Auction-based search engine
First Claim
1. A method for providing auction-based advertising for merchants:
- receiving from a merchant at least one keyword for bidding and at least one proposed internet address related to said keyword;
verifying that said keyword relates to said proposed internet address;
providing a list of current internet addresses returned by a search engine on said keyword, said list ordered by current bid prices for each such current internet address for said keyword;
receiving from said merchant a maximum bid on said keyword;
placing said proposed internet address into said list according to said maximum bid.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods are disclosed for electronically generating targeted lists of customers and consumers. To generate the targeted lists, a marketplace search engine initially receives a keyword from a customer as part of a request for content related to the keyword. The search engine obtains and transmits the search results to the customer and then transmits to the customer an invitation to be included in the target list related to the keyword. The marketplace search engine then receives from the customer an acceptance of the invitation to be included in the target list, where the acceptance includes contact information for the customer. The engine addresses the request using the contact information and then transmits a confirmation request. Preferably, the search engine receives a confirmation of the acceptance from the customer; and then adds the contact information for the customer to the targeted list related to the keyword.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for providing auction-based advertising for merchants:
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receiving from a merchant at least one keyword for bidding and at least one proposed internet address related to said keyword;
verifying that said keyword relates to said proposed internet address;
providing a list of current internet addresses returned by a search engine on said keyword, said list ordered by current bid prices for each such current internet address for said keyword;
receiving from said merchant a maximum bid on said keyword;
placing said proposed internet address into said list according to said maximum bid. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method of providing auction-based advertising for a plurality of web sites in relation to a particular keyword comprising the steps of:
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receiving a bid and a proxy amount from each of said web sites for said keyword;
ordering said websites on a list according to said bids;
adjusting said ordering by increasing said bids automatically until either a bid reaches its proxy amount or said bid is greater than the proxy amount of the next higher bidder. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. An auction-based advertising system for allowing merchants to bid on rank in having a search engine return a particular web site to a searcher comprising:
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a computer network containing at least one computer;
a database accessible to said computer containing a list of web sites ordered in rank according to previous bids;
a bid receiving agent executing on said network receiving a bid for a new web site, wherein said agent inserts said new web site into said list in the database according to a rank computed from said bid;
a notification agent executing on said network notifying web sites in said database of insertions by said agent. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification