Automatic video display on a computer

• US 7,516,213 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2004
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NetZero Incorporated (B. Riley Financial, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: NetZero Incorporated (B. Riley Financial, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hartman, Brian, Anusauskas, Laimonas, Cunningham, Ryan, Buch, Robert, Jones, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): COONEY, ADAM A
• Application Number:
  US10/810,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20050080878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,839 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/224, 709/231, 709/232
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

There is disclosed a method of providing a user computer with access to video advertisement files of a network. The method may comprise launching a browser application for a user computer to connect to a network, detecting if the user computer is not actively sending or receiving data from the network, and if so, commencing downloading a video advertisement file from the network to the user computer, detecting if the user computer is downloading a web page during downloading of the video advertisement file, and if so, waiting to continue downloading of the video advertisement file, automatically displaying the video advertisement file, determining that an ad file should not be viewed after the ad file has been viewed a predetermined number of times per predetermined time period, and providing a link that permits a user to select a web site that corresponds to the video advertisement file.

Claims

1. A process of providing a computer with access to web page content, the process comprising:

comparing an ad file having an associated demographic profile with demographic data for each of multiple registered users and identifying those registered users having demographic information that matches the demographic profile for the ad file

identifying a time period over which the ad file should be played

adding the ad file to a playlist for a computer if the ad file is matched to the demographic information of a registered user of the computer and if the identified time period is available for the computer

detecting a network connection initiated by the computer to allow the computer to download at least one web page for display in a browser window

detecting if the computer is not actively sending and not actively receiving data via the network connection, and if so, automatically downloading the ad file via the network connection to the computer

after completing downloading the ad file, the computer;

storing the ad file in an ad pool

periodically opening a viewer window in which one or more ads from the ad pool are displayed

hiding the viewer window after a predetermined display run time and keeping the viewer program hidden for a predetermined quiet interval.

2. The process of claim 1, further comprising sending a questionnaire to the computer prior to allowing the computer to download the web page.

3. The process of claim 1, wherein the viewer window is distinct from the browser window displaying the web page.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the display run time is between 30 seconds and 2½

minutes.

5. The process of claim 1, further comprising:

decreasing a number of available ad file impressions for the registered user of the computer.

6. The process of claim 1, further comprising:

the computer managing the ad file pool so as to keep track of the number of times each ad file in the ad file pool has been viewed and to determine when each ad file in the ad file pool should no longer be viewed.

7. The process of claim 6, wherein managing the ad file pool includes determining that an ad file should not be viewed after the ad file has been viewed a predetermined number of times.

8. The process of claim 6, wherein managing the ad file pool includes determining that an ad file should not be viewed after the ad file has been viewed for a predetermined number of calendar days.

9. The process of claim 6, wherein managing the ad file pool includes discarding an oldest ad file from the ad file pool if the ad file pool size exceeds a predetermined size limit value.

10. The process of claim 3, wherein the size of the viewer window is of a size not less than a predetermined minimum size.

11. The process of claim 3, wherein the viewer window is located on top of all open windows.

12. A process of providing ads to a computer:

comparing an ad file having an associated demographic profile with demographic data for each of multiple registered users and identifying those registered users having demographic information that matches the demographic profile for the ad file

identifying a time period over which the ad file should be played

adding the ad file to a playlist for a computer if the ad file is matched to the demographic information of a registered user of the computer and if the identified time period is available for the computer

detecting a network connection initiated by the computer to allow the computer to download at least one web page for display in a browser window

detecting if the computer is not actively sending and not actively receiving data via the network connection, and if so, automatically downloading the ad file via the network connection to the computer.

13. The process of claim 12, further comprising:

decreasing a number of available ad file impressions for the registered user of the computer.

14. The process of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving ad impression viewing data from the computer, the ad file impression viewing data corresponding to the number of times each ad file in the playlist has been viewed.

15. The process of claim 14, further comprising:

preparing a demographic report that summarizes the received ad impression viewing data for the multiple registered users over a predetermined time period.