Method for presenting advertising in an interactive service

• US 20030018527A1
• Filed: 05/15/2002
• Published: 01/23/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1988
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alexander W. Bidwell, Allan M. Wolf, Duane Tiemann, Francis C. Young, James A. Galambos, Kenneth H. Appleman, Mel Bellar, Robert D. Cohen, Robert Filepp, Sam Meo
• Original Assignee: Alexander W. Bidwell, Allan M. Wolf, Duane Tiemann, Francis C. Young, James A. Galambos, Kenneth H. Appleman, Mel Bellar, Robert D. Cohen, Robert Filepp, Sam Meo
• Inventors: Appleman, Kenneth H., Filepp, Robert, Young, Francis C., Bellar, Mel, Meo, Sam, Wolf, Allan M., Tiemann, Duane, Cohen, Robert D., Galambos, James A., Bidwell, Alexander W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,047,209 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method for presenting advertising in an interactive service provided on a computer network, the service featuring applications which include pre-created, interactive text/graphic sessions is described. The method features steps for presenting advertising concurrently with service applications at the user terminal configured as a reception system. In accordance with the method, the advertising is structured in a manner comparable to the service applications enabling the applications to be presented at a first portion of a display associated with the reception system and the advertising presented at a second portion. Further, steps are provided for storing and managing advertising at the user reception system so that advertising can be pre-fetched from the network and staged anticipation of being called for presentation. This minimizes the potential for communication line interference between application and advertising traffic and makes the advertising available reception system so as not to delay presentation of the service applications. Yet further the method features steps for individualizing the advertising supplied to enhance potential user interest by providing advertising based on a characterization of the user as defined by the users interaction with the service, demographics and geographical location. Yet additionally, advertising is provided with transactional facilities so that users can interact with it.

Claims

1. A method for presenting advertising in a computer network, the network including a multiplicity of user reception systems at which respective users can request applications that include interactive services, the respective reception systems including a monitor at which at least the visual portion of the applications can be presented as one or more screens of display, the method comprising the steps of:

a. organizing applications so that they may be presented as a first portion of one or more screens of display; and

b. organizing advertising so that it may be presented at a second portion of one or more screens of display concurrently with applications.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein organizing the advertising includes structuring the advertising from objects that include advertising data.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein organizing the advertising includes structuring the advertising to include interactive fields for conducting transactions relating to the advertising.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein organizing the advertising includes selectively storing advertising objects at the reception system.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein storing advertising objects at the reception system includes replenishing the store of advertising objects from the network when the store of advertising objects falls below a predetermined level.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein storing advertising objects at the reception system includes storing advertising object identifications at the reception system, and wherein the storing of advertising object identification is based on an establishing of a characterization for the respective reception system users.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein establishing the characterization for the respective reception system users includes basing the characterization at least in part on the applications requested by the respective users.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein establishing the characterization for the respective reception system users includes basing the characterization at least in part on the demographic data for the respective users.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein establishing the characterization for the respective reception system users includes basing the characterization at least in part on data concerning the geographical location of the respective user'"'"'s reception system.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein establishing the characterization for the respective reception system users includes basing the characterization at least in part on a combination of data concerning user application requests, user demographics and geographical location of the respective user'"'"'s reception system.

11. A method for presenting advertising in a computer network, the network including a multiplicity of user reception systems at which respective users can request applications that include interactive services, the method comprising the steps of:

a. compiling data concerning the respective users;

b. establishing characterizations for respective users based on the compiled data; and

c. selectively supplying advertising data to the reception system for presentation in accordance with the characterizations established for the respective reception system users.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein establishing characterizations for respective users includes at least compiling data concerning the application previously requested by the respective users.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein establishing characterizations for respective users includes at least compiling data concerning demographics for the respective users.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein establishing characterizations for respective users includes at least compiling data concerning geographical location of the respective user'"'"'s reception system.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein establishing characterizations for respective users includes at least compiling data concerning a combination of user application requests, user demographics and geographical location of the respective user'"'"'s reception system.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein supplying advertising data to reception includes storing a predetermined amount of the advertising data at the respective reception systems.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein supplying advertising data to the reception includes pre-fetching advertising data from the network when the store of advertising data falls below a predetermined level.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein pre-fetching advertising data is dependent on the size of the advertising data store.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein storing advertising data at the reception system includes maintaining a list identifying the advertising data to be presented.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the supplying of advertising data to the reception system for presentation includes the reception system requesting advertising data from the network when advertising data sought to be presented is unavailable at the reception system.