ADVERTISER BACKED COMPENSATION FOR END USERS

• US 20080140491A1
• Filed: 06/26/2007
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jain, Kamal, Biggs, Jody D., Flake, Gary W., Kern, Randall F., Burdick, Brian, Dani, Nishant V., Utter, Brian James, Sacheti, Arun K., Gavriliu, Marcel, Kiker, David Lawrence, Veksler, Polina
• Application Number:
  US11/768,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20080140491A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0212 Chance discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0248 Avoiding fraud

Abstract

The claimed subject invention presents systems and methods to compensate directly a user of a service platform through advertising spending in exchange for knowledge of the user intent. Advertising spending contributions are allocated to a compensation account that can be accessed by an advertising platform, affiliated with the service platform or not, to compensate users and to update compensation records and transactions with the advertiser. Compensation fraud is actively and reactively mitigated. Compensation of the user is conducted securely and includes compensation points, direct payments and instant rebates, which can be used in transactions with online and offline service platforms. The intent-compensation proposition funded through advertising spending creates a price incentive that differentiates both service platform and advertiser from their competitors, and creates value for user and advertiser.

Claims

1. A computer system that compensates a user of a service platform in return for the user'"'"'s intent through advertising spending, comprising:

an advertisement platform receives a subset of advertisement funds from an advertiser associated with the service platform, shares intent information of user(s) to the advertiser, and allocates a portion of the advertisement funds to compensate one or more users for sharing respective intent information; and

a compensation account that stores the portion of advertisement funds to compensate the user, and retains transactional records between the advertiser and the advertising platform.

2. The system of claim 1, the funds comprising compensation points and monetary instruments.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an accounting component that employs an algorithm to determine level of funding to allocate for compensating the user and a paying a commission to the service platform.

4. The system of claim 2, the compensation points being generic or specific, with generic points useful to obtain a variety of products or services, and specific points useful to obtain a specific product or service.

5. The system of claim 2, the compensation points being perishable or perennial, with perishable points valid for a determined period of time and perennial points valid at all times.

6. The system of claim 2, the compensation points being useful to obtain services or products through online and offline service platforms.

7. The system of claim 1, the advertising platform further comprising a compensation component that issues compensation points, makes direct payments and processes rebates.

8. The system of claim 1, the advertisement platform comprising a display component that renders advertisements in media.

9. The system of claim 1, the advertisement platform comprising an antifraud component that legitimizes a user'"'"'s compensation.

10. The system of claim 9, the antifraud component secures the funds and transactional records in the compensation account.

11. The system of claim 1, the advertisement platform collects intelligence on the user upon compensation.

12. The system of claim 1, the advertisement platform collects user intelligence from a user-intelligence database.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising a component that infers desirable advertisers based on the collected user intelligence.

14. A computer-implemented method that facilitates compensating a user of a service platform comprising

conveying the user'"'"'s intent to the service platform, and processing the user'"'"'s intent;

selling the user'"'"'s intent to an advertiser; and

compensating the user with a portion of revenues received from the advertiser.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising

processing the advertiser'"'"'s spending to allocate funds to compensate the user;

and

collecting intelligence on the user upon being compensated, and requesting user'"'"'s feedback;

16. The method of claim 15, the processing further comprising allocating a commission for the service platform.

17. The method of claim 15, the processing further comprising applying an algorithm that allocates funds to the user as a function of a percentage (p) of the advertiser'"'"'s advertisement spending wherein p is a function of time and advertiser'"'"'s profile.

18. A computer-implemented method that facilitates identifying an advertiser that advertises services and products that match needs of a plurality of users, comprising

collecting intelligence on respective users of the plurality of users through an advertising platform;

analyzing the collected user intelligence; and

determining or inferring a suitable advertiser and user match as a function of user needs, user intent, advertiser qualifications, and percentage of ad revenue that can be shared with the user.

19. The method of claim 18, the processing further comprising segmenting the user intelligence according to the plurality of users'"'"' behavior patterns or socioeconomic characteristics, or a combination thereof.

20. The method of claim 18, comprising introducing the user and advertiser.