SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMPUTER-CREATED ADVERTISEMENTS

• US 20110125586A1
• Filed: 01/24/2011
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eComSystems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: eComSystems Incorporated
• Inventors: Evans, Jon C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,091,031 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.66
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation

Abstract

The invention relates to a computerized method for a user to create an advertisement by displaying a plurality of advertising formats for selection by a user; displaying a template corresponding to a selected advertising format; displaying a plurality of product references for selection by the user; displaying on the template a selected product reference to create a proposed advertisement; and creating a preview of the proposed advertisement, all of which may be implemented using the Internet. The invention further relates to a computerized system for creating an advertisement that comprises a template database for storing advertising formats; a product database for storing product references; and a computer to access the databases. Preferably, the user has a network interface such as Internet access that permits access via a remote location, software to permit a user to specify specifications such as quantity, printing information, ship date, paper type, pricing information, and payment information, and may be configured to receive images and text for new products.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. For use with a computer wherein a user places an advertisement for a product, a method to control distribution of the advertisement, the method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one of a database or a format for a database;

providing a database management access for the database;

providing for a user to access the database to identify a target list of potential customers;

with providing for a listing of one or more products associated with the target list for selection; and

sending the target list and an advertisement for the product to a distribution point whereby the advertisement is distributed to the potential customers in the target list.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the target list is at least one of attached to the advertisement, embedded within the advertisement, or sent with the advertisement.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the target list and the advertisement are sent to a printing device as the distribution point, and further comprising the printing device printing address information for the potential customers for direct mailing for the advertisement.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the listing comprises multiple products.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of providing for the user to access the database to identify the target list of potential customers comprises providing access to the database and sorting the entries in the database based upon a predetermined characteristic.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of providing for the user to access the database comprises providing for the user to create, modify, or delete an entry in the database.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of providing for the user to access the database comprises providing for the user to create, modify, or delete demographic information for an entry in the database.

25. The method of claim 18 wherein the step of providing the database comprises providing a predetermined demographic information.

26. A method for creating or modifying an advertisement for a product for use with a computer, the method comprising the steps of:

providing for a user to select at least one of an advertisement from a database of advertisements or to create a new advertisement;

providing for the user to select at least one of a size, color, design, type, format, template, layout, shape or placement of the advertisement;

providing for the user to select at least one of an item from a database of items or to create a new item, the item having a background; and

providing for the user to select the placement of the item on the advertisement.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein a first item is placed on the advertisement, and further comprising the steps of:

providing for the user to select at least one of a second item from a the database of items or to create a second item, the second item having a transparent background;

providing for the user to select placement of the second item on the advertisement such that at least part of the transparent background of the second item overlaps at least part of the first item.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of customizing the advertisement by inserting at least one of images and text.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the steps are completed during creating an advertisement for publication.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein creating or modifying the advertisement for the at least one product comprises the further steps of:

at least one of providing for the user to select, for placement on the advertisement, another advertisement for an additional product from a database of products or creating an additional product, the another advertisement having a transparent background;

providing for the user to select placement of the another advertisement on the advertisement such that at least part of the transparent background of the another advertisement overlaps at least part of the advertisement of the at least one product; and

performing the further steps one or more times.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein at least one item is a square cut background or a lifestyle image.

32. The method of claim 26, wherein the background of the item is transparent.

33. The method of claim 26, which provides for the user to select historical pricing information of the at least one product.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein historical pricing information includes one or more of lowest sale price, highest regular price, average sale price, and competitor'"'"'s sale price.

35. The method of claim 26, which provides the user with pricing information on the at least one product or within products with a category.

36. The method of claim 26, which provides for the user to select advertisement logos or trademarks for the at least one product.

37. The method of claim 26, which automatically formats the advertisement to a predetermined size.

38. The method of claim 26, which provides for the user to select product reference information of the at least one product.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein product reference information comprises one or more of information on price, size, weight, or specification, SKU or UPC number, color option, reference number, manufacturer identification, barcode, manufacturer trademark or logo, pictures, characters, images, designs, or sketches.

40. The method of claim 26, which provides the user with a preview of the advertisement.

41. The method of claim 26, which further provides an automatic checking feature.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein the automatic checking feature comprises one or more of price checking, quantity checking, determining availability from inventory, from a distributor, or from a manufacturer, determining availability of product size, color or composition, or a combination thereof.

44. The method of claim 26, wherein the item is selected from the group consisting of a headings, text, images, logos, trademarks, prices, sizes, weights, specifications, SKU numbers, UPC numbers, colors, reference numbers, manufacturer identifications, barcodes, manufacturer trademarks, pictures, characters, designs, sketches, lowest prices, highest prices, sale prices, regular prices, average sale prices, competitor pricing, and images or text of product sizes, product colors and product compositions.

42-1. The method of claim 26, which further provides publication date information of the advertisement.

45. A method for creating or modifying, on a computer, an advertisement for one or more products, the method comprising the steps of:

providing for a user to select a first product advertisement from a database of one or more product advertisements or to create the first product advertisement;

providing for the user to select product reference information wherein the product reference information comprises one or more of price, size, weight, specification, SKU or UPC number, color, reference number, manufacturer identification, or barcode, or one or more of manufacturer trademarks and logos, or pictures, characters, images, designs, or sketches of the one or more products;

providing for the user to select placement of the product reference information on the advertisement;

providing for the user to select a checking feature wherein the checking feature comprises one or more of price checking, quantity checking, determining availability from inventory, a distributor, or a manufacturer, or determining availability of product size, color or composition;

wherein the system automatically formats the first product advertisement to the advertisement; and

wherein the system provides for the user to preview the advertisement.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising:

providing for the user to select historical pricing information wherein the historical pricing information comprises one or more of lowest sale price, highest regular price, average sale price, or a competitor sale price of the one or more products.

47. The method of claim 45, further comprising providing for the user to select one or more additional product advertisements from the database of product advertisements or to create the one or more additional product advertisements.