SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ADVERTISING ON A NETWORK

• US 20070150573A1
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Published: 06/28/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Savvy Dog Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Visioneering Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Kitchen, James
• Granted Patent: US 7,756,962 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0208 Trade or exchange of goods or services in exchange for incentives or rewards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0226 Incentive systems for frequent usage, e.g. frequent flyer miles programs or point systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0227 Frequent usage incentive value reconciliation between diverse systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0233 Method of redeeming a frequent usage reward
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0235 constrained by time limit or expiration date
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A system for advertising to an end user in a computer network is provided. The system includes a server configured to transmit instructions to a client application to display an advertisement and a call-to-action for a reward in proximity to each other. The system is further configured to receive a response to the call-to-action for a reward from the user, and to transmit instructions to the client application to display an indication of a reward. A reward log database is provided in communication with the server. The reward log database is configured for logging the response to the call-to-action for a reward from the user. Methods for advertising and conveying a message, and a client application program product are also provided.

Claims

1. A system for advertising to an end user in a computer network, the system comprising:

at least one server;

configured to transmit instructions to a client application to display an advertisement and a call-to-action for a reward in proximity to each other;

configured to receive a response to the call-to-action for a reward from the user; and

configured to transmit instructions to the client application to display an indication of a reward; and

a reward log database in communication with the at least one server, the reward log database configured for logging the response to the call-to-action for a reward from the user.

2. The system for advertising according to claim 1, wherein the at least one server comprises:

an advertising server configured to generate the advertisement;

a reward system server configured to generate the call-to-action for a reward;

a web server configured to receive the advertisement from the advertising server, receive the call-to-action for a reward from the reward system server.

3. The system for advertising according to claim 1, wherein the at least one server comprises:

a web server which is configured to transmit instructions to the client application to receive the advertisement from an advertising server, receive the call-to-action for a reward from a reward system server.

4. The system for advertising according to claim 2, wherein the at least one server is configured for transmitting instructions to the client application to display the advertisement and the call-to-action for a reward alternately in a predetermined time dependent manner determined by a frequency plan implemented by at least one of the client application and the at least one server.

5. The system for advertising according to claim 1, further comprising a user profile database in communication with the at least one server, the user profile database configured for storing user information, and the at least one server is configured to associate the user information with the user.

6. The system for advertising according to claim 1, wherein the at least one server is configured to transmit instructions to the client application to display an indication of a missed reward based on at least one user failure to respond to the call-to-action for a reward.

7. A method for advertising comprising:

providing at least one server;

transmitting from the at least one server an advertisement and a call-to-action for a reward to a user, wherein the advertisement and the call-to-action for a reward are configured to be displayed in proximity to each other with a user interface;

receiving with the at least one server from the user a response to the call-to-action for a reward; and

transmitting from the at least one server an indication of a reward to the user.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising transmitting to a client application of the user from the at least one server instructions for:

displaying the advertisement with the user interface in a display area;

displaying the call-to-action for a reward with the user interface in proximity to the display area of the advertisement;

transmitting the user response to the at least one server; and

displaying the indication of a reward with the user interface.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing a user profile database in communication with the at least one server;

receiving user information of a user with the at least one server;

querying the user information against the user profile database; and

assigning the user with a unique user-identifier, and transmitting with the at least one server the user-identifier to the user.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

implementing a frequency plan employing at least one of randomness and psuedo-randomness for timing the display of at least one of the advertisement and the call-to-action for a reward.

11. A method of conveying a message to an end user in computer network, the method comprising;

displaying at least one message;

displaying a call-to-action for a reward in proximity to a display area of the at least one message;

receiving from a user a response to the call-to-action for a reward; and

displaying an indication of a reward.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying the at least one message and the call-to-action for a reward in a window which comprises an application interface.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising displaying the indication of a reward as an indication of a missed reward in response to a user'"'"'s failure to respond to the call-to-action for a reward.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying a plurality of call-to-actions for a reward;

logging a plurality of failures of a user to respond to the plurality of call-to-actions for a reward; and

displaying the indication of a reward as an indication of a missed reward in response to the plurality of failures to respond to the plurality of call-to-actions for a reward.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying a plurality of call-to-actions for a reward;

logging at least one response to the plurality of call-to-actions for a reward; and

displaying the indication of a reward as an indication of an earned reward in response to the at least one user response to the plurality of call-to-actions for a reward.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one message comprises a plurality of messages, the method further comprising:

providing a presentation vehicle comprising a window within a main application;

displaying each of the plurality of messages for a first predetermined period of time in the window; and

displaying the call-to-action for a reward in the window in proximity to the at least one message for a second predetermined period of time;

wherein at least one of the first and second predetermined periods of time are variable and determined on the basis of at least one of randomness and pseudo-randomness.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing a presentation vehicle comprising a window;

displaying the at least one message in the window; and

displaying the call-to-action for a reward in the window at least one of adjacent to and overlapped with the message.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing a presentation vehicle comprising a first window and a second window;

displaying the at least one message in the first window; and

displaying the call-to-action for a reward in the second window adjacent to the first window.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing a presentation vehicle; and

alternately displaying the at least one message and the call-to-action for a reward in the presentation vehicle.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

providing a presentation vehicle comprising a window; and

alternately displaying the at least one message and the call-to-action for a reward in the window, wherein the message and the call-to-action for a reward are positioned substantially in the same location in the window at substantially different times.

21. A client application program product comprising a computer readable medium comprising instructions, the instructions being operable to enable a client computer to perform a procedure comprising:

identifying a user;

receiving an advertisement from at least one server;

displaying the advertisement in a presentation vehicle;

receiving a call-to-action for a reward from the at least one server;

displaying the call-to-action for a reward in the presentation vehicle;

transmitting to the at least one server a user response to the call-to-action for a reward;

receiving an indication of a reward from the at least one server; and

displaying the indication of a reward in the presentation vehicle.

22. The client application program product of claim 21, wherein the instructions of the computer readable medium are operable to enable a client computer to perform the procedure further comprising:

displaying the advertisement in a window of the presentation vehicle; and

displaying the call-to-action for a reward in the window of the presentation vehicle in proximity to the advertisement.

23. The client application program product of claim 21, wherein the instructions of the computer readable medium are operable to enable a client computer to perform the procedure further comprising:

displaying the advertisement and the call-to-action for a reward in a window of the presentation vehicle in a substantially alternating fashion, whereby the advertisement replaces the call-to-action for a predetermined period of time.

24. The client application program product of claim 21, wherein the instructions of the computer readable medium are operable to enable a client computer to perform the procedure further comprising:

receiving an indication of at least one missed reward in response to at least one failure of the user to respond to the call-to-action for a reward; and

displaying an indication of the at least one missed reward in response to the user'"'"'s at least one failure to respond to the call-to-action for a reward.

25. The client application program product of claim 21, wherein the instructions of the computer readable medium are operable to enable a client computer to perform the procedure further comprising:

requesting the advertisement from the at least one server; and

requesting the call-to-action for a reward from the at least one server.