INTERNET-BASED ADVERTISING AND REFERRAL SYSTEM

• US 20030088465A1
• Filed: 07/24/2000
• Published: 05/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emergency 24 Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Emergency 24 Incorporated
• Inventors: Monteverde, Dante
• Granted Patent: US 7,319,975 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 30/0214 Referral reward systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure

A system for advertising with the assistance of an advertiser'"'"'s associate web site includesenrolling advertiser'"'"'s web sites for allowing customers to receive information or toelectronically purchase items; enrolling advertiser'"'"'s associates web sites that refercustomers to the advertiser'"'"'s web site in exchange for compensation; electronicallyproviding to the customer'"'"'s computer, specific hyperlinks via the advertiser'"'"'s associate'"'"'sweb page that, when selected by a customer, cause a list of advertiser'"'"'s to be transmittedto the customer'"'"'s computer, wherein each of said items in said list comprises a selectableadvertiser specific hyperlink to the corresponding advertiser; transmitting to thecustomer'"'"'s computer a web page which corresponds to the advertiser specific hyperlinkselected by the customer, to accomplish a referral to the advertiser; and determining andrecording within a computer memory compensation for the advertiser'"'"'s associate for thereferral.

Claims

1. A method of internet-based advertising comprising:

1. providing a web site system that includes advertiser'"'"'s web sites and advertisers'"'"'associates'"'"' web sites for allowing customers to receive information or to electronicallypurchase items or services;

providing an advertiser enrollment system and an advertiser'"'"'s associate enrollmentsystem which allows web site owners to electronically operate as advertiser'"'"'s associatesthat refer customers to the advertiser'"'"'s web site in exchange for compensation;

in response to a submission to the enrollment system by an advertiser, assigning anadvertiser identifier to the advertiser and recording the advertiser identifier within acomputer memory;

in response to a submission to the enrollment system by an advertiser'"'"'s associate,assigning an advertiser'"'"'s associate identifier to the advertiser'"'"'s associate and recordingthe advertiser'"'"'s associate identifier within a computer memory;

electronically providing to the customer'"'"'s computer selectable list links via theadvertiser'"'"'s associate'"'"'s web page that, when selected by a customer, cause a list ofadvertiser related information to be transmitted to the customer'"'"'s computer, whereineach of said items in said list comprises a selectable advertiser link to the correspondingadvertiser;

transmitting to the customer'"'"'s computer an advertiser'"'"'s web page which corresponds tothe advertiser link selected by the customer, to accomplish a referral to the advertiser;

using the advertiser identifier extracted from the referral to identify the advertiser;

using the advertiser'"'"'s associate identifier extracted from the referral to identify theadvertiser'"'"'s associate; and

determining and recording within a computer memory compensation for the advertiser'"'"'sassociate for the referral.

23. A method of internet-based advertising comprising:

23. providing a system having an advertiser'"'"'s web site and an advertiser associate'"'"'s web sitewith a selectable link to information pertaining to the advertiser'"'"'s web site, theinformation having an advertiser link to the advertiser'"'"'s web site;

assigning an advertiser identifier to the advertiser'"'"'s web site;

assigning an advertiser associate identifier to the advertiser associate'"'"'s web site;

after a customer'"'"'s computer accesses the advertiser associate'"'"'s web site, transmitting tothe customer'"'"'s computer the information corresponding to the selectable link when theselectable link is selected by the customer'"'"'s computer;

causing the transmission of the advertiser'"'"'s web site to the customer'"'"'s computer whenthe advertiser link is selected by the customer'"'"'s computer thereby accomplishing areferral to the advertiser;

using the advertiser identifier to identify the advertiser'"'"'s web site;

using the advertiser'"'"'s associate identifier to identify the advertiser associate'"'"'s web site;

and

calculating a compensation for the advertiser associate'"'"'s web site for the referral.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23 further comprising providing an enrollment system allowingweb site owners to enroll as the advertiser associate'"'"'s web site.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24 wherein the enrollment system further allows a web siteowner to enroll as the advertiser'"'"'s web site.

26. The method of claim 23 wherein the selectable link comprises a search term.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the search term is determined by the advertiser'"'"'s web site.

28. The method as claimed in claim 23 wherein the information comprises a plurality of advertiserlinks, each advertiser link is a selectable link to a different advertiser'"'"'s web site.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the plurality of advertiser links are arranged based upon anamount of payment corresponding to the compensation the respective advertiser'"'"'s web siteagrees to pay to the advertiser associate'"'"'s web site for the referral.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the advertiser'"'"'s web site bids on the amount of payment.

31. A method of facilitating internet-based promotional advertising comprising:

31. providing a system having a plurality of advertiser'"'"'s web sites and an advertiserassociate'"'"'s web site to refer a customer'"'"'s computer to the advertiser'"'"'s web site inexchange for compensation;

assigning an advertiser identifier to the advertiser'"'"'s web site;

assigning an advertiser associate identifier to the advertiser associate'"'"'s web site; and

causing the transmission of a link to the customer'"'"'s computer via the advertiserassociate'"'"'s web site, the link having information with an advertiser'"'"'s link to theadvertiser'"'"'s web site.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising causing the transmission of the advertiser'"'"'s web siteto the customer'"'"'s computer when the advertiser'"'"'s link is selected by the customer'"'"'s computerthereby accomplishing a referral.

33. The method of claim 32 further comprising using the advertiser identifier to identify theadvertiser'"'"'s web site

34. The method as claimed in claim 32 further comprising using the advertiser associate identifier toidentify the advertiser associate'"'"'s web site.

35. The method of claim 32 further comprising determining an amount of payment to be paid by theadvertiser'"'"'s web site to the advertiser associate'"'"'s web site for the referral.

36. The method of claim 35 wherein the amount of payment corresponds to promotional costsincurred by the advertiser associate'"'"'s web site.

37. A method of compensating internet-based advertising referrals in a web site system havingadvertiser'"'"'s web sites and advertiser associate'"'"'s web sites allowing a customer'"'"'s computer toreceive information, the method comprising:

37. assigning an advertiser identifier to the advertiser'"'"'s web site;

recording the advertiser identifier within a computer memory;

assigning an advertiser associate identifier to the advertiser associate'"'"'s web site;

recording the advertiser associate identifier within the computer memory;

causing the transmission of a link via the advertiser associate'"'"'s web site to the customer'"'"'scomputer that, when selected by the customer'"'"'s computer, causes information with anadvertiser'"'"'s link to the advertiser'"'"'s web site to be transmitted to the customer'"'"'scomputer;

causing the transmission of the advertiser'"'"'s web site to the customer'"'"'s computer whenthe customer'"'"'s computer selects the advertiser'"'"'s link thereby accomplishing a referral;

using the advertiser and advertiser associate identifiers to identify the advertiser'"'"'s andadvertiser associate'"'"'s web sites, respectively; and

calculating and recording within the computer memory compensation for the advertiser'"'"'sassociate for the referral.

38. The method of claim 37 further comprising providing an enrollment system to allow a pluralityof web site owners to enroll as advertiser associate'"'"'s web sites in exchange for compensation.

39. A computer implemented system for internet-based advertising comprising:

39. a web site system having a system controller web site, an advertiser'"'"'s web site, and anadvertiser associate'"'"'s web site for allowing customers to receive information via acustomer'"'"'s computer;

an enrolling means for enrolling the advertiser'"'"'s web site and the advertiser associate'"'"'sweb site, and for assigning respective identifiers to the advertiser'"'"'s and advertiserassociate'"'"'s web sites;

a means for providing to the customer'"'"'s computer a link via the advertiser associate'"'"'sweb site that, when selected by a customer, causes information with an advertiser'"'"'s linkto the advertiser'"'"'s web site to be transmitted to the customer'"'"'s computer; and

a means for causing the transmission of the advertiser'"'"'s web site when the customer'"'"'scomputer selects the advertiser'"'"'s link thereby accomplishing a referral.

40. The system of claim 39 further comprising a means for extracting the identifiers when thecustomer'"'"'s computer selects the advertiser link and for using the identifiers to respectivelyidentify the advertiser'"'"'s and advertiser associate'"'"'s web sites.

41. The system of claim 39 further comprising a means for calculating compensation to be paid tothe advertiser associate'"'"'s web site for the referral.

42. The system of claim 39 wherein the enrolling means is accomplished on-line with the systemcontroller web site.

43. The system of claim 41 further comprising a means for generating a report to the advertiser'"'"'sand the advertiser associate'"'"'s web sites regarding the compensation to the advertiser associate'"'"'sweb site.