Advertising system

• US 7,353,186 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2001
• Issued: 04/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kaoru Kobayashi
• Original Assignee: Kaoru Kobayashi
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Kaoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer; Firmin
• Application Number:
  US09/933,738
• Publication Number:
  US 20020046114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,414 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 709/219
• US Class Current: 705/14.64
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

An advertising system is disclosed which is capable of balancing the degree of specifying geographical areas for advertisements and the number of advertisements being displayed, in accordance with content of the advertisements. A database stores the advertisements, after gradually fractionalizing the advertisement areas into increasingly more specific geographic regions, categorizing the advertisements according to levels of fractionalization and the area sections within the levels, and further categorizing the advertisements according to the content thereof. A data receiving means receives from a computer x “perusal data” indicating the levels of fractionalization of the areas, the area sections within the levels and the content of the advertisements. A retrieving means retrieves from the advertisements stored in the database advertisements categorized according to the levels of fractionalization of the areas, the area sections and the content of the advertisements, all of which are concerned with the “perusal data,” and a data transmitting means 4 transmits “advertisement data” of the retrieved advertisements to the computer x.

Claims

1. An advertising system, which provides advertisements on a display of a computer through a network communications system, comprising:

storing means comprising a multi-level storage hierarchy for storing advertisements, in which the levels of said multi-level storage hierarchy gradually fractionalize advertisement areas into increasingly more specific geographic regions;

means for categorizing the advertisements so as to belong to respective levels of geographic fractionalization within said multi-level storage hierarchy, categorizing the advertisements according to area sections within said respective levels, and categorizing the advertisements according to the content thereof;

data receiving means for receiving from said computer perusal data indicating the levels of geographic fractionalization, the area sections within the levels, and the content of the advertisements;

retrieving means for retrieving, from information stored in the storing means, advertisements categorized according to the levels of geographic fractionalization, the area sections and the content of the advertisements, all of which are concerned with the perusal data received by the data receiving means; and

data transmitting means for transmitting to the computer advertisement data on the advertisements retrieved by the retrieving means.

2. An advertising system according to claim 1, wherein:

said data receiving means further comprises means for receiving from the computer for providing advertisements category data on said levels of geographic fractionalization with respect to said advertisements, the area sections on the levels and the content of the advertisements; and

said storing means further comprises means for storing the advertisements by categorizing them based on the category data received by the data receiving means.

3. An advertising system according to claim 2, wherein said computer comprises a mobile computer which is small and portable in size.

4. An advertising system according to claim 2, wherein:

said storing means comprises means for storing both job advertisements as part of said advertisement and employment periods as part of the content of job advertisements; and

said data transmitting means comprises means for transmitting to said computer advertisement data on job advertisements, enabling the computer to display job advertisements of advertisement data in chronological order according to each employment period.

5. An advertising system according to claim 1, wherein said computer comprises a mobile computer which is small and portable in size.

6. An advertising system according to claim 1, wherein:

said storing means comprises means for storing both job advertisements as part of said advertisement and employment periods as part of the content of job advertisements; and

said data transmitting means comprises means for transmitting to said computer advertisement data on job advertisements, enabling the computer to display job advertisements of advertisement data in chronological order according to each employment period.

7. The advertising system according to claim 1, wherein said respective levels of said multi-level storage hierarchy comprise:

a first level having a low level of geographic fractionalization defined by respective country area sections;

a second level, having a higher level of geographic fractionalization than said first level, in which said country area sections are sub-divided into major area sections, such as states or provinces, within each of said country area sections;

a third level, having a higher level of geographic fractionalization than said second level, in which said major area sections are further sub-divided into county or prefecture area sections within each of said major area sections; and

a fourth level, having a higher level of geographic fractionalization than said third level, in which said county or prefecture area sections are further sub-divided into city or municipality area sections within each of said county or prefecture area sections.

8. An advertising system according to claim 7, wherein the storing means further comprises means for storing advertisements containing common content in given area limits within higher levels of geographic fractionalization.

9. An advertising system according to claim 8, wherein said computer comprises a mobile computer which is small and portable in size.

10. An advertising system according to claim 8, wherein:

said storing means comprises means for storing both job advertisements as part of said advertisement and employment periods as part of the content of job advertisements; and

said data transmitting means comprises means for transmitting to said computer advertisement data on job advertisements, enabling the computer to display job advertisements of advertisement data in chronological order according to each employment period.

11. An advertising system according to claim 8, further comprising:

a counter for counting the number of the advertisements containing the common content in given area limits, according to the content of the advertisements, wherein said storing means further comprises means for storing a higher number of the advertisements containing the common content in given area limits within said higher levels of geographic fractionalization.

12. An advertising system according to claim 11, wherein said computer comprises a mobile computer which is small and portable in size.

13. An advertising system according to claim 11, wherein:

said storing means comprises means for storing both job advertisements as part of said advertisement and employment periods as part of the content of job advertisements; and

said data transmitting means comprises means for transmitting to said computer advertisement data on job advertisements, enabling the computer to display job advertisements of advertisement data in chronological order according to each employment period.