System and method for incorporating ad information into an e-mail

• US 20010044830A1
• Filed: 05/08/2001
• Published: 11/22/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Increment P Corporation (Pioneer Corporation), Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Increment P Corporation (Pioneer Corporation)
• Inventors: Takenaga, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 6,993,560 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In a system and a method for incorporating ad information into e-mails while they are being exchanged, whether area information b is contained in an e-mail M transmitted from a terminal T1 or not is detected. When the area information b is contained, position information indicating the display range of the area information is retrieved. Based on the position information, ad information positioned in the display range of the area information is retrieved. Then ad data c contained in the retrieved ad information is inserted into the e-mail M.

Claims

1. A system for incorporating ad information into e-mails, comprising:

at an e-mail site including an e-mail server for saving an e-mail transmitted from a sending terminal and transmitting the e-mail to a receiving terminal based on a transmission request made by the receiving terminal;

an area information detector for detecting whether an e-mail transmitted from the sending terminal contains area information or not;

a position information database that stores position information indicating the display range of area information displayed in the e-mail;

an ad information database where ad information containing ad data and position data of the ad provider is stored; and

ad information inserting section for retrieving position information on the area information from said position information database when it is detected that the e-mail contains area information by said area information detector, retrieving ad information positioned in the display range of area information indicated by the retrieved position information from said ad information database based on the position data of ad information, and inserting ad data contained in the retrieved ad information into the e-mail.

2. The system for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to

claim 1

, wherein said area information is display of a map, traffic facilities and/or an address.

3. The system for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to

claim 1

, wherein position information stored in the position information database specifies the display range of area information by latitude and longitude.

4. The system for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to

claim 1

, wherein ad data contained in the ad information stored in said ad information database is banner ad information.

5. The system for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to

claim 1

, wherein position data contained in the ad information stored in said ad information database specifies the position of an ad provider by latitude and longitude.

6. The system for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to

claim 1

, further comprising a display format detector for detecting the area information display format of an e-mail at a receiving terminal as the source of an e-mail transmission request when an e-mail transmission request is made by the receiving terminal or when the e-mail is transmitted to a destination e-mail server;

and a display format converter for converting the display format of the area information in the e-mail to be transmitted to the receiving terminal to the display format of the receiving terminal when it is detected that the display format of the receiving terminal differs from the display format of the area information in the e-mail transmitted from the sending terminal.

7. A method for incorporating ad information into e-mails at an e-mail site including an e-mail server for saving an e-mail transmitted from a sending terminal and transmitting the e-mail to a receiving terminal based on a transmission request made by the receiving terminal, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting whether an e-mail transmitted from the sending terminal contains area information or not;

retrieving position information corresponding to the area information contained in the e-mail from the position information database that stores position information indicating the display range of area information when it is detected that area information is contained in the e-mail;

retrieving ad information positioned in the display range of said area information from the ad information database where ad information containing ad data and position data of the ad provider is stored, based on the position data and the position information of said retrieved area information; and

inserting ad data contained in the retrieved ad information into the e-mail.

8. The method for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to

claim 7

, further comprising the step of specifying the display range of area information by latitude and longitude.

9. The method for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to

claim 7

, further comprising the step of specifying the position of the ad provider of said ad data by latitude and longitude.

10. The method for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to

claim 7

, further comprising the step of inserting said ad data into an e-mail transmitted from a sending terminal before saving the e-mail or before transmitting the e-mail to a destination e-mail server.

11. The method for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to

claim 7

, further comprising the steps of:

detecting the area information display format of an e-mail at a receiving terminal as the source of an e-mail transmission request when n e-mil transmission request is made by the receiving terminal or when the e-mail is transmitted to a destination e-mail server; and

converting the display format of the area information in the e-mail to be transmitted to the receiving terminal to the display format of the receiving terminal when it is detected that the display format of the receiving terminal differs from the display format of the area information in the e-mail transmitted from the sending terminal.