Method and System for Providing Filtered and/or Masked Advertisements Over the Internet

• US 20120016744A1
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Published: 01/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Barry, Christopher J., Bronnimann, Eric Robert, Ewerdt, Jacob Paul, Day, William C., Donovan, Kevin RJB, Hammond, Brian, McCoy, Ron, Plath, Sara Frances, Porter, Dan C., Toothman, James Keith
• Granted Patent: US 8,799,072 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.49
• 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 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

Methods and systems that allow an Internet distribution partner of an advertisement listings provider to receive filtered and masked listings for display on the website of the Internet distribution partner. The Internet distribution partner defines filters to be applied to ranked advertising listings provided by an advertising listing provider. The advertisement listings provider system applies the filter to the listings in its database and identify matches and/or excludes matches depending on the characteristic specified. The advertisement listings provider may then send the Internet distribution partner advertisement listings based on the application of one or more filter selected by the distribution partner. Thus, the advertisement listings provider and the Internet distribution partner are able to generate additional revenue without risking the Internet distribution partner'"'"'s valuable relationships with its exclusive advertisers and without jeopardizing the Internet advertising distribution partner'"'"'s relationships with its end users.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving at a server a request for one or more advertisements and a filter identifier, wherein a filter includes one or more criteria and an affirmative indication or negative indication;

identifying a set of advertisements responsive to the request;

modifying the identified set of advertisements including;

removing from the set of advertisements any advertisements that satisfy one or more criteria of a filter corresponding to the filter identifier if the filter includes a negative indication, and

removing from the set of advertisements any advertisements that satisfy the one or more criteria of the filter corresponding to the filter identifier if the filter includes an affirmative indication; and

providing the modified set of advertisements in response to the request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying a source of the advertisement listing when the advertisement listing has been excluded from the set of advertisement listings.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria identifies a section of an advertisement to apply the filter.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the section comprises less than an entire advertisement.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the section is a URL associated with the advertisement.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the section is a title of the advertisement

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for one or more advertisements is a single network command.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the filter from an advertisement distribution partner.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a request for an advertisement and a filter, the filter defining preferences of an advertisement distribution partner and including;

a filter type identifying to which section of an advertisement to apply the filter,

a filter characteristic specifying one or more words or phrases to be filtered, and

an indication associated with the filter characteristic that indicates whether the filter characteristic must be included or excluded from any advertisements for the advertisements to be eligible for delivery;

identifying a set of advertisements that are responsive to the request;

generating a modified set of advertisements based at least in part on the filter type, the filter characteristic, and the indication; and

delivering at least one of the modified set of advertisements responsive to the received request.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

notifying a source of the advertisement listing when the advertisement listing has been excluded from the set of advertisement listings.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the section comprises less than an entire advertisement listing.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the section identified by the filter type is a URL associated with the advertisement.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the section identified by the filter type is a title of the advertisement.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the request for an advertisement is a single network command.

15. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving at a server a request for one or more advertisements and a filter identifier, wherein a filter includes one or more criteria and an affirmative indication or negative indication;

identifying a set of advertisements responsive to the request;

modifying the identified set of advertisements including;

removing from the set of advertisements any advertisements that satisfy one or more criteria of a filter corresponding to the filter identifier if the filter includes a negative indication, and

removing from the set of advertisements any advertisements that satisfy the one or more criteria of the filter corresponding to the filter identifier if the filter includes an affirmative indication; and

providing the modified set of advertisements in response to the request.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

notifying a source of the advertisement listing when the advertisement listing has been excluded from the set of advertisement listings.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more criteria identifies a section of an advertisement to apply the filter.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the section comprises less than an entire advertisement.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the section is a URL associated with the advertisement.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the section is a title of the advertisement

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the request for one or more advertisements is a single network command.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the filter from an advertisement distribution partner.

23. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving a request for an advertisement and a filter, the filter defining preferences of an advertisement distribution partner and including;

a filter type identifying to which section of an advertisement to apply the filter,

a filter characteristic specifying one or more words or phrases to be filtered, and

an indication associated with the filter characteristic that indicates whether the filter characteristic must be included or excluded from any advertisements for the advertisements to be eligible for delivery;

identifying a set of advertisements that are responsive to the request;

generating a modified set of advertisements based at least in part on the filter type, the filter characteristic, and the indication; and

delivering at least one of the modified set of advertisements responsive to the received request.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the operations further comprise:

notifying a source of the advertisement listing when the advertisement listing has been excluded from the set of advertisement listings.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the section comprises less than an entire advertisement listing.

26. The system of claim 23, wherein the section identified by the filter type is a URL associated with the advertisement.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the section identified by the filter type is a title of the advertisement.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the request for an advertisement is a single network command.

29. A computer program product, encoded on one or more non-transitory computer storage media, comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving at a server a request for one or more advertisements and a filter identifier, wherein a filter includes one or more criteria and an affirmative indication or negative indication;

identifying a set of advertisements responsive to the request;

modifying the identified set of advertisements including;

removing from the set of advertisements any advertisements that satisfy one or more criteria of a filter corresponding to the filter identifier if the filter includes a negative indication, and

removing from the set of advertisements any advertisements that satisfy the one or more criteria of the filter corresponding to the filter identifier if the filter includes an affirmative indication; and

providing the modified set of advertisements in response to the request.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise:

notifying a source of the advertisement listing when the advertisement listing has been excluded from the set of advertisement listings.

31. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the one or more criteria identifies a section of an advertisement to apply the filter.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the section comprises less than an entire advertisement.

33. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the section is a URL associated with the advertisement.

34. The computer program product of claim 31, wherein the section is a title of the advertisement

35. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the request for one or more advertisements is a single network command.

36. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise receiving the filter from an advertisement distribution partner.

37. A computer program product, encoded on one or more non-transitory computer storage media, comprising instructions that when executed by one or more computers cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request for an advertisement and a filter, the filter defining preferences of an advertisement distribution partner and including;

a filter type identifying to which section of an advertisement to apply the filter,

a filter characteristic specifying one or more words or phrases to be filtered, and

an indication associated with the filter characteristic that indicates whether the filter characteristic must be included or excluded from any advertisements for the advertisements to be eligible for delivery;

identifying a set of advertisements that are responsive to the request;

generating a modified set of advertisements based at least in part on the filter type, the filter characteristic, and the indication; and

delivering at least one of the modified set of advertisements responsive to the received request.

38. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the operations further comprise:

notifying a source of the advertisement listing when the advertisement listing has been excluded from the set of advertisement listings.

39. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the section comprises less than an entire advertisement listing.

40. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the section identified by the filter type is a URL associated with the advertisement.

41. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the section identified by the filter type is a title of the advertisement.

42. The computer program product of claim 37, wherein the request for an advertisement is a single network command.