Interactive multimedia advertising and electronic commerce on a hypertext network

• US 7,225,142 B1
• Filed: 08/01/1996
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Apte, Jitendra, Roesler, Marina Lima
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty, Romain
• Application Number:
  US08/691,900
• Time in Patent Office: 3,953 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/26, 705/27, 395/200.47, 395/200.48, 380/24, 380/30, 380/25, 709/217, 709/224
• US Class Current: 705/14.39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0253 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 27/00 Combined visual and audible advertising or displaying, e.g. for public address

Abstract

A system and method for providing targeted, interactive, multimedia advertisements and electronic commerce capability on a hypertext network. Advertising software from a server is loaded on a user'"'"'s client computer through a browser at the user'"'"'s request. The display screen of the client computer is partitioned into a browser area, which retains the full functionality of the underlying browser, and advertising area. Controls affecting the presentation and content of the advertisements streamed from the server to the client computer are available to the user in the advertising area, as are secure purchase and electronic coupon controls.

Claims

1. A system for providing to a user advertising on a hypertext network, comprising:

a. a server having advertisements, said server connected to the network;

b. a client computer comprising advertising software, a display device, a storage device, an input device and a browser, said client computer connected to the network, said advertising software controlling the presentation of a first set of information to the user in a first region of said display device, said browser controlling a presentation of a second set of information to the user in a second region of said display device, said advertising software adapted to receive an advertisement selected based on an analysis of the content of at least one page displayed to a user by said browser in said second region of said display device, said advertising software adapted to include said advertisement in said first set of information presented to the user in said first region of said display device, and said advertising software and said browser adapted to function independently of each other on said client computer by displaying information in different regions of said display device,

wherein an advertisement displayed to the user by said advertising software in said first region of said display device comprises at least one link that loads and displays a page in said second region of said display device by said browser when said link is selected by a user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a media clip related to the advertisement presently displayed by the advertising software to the user is shown on said client computer when said media clip is requested by the user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein a secure purchase transaction is effectuated through said client computer at the user'"'"'s request.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a communications button for establishing communications between the user and a sales agent, said communications button displayed by the advertising software to the user, and wherein communications are established between the sales agent and the user at the user'"'"'s request when the user selects the communications button.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for the user to select advertising topics, wherein advertisements pertaining to said selected advertising topics are displayed to the user by the advertising software.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a help page on said server, said help page displayed to the user by said browser when the user selects a help button displayed to the user by said advertising software.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an advertisement service home page on said server, said home page displayed to a user at the user'"'"'s request.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an electronic coupon that may be selected by a user, wherein said electronic coupon is stored on said client computer and redeemed by the user during a secure purchase transaction.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for displaying a previously displayed advertisement at the user'"'"'s request.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein a sequence of advertisements is displayed to the user, and further comprising means to pause the display of the advertisements in the sequence at the user'"'"'s request.

11. A system for providing advertising to a user on a hypertext network, comprising:

a. a server storing advertisements, said server connected to the network;

b. a client computer having a display device, a browser and advertising software, said advertising software operating indpendently of said browser, said client computer connected to the network, said advertising software adapted to receive and display said advertisements in sequence from said server, said advertising software presenting on a region of the display device to the user an advertising area comprising;

i. a control area having a pause button, a step back button, and a step forward button by which the presentation of advertisements to the user is controlled by a user;

ii. a display area where advertisements are displayed in sequence to the user; and

iii. a transaction area having a secure purchase button for effectuating a secure purchase transaction at the user'"'"'s request;

wherein an advertisement displayed by said advertising software in said advertising area comprises at least one link that loads and displays a page in a browser area when said link is selected by the user; and

wherein said server targets said advertisements to the user, said server selecting advertisements based on an analysis of the content of pages displayed through said browser in said browser area on said client'"'"'s computer at the user'"'"'s request.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a communications button for establishing communications with a sales agent at the user'"'"'s request.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising a help page on said server, and said advertisement area further comprising a help button wherein said help page is displayed in said browser area when said help button is selected by the user.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising multimedia information on said server, wherein said advertising area further comprises a multimedia button, and wherein said multimedia information is displayed in said browser area when said multimedia button is selected by the user.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising a home page on said server, and wherein said advertising area further comprises a home page button, and wherein said home page is displayed in said browser area when said home page button is selected by the user.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein said advertising area further comprises an advertising topic list, and wherein said advertisements pertaining to topics selected by the user are displayed in said advertising display area.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein an advertisement is stored on said client computer as an electronic coupon when selected by the user, said electronic coupon redeemable during a secure purchase transaction.

18. A method for providing advertising to a user on a hypertext network, comprising the steps of:

a. loading advertising software from a server on a client computer with a a browser at the user'"'"'s request, said advertising software dividing the client computer screen into a browser area and an advertising area;

b. analyzing the content of pages viewed through said browser in said browser at a user'"'"'s request in order to determine the topics of said pages;

c. selecting advertisements related to said topics;

d. transmitting said advertisements related to said topics to said client computer from said server;

e. displaying said advertisements to the user in said advertising area while maintaining functionality of the browser area; and

f. displaying an advertisement page in the browser area when the advertisement shown in the advertising area is selected by a user.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of pausing the display of advertisements at the request of the user.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of caching a predetermined number of advertisements on the client computer, pausing the display of the sequence of advertisements and stepping backward and forward through and displaying said cached advertisements to the user at the user'"'"'s request.

21. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of immediately displaying the next advertisement in said advertisement area at the user'"'"'s request.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of effectuating a secure purchase of an item shown in the presently displayed advertisement at the user'"'"'s request.

23. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of establishing communications between the user and a sales agent representing the sponsor of the presently displayed advertisement at the user'"'"'s request.

24. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of showing to the user multimedia information pertaining to the presently displayed advertisement at the user'"'"'s request.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of showing an advertising service home page to the user at the user'"'"'s request.

26. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of showing an advertising service help page to the user at the user'"'"'s request.

27. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of displaying a list of advertising topics to a user and displaying advertisements in said advertisement area pertaining to said advertising topics selected by the user.

28. The method of claim 18, further comprising the steps of storing an electronic coupon when selected by a user, and redeeming said electronic coupon during a secure purchase transaction at the request of a user.

29. A method of effectuating a secure purchase transaction on a hypertext network, comprising the steps of:

a. loading advertising software from a server on a client computer with a browser at a user'"'"'s request, said advertising software dividing the client computer screen into a browser area and an advertising area;

b. analyzing the content of pages viewed through said browser in said browser area on said client computer at the user'"'"'s request in order to determine the topics of said pages;

c. selecting advertisements related to said topics;

d. transmitting said advertisements to the user in said advertising area while maintaining the original functionality of the browser in the browser area;

e. displaying said advertisements to the user in said advertisement area while maintaining the original functionality of the browser in the browser area;

f. displaying an advertisement page in the browser area when the advertisement shown in the advertising area is selected by a user;

g. accepting a secure a purchase request from a user for an item offered in a presently displayed advertisement; and

h. accepting purchaser information from the user.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said secure purchase information comprises the credit card information, said credit card information comprising the name of the credit card vendor, the user'"'"'s name and credit card number, and the expiration date of the user'"'"'s credit card.

31. A method of effectuating a secure purchase transaction on a hypertext network, comprising the steps of:

a. loading advertising software from a server on a client computer with a browser at a user'"'"'s request, said advertising software dividing the client computer screen into a browser area and an advertising area;

b. analyzing the content of pages viewed through said browser in said browser area on said client computer at the user'"'"'s request in order to determine the topics of said pages;

c. selecting advertisements related to said topics;

d. transmitting said advertisements to the user in said advertising area while maintaining functionality of the browser in the browser area;

e. displaying said advertisements to the user in said advertising area while maintaining functionality of the browser in the browser area;

f. displaying an advertisement page in the browser area when the advertisement shown in the advertising area is selected by a user;

g. accepting a secure purchase request from a user for an item offered in a presently displayed advertisements;

h. accepting a confidential authentication password from the user; and

i. forwarding preregistered purchaser information to a sponsor of said presently displayed advertisement if the confidential authentication password provided by the user matches a confidential authentication password stored on said server, and generating an error message if said password provided by the user does not match said password stored on said server.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising the steps of storing an electronic coupon when said advertisement is selected by a user, and redeeming said electronic coupon during a secure purchase transaction at the request of a user.

33. A client computer for presenting advertising to a user, comprising:

a. a microprocessor;

b. a memory that stores browser software adapted to be executed to retrieve and display in a browser area a hypertext page from a site and advertising software adapted to retrieve and display in an advertising area targeted advertisement from an advertising server which selects advertisements based on an analysis of the content of pages viewed through said browser software in said browser area, said advertising software further adapted to be executed by said microprocessor to display a step forward button and a step back button to the user, such that when the step forward button is selected by the user, a next advertisement in a sequence of advertisements from the advertising server is displayed to the user independently from the page that is displayed to the user, a previous advertisement in the sequence of advertisement form the advertising server is displayed to the user independently from the page that is displayed to the user by the browser;

wherein said browser software and advertising software is further adapted to display an advertisement displayed by said advertising software in said advertising area is selected by the user; and

c. a display device on which to display the hypertext page and the advertisement to the user.

34. The client computer of claim 33, wherein said advertising software is adapted to be executed by said microprocessor to display an advertisement that is part of a stream of advertisements.

35. The client computer of claim 33, wherein said advertising software is adapted to be executed by said microprocessor to display a sales agent button to the user, such that when said sales agent button is selected by the user, interactive communications are established between the user and a sales agent of the sponsor of an advertisement displayed to the user.

36. The client computer of claim 33, wherein said advertising software is adapted to be executed by said microprocessor to display a list of topics to the user, such that when the user selects a topic form the list of topics, advertisements pertaining to that topic are received from the advertising server.

37. The cliet computer of claim 33, wherein said advertising software is adapted to be executed by said microprocessor to display a pause button to the user, such that when said pause button is selected a first time by the user, the display of advertisements in a sequence of advertisements in a sequence of advertisements is paused on the advertisment that is displayed to the user at the time the pause button is selected, and wherein when the pause button is selected a second time by the user, the display of advertisements in the sequence of advertisements in resumed.

38. The client computer of claim 33, wherein advertisements are streamed from the advertising server to said client computer.

39. The client computer of claim 33, wherein said advertising software is adapted to be executed by said microprocessor to display a step forward button a media clip button, such that when said media clips is selected, multimedia information is shown to the user that is related to the advertisement that is shown to the user at the time the user selects the multimedia button.

40. The client computer of claim 33, wherein said advertising software is adapted to be executed by said microprocessor to display a secure purchase button, such that when said secure purchase button is selected by the user, the user is presented with a graphical user interface through which the user purchases a product related to the advertisement displayed to the user at the time the user selects the secure purchase button.

41. The client computer of claim 33, wherein the graphical user interface through which the user purchases a product is displayed to the user by the browser software.

42. The client computer of claim 33, wherein the graphical user interface through which the user purchases a product is displayed to the user by the advertising software.

43. The client computer of claim 33, wherein said advertising software is adapted to be executed by said microprocessor to display an electronic coupon button, such that when said electronic coupon button is selected by the user, an electronic coupon is stored at the client computer for a product related to the advertisement displayed to the user at the time the user selects the electronic coupon button.

44. The client computer of claim 33, wherein said advertising software is adapted to be executed by said microprocessor to display a home page button, such that when said home page button is selected by the user, a page is displayed to the user by the browser software, wherein the page includes information pertaining to the sponsor of the advertisement that was displayed to the user at the time the user selected the home page button.