Method of distributing targeted internet advertisements

• US 20040215509A1
• Filed: 04/25/2003
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AQUANTIVE, INC. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Perry, Morgan
• Granted Patent: US 8,484,073 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 30/0257 User requested

Abstract

A method of distributing Internet advertisements at the websites of a number of different publishers operating web sites. An advertising entity collects lists of user identifiers from each of several advertisers. In response to a user visiting one of the websites, the user identifier associated with the user is determined. It is determined if the user identifier is on one of the list. If the user identifier is on a list, an unembedded advertisement associated with the advertiser whose list contains the user'"'"'s identifier is served to the user. The advertisement may be a pop-up, pop-under, or dynamic html advertisement, and if the user is not on the list, no such an ad may not be served.

Claims

1. A method of distributing Internet advertisements to users, each associated with a unique identifier, the method comprising:

providing a database of the unique identifiers;

in response to a user visiting a publisher website, determining the user'"'"'s unique identifier;

if the unique identifier is in the database, triggering a web browsing device associated with the user to open a new browser window; and

displaying a selected advertisement in the new browser window.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the database includes information associated with a plurality of different advertisements, and including the step of determining if the unique identifier is associated with any of the advertisements.

3. The method of claim 1 including providing a plurality of different databases, each containing a plurality of unique identifiers, and each database associated with a different advertisement.

4. The method of claim 3 including triggering a web browsing device associated with the user to open a new browser window if the user'"'"'s unique identifier is in any of the databases and displaying a selected advertisement associated with the database.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the databases are associated with different advertisers.

6. The method of claim 3 including a third party maintaining the databases for a plurality of different advertisers.

7. The method of claim 1 including, in response to a determination that the unique identifier is not in the database, refraining from triggering the opening of a new browser window.

8. The method of claim 1 including, in response to a determination that the unique identifier is not in the database, opening a new browser window and serving a different advertisement not associated with the selected advertisement.

9. An Internet advertisement distribution facility comprising:

a database containing a plurality of unique identifiers each associated with a user;

the database associated with a selected advertiser;

the facility being operable to determine, in response to web browsing activity of a particular user, whether the database contains a unique identifier associated with the particular user; and

the facility being operable, if the associated identifier is in the database, to serve to the user an advertisement associated with the advertiser.

10. The facility of claim 9 wherein the database includes information associated with a plurality of different advertisers, and wherein the facility is operable to determining if the user'"'"'s identifier is associated with either of the advertisers.

11. The facility of claim 9 including a plurality of different databases, each containing a plurality of unique identifiers, and each database associated with a different advertiser.

12. The facility of claim 11 wherein the databases are associated with different advertisements.

13. The facility of claim 11 including a third party maintaining the databases for a plurality of different advertisers.

14. The facility of claim 9 wherein the facility is operable to default to non-service of an advertisement if the unique identifier is not in the database.

15. The facility of claim 9 wherein the advertisement is a pop-up advertisement in a new browser window or a banner.

16. The facility of claim 9 wherein the advertisement is a floating advertisement.

17. The facility of claim 9 wherein the facility is operable in response to web browsing activity of the user over a plurality of different websites.

18. A method of distributing Internet advertisements at the websites of a plurality of selected publishers comprising:

an advertising entity collecting lists of user identifiers from each of several advertisers;

in response to a user visiting one of the websites, determining the user identifier associated with the user;

determining if the user identifier is on a list; and

if the user identifier is on the list, serving to the user an advertisement selected from a group of advertisements including banner and unembedded advertisements, the advertisement being associated with the advertiser whose list contains the user'"'"'s identifier.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the advertisement is selected from the group of advertising types comprising banners, pop-ups, pop-unders, and dynamic html advertisements.

20. The method of claim 18 including if the user identifier is not on any of the lists, refraining from serving an unembedded advertisement and/or redirecting the ad request back to the publisher for fulfillment.

21. A method of distributing Internet advertisements to users, each associated with a unique identifier, the method comprising:

providing a database of the unique identifiers;

in response to a user visiting a publisher website, determining the user'"'"'s unique identifier;

if the unique identifier is in the database, triggering serving a banner ad; and

if the unique identifier is not in the database, returning the ad request to the publisher to fulfill.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the database includes information associated with a plurality of different advertisements, and including the step of determining if the unique identifier is associated with any of the advertisements.

23. The method of claim 21 including providing a plurality of different databases, each containing a plurality of unique identifiers, and each database associated with a different advertisement.

24. The method of claim 23 including displaying a selected banner advertisement associated with the database if the user'"'"'s unique identifier is in any of the databases.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the databases are associated with different advertisers.

26. The method of claim 23 including a third party maintaining the databases for a plurality of different advertisers.

27. The method of claim 21 including, in response to a determination that the unique identifier is not in the database, serving a different advertisement not associated with the selected advertisement.