Internet advertisement metering system and method

• US 7,222,105 B1
• Filed: 09/11/2000
• Issued: 05/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Original Assignee: Pitney Bowes Incorporated (Böwe Systec AG)
• Inventors: Romansky, Brian M.
• Primary Examiner(s): ELISCA, PIERRE E
• Application Number:
  US09/658,079
• Time in Patent Office: 2,444 Days
• Field of Search: 705/408, 705/57, 705/58, 235/375, 380/201, 380/202, 380/203
• US Class Current: 705/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2103 Challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 17/0008 Communication details outside or between apparatus coin-freed apparatus for franking per se G07F17/26
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00056 Client-server
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 2017/00145 via the Internet

Abstract

A method and a system for metering an advertisement having a message to be presented to a plurality of users of a communications network, wherein the metering is used to count the number of times the message is actually presented to one or more users. The method comprises the steps of embedding a code in the message; and detecting the embedded code to count the number of presentations. Preferably, the embedded code contains the client'"'"'s identity so as to allow the server to identify the client who should pay for the advertisement, and a rate code for calculating an advertisement charge to the client. In order to prevent an unscrupulous host web server from manipulating the metering system, a challenge-response mechanism is used to ensure the metering system has not been reconnected through an alternate channel of the network. Furthermore, a click-through monitoring process is used to monitor whether the user actually clicks on the advertisement image to learn more about the advertised service or product.

Claims

1. A method of metering digital content having a message to be presented to users of a communications network, said method comprising:

embedding a code in said message, the embedded code containing a rate code for calculating a charge for presenting the message in the digital content;

detecting the embedded code;

based on the detected embedded code, counting the number of times the message is presented to the users of the communications network; and

calculating the charge based on the rate code and the counted number of times the message is presented to the users of the communications network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications network includes the Internet.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the message is presented in an image format to be implemented as a stream of image data contained in a network data stream and the code is embedded in the image data, said method further comprising:

monitoring the network data stream to detect the embedded code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the code is embedded in a steganographic fashion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is presented by a server, and wherein the embedded code contains a client identity associated with the digital content.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the rate code includes a fixed rate.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the rate code includes a variable rate based on the time and/or date of presenting the message to the users of the communications network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is presented as an image on a display screen, and the image has a size relative to the display screen, and wherein the rate code contains a charge rate based on the image size.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications network includes a plurality of destination domains, and wherein the rate code contains a charge rate based on the destination domain.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is an advertisement.

11. A metering system for a communications network having network data, the metering system adapted to count the number of times a message included in digital content is presented to users of the communications network, the message being contained in the network data in the form of a data stream embedded with a code, the data stream being conveyed to the network by a conveying means, said system comprising:

means, operatively connected to the conveying means, for monitoring the data stream in order to detect the embedded code;

means, operatively connected to the monitoring means, for counting a number of presentations to users based on the detected embedded code; and

a mechanism, remote from the monitoring means, for sending an authentication message to the monitoring means on a fixed time basis,

wherein the monitoring means is adapted to disable the counting means when the monitoring means does not receive the authentication message on the fixed time basis.

12. The metering system of claim 11, wherein the message is an advertisement.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a mechanism for metering a click-through process, wherein the user clicks on the message to learn more about the advertisement.

14. The metering system of claim 11, further comprising a challenge-response mechanism, connected to the network, for causing the counting means to pause when the monitoring means is operatively disconnected from the conveying means.

15. A method for metering digital content being presented to users of a communication network, the digital content being contained in a network data stream and including a message embedded with a code to allow a number of times the message is presented to the users to be counted, the embedded code containing a rate code for calculating a charge to a client for presenting the message, said method comprising:

monitoring the network data stream to detect data representative of the embedded code;

recording a number of times the data representative of the embedded code is detected, the number of times the data representative of the embedded code is detected being indicative of presentation of the message to the users; and

calculating a charge for presenting the message based on the rate code and the number of times the data representative of the embedded code is detected.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the digital content includes an advertisement and the charge for presenting the message includes an advertisement charge.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

debiting a client a monetary amount based on the calculated advertisement charge.

18. A method of metering digital content having a message to be presented to users of a communications network including the Internet, the message being presented in an image format implemented as a stream of image data contained in a network data stream, said image data having a code embedded therein, said method comprising:

monitoring the network data stream to detect the embedded code in the image data;

based on the detected embedded code, counting the number of times the message is presented to the users of the communications network; and

calculating a charge based on the number of times the message is presented to the users of the communications network.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the code is embedded in a steganographic fashion.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the message is presented by a server, and wherein the embedded code contains a client identity associated with a client responsible for paying the calculated charge for presenting the message in the digital content.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the embedded code contains a rate code for calculating the charge for presenting the message in the digital content, said method further comprising:

calculating the charge based on the counted number of times and the rate code.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the rate code includes a fixed rate.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the rate code includes a variable rate based on the time and/or date of presenting the message to the users.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the message is presented as an image on a display screen, and the image has a size relative to the display screen, and wherein the rate code contains a charge rate based on the image size.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the communications network includes a plurality of destination domains, and wherein the rate code contains a charge rate based on the destination domain.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein the message is an advertisement.

27. A metering system for a communications network having network data, the metering system adapted to count the number of times a message included in digital content is presented to users of the communications network, the message being contained in the network data in the form of a data stream embedded with a code, the data stream being conveyed to the network by a conveying means, said system comprising:

means, operatively connected to the conveying means, for monitoring the data stream in order to detect the embedded code;

means, operatively connected to the monitoring means, for counting number of presentations based on the detected embedded code;

means for calculating a charge based on the counted number of presentations; and

a mechanism, remote from the monitoring means, for sending an authentication message to the monitoring means on a fixed time basis,

wherein the monitoring means is adapted to disable the counting means when the monitoring means does not receive the authentication message on the fixed time basis.

28. The metering system of claim 27, wherein the message is an advertisement.

29. The metering system of claim 27, further comprising a challenge-response mechanism, connected to the network, for causing the counting means to pause when the monitoring means is operatively disconnected from the conveying means.