SYSTEM FOR DISPLAYING ADVERTISEMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH SEARCH RESULTS

• US 20080270228A1
• Filed: 04/24/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Excalibur IP, LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dasdan, Ali
• Application Number:
  US11/739,242
• Publication Number:
  US 20080270228A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A system and method are disclosed for displaying information associated with a search result. The information may be an advertisement that is displayed when an associated search result is displayed as a result of a search query. For example, an advertiser may identify at least one search result to be associated with its advertisement, such that the advertisement is displayed on a search result page when the identified search result is one of the search results on the page.

Claims

1. A method for displaying an advertisement on a page, the method comprising:

receiving a search query;

providing at least one search result on the page, wherein the at least one search result is based on the search query;

associating the advertisement with an associated search result; and

displaying the advertisement on the page when the associated search result is one of the at least one search result on the page.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the page is a web page.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the at least one search result on the page includes a link to a web site associated with the search result.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the act of associating the advertisement with at least one of the at least one search result comprises:

receiving a bid of the advertisement from at least one advertiser for one of the at least one search results; and

receiving instructions for displaying the advertisement, wherein the instructions include an identification of the one of the at least one search result associated with the advertisement.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the act of displaying the advertisement with the associated search result further comprises:

comparing the bid of the advertisement from the at least one advertiser with other bids for the associated search result; and

displaying the advertisement when the bid of the advertisement from the at least one advertiser is a highest quality bid.

6. The method according to claim 4 wherein the one of the at least one search result is related to a competitor of the at least one advertiser.

7. The method according to claim 4 wherein the one of the at least one search result is related to an affiliate of the at least one advertiser.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the advertisement is displayed adjacent the associated one of the at least one search result.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the advertisement is displayed in a sponsored advertisement location.

10. A method for displaying information associated with a search result on a page, the method comprising:

receiving the information associated with the search result;

receiving a search query;

displaying one or more search results on the page in response to receiving the search query; and

displaying the information associated with the search result when the associated search result is one of the search results that are displayed on the page, wherein the information associated with the associated search result is not displayed when the associated search result is not one of the search results.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the information is an advertisement.

12. The method according to claim 10 wherein the page is a web page and the search results include links to web pages, further wherein the associated search result includes a link to a web site.

14. The method according to claim 10 wherein the information is selected by an information provider for display adjacent the associated search result.

15. The method according to claim 10 wherein the association of the information with the search result on a page comprises:

receiving a bid for the information from an information provider for one of the search results; and

receiving instructions for displaying the information, wherein the instructions include identification of the associated search result that is associated with the information.

13. (canceled)

16. In a computer readable storage medium having stored therein data representing instructions executable by a programmed processor for displaying an advertisement associated with an output, the storage medium comprising instructions operative for:

receiving a search query;

providing one or more outputs in response to the search query;

comparing the output associated with the advertisement with the outputs; and

displaying the advertisement when the output associated with the advertisement is one of the outputs, wherein the advertisement is displayed with the outputs.

17. The storage medium according to claim 16 wherein the output comprises at least one search result.

18. The storage medium according to claim 16 wherein the output associated with the advertisement is purchased by an advertiser, such that the advertisement is displayed when the output associated with the advertisement is one of the outputs.

19. The storage medium according to claim 18 wherein the purchase is based on a bid, such that the purchase is the highest quality bid for the output associated with the advertisement.

20. A system displaying an advertisement, the system comprising:

a network;

a search engine coupled with the network and configured to receive a search query over the network and provide search results; and

an ad server coupled with the search engine and configured to provide the advertisement to the search engine for display with the search results when the advertisement is associated with a selected search result and the selected search result is one of the search results.

21. The system according to claim 20 wherein the advertisement is associated with the selected search result when an advertiser purchases the selected search result, so that the advertisement is displayed when the selected search result is one of the search results displayed in response to the search query.

22. The system according to claim 21 wherein the purchase of the selected search result is based on a bidding process for the selected search result, such that the purchase of the selected search result is the highest quality bid.

23. The system according to claim 20 further comprising a user device coupled with the search engine over the network, wherein the user device is configured to provide the search query to the search engine and configured to received the search results.

24. The system according to claim 23 wherein the user device is connected with the search engine over the Internet.

25. The system according to claim 24 wherein the user device includes a web browser configured to display web pages, wherein the search query is provided on a search web page and the search results are displayed on a search results web page.

26. The system according to claim 25 wherein the search results are web links and the advertisement is displayed with the web link for the selected search result.