Method of delivery, targeting, and measuring advertising over networks

• US 20030028433A1
• Filed: 09/26/2002
• Published: 02/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: OʼConner, Kevin Joseph, Merriman, Dwight Allen
• Granted Patent: US 8,676,644 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 30/0225 Avoiding frauds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0243 Comparative campaigns
• 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 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for targeting the delivery of advertisements over a network such as the Internet are disclosed. Statistics are compiled on individual users and networks and the use of the advertisements is tracked to permit targeting of the advertisements of individual users. In response to requests from affiliated sites, an advertising server transmits to people accessing the page of a site an appropriate one of the advertisement based upon profiling of users and networks.

Claims

1. A method for advertising, comprising:

receiving an advertisement request from a user node, wherein said advertisement request is based upon a link sent from an affiliate node to said user node in response to a content request sent from said user node to said affiliate node; and

selecting, in response to said advertisement request, an advertisement based upon stored information about said user node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said stored information is based upon a prior content request sent from said user node to an affiliate node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said stored information is based upon a prior selection of an advertisement for said user node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said stored information is based upon a prior advertisement request from said user node.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said stored information includes information in a cookie associated with said user node.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the stored information includes at least one of the network address of said user node, the domain type of said user node, the time zone of said user node, the geographical location of said user node, and an industry code.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said stored information includes the number of times an advertisement has been sent to said user node.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting an advertisement is further based upon at least one of a browser type, a browser version, an operating system type, and a proxy server, each associated with said user node.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said advertisement is selected if selection criteria associated with said advertisement are satisfied based upon said stored information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein if selection criteria associated with more than one advertisement are satisfied based upon said stored information, then calculating a satisfaction index for each advertisement, and selecting the advertisement with the lowest satisfaction index.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said satisfaction index for an advertisement is directly proportional to the number of times said advertisement is sent to a user node.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said satisfaction index for an advertisement is inversely proportional to the amount of time expired since said advertisement was first permitted to be sent to a user node.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said satisfaction index for an advertisement is inversely proportional to the maximum number of times the advertisement is permitted to be sent to a user node.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said satisfaction index for an advertisement is directly proportional to the total amount of time over which said advertisement is permitted to be sent.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said advertisement request includes an Internet Protocol address associated with said user node.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising performing a reverse domain name lookup based upon said Internet Protocol address, and selecting said advertisement based upon the results of said reverse domain name lookup.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said reverse domain name lookup includes a whois search.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising performing a trace route operation, and selecting said advertisement based upon the results of said trace route operation.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending said selected advertisement to said user node for display.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising receiving from said user node a click through request for information about the advertiser associated with said selected advertisement.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising sending a network address for said advertiser to said user node in response to said click-though request.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said stored information includes information about a prior click-through request received from said user node.

23. An apparatus for advertising, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions adapted to be executed by said processor to;

receive an advertisement request from a user node, wherein said advertisement request is based upon a link sent from an affiliate node to said user node in response to a content request sent from said user node to said affiliate node; and

select, in response to said advertisement request, an advertisement based upon stored information about said user node.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said stored information is based upon a prior content request sent from said user node to an affiliate node.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said stored information is based upon a prior selection of an advertisement for said user node.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said stored information is based upon a prior advertisement request from said user node.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said stored information includes information in a cookie associated with said user node.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the stored information includes at least one of the network address of said user node, the domain type of said user node, the time zone of said user node, the geographical location of said user node, and an industry code.

29. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said stored information includes the number of times an advertisement has been sent to said user node.

30. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said instructions are further adapted to be executed to select said advertisement based upon at least one of a browser type, a browser version, an operating system type, and a proxy server, each associated with said user node.

31. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said advertisement is selected if selection criteria associated with said advertisement are satisfied based upon said stored information.

32. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein if selection criteria associated with more than one advertisement are satisfied based upon said stored information, then said instructions are adapted to be executed to calculate a satisfaction index for each advertisement, and select the advertisement with the lowest satisfaction index.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said satisfaction index for an advertisement is directly proportional to the number of times said advertisement is sent to a user node.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said satisfaction index for an advertisement is inversely proportional to the amount of time expired since said advertisement was first permitted to be sent to a user node.

35. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said satisfaction index for an advertisement is inversely proportional to the maximum number of times the advertisement is permitted to be sent to a user node.

36. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein said satisfaction index for an advertisement is directly proportional to the total amount of time over which said advertisement is permitted to be sent.

37. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said advertisement request includes an Internet Protocol address associated with said user node.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein said instructions are further adapted to be executed to perform a reverse domain name lookup based upon said Internet Protocol address, and select said advertisement based upon the results of said reverse domain name lookup.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein said reverse domain name lookup includes a whois search.

40. The apparatus of claim 38, wherein said instructions are further adapted to be executed to perform a trace route operation, and select said advertisement based upon the results of said trace route operation.

41. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein said instructions are further adapted to be executed to send said selected advertisement to said user node for display.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein said instructions are further adapted to be executed to receive from said user node a click through request for information about the advertiser associated with said selected advertisement.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein said instructions are further adapted to be executed to send a network address for said advertiser to said user node in response to said click-though request.

44. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein said stored information includes information about a prior click-through request received from said user node.

45. A method for advertising, comprising:

contracting with a first affiliate web site to embed a first link to an advertisement server within content of said first affiliate web site, wherein said first link is sent to a user node in response to a request for said content from said user node to said first affiliate web site;

receiving a first advertising request from said user node based upon said first link; and

selecting an advertisement, based upon stored information about said user node, to send to said user node in response to said first advertising request.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising:

storing information associated with said first advertising request from said user node;

contracting with a second affiliate web site to embed a second link to an advertisement server within content of said second affiliate web site, wherein said second link is sent to said user node in response to a request for said content from said user node to said second affiliate web site;

receiving a second advertising request from said user node based upon said second link; and

selecting an advertisement, based upon said stored information associated with said first advertising request from said user node, to send to said user node in response to said second advertising request.

47. An apparatus for advertising, comprising:

a processor;

a memory storing instructions for a derive profile process adapted to be executed by said processor to collect information based upon a plurality of advertisement requests sent from a user node;

a database that stores said information;

a memory storing instructions for an advertisement server process adapted to be executed by said processor to select, in response to an advertisement request, an advertisement based upon said information collected by said derive profile process stored in said database, wherein said advertisement request is based upon a link sent from an affiliate node to said user node in response to a content request sent from said user node to said affiliate node;

a memory storing instructions for a management process adapted to be executed by said processor to update advertisements available to be selected by said advertisement server process; and

a memory storing instructions for a report process adapted to be executed by said processor to generate a report about the placement of advertisements.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein said instructions for said advertisement server process are further adapted to be executed to send said selected advertisement to said user node for display.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein said instructions for said advertisement server process are further adapted to be executed to receive from said user node a click through request for information about the advertiser associated with said selected advertisement.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein said instructions for said advertisement server process are further adapted to be executed to send a network address for said advertiser to said user node in response to said click-though request.

51. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein said stored information includes information about a prior click-through request received from said user node.

52. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein said instructions for said derive profile process are adapted to be executed to perform a reverse domain name lookup based upon an Internet Protocol address associated with one of said plurality of advertisement requests.