EXTENDED CONVERSION TRACKING FOR OFFLINE COMMERCE

• US 20110302024A1
• Filed: 06/04/2010
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gunawardana, Asela, Basu, Sumit, Meek, Christopher A., Paek, Timothy, Uyttendaele, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US12/793,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20110302024A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements

Abstract

In one embodiment, a physical world tracking mechanism may monitor the efficacy of an advertisement with an offline conversion component. A data storage device 306 may store a commercial location 110 described in the advertisement and associate a conversion action with the advertisement. A processor 304 may register the conversion action at the commercial location 110 executed by a handheld computing device 104 of a user.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method for tracking an advertisement in the physical world, comprising:

storing a commercial location associated with an advertisement;

associating a conversion action with the advertisement; and

registering the conversion action at the commercial location with a handheld computing device of a user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is displayed on the handheld computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a user location for the user via the handheld computing device; and

selecting the advertisement for the user based on the user location.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a search parameter for a commercial item from the user; and

selecting the advertisement for the user based on the search parameter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertisement is a coupon with a dynamic value.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the user is at the commercial location by using a positioning service of the handheld computing device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the user is at the commercial location upon access by the handheld computing device to a wireless local area network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

uploading a location specific image visually captured by the handheld computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

downloading a coupon to the handheld computing device for the conversion action at the commercial location.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a promoter associated with the commercial location is automatically charged an advertisement fee upon notice of the conversion action.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a promoter associated with the commercial location is automatically charged a user financial incentive upon notice of the conversion action.

12. A tangible machine-readable medium having a set of instructions detailing a method stored thereon that when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform the method, the method comprising:

storing a commercial location associated with an advertisement;

associating a conversion action with the advertisement;

registering the conversion action at the commercial location executed by a handheld computing device of a user; and

notifying an advertisement server of the conversion action to cause the advertisement server to automatically charge an advertisement fee to a promoter associated with the commercial location.

13. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the advertisement fee is adjusted based upon the conversion action performed.

14. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

determining a user location for the user via the handheld computing device; and

selecting the advertisement for the handheld computing device based on the user location.

15. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a search parameter for a commercial item; and

selecting the advertisement to the handheld computing device based on the search parameter.

16. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that the user is at the commercial location by using a positioning service of the handheld computing device.

17. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

determining that the user is at the commercial location upon access by the handheld computing device to a wireless local area network.

18. The tangible machine-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

uploading a location specific image visually captured by the handheld computing device posted to a website.

19. A physical world tracking mechanism of an advertisement, comprising:

a data storage that stores a commercial location associated with the advertisement and associates a conversion action with the advertisement;

a positioning service interface that determines a user location for a handheld computing device of a user;

a processor that selects the advertisement for display and registers the conversion action at the commercial location executed by the handheld computing device; and

a communication interface that notifies an advertisement server of the conversion action to cause the advertisement server to automatically charge an advertisement fee to a promoter associated with the commercial location.

20. The physical world tracking mechanism of claim 19, wherein the positioning service interface determines that the user is at the commercial location according to the handheld computing device.