertisement request comprises presentation constraints, wherein the presentation constraints are associated with the end user device, and wherein the presentation constraints are associated with a presentation of website advertising at a designated location in a web page of the website; and

receiving, via the Internet from the advertisement device, an advertisement selected according to a behavioral profile of the end user supplied via the Internet by an internet service provider system and according to the presentation constraints, wherein the publisher device is in communication with the internet service provider system over the Internet, wherein the advertisement device is operated by a first entity that is different from a second entity operating the internet service provider system, wherein the advertisement device operated by the first entity is different from a third entity operating the publisher device, wherein the advertisement device provides search criteria to the internet service provider system, wherein the search criteria includes search terms and associated search guidelines that are based on content of the website, wherein the behavioral profile of the end user is determined by the internet service provider system according to monitoring, by the internet service provider system, of packet traffic associated with the end user according to the search terms and the associated search guidelines, wherein the packet traffic of a plurality of user devices associated with the end user is monitored by an inspection element of the internet service provider system by analyzing packet headers of the packet traffic via a packet switched network transmission protocol that is applied to the packet traffic during data communications between hardware devices of the internet service provider system, and wherein the internet service provider system operated by the third entity sends the behavioral profile of the end user to the advertisement device operated by the first entity, wherein packet payloads are not analyzed by the inspection element.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

presenting the advertisement to the end user device by integrating the advertisement into the website according to the presentation constraints;

monitoring user interaction of the end user device with the advertisement;

determining user interaction fees over a predetermined time period based on the user interaction and interaction of other end user devices with the advertisement;

submitting a request for payment to the advertisement device based on the user interaction fees; and

receiving payment from the advertisement device in response to the request for payment and according to a revenue sharing agreement.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the advertisement device determines a publisher profile from content associated with the website, and wherein the advertisement is selected according to the behavioral profile of the end user and the publisher profile.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the behavioral profile comprises a demographic profile and a psychographic profile.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the internet service provider system receives search criteria from the advertisement device to assist the internet service provider system in determining the behavioral profile of the end user, wherein the search criteria comprises search terms with associated search guidelines, and wherein the search guidelines are selected from a group of search guidelines according to a subject matter of visited websites.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the submitting of the advertisement request to the advertisement device causes the advertisement device to request the behavioral profile from the internet service provider system.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise submitting a fee to the advertisement device in response to the end user selecting the advertisement.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise submitting a charge to the advertisement device for the advertisement.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

submitting a notice to the advertisement device in response to a selection of the advertisement; and

receiving a payment from the advertisement device in response to the notice.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device comprising computer instructions which, responsive to being executed by a publisher device, cause the publisher device to perform operations comprising:

receiving, via Internet from an advertisement server, search criteria to the internet service provider system, wherein the search criteria includes search terms and associated search guidelines that are based on content of a website operated by a publisher server;

monitoring packet traffic associated with a plurality of end user devices associated with an end user according to the search terms and the associated search guidelines, the packet traffic being from a network element of the internet service provider system that provides communication services to the end user device, wherein the packet traffic of the plurality of user devices associated with the end user is monitored by the inspection element of the internet service provider system by analyzing packet headers of the packet traffic via a packet switched network transmission protocol that is applied to the packet traffic during data communications between hardware devices of the internet service provider system;

determining a behavioral profile of an end user of the end user device based on the packet traffic; and

in response to a profile request, sending, via the inspection element of the internet service provider system, the behavioral profile of the end user of the end user device via the Internet to the advertisement server that selects advertisement information according to the behavioral profile of the end user and according to presentation constraints, wherein the profile request is generated by the advertisement server responsive to an advertisement request provided by a publisher server based on detection by the publisher server of the end user device visiting a website of the publisher server, wherein the advertisement information is used by the publisher server for generating an advertisement and integrating the advertisement into the website, wherein the publisher server is in communication with the internet service provider system over the Internet and wherein the advertisement server is operated by a first entity that is different from a second entity that is providing the communication services via the internet service provider system, wherein the advertisement server operated by the first entity is different from a second entity that is operating the publisher server, wherein the presentation constraints are associated with the end user device, and wherein the presentation constraints are associated with a presentation of website advertising at a designated location in a web page of the website.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 20, wherein the inspection element receives search criteria from the advertisement server, the search criteria for the monitoring of the packet traffic, wherein the search criteria comprises search terms with associated search guidelines, and wherein the inspection element comprises a plurality of processors operating in a distributed processing environment.

22. A method, comprising:

receiving, at an advertiser server, an advertisement request via Internet from a publisher server in response to an end user device associated with an end user visiting a website operated by the publisher server, the advertisement request being generated by the publisher server based on detection by the publisher server of the end user device visiting the website, the advertisement request including presentation constraints associated with a presentation of website advertising by the end user device at a designated location in a web page of the website, the presentation constraints being associated with hardware of the end user device;

submitting, via the Internet by the advertisement server, search criteria to an internet service provider system, wherein the search criteria includes search terms and associated search guidelines that are based on content of the website operated by the publisher server;

selecting, by the advertiser server, advertisement information according to the presentation constraints and according to a behavioral profile associated with the end user device, wherein an internet service provider system sends the behavioral profile associated with the end user device to the advertising server via the Internet; and

submitting, from the advertiser server via the Internet, a payment to a system in response to receiving a billing request over the internet for an advertisement associated with the advertisement request presented by the publisher server according to the advertisement information, the behavioral profile and the presentation constraints, wherein the publisher server is in communication with the internet service provider system via the Internet, wherein the advertiser server is operated by a first entity that is different from a second entity operating the internet service provider system, wherein the advertiser server operated by the first entity is different from a third entity operating the publisher server, and wherein the behavioral profile associated with the end user is determined by the internet service provider system according to monitoring, by the internet service provider system, of packet traffic associated with the end user device according to the search terms and the associated search guidelines, wherein the packet traffic of a plurality of user devices associated with the end user is monitored by an inspection element of the internet service provider system by analyzing packet headers of the packet traffic via a packet switched network transmission protocol that is applied to the packet traffic during data communications between hardware devices of the internet service provider system.