System and method for providing place and price protection in a search result list generated by a computer network search engine
First Claim
1. A database searching apparatus comprising:
- a search engine; and
a database searchable by the search engine and including a plurality of search listings, at least some search listings associated with advertisers and including a search term specified by an advertiser, and a bid/desired rank associated with the search term and the advertiser, the bid/desired rank including at least one of;
a maximum cost per click chargeable to the advertiser, and a desired rank desired by the advertiser.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method and apparatus for managing search listings in a search database include storing one or more search listings for an advertiser. Each search listing includes an associated search term. The system receives from the advertiser identification information for a search listing and a desired rank for the identified search listing, a maximum cost per click for the search listing, or both. The system stores the desired rank and/or maximum cost per click for the search listing. The system then determines a cost per click for the identified search listing based on the desired rank and other search listings which include the search term associated with the identified search listing.
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Citations
71 Claims
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1. A database searching apparatus comprising:
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a search engine; and
a database searchable by the search engine and including a plurality of search listings, at least some search listings associated with advertisers and including a search term specified by an advertiser, and a bid/desired rank associated with the search term and the advertiser, the bid/desired rank including at least one of;
a maximum cost per click chargeable to the advertiser, and a desired rank desired by the advertiser. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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12. A method for managing search listings in a search database, the method comprising:
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storing one or more search listings for an advertiser, each search listing including a search term, a cost per click and a maximum cost per click chargeable to the advertiser and a desired rank desired by the advertiser, each search listing displayable in a display rank with other search listings according to the cost per click;
receiving advertiser bid information;
storing the advertiser bid information; and
automatically adjusting the cost per click for selected search listings when the display rank for the selected search listings changes.
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19. A system for managing search listings in a search database, the system comprising:
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first program code means for storing one or more search listings for an advertiser, each search listing including a search term, a cost per click and a maximum cost per click chargeable to the advertiser and a desired rank desired by the advertiser, each search listing displayable in a display rank with other search listings according to the cost per click;
second program code means for receiving advertiser bid information;
third program code means for storing the advertiser bid information; and
fourth program code means for automatically adjusting the cost per click for selected search listings when the display rank for the selected search listings changes.
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20. A method for managing search listings in a search database, the method comprising:
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storing one or more search listings for an advertiser, each search listing including an associated search term;
receiving from the advertiser identification information for a search listing and a maximum cost per click for the identified search listing;
storing the maximum cost per click for the search listing; and
determining a cost per click for the identified search listing based on the maximum cost per click and other search listings which include the search term associated with the identified search listing. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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23. A system for managing search listings in a search database, the system comprising:
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first program code configured to store in the search data base one or more search listings for an advertiser, each search listing including an associated search term;
second program code configured to receive from the advertiser identification information for a search listing and a maximum cost per click for the identified search listing;
third program code configured to store the maximum cost per click for the search listing; and
fourth program code configured to determine a cost per click for the identified search listing based on the maximum cost per click and other search listings which include the search term associated with the identified search listing.
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24. A method for managing search listings in a search database, the method comprising:
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storing one or more search listings for an advertiser, each search listing including an associated search term;
receiving from the advertiser identification information for a search listing and a desired rank for the identified search listing;
storing the desired rank for the search listing; and
determining a cost per click for the identified search listing based on the desired rank and other search listings which include the search term associated with the identified search listing.
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29. A system for managing search listings in a search database, the system comprising:
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first program code configured to store one or more search listings for an advertiser, each search listing including an associated search term;
second program code configured to receive from the advertiser identification information for a search listing and a desired rank for the identified search listing;
third program code configured to store the desired rank for the search listing; and
fourth program code configured to determine a cost per click for the identified search listing based on the desired rank and other search listings which include the search term associated with the identified search listing.
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30. A method for managing search listings in a search database, the method comprising:
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storing a plurality of search listings for an advertiser, each search listing including an associated search term and a cost per click payable by the advertiser;
receiving from the advertiser a designation of one or more search listings for which the cost per click should be automatically adjusted in response to variations in cost per click for other search listings associated with search terms of the designated one or more search listings; and
subsequently, automatically adjusting the cost per click for the designated one or more search listings. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A method of generating a search result list substantially in real time in response to a search request from a searcher using a computer network, comprising:
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maintaining a database including a plurality of search listings, wherein each search listing is associated with a network location, at least one search term, a desired rank and a modifiable bid amount that is independent of other components of the search listing, the bid amount being associated with at least one of the search term and the network location, the bid amount corresponding to a money amount that is deducted from an account of a network information provider associated with the network location upon receipt of a retrieval request for the network location;
receiving a search request from the searcher;
identifying the search listings having search terms generating a match with the search request;
ordering the identified search listings into a search result list in accordance with the values of the respective bid amounts for the identified search listings and the desired rank;
receiving a retrieval request from the searcher to retrieve information associated with a search listing in the search result list; and
recording a retrieval request event including account identification information corresponding to the network information provider, to permit maintenance of accurate account debit records.
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43. A method of enabling a network information provider to update information relating to a search listing on a search result list generated by a computer network search engine, the method comprising:
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maintaining an account database having at least one account record for each of a plurality of network information providers, said account record including at least one search listing having a search term and at least one of a modifiable bid amount that is independent of the other components of the search listing and a desired rank specified by a network information provider; and
an account identifier;
receiving from the network information provider a change request for a search listing in the network information provider'"'"'s account;
updating the search listing in the network information provider'"'"'s account record in response to the change request; and
determining a position substantially in real time for the updated search listing in a search result list generated by the search engine in response to a search request received from a searcher using the computer network, where the search term of the updated search listing generates a match with the search request and the position of the updated search listing in the search result list is determined using at least one of the bid amount and the desired rank.
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44. A method of enabling a web site promoter using a computer network to update information relating to a search listing within a search result list generated by a search engine substantially in real time in response to a search request received from a remote computer over the computer network, the method comprising:
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maintaining an account database having at least one account record for each of a plurality of web site promoters of the computer network, said account record including an account identifier, and at least one search listing having a search term and at least one of a modifiable bid amount that is independent of other components of the search listing and a desired rank specified by a web site promoter;
providing the web site promoter with authenticated login access, wherein the web site promoter'"'"'s login access permits the web site promoter to modify the web site promoter'"'"'s account record;
modifying a search listing of the account record upon receiving a request from said web site promoter;
automatically adjusting the modifiable bid amount of the search listing and the modifiable bid amounts of other search listings having a common search term with the modified search listing; and
generating a search result list comprised of search listings wherein the search term for each search listing generates a match with the search request, the search listings in the search result list arranged in an order corresponding to the bid amounts of the search listings. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
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45. A method for determining cost per click and search listings to be associated with each rank position of a plurality of rank positions of a search result display, the method comprising:
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initializing a workspace;
determining a winning search listing for each rank position; and
determining cost per click of each winning search listing.
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52. A method for determining cost per click and search listings to be associated with each rank position of a plurality of rank positions of a search result display, the method comprising:
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initializing a workspace;
identifying a winning search listing for each rank position among active search listings;
inserting the winning search listing in a list of winners at the rank;
if the winning search listing is not a price protected search listing, assigning the cost per click of the winning search listing for the rank to be a bid amount specified for the rank by an advertiser associated with the winning search listing; and
inactivating other bids of the winning search listing and other bids at the rank of the winning listing. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54)
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55. A method for managing search listings in a search database, the method comprising:
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storing one or more search listings of an advertiser, each search listing including a search term, a cost per click and a maximum cost per click chargeable to the advertiser and a desired rank desired by the advertiser, each search listing displayable in a display rank with other search listings according to the cost per click and the desired rank;
receiving advertiser bid information;
storing the advertiser bid information;
receiving from the advertiser a new desired rank for a search listing;
determining a new maximum cost per click for the search listing required to achieve the new desired rank for the search listing;
automatically adjusting the cost per click for selected search listings when the display rank for the selected search listings changes. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65)
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58. A method for managing search listings in a search database, the method comprising:
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storing one or more search listings for an advertiser, each search listing including a search term, a cost per click and a maximum cost per click chargeable to the advertiser and a desired rank desired by the advertiser, each search listing displayable at a display rank with other search listings according to the cost per click;
receiving from an advertiser associated with one or more selected search listings an indication of at least one of the maximum cost per click and the desired rank for one or more bidded search listings of the one or more selected search listings; and
maintaining the display rank of the one or more bidded search listings in accordance with the received indication.
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- 66. A database search system in which advertisers give economic value when network locations associated with the advertisers are referred to a searcher in response to a query from the searcher, the database search system maintaining one or more of an accounting variable and a referral variable in accordance with advertiser requirements.
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71. A method for managing search listings in a search database, the method comprising:
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storing search listings for one or more advertisers, each search listing including a search term, a cost per click and a maximum cost per click chargeable to the advertiser and a desired rank desired by the advertiser, each search listing displayable at a display rank with other search listings according to the cost per click, at least some of the search listings including a common search term;
receiving from one or more advertisers associated with the search listings including the common search term indications of at least one of the maximum cost per click and the desired rank for the search listings including the common search term; and
maintaining the display rank of the search listings including the common search term in accordance with the received indications.
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Specification