System and method for incorporating ad information into an e-mail

• US 6,993,560 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2001
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Increment P Corporation (Pioneer Corporation), Pioneer Corporation
• Original Assignee: Increment P Corporation (Pioneer Corporation), Pioneer Corporation
• Inventors: Takenaga, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Rupal
• Assistant Examiner(s): BAYARD, DJENANE M
• Application Number:
  US09/850,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20010044830A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,729 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104, 707/10, 379/93.1, 345/619, 709/206, 709/218
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In a system and a method for incorporating ad information into e-mails while they are being exchanged, whether area information b is contained in an e-mail M transmitted from a terminal T1 or not is detected. When the area information b is contained, position information indicating the display range of the area information is retrieved. Based on the position information, ad information positioned in the display range of the area information is retrieved. Then ad data c contained in the retrieved ad information is inserted into the e-mail M.

Claims

1. A system for incorporating ad information into e-mails, comprising:

at an e-mail site including an e-mail server for saving an e-mail transmitted from a sending terminal and transmitting the e-mail to a receiving terminal based on a transmission request made by the receiving terminal;

an area information detector for detecting whether an e-mail transmitted from the sending terminal contains area information or not;

a position information database that stores position information indicating the display range of area information displayed in the e-mail;

an ad information database where ad information containing ad data and position data of an ad provider is stored; and

an ad information inserting section for;

retrieving position information on the area information from said position information database when it is detected that the e-mail contains area information,

retrieving, from said ad information database, ad information positioned in the display range of the area information indicated by the retrieved position information, based on the position data of ad information, and

inserting ad data contained in the retrieved ad information into the e-mail.

2. The system for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to claim 1, wherein said area information is display of a map, traffic facilities and/or an address.

3. The system for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to claim 1, wherein position information stored in the position information database specifies the display range of area information by latitude and longitude.

4. The system for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to claim 1, wherein ad data contained in the ad information stored in said ad information database is banner ad information.

5. The system for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to claim 1, wherein position data contained in the ad information stored in said ad information database specifies the position of an ad provider by latitude and longitude.

6. The system for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to claim 1, further comprising a display format detector for detecting an area information display format of an e-mail at a receiving terminal as a source of an e-mail transmission request when an e-mail transmission request is made by the receiving terminal or when the e-mail is transmitted to a destination e-mail server;

and

a display format converter for converting the display format of the area information in the e-mail to be transmitted to the receiving terminal to the display format of the receiving terminal when it is detected that the display format of the receiving terminal differs from the display format of the area information in the e-mail transmitted from the sending terminal.

12. The system for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to claim 1, wherein the area information corresponds to an area of the receiving terminal.

7. A method for incorporating ad information into e-mails at an e-mail site including an e-mail server for saving an e-mail transmitted from a sending terminal and transmitting the e-mail to a receiving terminal based on a transmission request made by the receiving terminal, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting whether an e-mail transmitted from the sending terminal contains area information;

retrieving position information corresponding to the area information contained in the e-mail from a position information database that stores position information indicating a display range of area information when it is detected that area information is contained in the e-mail;

retrieving ad information positioned in the display range of said area information from an ad information database, where ad information containing ad data and position data of an ad provider is stored, the retrieved ad information being based on the position data and the position information of said retrieved area information; and

inserting ad data contained in the retrieved ad information into the e-mail.

8. The method for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to claim 7, further comprising the step of specifying the display range of area information by latitude and longitude.

9. The method for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to claim 7, further comprising the step of specifying the position of the ad provider of said ad data by latitude and longitude.

10. The method for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to claim 7, further comprising the step of inserting said ad data into an e-mail transmitted from a sending terminal before saving the e-mail or before transmitting the e-mail to a destination e-mail server.

11. The method for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to claim 7, further comprising the steps of:

detecting an area information display format of an e-mail at a receiving terminal as a source of an e-mail transmission request when an e-mail transmission request is made by the receiving terminal or when the e-mail is transmitted to a destination e-mail server; and

converting the display format of the area information in the e-mail to be transmitted to the receiving terminal to the display format of the receiving terminal when it is detected that the display format of the receiving terminal differs from the display format of the area information in the e-mail transmitted from the sending terminal.

13. The method for incorporating ad information into e-mails according to claim 7, wherein the area information corresponds to an area of the receiving terminal.