INFORMATION-MARKET SYSTEM

• US 20130103495A1
• Filed: 12/10/2012
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Douglas R. Cloud
• Original Assignee: Douglas R. Cloud
• Inventors: Cloud, Douglas R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,296,947 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 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

The current application is directed to methods and systems that provide an information market in which information producers sell information, advertisers purchase consumption of advertisements, and information consumers purchase information from information producers and receive compensation from advertisers through automated and semi-automated information-market transactions. The information market provides a transaction-based marketplace for the provision and consumption of information in much the same way as various types of financial markets provide a marketplace for cost-effective exchange of goods and services. The transaction-based information market provides flexibility and control to both information providers and information consumers as well as the cost efficiency of a transaction-based information marketplace.

Claims

1. An electronic information market comprising:

advertiser computer systems that transmit electronically encoded advertisements to remote computer systems and other processor-controlled devices;

content-provider computer systems that transmit electronically encoded information to remote computer systems and other processor-controlled devices;

a user processor-controlled device that receives electronically encoded information and electronically encoded information for rendering and display on output components of the user processor-controlled devices; and

an electronic information market system, implemented to execute on one or more computer systems and other processor-controlled devices that

negotiates on the behalf of the user processor-controlled device with advertiser computer systems to transmit electronically encoded advertisements to the user processor-controlled device;

negotiates on the behalf of the user processor-controlled device with content-provider computer systems to transmit electronically encoded information to the user processor-controlled device;

aggregates electronically encoded advertisements and information received from advertiser computer systems and content-provider computer systems; and

transmits aggregated electronically encoded advertisements and information to user computers.

2. The electronic information market of claim 1 wherein the electronic information market system comprises:

one or more negotiators;

one or more aggregators;

one or more dispatchers;

one or more transaction-certificate authorities; and

one or more accounting and billing systems.

3. The electronic information market of claim 1 wherein the electronic information market stores a transaction certificate and preferences for the user processor-controlled device.

4. The electronic information market of claim 3

wherein a dispatcher of the one or more dispatchers receives a message from the user processor-controlled device when the user-processor-controlled device is prepared to begin requesting, receiving, and rendering electronically encoded advertisements and information;

and

wherein, in response to receiving the message, the dispatcher uses the transaction certificate and stored preferences for the user-processor-controlled device to select candidate advertiser computer systems, transmits the transaction certificate and stored preferences to the candidate advertiser computer systems, and transmits the transaction certificate to one or more aggregators.

5. The electronic information market of claim 3

wherein a dispatcher of the one or more dispatchers receives an access request from the user processor-controlled device;

and

wherein, in response to receiving the access request, the dispatcher transmits an access request to a negotiator.

6. The electronic information market of claim 3

wherein a negotiator of the one or more negotiators receives an advertisement-provision proposal from a candidate advertiser computer system and negotiates compensation to be paid by the candidate advertiser computer system to the user processor-controlled device for transmitting electronically encoded advertisements to the user processor-controlled device;

and

wherein, when the negotiation results in an agreed compensation, transmits a message to the candidate advertiser computer system directing the candidate advertiser computer system to begin transmitting electronically encoded advertisements to one or more aggregators.

7. The electronic information market of claim 3

wherein a negotiator of the one or more negotiators receives a content access request from a dispatcher of the one or more dispatchers and negotiates, with a content-provider computer system that provides the content, compensation to be paid by the user processor-controlled device to the content-provider computer system receiving the content;

and

wherein, when the negotiation results in an agreed compensation, transmits a request for the content to the content-provider computer system.

8. The electronic information market of claim 3

wherein an aggregator of the one or more aggregators receives electronically encoded advertisements from one or more advertisers for the user processor-controlled device and queues the electronically encoded advertisements to an advertisement queue associated with the user processor-controlled device;

and

wherein the aggregator receives content from a content provider, incorporates one or more advertisements from the advertisement queue associated with the user processor-controlled device, and makes the content and incorporated one or more advertisements available to the user processor-controlled device.

9. The electronic information market of claim 3 wherein each transaction-certificate authority receives a request and information from the user processor-controlled device and returns a transaction certificate digitally signed by the transaction-certificate authority to the user processor-controlled device.

10. The electronic information market of claim 3 wherein an accounting and billing system of the one or more accounting and billing systems uses information recorded during incorporation of advertisements into content by one or more aggregators to periodically determine net compensation owed to and by the content-provider computer systems, the advertiser computer systems, and the user processor-controlled device and carries out value-exchange transactions to transfer value between two or more of the content-provider computer systems, the advertiser computer systems, and the user processor-controlled device to resolve the net compensation owed to and by the content-provider computer systems, the advertiser computer systems, and the user processor-controlled device.

11. An electronic information market system, implemented to execute on one or more computer systems and other processor-controlled devices, that

negotiates on the behalf of a user processor-controlled device with advertiser computer systems to transmit electronically encoded advertisements to the user processor-controlled device;

negotiates on the behalf of the user processor-controlled device with content-provider computer systems to transmit electronically encoded information to the user processor-controlled device;

aggregates electronically encoded advertisements and information received from advertiser computer systems and content-provider computer systems; and

transmits aggregated electronically encoded advertisements and information to the user processor-controlled device.

12. The electronic information market system of claim 11 wherein the electronic information market system comprises:

one or more negotiators;

one or more aggregators; and

one or more dispatchers.

13. The electronic information market of claim 12 wherein the electronic information market stores a transaction certificate and preferences for the user processor-controlled device.

14. The electronic information market of claim 13

wherein a dispatcher of the one or more dispatchers receives a message from the user processor-controlled device when the user-processor-controlled device is prepared to begin requesting, receiving, and rendering electronically encoded advertisements and information;

and

wherein, in response to receiving the message, the dispatcher uses the transaction certificate and stored preferences for the user-processor-controlled device to select candidate advertiser computer systems, transmits the transaction certificate and stored preferences to the candidate advertiser computer systems, and transmits the transaction certificate to one or more aggregators.

15. The electronic information market of claim 13

wherein a dispatcher of the one or more dispatchers receives an access request from the user processor-controlled device;

and

wherein, in response to receiving the access request, the dispatcher transmits an access request to a negotiator.

16. The electronic information market of claim 13

wherein a negotiator of the one or more negotiators receives an advertisement-provision proposal from a candidate advertiser computer system and negotiates compensation to be paid by the candidate advertiser computer system to the user processor-controlled device for transmitting electronically encoded advertisements to the user processor-controlled device;

and

wherein, when the negotiation results in an agreed compensation, transmits a message to the candidate advertiser computer system directing the candidate advertiser computer system to begin transmitting electronically encoded advertisements to one or more aggregators.

17. The electronic information market of claim 13

wherein a negotiator of the one or more negotiators receives a content access request from a dispatcher of the one or more dispatchers and negotiates, with a content-provider computer system that provides the content, compensation to be paid by the user processor-controlled device to the content-provider computer system receiving the content;

and

wherein, when the negotiation results in an agreed compensation, transmits a request for the content to the content-provider computer system.

18. The electronic information market of claim 13

wherein an aggregator of the one or more aggregators receives electronically encoded advertisements from one or more advertisers for the user processor-controlled device and queues the electronically encoded advertisements to an advertisement queue associated with the user processor-controlled device;

and

wherein the aggregator receives content from a content provider, incorporates one or more advertisements from the advertisement queue associated with the user processor-controlled device, and makes the content and incorporated one or more advertisements available to the user processor-controlled device.

19. The electronic information market of claim 13 further including a transaction-certificate authority that receives a request and information from the user processor-controlled device and returns a transaction certificate digitally signed by the transaction-certificate authority to the user processor-controlled device.

20. The electronic information market of claim 13 further including an accounting and billing system that uses information recorded during incorporation of advertisements into content by one or more aggregators to periodically determine net compensation owed to and by the content-provider computer systems, the advertiser computer systems, and the user processor-controlled device and carries out value-exchange transactions to transfer value between two or more of the content-provider computer systems, the advertiser computer systems, and the user processor-controlled device to resolve the net compensation owed to and by the content-provider computer systems, the advertiser computer systems, and the user processor-controlled device.