Marketing data delivery system

• US 6,393,471 B1
• Filed: 03/03/2000
• Issued: 05/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: e-Parcel corporation
• Original Assignee: ATABOK, Inc.
• Inventors: Kobata, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Hieu C.
• Application Number:
  US09/518,378
• Time in Patent Office: 809 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201-203, 709/220-221, 709/223-224, 709/217-218, 705/10, 705/14, 705/5, 707/10, 725/34-35
• 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 marketing data delivery system for in a client/server system connected by a network in which information is transmitted by a service provider over the network via a server, the marketing data delivery system comprising:

means at said client including a computer for running client software;

client software provided by said service provider to said client to be run on the associated computer for ascertaining demographic information related to said client and for periodic transmission thereof back to said server;

means at said client for periodically transmitting said demographic information to said server; and

,

means at said server for creating a database of information transmitted from said client, for filtering the data in said database as to demographic parameters and for displaying the resultant information; and

means for automatically making marketing decisions based on results of the filtering of said database, wherein said marketing decisions comprise at least one of determining which of a plurality of client-users should be targeted to receive specific information content based on locations of said client-users and determining whether a particular one of said client-users would welcome receipt of specific information content from a content-provider.

2. The marketing data delivery system as recited in claim 1, wherein said marketing decisions further comprise determining a complexity of marketing information content to be transmitted to said client.

3. The marketing data delivery system as recited in claim 2, wherein said means for automatically making marketing decisions comprises:

a matching module having an input for receiving data from said means for creating said database, wherein said matching module is operable to match a version of said marketing information content to clients capable of receiving and processing said version of said marketing information; and

a selection module having an input connected to said matching module, wherein said selection module is operable to select destinations of the clients capable of receiving and processing said version of said marketing information.

4. The marketing data delivery system as recited in claim 1, wherein said marketing decisions comprise determining which of said plurality of client-users should be targeted to receive said specific information content based on said locations of said client-users.

5. The marketing data delivery system as recited in claim 1, wherein said marketing decisions comprise determining whether said particular one of said client-users would welcome receipt of said specific information content from said content-provider.

6. A marketing data delivery system for a client/server system connected by a network in which information is transmitted by a service provider over the network via a server, the marketing data delivery system comprising:

a client subsystem for interfacing with a client-user, wherein said client subsystem comprises;

a computer,

client software to be run on said computer, wherein said client software ascertains demographic information related to said client subsystem, wherein said demographic information includes at least one of a client usage pattern and client infrastructure resources, and

a transmitter connected to said computer, wherein said transmitter is operable to periodically transmit said demographic information to said server; and

a server subsystem that includes said server, further comprising;

a database generator for creating a database of demographic information transmitted from said client subsystem, and for filtering said demographic information in said database according to demographic parameters, and

a marketing decision module operable to automatically make marketing decisions based on results of the filtering of said database, wherein said marketing decisions comprise at least one of determining which of a plurality of client-users should be targeted to receive specific information content based on locations of said client-users and determining whether a particular one of said client-users would welcome receipt of specific information content from a content-provider.

7. The marketing data delivery system as recited in claim 6, wherein said marketing decisions further comprise determining a complexity of marketing information content to be transmitted to said client.

8. The marketing data delivery system as recited in claim 7, wherein said marketing decision module comprises:

a matching module having an input for receiving data from said database generator, wherein said matching module is operable to match a version of said marketing information content to clients capable of receiving and processing said version of said marketing information; and

a selection module having an input connected to said matching module, wherein said selection module is operable to select destinations of the clients that are capable of receiving and processing said version of said marketing information.

9. The marketing data delivery system as recited in claim 6, wherein said marketing decisions comprise determining which of said plurality of client-users should be targeted to receive said specific information content based on said locations of said client-users.

10. The marketing data delivery system as recited in claim 6, wherein said marketing decisions comprise determining whether said particular one of said client-users would welcome receipt of said specific information content from said content-provider.

11. The marketing data delivery system as recited in claim 6, wherein said client software controls periodic transmission of said demographic information back to said server.

12. A marketing data delivery system for a client/server system connected by a network in which information is transmitted by a service provider over the network via a server, the marketing data delivery system comprising:

a client subsystem for interfacing with a client-user, wherein said client subsystem comprises;

a computer;

client software to be run on said computer, wherein said client software ascertains demographic information related to said client subsystem, wherein said demographic information includes at least one of an existence of a sound card and types of viewer protocols said computer is configured to process; and

a transmitter connected to said computer, wherein said transmitter is operable to periodically transmit said demographic information to said server; and

a server subsystem, which includes said server, further comprising a database generator for creating a database of information transmitted from said client subsystem, and for filtering the data in said database according to demographic parameters.

13. The marketing data delivery system as recited in claim 12, wherein said server subsystem further comprises a decision making module operable to determine a complexity of marketing information content to be transmitted to said client based on said demographic information of said client subsystem.

14. The marketing data delivery system as recited in claim 12, wherein said demographic information optionally further includes CPU processing power, hard disk capacity, identities of installed applications, modem speed, log-in history, and serial numbers of said client software.

15. The marketing data delivery system as recited in claim 12, wherein said client software controls periodic transmission of said demographic information back to said server.

16. The marketing data delivery system as recited in claim 14, wherein said marketing decisions further comprise determining a complexity of marketing information content to be transmitted to said client subsystem.

17. The marketing data delivery system as recited in claim 15, wherein said marketing decision module comprises:

a matching module having an input for receiving data from said database generator, wherein said matching module is operable to match a version of said marketing information content to clients capable of receiving and processing said version of said marketing information; and

a selection module having an input connected to said matching module, wherein said selection module is operable to select destinations of the clients that are capable of receiving and processing said version of said marketing information.

18. The marketing data delivery system as recited in claim 14, wherein said marketing decisions comprise determining which of said plurality of client-users should be targeted to receive said specific information content based on said locations of said client-users.

19. The marketing data delivery system as recited in claim 14, wherein said marketing decisions comprise determining whether said particular one of said client-users would welcome receipt of said specific information content from said content-provider.

20. A marketing data delivery system for delivering marketing data via a server subsystem, comprising:

software for receiving demographic information related to a client subsystem communicated by said client subsystem;

a database generator for creating a database of said demographic information; and

a marketing decision module operable to automatically make marketing decisions based on said demographic information in said database, wherein said marketing decisions comprise at least one of determining which of a plurality of client-users should be targeted to receive specific information content based on locations of said client-users and determining whether a particular one of said client-users would welcome receipt of specific information content from a content-provider.