Marketing data delivery system

• US 6,058,418 A
• Filed: 02/18/1997
• Issued: 05/02/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: e-Parcel corporation
• Original Assignee: e-Parcel, Inc.
• Inventors: Kobata, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Viet D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, HIEU C
• Application Number:
  US08/801,458
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.32, 395/200.47, 395/200.48, 395/200.53, 395/200.54, 395/200.59, 395/200.5, 395/200.51, 395/200.52, 709/202, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 709/247, 709/248, 709/249, 709/223, 709/224, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

In an Internet-based client/server application, a system is provided which detects demographics of a client including CPU power, hard disk space, applications installed, network connectivity and log-in history so as to provide this infrastructure related information detailing client usage of the Internet to the service provider. In one embodiment, each user is provided with software having a unique serial number. Having the serial number, infrastructure data is checked at the client side and reported to the server periodically, with the server updating a database with the infrastructure data from each PC. In one embodiment, the database is filtered by factors such as location of the client and an indication of which providers delivered software to a client. After filtering, the service provider can obtain various demographics such as the demography of hard disk space, CPU power and viewers. In one embodiment, the demographics are used at the server to automatically select the contents to be transmitted to the particular client. Thus the provider can send the most appropriate contents to the most appropriate client based on demographic information of the client'"'"'s infrastructure.

Claims

1. A system for delivering content to a client system, the system for delivering content comprising:

a service provider in electrical communication with the client system; and

software transmitted to the client system from the service provider, the software ascertaining infrastructure-related information regarding the client system when the client system executes the software, the service provider selecting content to transmit to the client system in response to the configuration of the client system as indicated by the infrastructure-related information ascertained by the software.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the client system includes a processor (CPU) and wherein sad infrastructure-related information includes the power of the CPU at said client system.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the client system includes a hard disk and wherein said infrastructure-related information includes the hard disk space available at said client system.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein said client system includes applications installed therein and wherein said infrastructure-related information includes the identity of the applications installed in said client system.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said client system includes a modem having a predetermined bandwidth connected thereto and wherein said infrastructure-related information includes the speed of said modem.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said client system maintains a log-in history and wherein said infrastructure-related information includes the log-in history of said client system.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said software has a unique serial number associated therewith and wherein said infrastructure-related information includes said serial number.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the service provider maintains anonymity of said client system.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising;

a second client system in electrical communication with the service provider, the service provider transmitting software to the second client system, such software ascertaining infrastructure-related information regarding the second client system when the second client system executes such software; and

a selection module selecting to which of the client systems, if any the content is to be transmitted in response to the configuration of each client system as indicated by the infrastructure-related information ascertained for each of the client systems.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said service provider has multiple versions of the content to be transmitted to each selected client system and wherein said selection module selects one of the versions for transmission to each selected client system based on the configuration on of that client system to receive that selected version.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein that version selected is the most complex possible for receipt by that client system.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein said selection module determines whether each of the client systems is a member of the service provider, the service provider transmitting said content only to said members.

13. The system of claim 1 further including means at said service provider for controlling when sad client system transmits said infrastructure-related at information to said service provider.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a database storing the ascertained infrastructure-related information; and

a filter for selecting portions of the infrastructure-related information stored in the database according to parameters provided by the service provider; and

a display device for displaying the selected portions of the infrastructure-related information.

15. A system for delivering content to a plurality of client systems comprising:

a server;

software delivered by the server to each of the client systems, the software determining infrastructure-related information regarding each of the client systems when that client system executes the software;

a data structure storing the infrastructure-related information that is determined by each of the client systems; and

a selection module determining from the infrastructure-related information stored in the data structure whether a configuration of each client system is capable of processing content, the server selecting content to transmit to each client system based upon the determined capability of that client system.

16. In a network including a server in electrical communication with a client system, a method for providing content to the client system, comprising the steps of:

providing software from the server to the client system, the software determining infrastructure-related information of the client system when executed by the client system;

executing the software at the client system to ascertain infrastructure-related information regarding the client system;

transmitting the ascertained infrastructure-related information from the client system to the server; and

selecting content to transmit to the client system based upon the configuration of the client system as indicated by the infrastructure-related information.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the steps of:

building a database with the infrastructure-related information transmitted from the client system to the server;

filtering the database to select portions of the infrastructure-related information; and

displaying the selected portions of the infrastructure-related information.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the infrastructure-related information of the client system is selected from the group consisting of processing power, hard disk capacity, identities of installed applications, modem speed, log-in history, and serial numbers of software delivered to the client system.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of maintaining anonymity of the client system.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of selecting one of multiple versions of the content based on whether the configuration of the client system is capable of processing that version of the content.

21. The method of claim 16 firer comprising the steps of:

determining whether the client system is a member of a service provided by the server; and

transmitting the content to the client system if the client system is a member.

22. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of controlling by the server when the client system transmits the infrastructure-related information to the server.