Method and apparatus for providing electronic advertisements to end users in a consumer best-fit pricing manner
First Claim
1. An apparatus which provides an electronic advertisement to a client system coupled to the apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
- an index database which stores a title associated with the electronic advertisement;
a user profile database which stores a set of characteristics corresponding to individual end users of the client systems coupled to the apparatus;
a session manager which makes the electronic advertisement available to each client system of the set of client systems; and
a consumer scale matching process which compares the set of characteristics stored in the user profile database to a consumer scale associated with the electronic advertisement, wherein the consumer scale matching process indicates a fee to be charged to the advertiser based on the comparison.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for providing electronic advertisements to end users in a consumer best-fit pricing manner includes an index database, a user profile database, and a consumer scale matching process. The index database provides storage space for the titles of electronic advertisements. The user profile database provides storage for a set of characteristics which correspond to individual end users of the apparatus. The consumer scale matching process is coupled to the content database and the user profile database and compares the characteristics of the individual end users with a consumer scale associated with the electronic advertisement. The apparatus then charges a fee to the advertiser, based on the comparison by the matching process. In one embodiment, a consumer scale is generated for each of multiple electronic advertisements. These advertisements are then transferred to multiple yellow page servers, and the titles associated with the advertisements are subsequently transferred to multiple metering servers. At the metering servers, a determination is made as to where the characteristics of the end users served by each of the metering servers fall on the consumer scale. The higher the characteristics of the end users served by a particular metering server fall, the higher the fee charged to the advertiser.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. An apparatus which provides an electronic advertisement to a client system coupled to the apparatus, the apparatus comprising:
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an index database which stores a title associated with the electronic advertisement; a user profile database which stores a set of characteristics corresponding to individual end users of the client systems coupled to the apparatus; a session manager which makes the electronic advertisement available to each client system of the set of client systems; and a consumer scale matching process which compares the set of characteristics stored in the user profile database to a consumer scale associated with the electronic advertisement, wherein the consumer scale matching process indicates a fee to be charged to the advertiser based on the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
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5. A method of providing an electronic advertisement to a client system comprising the steps of:
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(a) generating a consumer scale for the electronic advertisement; (b) transferring an identifier of the electronic advertisement and the consumer scale to a metering server; (c) comparing the consumer scale to user profile characteristics of end users of the client systems served by the metering server; (d) providing the advertisement for consumption by the end users at each of the set of client systems served by the metering server; and (e) charging a fee to the advertiser based on the comparing. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An electronic information distribution system comprising:
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a yellow page server which contains an electronic advertisement and a consumer scale associated with the advertisement; and a metering server coupled to the yellow page server which includes an index database which stores a title associated with the electronic advertisement, a user profile database which stores a set of characteristics corresponding to individual end users of a plurality of client systems coupled to the metering server, a session manager which makes the electronic advertisement available to each client system of the set of client systems, and a consumer scale matching process which compares the set of characteristics stored in the user profile database to the consumer scale associated with the electronic advertisement, wherein the consumer scale matching process indicates a fee to be charged to the advertiser based on the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18)
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Specification