ADVERTISING WITHIN ADDRESS BOOKS

• US 20090076902A1
• Filed: 09/17/2007
• Published: 03/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Oath Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Parry, Lee, Grinsted, George
• Application Number:
  US11/856,584
• Publication Number:
  US 20090076902A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.360
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0236 Incentive or reward received by requiring registration or ID from user

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for advertising using address book tools are provided. A plurality of contact entries is stored in a contact database for a user. The user is enabled to interact with the stored contact entries, including a contact entry identified as a business contact entry. The business contact entry of the contact database and a selected advertisement are displayed when the user views the business contact entry.

Claims

1. A method of advertising, comprising:

storing a plurality of contact entries in a contact database for a user;

enabling the user to interact with one or more of the stored contact entries, the one or more stored contact entries including a contact entry identified as a business contact entry; and

displaying the business contact entry of the contact database and a selected advertisement when the user views the business contact entry.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving contact data from a plurality of contact data sources, the contact data including at least one contact entry; and

storing the received contact data into the contact database.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the advertisement based on a location of the user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the advertisement to be an advertisement of the business contact entry.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a competitor business for the business contact entry; and

selecting the advertisement to be an advertisement of the competitor business.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

ranking contact entries of the contact database based on at least one criteria.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying comprises:

displaying the business contact entry in a contact card format having a boundary; and

displaying the selected advertisement within the boundary of the business contact entry.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying comprises:

displaying the business contact entry in a contact card format; and

displaying the selected advertisement adjacent to the business contact entry.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said displaying the selected advertisement adjacent to the business contact entry comprises:

displaying the business contact entry and the selected advertisement in a list of contact entries of the contact database.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

enabling the user to interact with the selected advertisement.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing contact entries stored in a second contact database of a second user having a contact entry in the first contact database of the first user;

selecting the advertisement based on the analyzed contact entries stored in the second contact database.

12. A system, comprising:

a contact database configured to store contact entries for a user;

an address book tool configured to enable the user to interact with the stored contact entries; and

an advertisement selector configured to select an advertisement corresponding to a business contact entry stored in the contact database;

wherein the address book tool is configured to generate a display signal to cause a display device to display the business contact entry with the selected advertisement upon interaction by the user with the business contact entry in the address book tool.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a contact data collector configured to collect contact data from a plurality of contact data sources, the contact data including at least one contact entry;

wherein the contact data collector is configured to store received contact data into the contact database.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the advertisement selector is configured to select the advertisement based on a location of the user.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the advertisement selector is configured to select the advertisement to be an advertisement of the business contact entry.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the advertisement selector is configured to select the advertisement to be an advertisement of a competitor business for the business contact entry.

17. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a contact entry ranking module configured to rank a contact entry of the contact database based on one or more of a contact data source from which the contact entry is received or a number of contact data sources from which the contact entry is received.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the business contact entry is displayed by the display device in a contact card format having a boundary, and the selected advertisement is displayed by the display device within the boundary of the business contact entry.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the business contact entry is displayed by the display device in a contact card format, and the selected advertisement is displayed by the display device adjacent to the business contact entry.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the business contact entry and the selected advertisement are displayed by the display device in a list of contact entries of the contact database.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the address book tool enables the user to interact with the selected advertisement.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein the advertisement selector is configured to select the advertisement based on contact entries stored in a second contact database of a second user having a contact entry in the first contact database of the first user.

23. A computer system, comprising:

an address book tool configured to enable the user to interact with contact entries stored in a contact database;

wherein the address book tool is configured to communicate with an advertisement selector configured to select an advertisement corresponding to a business contact entry stored in the contact database; and

wherein the address book tool is configured to generate a display signal to cause a display device to display the business contact entry with the selected advertisement upon interaction by the user with the business contact entry in the address book tool

24. A server, comprising:

an advertisement selector configured to receive an advertisement request from an address book tool;

wherein the advertisement selector is configured to select an advertisement corresponding to a business contact entry indicated by the advertisement request; and

wherein the advertisement selector is configured to transmit a response to the address book tool that includes the selected advertisement;

wherein the address book tool is configured to generate a display signal to cause a display device to display the business contact entry with the selected advertisement upon interaction by a user with the business contact entry in the address book tool.

25. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied in said medium for an address book tool, comprising:

a first computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to enable a user to view contact entries stored in a contact database, including a contact entry identified as a business contact entry; and

a second computer readable program code means for enabling a processor to display the business contact entry of the contact database and a selected advertisement upon interaction by the user with the business contact entry according to the first computer readable program code means.