COMPUTING SYSTEM FOR MONETIZING CALENDAR APPLICATIONS

• US 20080046311A1
• Filed: 08/15/2006
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Vasu, Niranjan, Shahine, Omar H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,799,073 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1093 Calendar-based scheduling for persons or groups
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0252 based on events or environment, e.g. weather or festivals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0259 based on store location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A method is disclosed for advertisers to target specific calendar users with the advertisers'"'"' events. When uploading information for an advertisement to a service provider system, the advertiser provides targeting criteria along with advertisement content. The targeting criteria is compared against user data stored about the user within one or more databases in the service provider system to select targeted recipients that meet the targeting criteria. The advertised events are then downloaded for display along side a users'"'"' calendar interface, where users may quickly and easily add the event to their calendars.

Claims

1. In a computing system environment having a graphical user interface including a display and a user interface selection device, a method of targeted advertising in association with the use of a calendar application program of a user, comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a calendar user interface for the user including a graphical representation of at least a portion of a calendar; and

(b) displaying over the display an advertisement selected for display to the user based on a correlation between stored information for the user and targeting criteria selected by the advertiser.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step (c) of enabling the user to add a displayed advertisement to the calendar user interface via the user interface selection device.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the step (d) of enabling a user to add and change information associated with an advertisement when it is added to the calendar user interface via the user selection device.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, said step (b) of displaying an advertisement comprising the step of displaying an advertisement having an associated temporal event.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, said step (b) of displaying an advertisement selected for display to the user comprising the step of displaying the advertisement to the user based on the user having stored address information indicating the user has an address within a defined geographical area or defined geographical distance from an advertiser place of business.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, said step (b) of displaying an advertisement selected for display to the user comprising the step of displaying the advertisement to the user based on the user having stored information indicating the user is at least one of:

i) a gender indicated in the targeting criteria, ii) within an age group indicated in the targeting criteria, iii) a religion indicated in the targeting criteria, iv) a nationality indicated in the targeting criteria, and v) an interest or preference indicated in the targeting criteria.

7. A computer implemented method of targeted advertising in association with the use of a calendar application program by a plurality of users, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving data including ad content and target data;

(b) selecting one or more users of the plurality of users to receive an advertisement including the ad content based on the target data received in said step (a) and stored data associated with the one or more users; and

(c) displaying the ad content and calendar interface over displays for the one or more users selected in said step (b).

8. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

(d) receiving an indication from a user of the one or more users via a user interface to add information relating to the advertisement to a database of stored calendar events for the user; and

(e) adding the information relating to the advertisement to the database of stored calendar events for the user upon receiving the indication of said step (d).

9. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 8, wherein said step (d) comprises the step of receiving an indication that the user has selected a displayed advertisement using a user interface selection device.

10. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 8, wherein said step (e) comprises the step of storing the information relating to the advertisement on a database maintained within a service provider system supporting the calendar application program.

11. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 8, wherein said step (e) comprises the step of storing the information relating to the advertisement on a database maintained within a computing device of the user.

12. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 8, further comprising a step (f) of notifying a user with a reminder relating to the advertisement after the information relating to the advertisement has been added to the database of stored calendar events for the user in said step (e).

13. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 7, wherein said step (a) of receiving data including ad content and target data comprises the step of receiving data within a service provider system supporting the calendar application program from an advertiser via a user interface and network connection between the advertiser and service provider system.

14. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 7, wherein said step (a) of receiving data including ad content and target data comprises the step of receiving data relating to an upcoming temporal event.

15. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 7, wherein said step (b) of selecting the one or more users to receive the advertisement based on the target data and stored data associated with the one or more users comprises the steps of:

(b1) searching one or more databases of stored user information for user;

(b2) finding user information that correlates to the targeting data; and

(b3) selecting a user to receive the advertisement where a correlation is found between the user information and targeting data.

16. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 7, wherein said step (b) of selecting the one or more users to receive the advertisement based on the target data and stored data associated with the one or more users comprises the steps of selecting one or more users having stored address information indicating the user is within a defined geographical area or a defined geographical distance from an advertiser place of business.

17. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 7, wherein said step (b) of selecting the one or more users to receive the advertisement based on the target data and stored data associated with the one or more users comprises the steps of selecting one or more users having stored information indicating the user is at least one of:

i) a gender indicated by the target data, ii) within an age group indicated by the target data, iii) a religion indicated by the target data, iv) a nationality indicated by the target data, and v) an interest or preference indicated by the target data.

18. A computer implemented method of targeted advertising in association with the use of a calendar application program by a plurality of users, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving data including ad content;

(b) receiving an indication of a shared calendar interface supported by the calendar application program relating to a category that is of interest to an advertiser; and

(c) displaying the ad content together with the shared calendar interface indicated to be of interest in said step (b) over one or more displays.

19. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 18, wherein said steps (a) and (b) comprise the step of receiving data within a service provider system supporting the calendar application program from an advertiser via a user interface and network connection between the advertiser and service provider system.

20. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 18, wherein said step (a) of receiving data including ad content comprises the step of receiving data relating to an upcoming temporal event.