Consolidated purchasing system for search term auctions

• US 20050209953A1
• Filed: 08/31/2004
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Talbot, Derek, Lott, Bill, Salvage, Neil, Stubbs, Charles, Mulqueen, Matthew, Scholl, Laurie, Caswell, W. B. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,672,885 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/10 Tax strategies

Abstract

A consolidated purchasing system for search term auctions is provided. The system typically includes receiving logic, analyzing logic, and purchasing logic. The receiving logic receives orders from customers. The analyzing logic receives and consolidates the plurality of orders, analyzes a dynamic auction for search terms on a search engine, and determines search terms upon which to bid and an amount to bid for the search terms. The determination of the amount to bid on the search terms is in response to a budget and an expected return on the search terms. The purchasing logic receives instructions from the bidding logic and bids on the search terms in the dynamic auction, wherein the cost of a position on a search result list for the search engine changes in response to input from auction participants. Other systems and methods are also provided.

Claims

1. A consolidated purchasing system for search term auctions, comprising:

receiving logic operable to receive a plurality of orders from a plurality of customers;

analyzing logic operable to receive and consolidate the plurality of orders, analyze a dynamic auction for a plurality of search terms on a search engine, determine a plurality of search terms upon which to bid and an amount to bid for the plurality of search terms responsive to a budget and an expected return on the plurality of search terms; and

purchasing logic operable to receive instructions from the bidding logic and bid on the plurality of search terms in the dynamic auction, wherein the cost of a position on a search result list for the search engine changes responsive to the input from a plurality of auction participants.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the analyzing logic is further operable to target multiple search terms for a single order among other plurality of orders, and aggregate a plurality of less expensive search terms to approximate an expected result from at least one more expensive search term.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising solicitation logic operable to solicit orders from customers.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the total cost achieved by the analyzing logic is lower than the cost achieved by the customers individually.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the analyzing logic is operable avoid bidding up a particular search term used by another customer through aggregation of a plurality of alternative search terms which yield a similar result to the particular search term.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is operable to deliver a minimum level of traffic to a customer website responsive to an order associated with the customer.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the minimum level of traffic is a guaranteed minimum level of traffic.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the purchasing logic is further able to query the analyzing logic in response to an increase in price on a particular search term, to determine whether the purchasing logic should increase its current bid on the particular search term, decrease its current bid on the particular search term, retain the current bid, or bid on alternative search terms.

9. A method for consolidated purchasing of search term auctions, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of orders from a plurality of customers;

consolidating the plurality of orders;

determining a plurality of relevant search terms upon which to bid responsive to the orders;

analyzing a dynamic auction for the plurality of relevant search terms on a search engine;

determining an amount to bid for the plurality of search terms responsive to a budget for the plurality of orders, and an expected return on the plurality of relevant search terms; and

bidding on the plurality of relevant search terms in the dynamic auction, wherein the cost of a position on a search result list for the search engine changes responsive to the input from a plurality of auction participants.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

analyzing a plurality of alternative search terms included within the plurality of relevant search terms; and

aggregating a plurality of less expensive alternative search terms to approximate an expected result from at least one more expensive search term.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising lowering the cost of the plurality of relevant search terms for the plurality of customers through consolidated purchasing and aggregating a plurality of relevant search terms.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of soliciting orders from customers.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising aggregating a plurality of alternative search terms which yield a similar result to a particular search term to avoid bidding up the particular search term when it is used by another customer.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising delivering a minimum level of traffic to a customer website responsive to an order associated with the customer.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the minimum level of traffic is a guaranteed minimum level of traffic.

16. The method of claim 9, determining whether the purchasing logic should increase its current bid on the particular search term, decrease its current bid on the particular search term, retain the current bid, or bid on alternative search terms in response to activity in the dynamic auction.

17. A computer readable medium having a program for consolidated purchasing of search term auctions, the program comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of orders from a plurality of customers;

consolidating the plurality of orders;

determining a plurality of relevant search terms upon which to bid responsive to the orders;

analyzing a dynamic auction for the plurality of relevant search terms on a search engine;

determining an amount to bid for the plurality of search terms responsive to a budget for the plurality of orders, and an expected return on the plurality of relevant search terms; and

bidding on the plurality of relevant search terms in the dynamic auction, wherein the cost of a position on a search result list for the search engine changes responsive to the input from a plurality of auction participants.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the program further comprises the steps of:

analyzing a plurality of alternative search terms included within the plurality of relevant search terms; and

aggregating a plurality of less expensive alternative search terms to approximate an expected result from at least one more expensive search term.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the program further comprises lowering the cost of the plurality of relevant search terms for the plurality of customers through consolidated purchasing and aggregation of a plurality of relevant search terms.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the program further comprises, determining whether the purchasing logic should increase its current bid on the particular search term, decrease its current bid on the particular search term, retain the current bid, or bid on alternative search terms in response to activity in the dynamic auction.