ITEM ADVERTISEMENT PROFILE

• US 20100312624A1
• Filed: 06/04/2009
• Published: 12/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Bilenko, Mikhail
• Application Number:
  US12/477,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20100312624A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0252 based on events or environment, e.g. weather or festivals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions

Abstract

A method disclosed herein includes accessing a data repository that comprises an item advertisement profile for a user, wherein the item advertisement profile for the user comprises data pertaining to items of interest to the user and pricing preferences that correspond to at least one item of interest to the user. The method further includes selecting an item advertisement for a particular item from a plurality of possible item advertisements based at least in part upon the item advertisement profile for the user and causing the advertisement for the particular item to be displayed to the user on a display screen of a computing device.

Claims

1. A method comprising the following computer-executable acts:

accessing a data repository that comprises an item advertisement profile for a user, wherein the item advertisement profile for the user comprises data pertaining to items of interest to the user and pricing preferences that correspond to at least one item of interest to the user;

selecting an item advertisement for a particular item from a plurality of possible item advertisements based at least in part upon the item advertisement profile for the user;

causing the advertisement for the particular item to be displayed to the user on a display screen of a computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pricing preferences include a price range for the user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the pricing preferences include a percentage off a suggested retail price.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the item advertisement profile is based at least in part upon advertisement preferences explicitly provided by the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the item advertisement profile is based at least in part upon inferred item preferences of the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the item preferences are inferred based at least in part upon historic search queries issued to a search engine from the user.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the item preferences are inferred based at least in part upon historic browsing activities of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a search query from the user; and

selecting the item advertisement for the particular item based at least in part the received search query.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving data indicative of a web page currently viewed by the user; and

selecting the item advertisement for the particular item based at least in part upon the received data that is indicative of the web page currently viewed by the user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving contextual data pertaining to the user; and

selecting the item advertisement for the particular item based at least in part upon the contextual data pertaining to the user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the contextual data comprises at least one of the following:

current location of the user, computer device being utilized by the user, time of day, day of a week, time of a year, current or predicted weather conditions, a current news item, or an event occurring proximate to the user.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving explicit instructions from the user pertaining to the pricing preferences of the user; and

failing to select a certain one of the plurality of possible item advertisements due to violation of the received explicit instructions.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an amount of advertisement space on a web page that is to be displayed to the user on the computer display screen; and

causing the item advertisement for the particular item to be displayed on an upper half of the web page.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a search query from the user;

executing an auction for advertisement space on the web page amongst a plurality of possible advertisers;

selecting at least one other advertisement based at least in part upon the auction; and

causing the at least one other advertisement to be displayed on a lower half of the web page.

15. A system comprising the following computer-executable components:

an accessor component that

a) receives one of a search query from a user or an identity of a web page desirably viewed by the user; and

b) accesses a data repository that comprises an item advertisement profile for the user, wherein the item advertisement profile for the user comprises data pertaining to items of interest to the user and pricing preferences for items of interest to the user;

an advertisement selector component that selects at least one item advertisement from a plurality of possible item advertisements based at least in part upon the search query or the identity of the web page and the item advertisement profile for the user; and

a display component that causes the at least one item advertisement to be displayed to the user on a display screen of a computing device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the computing device is a mobile computing device, and wherein the display component causes the at least one advertisement to be displayed on the mobile computing device.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising a profile updater component that receives the search query or the identity of the web page and updates the item advertisement profile for the user based at least in part upon the received search query or the identity of the web page.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the item advertisement profile comprises explicit preferences from the user pertaining to a discount level of items.

19. The system of claim 15, further comprising a profile generator component that generates the item advertisement profile for the user based at least in part upon search history of the user, browsing history of the user, and advertisement preferences explicitly provided by the user.

20. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform the following acts:

receive a search query issued by a user of a search engine;

access a data repository that comprises an item advertisement user profile, wherein the item advertisement user profile comprises data that is indicative of item preferences of the user and price discount preferences of the user with respect to one or more items of interest to the user;

select at least one item advertisement from a plurality of item advertisements based at least in part upon the search query issued by the user and the item advertisement profile;

cause search results pertaining to the search query to be displayed to the user; and

cause the at least one item advertisement selected from the plurality of possible advertisements to be displayed to the user together with the search results.