Method for transacting an advertisement transfer

• US 20060253331A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 11/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AlmondNet, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AlmondNet, Inc.
• Inventors: Shkedi, Roy
• Granted Patent: US 7,454,364 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.660
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0245 Surveys
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0249 based upon budgets or funds
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A method for transacting an advertisement transfer is disclosed which facilitates expressing the rate structure for the individual advertisement as a function of a profile of the individual potential customer; and which is directed to the creation of a mechanism from the vantage of an Internet site that is being visited. It should be appreciated that this must include the participation of other entities in the Internet (such as distributors, clients, intermediary agencies, etc.). The method is for transacting an advertisement transfer, from an advertisement distributor to a visitor, the method including, upon the occurrence of a visitor visitation at a communications node, the communication node performing the steps of: constructing a visitor profile; broadcasting the profile to at least one distributor; collecting responses from the at least one distributor; selecting a response from the at least one responding distributor; contracting, between the node and the at least one distributor of the selected response, a transference of an advertisement from the distributor to the visitor; and effecting a transfer of the advertisement to the visitor.

Claims

1. A method for automatically regulating opportunities for presenting electronic advertisements while a visitor is in contact with a communications node, the method comprising:

Upon a visitor visiting a communications node, electronically and automatically, and individually for that visitor;

(a) obtaining a profile of the visitor, which profile contains data identifying various attributes believed associated with the visitor;

(b) accessing pre-stored data derived from a plurality of pre-collected bids, the bids being for delivery of an associated advertisement to a visitor visiting the communications node, each of which plurality of bids having been collected by receiving;

(i) a first offer price for a subset of attributes that a visitor to the communications node might have; and

(ii) at least one supplemental offer price, which supplemental offer price is for an individual attribute that a visitor might have in addition to the subset of attributes;

(c) identifying from the data which of the bids yields the greatest overall price for delivery of the associated electronic advertisement to the visitor visiting the communications node, the overall price being based on the total of offer prices associated with subsets of attributes and supplemental attributes matching the visitor'"'"'s profile;

(d) arranging for the delivery of the electronic advertisement associated with the identified bid to the visitor; and

(e) recording billing data identifying the delivered advertisement and the price for delivery of the advertisement to the visitor pursuant to the identified bid.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein part (b) comprises accessing pre-stored data derived from pre-collected bids collected by receiving a first offer price for a subset of attributes consisting of a single attribute.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein part (b) comprises accessing pre-stored data representing, for each bid of the plurality, a plurality of pre-defined combinations of attributes and pre-calculated total offer prices therefor.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein part (b) comprises accessing pre-stored data representing, for each bid, all possible combinations of attributes and pre-calculated total offer prices therefor.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein:

(i) part (b) comprises accessing pre-stored data derived from at least one pre-collected bid collected by receiving, further, a maximum offer price capping the overall price for delivery of the associated advertisement, regardless of how many matching attributes a visitor has; and

(ii) in part (c), the overall price for each such bid is based on the total of offer prices associated with matching attributes, constrained by the maximum offer price.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising first:

(A) collecting a plurality of the bids by electronically receiving, for each of the collected plurality of bids;

(i) a first offer price for a subset of attributes that a visitor to the communications node might have; and

(ii) at least one supplemental offer price, which supplemental offer price is for an individual attribute that a visitor might have in addition the subset of attributes,

and (B) storing data derived from the bids.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein collecting the plurality of bids further comprises receiving a maximum offer price capping the overall price for delivery of the associated advertisement, regardless of how many matching attributes a visitor has.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein collecting the plurality of bids further comprises receiving at least one of the supplemental offer prices expressed, at the bidder'"'"'s option, either as an amount of currency or as a fraction of the associated first offer price.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some attributes can be set as required for the visitor to have or required for the visitor not to have.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein part (b) comprises accessing pre-stored data derived from at least one pre-collected bid collected by receiving at least one of the supplemental offer prices that is expressed as a fraction of the associated first offer price.

11. A computer system intended for use in automatically regulating opportunities for presenting electronic advertisements while a visitor is in contact with a communications node, the apparatus comprising:

(a) an computer advertisement server; and

(b) at least one electronic storage in communication with the server storing;

(i) first data specifying a plurality of bids for delivery of an associated advertisement to a visitor visiting the communications node, each of which plurality of bids including;

(A) a first offer price for a subset of attributes that a visitor to the communications node might have; and

(B) at least one supplemental offer price, which supplemental offer price is for an individual attribute that a visitor might have in addition the subset of attributes;

(ii) second data defining at least one combination of the first offer price and at least one of the supplemental offer prices;

(iii) third data identifying an electronic advertisement associated with each of the bids; and

(iv) fourth data logging billing data;

(c) wherein the server is programmed, upon receiving a signal denoting a visitor visiting a communications node, electronically and automatically, and individually for that visitor, to;

(i) obtains a profile of the visitor, which profile contains profile data identifying various attributes believed associated with the visitor;

(ii) identify from the first or second data which of the bids yields the greatest overall price for delivery of the associated electronic advertisement to the visitor visiting the communications node, the overall price being based on the total of offer prices associated with subsets of attributes and supplemental attributes matching the visitor'"'"'s profile;

(iii) arrange, using the third data, for delivery of the electronic advertisement associated with the identified bid to the visitor; and

(iv) record fourth data identifying the delivered advertisement and the price for delivery of the advertisement to the visitor pursuant to the identified bid.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the second data in the electronic storage defines, for each bid, all possible combinations of the first offer price and the supplemental offer prices.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the electronic storage further stores data defining a maximum offer price capping the overall price for delivery of the associated advertisement, regardless of how many matching attributes a visitor has;

and wherein, in part (c)(ii), the greatest overall price for each such bid is based on the total of offer prices associated with matching attributes, constrained by the maximum offer price.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the first data in the electronic storage specifies bids having at least some supplemental offer prices expressed as a fraction of the associated first offer price.

15. An apparatus comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing a set of computer instructions in one or more modules that, when executed by one or more processors:

(a) receives a plurality of bids in the form of;

(i) a first offer price for a subset of attributes that a visitor to the communications node might have; and

(ii) at least one supplemental offer price, which supplemental offer price is for an individual attribute that a visitor might have in addition the subset of attributes,

 

and stores data identifying at least one combination of the first offer price and at least one of the supplemental offer prices;

(b) thereafter, automatically, and individually for a visitor visiting a communications node;

(i) obtains a profile of the visitor, which profile contains data identifying various attributes believed associated with the visitor;

(ii) identifies from the stored data which of the bids yields the greatest overall price for delivery of the associated electronic advertisement to the visitor visiting the communications node, the overall price being based on the total of offer prices associated with subsets of attributes and supplemental attributes matching the visitor'"'"'s profile;

(iii) arranges for delivery of the electronic advertisement associated with the identified bid to the visitor; and

(iv) records billing data identifying the delivered advertisement and the price for delivery of the advertisement to the visitor pursuant to the identified bid.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the computer instructions in part (a) store data defining, for each bid, all possible combinations of the first offer price and the supplemental offer prices.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the computer instructions in part (a), when executed, stores data identifying at least one combination of offer prices constrained by a maximum offer price capping the overall price for delivery of the associated advertisement, regardless of how many matching attributes a visitor has;

and wherein the computer instructions in part (b)(ii), when executed, cause the computer to identify the bid yielding the highest overall price for each such bid, constrained by the maximum offer price.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the computer instructions in part (a) store data representing offer prices for supplemental attributes expressed as a fraction of the associated first offer price.