NETWORK ADVERTISING METHODS AND APPARATUS

• US 20110184814A1
• Filed: 01/22/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Judd Lasarow, Vincent Konkol
• Original Assignee: Judd Lasarow, Vincent Konkol
• Inventors: LASAROW, Judd, KONKOL, Vincent
• Granted Patent: US 8,682,728 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.69
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising

Abstract

A network advertising system and method includes an item within electronic media being tagged by a secondary advertiser. A text block unit receives a search query from the secondary advertiser, retrieves primary advertiser information from the primary advertiser database in response to the search query and displays the primary advertiser information to the secondary advertiser, receives the secondary advertiser'"'"'s selection of the primary advertiser information, and associates the tagged item with advertising content of the primary advertiser in response to the selection of the primary advertiser information. Revenue may be shared based on recorded secondary advertising events, the secondary advertising events including one or more of (i) an indication that a potential customer has viewed the advertising content, (ii) an indication that the primary advertiser information has been displayed as a search result to the secondary advertiser, (iii) an indication that a potential customer has completed a purchase of a product based on the advertising content and (iv) an indication that the secondary advertiser has associated or maintained the association of an item with the advertising content.

Claims

1. A network advertising system, comprising:

a primary advertiser database that stores a list of primary advertisers willing to pay a secondary advertiser to embed advertising content into electronic media and make the electronic media with the embedded advertising content viewable by potential customers in a manner that allows the potential customers to be exposed to an advertisement;

a tagging unit that allows a secondary advertiser to tag an item within the electronic media;

a text block unit that receives a search query from the secondary advertiser, retrieves primary advertiser information from the primary advertiser database in response to the search query and displays the primary advertiser information to the secondary advertiser, receives the secondary advertiser'"'"'s selection of the primary advertiser information, and associates the tagged item with advertising content of the primary advertiser in response to the selection of the primary advertiser information;

a revenue-generating transaction database that records secondary advertising events for which the primary advertiser is willing to pay, the secondary advertising events including one or more of (i) an indication that a potential customer has been exposed to the advertising content, (ii) an indication that the primary advertiser information has been displayed as a search result to the secondary advertiser (iii) an indication that a potential customer has completed a purchase of a product based on the advertising content and (iv) an indication that a secondary advertiser has associated or maintained an association of the tagged item with the advertising content; and

an accounting unit that tracks what is owed by the primary advertiser based on the transactions recorded by the revenue-generating transaction database.

2. The network advertising system of claim 1, wherein the actions permitted to a primary advertiser terminal are limited to (i) authenticating the primary advertising information, (ii) removing the primary advertising information from the electronic media or (iii) reporting the primary advertising information to a coordinating system that manages the network advertising system.

3. The network advertising system of claim 1, further comprising a search engine toolbar for receiving a second search query from the secondary advertiser seeking to find a specific URL, retrieving search results from a website and presenting the search results to the secondary advertiser until the secondary advertiser finds the specific URL, and returning the specific URL to the text block unit.

4. The network advertising system of claim 1, wherein the primary advertiser information is not visible in the electronic media by the potential customer until a rollover of the tagged item by the potential customer.

5. The network advertising system of claim 1, wherein the secondary advertiser is an originator of the electronic media.

6. The network advertising system of claim 1, wherein, when the primary advertiser information changes, the text block unit receives a selection from the secondary advertiser of other primary advertiser information of the primary advertiser or of a different primary advertiser.

7. The network advertising system of claim 1, wherein image recognition software recognizes tagged items in the electronic media and search other electronic media for a second item that is the same as the first tagged item, and the tagging unit causes the second item to be a second tagged item with the primary advertiser information of the first tagged item.

8. The network advertising system of claim 1, wherein, the electronic media is a video, and

image recognition software tracks tagged items over multiple frames of the video.

9. The network advertising system of claim 8, wherein the network advertising system is configured to pause the video upon a rollover of the tagged item.

10. The network advertising system of claim 1, wherein the text block unit is configured to prompt the secondary advertiser to change the primary advertiser information when the accounting unit determines that an account balance of the primary advertiser falls below a predetermined level.

11. The network advertising system of claim 1, wherein the search query is a description of the tagged item inputted by the secondary advertiser.

12. The network advertising system of claim 1, wherein, for receiving the secondary advertiser'"'"'s selection of primary advertiser information, the text block unit presents to the secondary advertiser options to (i) automatically assign the primary advertiser information from the primary advertiser database, (ii) manually assign the primary advertiser information from the primary advertiser database and (iii) manually enter the primary advertiser information that may or may not be in the primary advertiser database.

13. A network advertising method, comprising:

maintaining a primary advertiser database that stores a list of primary advertisers willing to pay secondary advertisers to embed advertising content into electronic media and make the electronic media with the embedded advertising content viewable by potential customers in a manner that allows the potential customers to be exposed to an advertisement;

receiving an indication that the secondary advertiser has tagged an item within the electronic media;

receiving a search query from the secondary advertiser,

retrieving primary advertiser information from the primary advertiser database in response to the search query and displaying the primary advertiser information to the secondary advertiser,

receiving the secondary advertiser'"'"'s selection of the primary advertiser information, and associating the tagged item with advertising content of the primary advertiser in response to the selection of the primary advertiser information;

recording secondary advertising events for which the primary advertiser is willing to pay, the secondary advertising events including one or more of (i) an indication that a potential customer has been exposed to the advertising content, (ii) an indication that the primary advertiser information has been displayed as a search result to the secondary advertiser, (iii) an indication that a potential customer has completed a purchase of a product based on the advertising content and (iv) an indication that the secondary advertiser has associated or maintained the association of an item with the advertising content; and

tracking what is owed by the primary advertiser based on the transactions recorded by the revenue-generating transaction database.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising

sending to a prospective primary advertiser, if the prospective primary advertiser is not in the primary advertiser database, an invitation to be added to the primary advertiser database.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising

sending to the primary advertiser, if the primary advertiser is in the primary advertiser database, a request to review the association of the primary advertising information;

and

receiving from the primary advertiser, in response to the request, a reply that authenticates the association of the primary advertising information, removes the association of the primary advertising information or reports the association of the primary advertising information to a coordinating system that manages the primary advertiser database.