SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DYNAMIC MESSAGE PLACEMENT

• US 20080244391A1
• Filed: 05/16/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 2, LLC
• Original Assignee: Endless Spaces Ltd.
• Inventors: Menachem, Uri Ben, Gur, Adam
• Granted Patent: US 7,971,136 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/273
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

The present invention is a system and a method for selecting an appropriate location for displaying messages, such as graphic or textual advertisements, on the display screen of users of electronic devices. Embodiments of the present invention employ algorithms for analyzing the graphic content of the screen in real-time to select the most appropriate position for placing the message. In addition, according to some embodiments of the present invention the activities of the user are also monitored to enhance the suitability of the selected position of the advertisements. The algorithm constantly monitors screen information and user activity and removes the message whenever the selected area is no longer appropriate for displaying the message.

Claims

1. A method for placing a message on a display of an electronic device according to predefined criteria, said method comprising the steps of

analyzing the information on said display;

identifying in said display an area which adheres to predefined criteria, wherein said criteria ensures maximal exposure of said message while minimizing the interference created to the workflow of the user of said electronic device;

placing said message in said identified area;

removing said message whenever particular changes are identified in said display.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said particular identified changes are at least one of the following:

in the area underlying said message, in proximity to the area of the message.

3. The method of claim 1 further including the step of monitoring the area underlying said message wherein said removal of said message is performed whenever any changes are identified in said underlying area.

4. The method of claim 1 further including the step of monitoring the area underlying said message wherein said removal of said message is performed whenever said underlying area deviates from said predefined criteria.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein predefined criteria are identified according to at least one of the following:

the frequency of changes in said area, visual pattern analysis of said area, monitoring user activity in said area.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein said visual pattern analysis includes identifying at least one of the following patterns:

a monotonous color, textures and colors which are very faint, background texture, a constant gradient of colors, a small pattern.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the size of the message is adjusted according to the size of the identified area.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the content of the message is determined in accordance with the dimensions of the identified area.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the criteria according to which said area is identified are determined in accordance with the time period it takes to find said area.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said criteria are relaxed the longer said time period is.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the criteria according to which said area is identified are selected in accordance with the status of the windows in said display.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said message is displayed using a top-level window.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said message includes at least one of the following:

text, graphic images, animated images, video content, hyperlinks, multimedia.

14. The method of claim 2 further including the step of taking a snapshot of said area before placing said message, wherein said monitoring is performed in comparison to said snapshot.

15. The method of claim 2 wherein said monitoring is performed by accessing graphic data of windows underlying said area.

16. The method of claim 2 wherein said monitoring is performed through at least one of the following:

calling operating system functions, hooking into operating system functions.

17. The method of claim 2 further including the step of causing at least part of said message to flicker at high rates.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said monitoring is performed by analyzing said underlying area as said message flickers.

19. The method of claim 2 wherein said monitoring is performed in the area adjacent to said message area.

20. The method of claim 2 further including the step of displaying said message with semitransparent attributes, wherein said monitoring is performed by extracting the information concerning said underlying area from said semitransparent display.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said information from said underlying area is extracted by removing the message data from the combined data received for said area.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein monitoring underlying area is performed by using operating system calls that ignore the semitransparent message data and return only the graphic data of the underlying area.

23. The method of claim 2 further including the step of displaying only particular colors in said message in a transparent display, wherein said monitoring is performed by extracting the information concerning said underlying area from said transparent segments.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said colors are selected in accordance with a color analysis of said message.

25. The method of claim 2 wherein said message flickers between an opaque display and a semitransparent display, wherein said monitoring is performed by extracting the information concerning said underlying area from said semitransparent display.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein said message is displayed gradually, first appearing in high levels of semi-transparency, wherein the longer the message is displayed the levels of its semi-transparency decrease.

27. The method of claim 1 wherein the content of said message is determined in accordance with a user profile of the user and with the monitored behavior of the user.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein the preferences of the system are determined by the user of said electronic device.

29. The method of claim 1 further including the step of removing said message after a predetermined time period.

30. The method of claim 1 wherein said message is displayed without making use of an operating system window.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein said message is removed whenever segments of said message are overwritten.

32. A system for placing a message on a display of an electronic device according to predefined criteria, said system comprises

a screen analysis module for analyzing said display of said electronic device and identifying in said display an area which ensure maximal exposure of said message while not interfering with the workflow of the user of said electronic device;

a message placement module for placing said message in said display;

a monitoring and message removal module for analyzing the area underlying said message, determining the time of message removal and removing said message.