Dynamic display advertising

• US 6,519,584 B1
• Filed: 06/26/1996
• Issued: 02/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Nielson, Jakob, Tognazzini, Bruce, Glass, Bob
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Joseph H.
• Application Number:
  US08/670,929
• Time in Patent Office: 2,421 Days
• Field of Search: 707/501, 707/513, 707/517, 707/104, 707/3-6, 345/326, 345/329, 345/333, 345/334, 345/335, 345/349-340, 345/356-357, 345/700, 345/769, 345/804, 705/26, 705/27, 705/14, 382/305-306
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/917 Text
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

Advertising displays such as found in mass transit vehicles or stations or in electronic newspapers are provided with user directed search capabilities. Selected text, dragged and dropped onto an image space, serves to initiate a query. If the advertising display is networked, an external search of network resources, such as those of the World Wide Web, can be undertaken and the results utilized to initiate one or more local searches.

Claims

1. A method displaying information on a display, comprising the steps of:

a. providing an element for performing a step of displaying a logo;

b. providing an element for performing a step of displaying an image in an image portion of said display;

c. providing an element for performing a step of displaying textual information in a text portion of said display;

d. providing an element for performing a step of dragging selected information from said text portion onto said image portion of said display and initiating an information retrieval search in response thereto; and

e. providing an element for performing a step of displaying an image resulting from said information retrieval search in said image portion of said display.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of:

providing an element for performing a step of displaying text information related to said image resulting from said information retrieval search.

3. A method of displaying information comprising one or more ad objects, each ad object comprising a logo, and image, and text, comprising the step of:

a. providing an element for performing a step of assembling a plurality of said ad objects into a page of an electronic newspaper for simultaneous display to a user further comprising the steps of;

b. dragging selected text from an ad object onto a search object image of another ad object to initiate an information retrieval search for information related to the selected text.

4. The method of claim 3 in which said information retrieval search occurs over a network.

5. The method of claim 4 in which said information retrieval search occurs using a search engine of the world wide web.

6. The method of claim 3 in which results of said information retrieval search are displayed in a window.

7. The method of claim 6 in which text included in said results of said information retrieval search is selected and dragged and dropped onto an image displayed as part of an ad object to initiate a search of information available to said ad object.

8. The method of claim 6 which text included in said results of said information retrieval search is selected and dragged and dropped onto respective images displayed as part of a plurality of ad objects to initiate a search of information available to said ad objects.

9. A system for retrieving and displaying information comprising:

a. a network;

c. a plurality of computers connected to said network, each containing information accessible over said network; and

b. a computer displaying one or more ad objects having an image area on a display, connected to said network, and configured to retrieve information accessible over said network when text related to said information is dragged and dropped from an ad object onto a search object image area of another ad object on said display.

10. A computer program product comprising:

a memory medium and

a computer program stored on said memory medium, said computer program comprising displaying a logo, displaying an image in an image portion of said display, displaying textual information in a text portion of said display, dragging selected information from said text portion onto said image portion of said display and initiating an information retrieval search in response thereto, and displaying an image resulting from said information retrieval search in said image portion of said display.

11. A computer program product for displaying information comprising one or more ad objects, each ad object comprising a logo, and image, and text, comprising:

a memory medium and

a computer program stored on said memory medium, said computer program containing instructions for assembling a plurality of ad objects into a page of an electronic newspaper for simultaneous display to a user in which said computer program further comprises instructions for dragging selected text from an ad object onto a search object image of another ad object to initiate an information retrieval search for information related to the selected text.

12. A computer program product for displaying information comprising one or more ad objects, each ad object comprising a logo, and image, and text, comprising:

a memory medium and

a computer program stored on said memory medium, said computer program containing instructions for assembling a plurality of ad objects into a page of an electronic newspaper for simultaneous display to a user in which said computer program further comprises instructions for conducting said information retrieval search occurs over a network.

13. A standalone electronic poster comprising:

a touchscreen;

a memory for storing a plurality of advertising content for display on said touchscreen; and

a processor configured to replace a display of a first content of the plurality of advertising content with a second content of the plurality of advertising content in response to a user'"'"'s touch on the touchscreen wherein the advertising content is stored as one or more ad objects that define types of display and responses to the user'"'"'s touch wherein the ad object comprises a fixed logo, a list of categories associated with the logo, a sublist of related products responsive to the user'"'"'s touch on the list of categories, and a changeable image responsive to the user'"'"'s touch on the sublist.

14. A standalone electronic poster comprising:

a touchscreen;

a memory for storing a plurality of advertising content for display on said touchscreen; and

a processor configured to replace a display of a first content of the plurality of advertising content with a second content of the plurality of advertising content in response to a user'"'"'s touch on the touchscreen wherein the advertising content is stored as one or more ad objects that define types of display and responses to the user'"'"'s touch wherein each ad object is comprised of a plurality of subobjects, wherein the plurality of advertising content is stored as a database, and wherein the processor is configured to search the database and display a resulting advertising content in response to the user'"'"'s touch when the touch corresponds to dragging and dropping one subobject onto another subobject.

15. A method of displaying advertising content on a standalone electronic poster having a touchscreen, a memory, and a processor, the method comprising:

displaying on the touchscreen a plurality of ad objects, each ad object comprising a fixed logo, a changeable image and a changeable block of text;

providing an element for dragging a selected block of text from a first ad object onto a second ad object in response to a user'"'"'s touch on the touchscreen;

searching a database of information stored in the memory for related information associated with the selected block of text and the second ad object; and

displaying on the touchscreen the related information.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein displaying the related information comprises replacing an original changeable image in the second ad object with a new changeable image selected from the related information.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein displaying the related information comprises replacing an original changeable block of text in the second ad object with a new changeable block of text from the related information.

18. A computer program product for a standalone electronic poster having a touchscreen, a memory, and a processor, the product comprising:

a memory medium readable by the processor; and

processor instructions stored on the memory medium for displaying on the touchscreen a plurality of ad objects, each ad object comprising a fixed logo, a changeable image and a changeable block of text, for providing an element for dragging a selected block of text from a first ad object onto a second ad object in response to a user'"'"'s touch on the touchscreen, for searching a database of information stored in the memory for related information associated with the selected block of text and the second ad object, and for displaying on the touchscreen the related information.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the instructions comprise instructions for replacing an original changeable image in the second ad object with a new changeable image from the related information.

20. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the instructions comprise instructions for replacing an original changeable block of text in the second ad object with a new changeable block of text from the related information.

21. A method of displaying advertising content in a vehicle on an advertising display having a touchscreen, a memory, and a processor, the method comprising:

displaying on the touchscreen a plurality of ad objects, each ad object comprising a fixed logo, a changeable image and a changeable block of text;

providing an element for dragging a selected block of text from a first ad object onto a second ad object in response to a user'"'"'s touch on the touchscreen;

searching a database of information stored in the memory for related information associated with the selected block of text and the second ad object; and

displaying on the touchscreen the related information.

22. A computer program product for an advertising display mounted in a vehicle, the display having a touchscreen, a memory, and a processor, the product comprising:

a memory medium readable by the processor; and

processor instructions stored on the memory medium for displaying on the touchscreen a plurality of ad objects, each ad object comprising a fixed logo, a changeable image and a changeable block of text, for providing an element for dragging a selected block of text from a first ad object onto a second ad object in response to a user'"'"'s touch on the touchscreen, for searching a database of information stored in the memory for related information associated with the selected block of text and the second ad object, and for displaying on the touchscreen the related information.