METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DYNAMIC WEB DISPLAY

• US 20100262494A1
• Filed: 04/12/2010
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inoventiv (Canada) Corp.
• Original Assignee: Inoventiv (Canada) Corp.
• Inventors: Marshall, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,935,243 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.530
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• 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: G06F 40/143 Markup, e.g. Standard Generalized Markup Language [SGML] or Document Type Definition [DTD]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/16 Real estate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image

Abstract

A system and method for transacting retrieval of inventory data, such as real estate property listing(s), over an information network and dynamically transmitting the listing(s), in near or real time, to one or more subwindows of a web browser window. The listings contain customized rendering instructions that are encoded into an inventory data string and sent to an ad server that renders the listings in the subwindow according to the customized rendering instructions.

Claims

1. A system for displaying listings to a user, the listings being provided by an advertiser, in a subwindow of a browser window, the system comprising:

a. an inventory database containing listings including customized rendering instructions;

b. an inventory server connected to a communications network for receiving data requests, retrieving one or more than one listing from the inventory database according to the data requests, and formatting the one or more than one listing into an inventory data string; and

c. an ad server in electronic communication with the inventory server via the communications network, the ad server receiving information requests from the user, sending data requests to the inventory server, receiving inventory data strings from the inventory server, and rendering listings in the subwindow according to the customized rendering instructions received from the inventory server.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the ad server is implemented as a Flash application.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the inventory data string is an XML string.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein a listing comprises a plurality of images of a property and information about the property, and wherein the customized rendering instructions specify to the ad server the sequence in which to display the images and how to display the information in relation to the images.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the customized rendering instructions specify how the user may control the display by the use of controls displayed according to the customized rendering instructions.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the inventory server further comprises a campaign management tool.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the inventory database is updated for immediate display of updated listings to the user.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a tracking server to record tracking data comprising user identifying information and user information requests wherein the system maintains a list of promotions, each promotion comprising at least one item for sale, and the system displays alerts to the user in the subwindow, each alert providing a link to view the at least one item in a promotion, where the system determines from the recorded tracking data that the user is a candidate for viewing the promotion.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the system determines that the user is a candidate for viewing a promotion by comparing the recorded user information requests with the at least one item in the promotion to determine that the user has previously viewed similar items.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the user identifying data comprises demographic information about the user and the system individualizes the at least one item in the promotion displayed to the user based on the demographic information and recorded user information requests.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the ad server receives a telephone number from the user and wherein the ad server instructs a telephone system gateway to establish a telephone call between the user and a designated telephone number.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the designated telephone number is dynamically generated.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the designated telephone number is the telephone number of an agent.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the designated telephone number is the telephone number of a call center.

15. A method for displaying inventory data in a subwindow of a browser window to a user comprising the steps of:

a. receiving an information request for inventory data from the user;

b. sending a data request to an inventory server;

c. receiving an inventory data string from the inventory server containing one or more than one listing and customized rendering instructions; and

d. displaying the listings in a subwindow of the browser window according to the customized rendering instructions received from the inventory server.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the inventory server uses the internet to receive data requests and send inventory data strings containing customized rendering instructions.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the inventory data string is an XML string.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the inventory data comprises listings, each listing comprising a plurality of images of a property and information about the property, and wherein the customized rendering instructions specify the sequence in which to display the images and how to display the information in relation to the images.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the user can control the display of inventory data.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the inventory data is updated in real-time and available for immediate display to the user.

21. The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of recording tracking data comprising user identifying information and user information requests, comparing new user information requests to the tracking data to determine whether the user is a candidate to view a promotion comprising at least one item for sale, and displaying an alert to the user in the subwindow, the alert providing a link to view items in a promotion, if the user is determined to be a candidate to view the promotion.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein determining whether the user is a candidate to view a promotion comprises comparing the recorded user information requests with the at least one item in the promotion to determine that the user has previously viewed similar items.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the user identifying data comprises demographic information about the user and the at least one item in the promotion displayed to the user is individualized based on the demographic information and recorded user information requests.

24. The method of claim 15 further comprising the steps of:

e. receiving a telephone number from the user; and

f. sending the user'"'"'s telephone number along with advertisement data and agent data to a telephone system gateway to establish a telephone call between the user and a designated telephone number.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the designated telephone number is dynamically generated.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the designated telephone number is the telephone number of an agent.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the designated telephone number is the telephone number of a call center.