Searchable bookmark sets as an internet advertising medium

• US 6,247,021 B1
• Filed: 07/16/1998
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: LaBaw, Jeffery Scott, Rodriguez, Herman, Himmel, Maria Azua
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rones, Charles
• Application Number:
  US09/116,862
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• Field of Search: 707/501, 707/10, 707/104, 707/5, 707/5.3, 707/513, 345/335, 345/327, 345/349, 709/245
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9562 Bookmark management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/919 Geographic
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

One or more searchable repositories of bookmark sets are stored in a computer system, each bookmark set can be downloaded to a client browser as a unit. Each bookmark set contains a set of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) and is associated with related information such as a set of keywords, one or more topics and user specific information. The bookmark set is downloadable as a unit to the client browser. When a search query from a client containing a set of keywords is received, the stored bookmark sets are searched for one or more bookmark sets associated with at least one keyword matching a keyword from the search query. A list of bookmark sets which satisfy the query, i.e. are associated with matching keywords, are returned to the client browser. Responsive to a request for downloading a selected bookmark set, the selected bookmark is served to the client. The selected bookmark set is received and used by the client browser to access the set of URLs in the selected bookmark set. In one embodiment of the invention, some bookmarks within a bookmark set are designated as base bookmarks which are always served with the bookmark set.

Claims

1. An Internet advertising medium comprising:

a searchable bookmark set stored at a web server coupled to the Internet, the bookmark set including both a set of informational bookmarks pointing to web pages on a related topic and one or more advertising bookmarks pointing to one or more service provider web pages;

wherein the bookmark set is sent to a requesting client via the Internet, if a search request by the client containing one or more keywords is satisfied by the bookmark set; and

wherein the bookmark set is installed in a client browser upon receipt for retrieving the service provider and informational web pages.

2. A system for Internet advertising including processor, memory and network connector for providing bookmark sets to a browser in a computer system comprising:

means for storing a plurality of bookmark sets at a first computer system coupled to a network, each bookmark set containing a set of Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), searchable by a set of keywords and downloadable as a unit, wherein each bookmark set includes both a set of informational bookmarks pointing to web pages on a related topic and one or more advertising bookmarks pointing to one or more service provider web pages;

means for detecting a client query containing a set of keywords; and

means responsive to the finding a bookmark set which satisfies the keywords for serving the bookmark set via the network to a second computer system for installation in a client browser to access the set of URLs.

3. The system as recited in claim 2 further comprising means for registering the bookmark sets at the first computer system.

4. The system as recited in claim 3 wherein the plurality of bookmark sets are stored at and served from a first web server belonging to a first party and further comprises:

means for establishing an account representing a given monetary value for a second party;

means for receiving a request to register and store a new bookmark set at the first web server from a remote device belonging to the second party; and

means for debiting the account for a given charge for storing and serving the new bookmark set.

5. The system as recited in claim 3 wherein the plurality of bookmark sets are stored at and served from a first web server belonging to a first party and further comprises:

means for establishing an account representing a given monetary value for a second party;

means for including an advertising bookmark from the second party in the first bookmark set at the first web server; and

means for debiting the account for a given charge for inclusion for storing and serving the advertising bookmark with the first bookmark set.

6. A method for Internet advertising comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of bookmark sets at a server coupled to the Internet, each bookmark set including both a set of information bookmarks pointing to informational web pages on a related topic and one or more advertising bookmarks pointing to one or more service provider web pages;

receiving a client query containing one or more keywords suggestive of a selected topic at a server;

responsive to the client query, serving a bookmark set on the selected topic to a requesting client; and

wherein the bookmark set is installable at a client browser for retrieving both the service provider web pages and informational web pages.

7. The method as recited in claim 6 further comprising the steps of:

registering the bookmark sets at the server; and

associating each of the registered bookmark sets with one or more topics.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein the registering step includes a test to determine whether each bookmark set meets a predetermined criteria.

9. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the plurality of bookmark sets are stored at and served from a first web server belonging to a first party and the method further comprises the steps of:

establishing an account representing a given monetary value for a second party;

receiving a request to register and store a new bookmark set at the first web server from a remote device belonging to the second party;

registering and storing the new bookmark set at the first web server; and

debiting the account for a given charge for storing and serving the new bookmark set.

10. The method as recited in claim 6 wherein the plurality of bookmark sets are stored at and served from a first web server belonging to a first party and the method further comprises the steps of:

establishing an account representing a given monetary value for a second party;

receiving a request to incorporate an advertising bookmark in a first bookmark set on a given topic at the first web server;

including the advertising bookmark in the first bookmark set at the first web server; and

debiting the account for a given charge for inclusion for storing and serving the advertising bookmark with the first bookmark set.

11. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for Internet advertising comprising:

means for storing and organizing a plurality of bookmark sets according to respective sets of associated keywords at a web server coupled to the Internet, each bookmark set including a set of information bookmarks pointing to informational web pages on a related topic and one or more advertising bookmarks pointing to one or more service provider web pages;

means for receiving a client search query for a bookmark set including a set of keywords;

means for searching the associated keywords for one or more bookmark sets which satisfy the client search query; and

means for serving one or more bookmark sets to a client device from which the client search query originated;

wherein the served bookmark sets are installable in a client browser for retrieving the service provider and informational web pages.

12. The product as recited in claim 11 further comprising:

means for registering the bookmark sets at the server; and

means for associating each of the registered bookmark sets with one or more topics.

13. The product as recited in claim 12 wherein the registering means determines whether a party attempting to register a bookmark set at the server meets a predetermined criteria.

14. The product as recited in claim 11 which further comprises:

means for establishing an account representing a given monetary value for a first party;

means for receiving a request to register and store a new bookmark set at the server from a remote device belonging to the first party; and

means for debiting the account for a given charge for storing and servicing the new bookmark set.

15. The product as recited in claim 11 which further comprises:

means for establishing an account representing a given monetary value for a first party;

means for including an advertising bookmark from the first party in a first bookmark set at the first web server; and

means for debiting the account for a given charge for inclusion for storing and serving the advertising bookmark with the first bookmark set.