SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTEXTUAL ADVERTISING AND MERCHANDIZING BASED ON USER CONFIGURABLE PREFERENCES

• US 20140006154A1
• Filed: 08/23/2013
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Shipman, Scott Robert, Forth, Aaron K.
• Granted Patent: US 11,341,531 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.53
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

A computer-implemented system and method for contextual advertising and merchandizing based on user configurable preferences is disclosed. The system in an example embodiment includes an advertising (ad) preferences service to obtain user preference information related to advertising, enable user configuration of the user preference information related to advertising, and modify the presentation of advertising to the user based upon the user configured preference information.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method comprising:

presenting to a user, by a computer processor, user preference information comprising user segment information that communicates how the user has been automatically classified for targeted advertising,

responsive to detecting user selection of the user preference information, enabling user configuration of the user preference information; and

modifying the presentation of advertising to the user based on the user preference information configured by the user.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 including using the data processor to enable the

user to configure the one or more segments of the user segment information;

and

using the computer processor to automatically modify the presentation of advertising to the user based upon the one or more user configured segments.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein enabling the user to configure the user preference information comprises presenting a selectable parameter that enables the user to opt-out of targeted advertising completely.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2 further comprising enabling the user to select or deselect a segment that enables others to use information related to the segment for targeted advertising.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2 including providing a display object in association with an advertisement to enable user configuration of the user preference information.

7. A method comprising:

using a data processor to obtain user preference information related to advertising;

using the data processor to generate from the user preference information one or more selectable user segments for a user, the one or more selectable user segments defining how the user is automatically classified, based on user behavior or demographics, for the purpose of targeted advertising;

using the data processor to receive information from the user selecting one or more of the user segments;

using the data processor to automatically select an advertisement for delivery to the user, the selection being based on the one or more selected user segments.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the user configured user preference information includes a selectable parameter for completely opting out of targeted advertising.

9. A computer-readable hardware storage device having embedded therein a set of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a computer, causes

the computer to execute the following operations:

obtaining user preference information related to advertising;

presenting one or more user segments to a user with whom the segments are associated, the one or more segments defining how the user has been previously automatically classified, based on user behavior or demographics, for the purpose of targeted advertising;

enabling user configuration of the one or more segments; and

automatically modifying the presentation of advertising to the user based upon one or more user configured segments.

10. The computer-readable hardware storage device as claimed in claim 9, the operations including providing a display object in association with an advertisement to enable user configuration of the user preference information.

11. The computer-readable hardware storage device as claimed in claim 9, the operations including presenting the user with of an opt-out of advertising parameter for opting out of targeted advertising completely.

12. The computer-readable hardware storage device as claimed in claim 9, the operations enabling user configuration of a user segment.

13. A computer-readable hardware storage device having embedded therein a set of instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a computer, causes the computer to execute the following operations:

obtaining user preference information related to advertising, the user preference information relating to a user;

generating one or more user segments for the user, the one or more user segments defining how the user is automatically classified, based on user behavior or demographics, for the purpose of targeted advertising, the one or more segments being user configurable to produce one or more user configured segments;

receiving one or more user configured segments; and

automatically selecting an advertisement for delivery to the user, the selection being based on the one or more user configured segments.

14. The computer-readable hardware storage device as claimed in claim 14, the operations further including presenting an opt-out of advertising parameter for opting out of targeted advertising completely.

15. A system comprising:

a computer processor and memory coupled to the computer processor, the computer processor and memory configured to obtain from an advertising (ad) preferences service user preference information related to advertising;

present one or more user segments to a particular user with whom the segments are associated, the one or more segments defining how the user has been previously automatically classified by the preference information, based on user behavior or demographics, for the purpose of targeted advertising;

enable user configuration of the one or more segments; and

automatically modify the presentation of advertising to the user based upon the one or more user configured segments.

16. The system as claimed in claim 15, the computer processor and memory being configured to provide a display object in association with an advertisement to enable user configuration of the user preference information.

17. The system as claimed in claim 15, the computer processor and memory being configured to enable user selection of a parameter to opt-out of targeted advertising.

18. A system comprising:

a computer processor and computer storage configured to obtain from an advertising (ad) preferences service user preference information related to advertising, the user preference information relating to a user;

generate from the user preference information one or more user segments for the user, the one or more segments defining how the user is automatically classified into the one or more segments, based on user behavior or demographics, for the purpose of targeted advertising, the one or more segments being user selectable to produce one or more segments selected by the user;

receive one or more of the segments selected by the user; and

automatically select an advertisement for delivery to the user, the selection being based on the one or more segments selected by the user.

19. The system as claimed in claim 18 wherein the user configurable user preference information includes a selectable opt-out of advertising parameter to enable the user to opt-out of targeted advertising completely.