CONDITIONAL ADVERTISING FOR INSTANT MESSAGING

• US 20080147501A1
• Filed: 07/23/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo AD Tech LLC
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gilliam, Orey
• Granted Patent: US 9,715,677 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

An instant message sender user interface for an instant messaging communications session involving an instant message sender and an instant message recipient is rendered, the user interface including a conversation window. User input is entered by the instant message sender through manipulation of the user interface, the user input including data for transmission as an instant message from the instant message sender. An instruction by the instant message sender to send the data to the instant message recipient based on manipulation by the instant message sender of the user interface is resolved. Display of advertising content on the user interface is triggered responsive to the instruction by the instant message sender to send the data to the instant message recipient. The advertising content is displayed in the conversation window during at least a portion of the time that the instant message sender awaits a reply from the instant message recipient.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for displaying advertising content in an instant messaging user interface, the method comprising:

rendering an instant message sender user interface for an instant messaging communications session involving an instant message sender and an instant message recipient, the instant message sender user interface including a conversation window configured to display instant messages communicated from the instant message recipient;

receiving, as user input entered by the instant message sender through manipulation of the instant message sender user interface, data for transmission as an instant message from the instant message sender;

resolving an instruction by the instant message sender to send the data to the instant message recipient based on manipulation by the instant message sender of the instant message sender user interface;

responsive to the instruction by the instant message sender to send the data to the instant message recipient, triggering display of advertising content on the instant message sender user interface; and

displaying the advertising content in the conversation window during at least a portion of the time that the instant message sender awaits receipt of a reply from the instant message recipient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertising content is displayed independently of the instant messages.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying the advertising content independently of the instant messages comprises displaying the advertising content in a first portion of the conversation window and displaying the instant messages in a second portion of the conversation window.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying the advertising content independently of the instant messages comprises displaying the advertising content out-of-line with the instant messages.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting advertising content for display in the conversation window based on content within the user input to be transmitted.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising

receiving an instant message communicated from the instant message recipient;

and

altering the displayed advertising content based on receiving the instant message communicated from the instant message recipient.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein altering the displayed advertising content comprises locating the advertising content in another portion of the conversation window.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein altering the displayed advertising content comprises changing the form of the advertising content.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein altering the displayed advertising content comprises removing the advertising content from the conversation window.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving an instant message communicated from the instant message recipient, and wherein the advertising content is displayed in the conversation window based on receiving the instant message communicated from the instant message recipient.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertising content includes at least first and second images, and wherein displaying the advertising content further comprises:

displaying the first image; and

replacing the first image with the second image.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first image is larger than the second image.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

terminating the communications session; and

removing the second image from display based upon terminating the communications session.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein replacing the first image with the second image occurs within a predetermined amount of time since displaying the first image.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertising content includes at least one transparent image.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertising content is animated advertising content.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the advertising content and the data to the instant message recipient; and

displaying the advertising content and the data at a instant message recipient user interface.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertising content displayed in the conversation window obscures at least a portion of the instant messages communicated from the instant message recipient.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein a context of the advertising content is based upon a context of the data or an attribute stored in a user profile associated with the instant message sender.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the advertising content further comprises:

transmitting the data to an intermediary server;

determining a context of the data at the intermediary server;

selecting the advertising content at the intermediary server based upon the context of the data; and

transmitting the advertising content from the intermediary server to the instant message sender.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

determining the advertising content at the intermediary server based upon an attribute stored in a user profile associated with the instant message sender; and

transmitting the advertising content from the intermediary server to the instant message sender.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

transmitting an attribute stored in a user profile associated with the instant message sender to the intermediary server; and

receiving the attribute at the intermediary server such that the advertising content is determined based on the attribute.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising:

accessing a user profile stored on the intermediary server; and

retrieving the attribute from the user profile, wherein the advertising content is determined based on the retrieved attribute.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

incrementing a counter based upon generating the advertising content; and

selecting content to display as the advertising content based upon the counter.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a user input selecting the advertising content.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein receiving the user input selecting the advertising content comprises receiving a mouse click on the advertising content.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the advertising content expands within the conversation window based upon receiving the user input selecting the advertising content.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising directing a browser to an address associated with the advertising content based upon receiving the user input selecting the advertising content.

29. The method of claim 25 further comprising:

incrementing a counter based upon receiving the user input selecting the advertising content;

determining a number of selections of the advertising content based on the counter; and

sending the determined number to a provider of the advertising content.

30. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a user input to remove the advertising content from the conversation window; and

removing the advertising content from display in response to receiving the user input.

31. The method of claim 30 further comprising presenting a set of selectable options related to the display of advertising content, the set of options including an option to remove the advertising content from the conversation window.

32. The method of claim 30 further comprising preventing the display of advertising content in subsequent instant messaging communications sessions based on the received user input.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the set of options is presented before the advertising content is displayed in the conversation window.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the set of options is presented after the advertising content is displayed in the conversation window.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the set options is presented before the advertising content is displayed.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the set of options is presented after the advertising content is displayed.

37. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a banner advertising content on the instant message sender user interface.

38. The method of claim 1, wherein the conversation window is further configured to display instant messages communicated from the instant message sender.

39. A device for displaying advertising content in an instant messaging user interface, the device comprising:

an output device configured to;

render an instant message sender user interface for an instant messaging communications session involving an instant message sender and an instant message recipient, the instant message sender user interface including a conversation window configured to display instant messages communicated from the instant message recipient, and

display advertising content in the conversation window during at least a portion of a time that the instant message sender awaits receipt of a reply from the instant message recipient;

an input device configured to receive, as user input entered by the instant message sender through manipulation of the instant message sender user interface, data for transmission as an instant message from the instant message sender; and

a processor configured to;

resolve an instruction by the instant message sender to send the data to the instant message recipient based on manipulation by the instant message sender of the instant message sender user interface;

trigger display of advertising content on the instant message sender user interface responsive to the instruction by the instant message sender to send the data to the instant message recipient.

40. A system for displaying advertising content in an instant messaging user interface, the system comprising:

an instant message sender device configured to;

render an instant message sender user interface for an instant messaging communications session involving an instant message sender and an instant message recipient, the instant message sender user interface including a conversation window configured to display instant messages communicated from the instant message recipient,

receive, as user input entered by the instant message sender through manipulation of the instant message sender user interface, data for transmission as an instant message from the instant message sender,

resolve an instruction by the instant message sender to send the data to the instant message recipient based on manipulation by the instant message sender of the instant message sender user interface;

transmit the data to an intermediary server;

trigger display of advertising content on the instant message sender user interface responsive to the instruction by the instant message sender to send the data to the instant message recipient, and

display the advertising content in the conversation window during at least a portion of a time that the instant message sender awaits receipt of a reply from the instant message recipient; and

an intermediary server configured to;

determine a context of the data at the intermediary server,

determine the advertising content at the intermediary server based upon the context of the data, and

transmit the advertising content from the intermediary server to the instant message sender.