Targeting of advertisements to users of an online service

• US 20040204997A1
• Filed: 04/30/2004
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetZero Incorporated (B. Riley Financial, Inc.), Speed Tech Corp.
• Original Assignee: Speed Tech Corp.
• Inventors: Kannan, Namakal, Ng, Paul, Agnew, Sean, Blaser, Shane
• Granted Patent: US 7,181,415 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 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

There is disclosed a server and local device that interface for selecting advertisements to be viewed by users of an online service based upon user activity. The local device preferably maintains a targeted activity list of activity identifiers and associated advertisements. The local device monitors the activity on the local device and compares the activity to the identifiers in the targeted activity list. If the activity matches one of the identifiers, the local device plays one or more advertisements.

Claims

1. A method of configuring advertisements to a user of an online service comprising:

maintaining a master activity identifier list comprising at least one match object having a targeted activity identifier and plural ad objects

receiving a request from a local device to initiate an online session, wherein the request includes a targeted activity list comprised of one or more activity identifiers and one or more ad objects associated with each activity identifier;

reviewing the targeted activity list to determine whether any of the activity identifiers in the targeted activity list is an invalid activity identifier;

notifying the local device of the invalid activity identifiers in the targeted activity list, thus causing the local device to take at least one action responsive to the notifying.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one action comprises:

removing the invalid activity identifiers from the targeted activity list to create a modified targeted activity list.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one action further comprises:

storing the modified targeted activity list.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity identifiers comprise uniform resource locators.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the activity identifiers comprise keywords.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the reviewing comprises

comparing each activity identifier in the targeted activity list to the activity identifiers in the master activity identifier list.

identifying a non-present activity identifier as invalid if an activity identifier in the targeted activity list is not present in the master activity identifier list.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

maintaining a list of prohibited activity identifiers

determining whether the targeted activity list contains any prohibited activity identifiers.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein activity identifiers that relate to pornographic material are considered prohibited activity identifiers.

9. A method of configuring the display of advertisements to a user of a local device comprising:

sending a request to a server via a network to initiate an online session, wherein the request includes a targeted activity list comprised of at least one match object comprising an activity identifier and an advertisement play list corresponding to the activity identifier;

receiving from the server a list of invalid activity identifiers;

removing from the targeted activity list any match objects that contain an invalid activity identifier;

monitoring the user'"'"'s interaction with the network;

playing the advertisement play list of the match object corresponding to a matched activity identifier if the user'"'"'s interaction with the network matches one of the activity identifiers in the targeted activity list.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein a play list comprises one or more ad objects which each include a resource locator of an advertisement to be displayed and a resource locator to be accessed if the user clicks on the advertisement when displayed in the ad pane.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein an activity identifier comprises a uniform resource locator.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein an activity identifier comprises a keyword.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

sending a request to the server to determine whether the user'"'"'s interaction with the network matches an activity identifier if the user'"'"'s interaction with the network does not match one of the activity identifiers in the targeted activity list.

14. A method of configuring advertisements presented to a user of a local device comprising:

monitoring the user'"'"'s interaction with a network;

detecting that the user has accessed a uniform resource locator;

accessing a targeted activity list comprised of a plurality of match objects each comprising a uniform resource locator and an advertisement play list corresponding to the uniform resource locator;

determining whether the accessed uniform resource locator matches one of the uniform resource locators in the targeted activity list;

sending the accessed uniform resource locator to a server via the network if the uniform resource locator does not match one of the uniform resource locators in the targeted activity list;

receiving from the server via the network an advertisement play list associated with the accessed uniform resource locator;

revising the targeted activity list to include a new match object comprised of the accessed uniform resource locator and the advertisement play list corresponding to the accessed uniform resource locator.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving from the server a list of invalid uniform resource locators

removing the invalid uniform resource locators from the targeted activity list.

16. A server having software which when executed causes the server to perform operations comprising:

maintaining a master activity identifier list comprising at least one match object comprising a targeted activity identifier and plural ad objects;

receiving a request from a local device to initiate an online session, wherein the request includes a targeted activity list comprised of one or more activity identifiers and one or more ad objects associated with each activity identifier;

reviewing the targeted activity list to determine whether any of the activity identifiers in the targeted activity list is an invalid activity identifier;

notifying a local device of the invalid activity identifiers in the targeted activity list so that the local device can remove the invalid activity identifiers from a targeted activity list maintained by the local device and so that the local device can store a modified targeted activity list. The server of claim 16, wherein the activity identifiers comprise uniform resource locators.

17. The server of claim 16, wherein the activity identifiers comprise keywords.

18. The server of claim 16 wherein the reviewing comprises:

comparing each activity identifier in the targeted activity list to the activity identifiers in the master activity identifier list

identifying a nonpresent activity identifier as invalid when an activity identifier in the targeted activity list is not present in the master activity identifier list.

19. The server of claim 16, having further software which when executed causes the server to perform further operations comprising:

maintaining a list of prohibited activity identifiers;

wherein the reviewing comprises evaluating whether the targeted activity list contains any prohibited activity identifiers.

20. The server of claim 19, wherein activity identifiers that relate to pornographic material are considered prohibited activity identifiers.

21. A local device having software which when executed causes the local device to perform operations comprising:

sending a request to a server to initiate an online session, wherein the request includes a targeted activity list comprised of at least one match object comprising an activity identifier and an advertisement play list corresponding to the activity identifier;

receiving from the server a list of invalid activity identifiers;

removing from the targeted activity list any match objects that contain an invalid activity identifier;

storing the targeted activity list;

monitoring the user'"'"'s interaction with the network;

accessing the targeted activity list; and

playing the advertisement play list of the match object corresponding to the matched activity identifier when the user'"'"'s interaction with the network matches one of the activity identifiers in the targeted activity list.

22. The local device of claim 21, wherein the advertisement play list comprises one or more ad objects which each include a resource locator of an advertisement to be displayed and a resource locator to be accessed if the user clicks on the advertisement when displayed in the ad pane.

23. The local device of claim 21, wherein an activity identifier comprises a uniform resource locator.

24. The local device of claim 21, wherein an activity identifier comprises a keyword.

25. The local device of claim 21, having further software which when executed causes the local device to perform further operations comprising:

sending a request to the server to determine whether the user'"'"'s interaction with the network matches an activity identifier when the user'"'"'s interaction with the network does not match one of the activity identifiers in the targeted activity list.

26. The local device of claim 21, wherein the targeted activity list comprises a list of the uniform resource locators that are most commonly accessed on the local device.

27. A local device having software stored thereon which when executed causes the local device to perform operations comprising:

monitoring a user'"'"'s interaction with a network;

detecting that the user has accessed a uniform resource locator;

accessing a targeted activity list comprised of a plurality of match objects each comprising uniform resource locator and an advertisement play list corresponding to the uniform resource locator;

determining whether the accessed uniform resource locator matches one of the uniform resource locators in the targeted activity list;

sending to a server via the network the accessed uniform resource locator when the uniform resource locator does not match one of the uniform resource locators in the targeted activity list;

receiving from the server an advertisement play list associated with the accessed uniform resource locator;

revising the targeted activity list to include a new match object comprised of the accessed uniform resource locator and the advertisement play list corresponding to the accessed uniform resource locator.

28. The local device of claim 27, having further software stored thereon which when executed causes the local device to perform further operations comprising:

receiving from the server a list of invalid uniform resource locators and the local device removing the invalid uniform resource locators from the targeted activity list.