System and technique for automatically associating related advertisements to individual search results items of a search result set

• US 7,076,443 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2000
• Issued: 07/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Emens, Michael L, Kraft, Reiner
• Primary Examiner(s): Alvarez, Raquel
• Application Number:
  US09/583,516
• Time in Patent Office: 2,232 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/10, 705/14, 705/26, 705/27
• US Class Current: 705/14.55
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing

Abstract

The resultant search result items from a search engine performing an Internet search are associated with similar or related advertisements. These associated advertisements, once acquired, may be viewed by a user on demand. An Internet user selects a query to submit to a search engine. For each search result item available from the query, a matching search of related product advertisements is then performed. For each related product advertisement found for a given search result item, the search result item is then flagged. This process is repeated until each search result item has been investigated and matched to related product advertisements when applicable. The user then designates a selection. This selection initiates a search of an advertisement database. Each product advertisement acquired is then formatted and displayed to the user.

The computer system capable of associating related advertisements to individual search results items uses the following subsystems: 1) a product database; 2) a user/session manager; 3) a product matching manager; 4) a product listing manager; and, 5) a result presentation manager.

Claims

1. A method of targeting at least one associated advertisement from an Internet search having access to an information repository by a user, comprising:

identifying at least one search result item from a search result of said Internet search by said user;

searching for said at least one associated advertisement within said repository using said at least one search result item;

identifying said at least one associated advertisement from said repository having at least one word that matches said at least one search result item; and

correlating said at least one associated advertisement with said at least one search result item.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing said at least one associated advertisement on demand by said user.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said information repository is associated with an Internet server.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying along with said at least one search result item a user-selectable icon containing a link to said at least one associated advertisement.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

designating said at least one search result item matched to said at least one associated advertisement for subsequent selection by a user.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising first submitting a query to said information repository and obtaining said at least one search result item.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein designating said at least one search result item further comprises displaying a graphical user interface to said user.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said graphical user interface comprises a product icon.

9. The method of claim 5 wherein said at least one associated advertisement comprises at least one related product advertisement.

10. The method of claim 5 further comprising assigning a user identifier prior to matching said at least one search result item to said at least one associated advertisement.

11. The method of claim 5 further comprising formatting said at least one associated advertisement matched with said at least one search result item so designated, prior to displaying said at least one related product advertisement.

12. The method of claim 5 further comprising storing said at least one associated advertisement using a URL as an identifier for each of said at least one search result item.

13. The method of claim 5 further comprising performing an off-line batch process for each of said at least one search result item, wherein said batch process identifies said at least one associated advertisement for said at least one search result item.

14. The method of claim 5 further comprising providing a true/false designator to a user, wherein said designator indicates whether said at least one associated advertisement exists for said at least one search result item.

15. A method for providing related advertisements for search result items from a search of an information repository, comprising:

matching said search result items to said related advertisements;

designating each of said search result items that have said related advertisements matched therewith;

providing a corresponding graphical user interface for each of said search result items so designated for subsequent user selection;

searching and retrieving said related advertisements for one of said search result items when said corresponding graphical user interface is selected by a user; and

,

formatting and displaying said related advertisements upon selection.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising assigning an identifier for said user when said user submits a query to said information repository.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein said related advertisements comprise related product advertisements.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein said graphical user interface comprises a product icon.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising storing said related advertisements using a URL as an identifier for each of said search result items.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising performing an off-line batch process for each of said search result items, wherein said batch process identifies said related advertisements for said search result items.

21. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform the method steps for targeting at least one associated advertisement from an Internet search having access to an information repository by a user, comprising:

identifying at least one search result item from a search result of said Internet search by said user;

searching for said at least one associated advertisement within said repository using said at least one search result item;

identifying said at least one associated advertisement from said repository having at least one a word that matches said at least one search result item; and

correlating said at least one associated advertisement with said at least one search result item.

22. The program storage device of claim 21 further comprising providing said at least one associated advertisement on demand by said user.

23. The program storage device of claim 21 further comprising displaying along with said at least one search result a user-selectable icon containing a link to said at least one associated advertisement.

24. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform the method steps for targeting related advertisements to individual search result items from a search of an information repository, said method steps comprising:

matching said individual search result items to said related advertisements; and

,

designating those of said individual search result items matched to said related advertisements for subsequent selection by a user.

25. The program storage device of claim 24 further comprising the method step of first submitting a query to said information repository and obtaining said individual search result items.

26. The program storage device of claim 24 wherein designating said individual search result items further comprises displaying a graphical user interface to said user.

27. The program storage device of claim 24 further comprising the method step of storing said related advertisements using a URL as an identifier for each of said individual search result items.

28. The program storage device of claim 24 further comprising the method step of performing an off-line batch process for each of said individual search result items, wherein said batch process identifies said related advertisements for said search result items.

29. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform the method steps for providing related advertisements for search result items from a search of an information repository, comprising:

matching said search result items to said related advertisements;

designating each of said search result items that have said related advertisements matched therewith;

providing a corresponding graphical user interface for each of said search result items so designated for subsequent user selection;

searching and retrieving said related advertisements for one of said search result items when said corresponding graphical user interface is selected by a user; and

,

formatting and displaying said related advertisements upon selection.

30. A system for providing associated advertisements for search result items from an Internet search of an information repository, comprising:

a user/session manager means for maintaining and tracking search result items from user sessions, user queries, and advertisement requests;

a product database means for providing storage and retrieval for said associated advertisements;

a product matching manager means for analyzing said user sessions, said user queries, and said advertisement requests from said user/session manager and matching said associated advertisements from said product database corresponding to each of said search result items;

a request server means for displaying results from said search and displaying said associated advertisements from said product matching manager; and

,

a product presentation manager means for referencing and retrieving said associated advertisements that correspond to each of said search result items, in said product database, and to formulate said associated advertisements into a list, and pass said list to said request server.

31. The system of claim 30 further comprising a search engine and a browser.

32. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer usable program code for providing related advertisements for search result items from a search of an information repository, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect maintaining and tracking user sessions, user queries, and advertisement requests;

a computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect providing storage and retrieval of said related advertisements;

a computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect analyzing said search result items and matching said related advertisements corresponding to each of said search result items;

a computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect displaying results from said search and displaying said related advertisements; and

,

a computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect referencing and retrieving said related advertisements corresponding to each of said search result items, formulating said related advertisements into a list, and presenting said list to a user.

33. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer usable program code for selecting related advertisements for search result items from a search of an information repository, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect matching said search result items to said related advertisements;

a computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect designating each of said search result items that have said related advertisements matched therewith;

a computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect providing a corresponding graphical user interface for each of said search result items so designated for subsequent selection by a user;

a computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect searching and retrieving said related advertisements for one of said search result items when said corresponding graphical user interface is selected by said user; and

,

a computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect formatting and displaying said related advertisements upon selection.

34. The computer program product of claim 33 further comprising

a computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect submitting a query to said information repository;

and,

a computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect obtaining said search result items from said information repository.

35. The computer program product of claim 34 further comprising a computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect assigning an identifier for said user when said query is submitted to said information repository.