System and method for improving the effectiveness of web advertising

• US 6,892,181 B1
• Filed: 09/08/2000
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Zhu, Xiaoming, Megiddo, Nimrod
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): OUELLETTE, JONATHAN P
• Application Number:
  US09/658,632
• Time in Patent Office: 1,705 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/14.41
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A system and method for improving the effectiveness of web advertising by allowing a user to return and request a previously displayed ad that appeals to the user. Generally, the system employs an intelligent browser cache maintained within a user'"'"'s terminal to keep web pages in cache and maintain information about hyperlinks contained therein. Furthermore, the system allows for the storing of ads in a bookmark memory without clicking on the ads. The bookmark memory is either permanently maintained or temporarily stored for a predetermined time period at the user'"'"'s terminal to allow the user view all the stored ads at a later time. The system further includes an algorithm for computing the differences between previously visited pages stored in the intelligent browser cache and a new page in terms of their hyperlinks. Presented to the user in separate windows are all the ads from both the old and new pages to aid the user in deciding whether to click and visit a different page or to save the displayed page for later use. Finally, the system permits the user to request for ads previously displayed at a particular position by pointing his mouse to the current ad at such a location.

Claims

1. A computer-based method for enhancing the effectiveness of on-line advertising, said on-line advertising performed over a communications network including one or more of:

a web site, an ad web site that includes an ad database, at least one remote terminal, and a communication network interconnecting said web site, ad web site and said remote terminal, said computer-based method comprising the following steps;

processing a request of one or more web pages from said web site;

automatically receiving one or more ads associated with each of said one or more web pages and displaying said one or more web pages and associated ads at said remote terminal;

retaining in computer storage previously viewed web pages and associated one or more ads;

automatically receiving a request to retrieve one or more previously displayed ads from said computer storage;

dynamically retrieving and rendering said requested one or more new ads and previously viewed ads at said remote terminal, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of said on-line advertising, and wherein when a previously viewed web page stored in said computer storage is revisited as a new web page, differences between said new web page and said previously viewed web page are determined in terms of their associated hyperlinks, and ads associated with said new page and said previously viewed web page are displayed separately at said remote terminal.

2. A computer-based method for enhancing the effectiveness of on-line advertising, as per claim 1, wherein said computer storage comprises a bookmark memory storing said received ads associated with web pages and an intelligent browser cache storing said displayed web pages and hyperlinks contained in said displayed web pages.

3. A computer-based method for enhancing the effectiveness of on-line advertising, as per claim 2, wherein said bookmark memory is either permanently maintained or temporarily kept for a predetermined period of time.

4. A computer-based method for enhancing the effectiveness of on-line advertising, as per claim 1, wherein said ads from said new page and said previously viewed web page are displayed at said remote terminal in one or more windows separate from a window displaying said revisited new page.

5. A computer-based method for enhancing the effectiveness of on-line advertising, as per claim 1, wherein said on-line advertising may be implemented locally or remotely on one or more computer-based systems, across networks or communication mediums.

6. A computer-based method for enhancing the effectiveness of on-line advertising, as per claim 1, wherein said communication network comprises any of LANs, WANs, Internet or Web-based networks.

7. A computer-based system for retrieving previously viewed Internet web-advertising comprising:

a requestor terminal receiving one or more web pages from a remote web site;

said web pages including one or more ads retrieved from an ad web site associated with said web site, said ad web site comprising any of;

an ad server, ad database and ad manager,

a display presenting said one or more web pages and one or more ads;

computer storage retaining previously viewed web pages and associated one or more ads and hyperlink information, and

wherein when a previously viewed web page stored in said computer storage is revisited as a new web page, said computer-based system dynamically retrieves and displays previous position specific ads upon automatically receiving a selection of a corresponding position of advertising in said new web page.

8. A computer-based system for retrieving previously viewed web-advertising, as per claim 7, wherein said computer storage further comprises a smart browser cache storing said displayed web pages and hyperlinks associated with web pages and a bookmark memory storing said received ads associated with web pages.

9. A computer-based system for retrieving previously viewed web-advertising, as per claim 8, wherein said bookmark memory is permanently maintained or temporarily kept for a predefined period of time.

10. A computer-based system for retrieving previously viewed web-advertising, as per claim 7, further comprising a comparator to determine differences between a new page and a previously viewed web page in terms of their associated hyperlinks.

11. A computer-based method for enhancing the effectiveness of on-line advertising, said on-line advertising performed over a communications network including one or more of:

a web site, an ad web site that includes an ad database, at least one remote terminal, and a communication network interconnecting said web site, ad web site and said remote terminal, said computer-based method comprising the following steps;

processing a request of one or more web pages from said web site using browser software;

automatically receiving one or more ads associated with each of said one or more web pages and displaying said one or more web pages and associated ads at said remote terminal;

retaining in browser cache previously viewed web pages and associated one or more ads and maintaining information about hyperlinks contained in said previously viewed web pages;

automatically receiving a request to retrieve one or more previously displayed ads from said computer storage;

dynamically retrieving and rendering said requested one or more new ads and previously displayed ads at said remote terminal thereby enhancing the effectiveness of said on-line advertising, and wherein when a previously viewed web page stored in said cache is revisited as a new web page, differences between said new web page and said previously viewed web page are determined in terms of their associated hyperlinks, and ads associated with said new page and said previously viewed web page are displayed at said remote terminal in one or more windows separate from a window displaying said revisited new page.

12. A computer-based e-commerce method for enhancing the effectiveness of on-line advertising, said on-line advertising performed over a communications network including one or more of:

a web site, an ad web site that includes an ad database, at least one remote terminal, and a communications network interconnecting said web site, ad web site and said remote terminal, wherein said method comprises a plurality of steps, one or more of said steps implemented locally or remotely across said communications network, said method comprising;

processing a request of one or more web pages from said web site;

automatically receiving one or more ads associated with each of said one or more web pages and displaying said one or more web pages and associated ads at said remote terminal;

retaining in computer storage previously viewed web pages and associated one or more ads;

automatically receiving a request to retrieve one or more previously displayed ads from said computer storage; and

dynamically retrieving and rendering said requested one or more new ads and previously viewed ads at said remote terminal, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of said on-line advertising, and wherein when a previously viewed web page is revisited as a new web page, said step of rendering said requested ads further comprising automatically displaying previous position specific ads upon receiving a selection of a corresponding position of advertising in said new page.