FACILITATING MANUAL USER SELECTION OF ONE OR MORE ADS FOR INSERTION INTO A DOCUMENT TO BE MADE AVAILABLE TO ANOTHER USER OR USERS

• US 20090192900A1
• Filed: 04/03/2009
• Published: 07/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: SJOGREEN, Carl, LUCOVSKY, Mark, COLLISON, Derek
• Application Number:
  US12/418,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20090192900A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.61
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

User distributed advertisements (UDA ads) facilitates insertion of manually selected ads into a document that is to be distributed (e.g., transmitted, published, and/or posted) such that the document is to be made available to other users. For example, manually selected ads can be inserted into an email to be sent to another user, a blog to be posted for viewing by other users, a message to be sent to another user, a message board entry to be posted for viewing by other users, a document published and made available to other users, etc. Hence, UDA ads provide a scaleable advertising platform that achieves at least some of the benefits of manual targeting. Charges might be assessed to the advertiser, perhaps subject to one or more conditions being met. Rewards might be provided to the user that inserts and/or distributes the UDA ad, perhaps subject to one or more conditions being met. Performance metrics of UDA ads might be determined and used for various purposes, such as later ad serving arbitrations. A user interface for advertisers to allow their ads to be UDA ad-enabled might be provided.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

a) rendering a set of one or more ads to a first user, wherein each of the one or more ads includes a user selectable insertion element;

b) accepting a selection input from the first user on the user selectable insertion element of one of the one or more ads; and

c) providing an instance of the one ad in a document.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

d) accepting an input from the first user for making the document available to a second user.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 wherein the act of making the document available to the second user includes transmitting the document to the second user or distributing the document to a set of users including the second user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 wherein the act of making the document available to the second user includes publishing or posting the document such that it can be accessed by the second user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the act of rendering the set of one or more ads to the first user includes providing the set of one or more ads in a workspace provided in a document authoring application.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the user selectable insertion element is one of (A) a graphical button element and (B) a textual element.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 wherein the one of (A) a graphical button element and (B) a textual element is associated with executable code for inserting an instance of the ad into the document.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the accepted selection input is a user pointer-click.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the document is an email message, the computer-implemented method further comprising:

d) accepting an input from the first user for sending the email message to a second user.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the document is one of (A) a blog message and (B) a message board post, the computer-implemented method further comprising:

d) accepting an input from the first user for posting the one of the (A) blog message and (B) message board post, such that it is available to a second user.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the document is an instant message, the computer-implemented method further comprising:

d) accepting an input from the first user for sending the instant message to a second user.

12. Apparatus comprising:

a) means for rendering a set of one or more ads to a first user, wherein each of the one or more ads includes a user selectable insertion element;

b) means for accepting a selection input from the first user on the user selectable insertion element of one of the one or more ads; and

c) means for providing an instance of the one ad in a document.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising:

d) means for accepting an input from the first user for making the document available to a second user.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the means for rendering the set of one or more ads to the first user include means for providing the set of one or more ads in a workspace provided in a document authoring application.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the user selectable insertion element is one of (A) a graphical button element and (B) a textual element.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the one of (A) a graphical button element and (B) a textual element is associated with executable code for inserting an instance of the ad into the document.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the accepted selection input is a user pointer-click.

18. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the document is an email message, the apparatus further comprising:

d) means for accepting an input from the first user for sending the email message to a second user.

19. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the document is one of (A) a blog message and (B) a message board post, the apparatus further comprising:

d) means for accepting an input from the first user for posting the one of the (A) blog message and (B) message board post, such that it is available to a second user.

20. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the document is an instant message, the apparatus further comprising:

d) means for accepting an input from the first user for sending the instant message to a second user.