Method and system for customizing marketing services on networks communicating with hypertext tagging conventions

• US 20080133378A1
• Filed: 01/31/2008
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/1996
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Tobin Family Education and Health Foundation
• Original Assignee: Commerce Technology Licensing LLC
• Inventors: Tobin, William J.
• Application Number:
  US12/012,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20080133378A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/972 Access to data in other repository systems, e.g. legacy data or dynamic Web page generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/102 Bill distribution or payments
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/12 Accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present server based communications system provides dynamic customization of hypertext tagged documents presented to clients accessing the system. The customization, which pertains to the content of the documents, is based on the specific requirements of a class to which the client belongs to. The class may be defined by the identity of the source which refers the client to the system. The system utilizes a database which dynamically retrieves stored data in response to a server software tool which configures the data into hypertext tagged documents. The system utilizes a dynamic token scheme to pass the identity of the referring network site from document to document to eventual purchase document accessed by the client through the hypertext tags.

Claims

1. A method of paying a commission comprising:

receiving a request for information to be displayed to a user, wherein the request includes a token associated with text identifying a page of a destination Web site, wherein the token corresponds to a source Web site that referred the user to the destination Web site;

determining the identity of the source Web site or source entity from the token; and

paying a commission to a source entity associated with the source Web site for a purchase if the user purchases a product or service after accessing the identified page of the destination Web site.

9. The method of claims 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the token identifies the URL of the source Web site.

11. The method of claims 1 or 2, wherein the text comprises words related to the products and/or services of the destination Web site.

13. The method of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 wherein the commission is a percentage of the purchase price of the products or services.

2. A method of paying a commission comprising:

assigning a unique token to each of a plurality of source Web sites;

receiving requests for information from a plurality of users, wherein the requests include a token associated with text identifying a page of a destination Web site, wherein the token corresponds to one of the plurality of the source Web sites;

when a user purchases a product or service after accessing the page of the destination Web site, using the token provided in the request received from the user to determine the identity of the source Web site; and

determining and paying a commission for the purchase to a source entity associated with the source Web site.

3. A method of receiving a commission comprising:

a source Web site transmitting a Web page to a user over the Internet, the Web page including a hyperlink visually represented by text and pointing to a destination Web site, the hyperlink including a token identifying the source Web site such that the token is provided to the destination Web site when the user selects the hyperlink; and

receiving a commission based on products or services sold to the user who was referred to the destination Web site via the hyperlink.

12. The method of claims 3, 4, 5, or 6, wherein the hyperlink visually represented by text comprises words related to the products and/or services of the destination Web site.

4. A method of purchasing products or services comprising:

receiving a Web page from a source Web site, wherein the Web page includes a hyperlink visually represented by text and the hyperlink includes information corresponding to the identity of the source Web site;

transmitting a request for a destination Web page via the hyperlink visually represented by text such that information corresponding to the identity of the source Web site is provided to the Web site corresponding to the destination Web page;

navigating from the destination Web page to a purchasing page associated with the destination Web page for purchasing a product or service via the use of hyperlinks; and

purchasing a product or service via the purchasing page, wherein a token is used to identify the source entity associated with the source Web site and paying a commission based on the products or services purchased by a user to the source entity associated with the source Web site.

5. A method of paying a commission comprising:

sending a source Web page of a source Web site operated by a source entity to a user, wherein the source Web page includes a hyperlink visually represented by text, wherein the hyperlink includes a pointer to a destination Web page of a destination Web site and an identifier of the source Web page;

requesting the destination Web page by the user'"'"'s use of the hyperlink;

navigating from the destination Web page to a purchasing Web page for the purchase of products or services, wherein the identifier of the source entity is maintained as the user navigates from the destination Web page to the purchasing Web page; and

calculating and paying a commission based on the price of products or services purchased by the user, the commission to be paid to the source entity associated with the source Web site based on the identifier.

10. The method of claim 5, 6, 7 or 8, further comprising tracking the source Web site via a token as the user navigates a plurality of pages of the destination Web site.

6. A method of paying a commission comprising:

receiving a request for a first Web page from a user, the user being provided with the address of the first Web page by a source Web site;

transmitting the first Web page to the user;

receiving a request for a second Web page from the user, the user being provided with the address of the second Web page via a hyperlink visually represented by text from the first Web page,

tracking the identity of the source Web site such that the identity is retained during or after the transmission of the second Web page;

transmitting the second Web page to the user;

receiving a request from the user for the purchase of products or services;

using the identity of the source Web site to pay a commission to a source entity associated with the source Web page based on the purchase of the products or services by the user; and

paying the commission.

7. A method of purchasing products or services comprising:

receiving a Web page from a source Web site, the Web page including a hyperlink visually represented by text to a destination Web page at a destination Web site;

activating the hyperlink so as to request the destination Web page;

receiving the destination Web page wherein the destination Web page includes a hyperlink to another Web page of the destination Web site; and

receiving a purchasing Web page, wherein the purchasing Web page was received by navigating through one or more Web pages starting with the hyperlink included on the destination Web page, wherein the identity of the source Web site remains available to the destination Web site during the navigation; and

purchasing a product or service via the purchasing Web page, wherein a payment is made to an entity associated with the source Web site based upon such purchase.

8. A method paying a commission comprising:

transmitting a destination Web page to a user, wherein the user navigated to the destination Web page from a source Web site by a hyperlink visually represented by text;

providing the user with an identification of the source Web site along with the destination Web page so that the identification of the source Web site may be saved on the user'"'"'s computer;

receiving a request from the user for a Web page of the destination Web site;

receiving the identification of the source Web site from the user'"'"'s computer;

transmitting the requested Web page of the destination Web site; and

paying a commission to be paid if the user purchases a product or service from the destination Web site or a Web page directly or indirectly associated with the destination Web site based on the identification of the source Web site received from the user'"'"'s computer.