System and method for targeting advertisements to tenants in a building

• US 7,590,723 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2001
• Issued: 09/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Building Intelligence, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SHORT PATH INC.
• Inventors: Friedman, Jeffrey C., Mager, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nano; Sargon N
• Application Number:
  US09/960,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20020038341A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,912 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/222, 709/223, 709/224, 709/229, 709/225, 709/226, 709/212, 709/217, 709/218, 705/14
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A system and method for targeting advertisements to tenants in a building by providing a portal for a building accessible via the Internet with the portal based upon the specific needs of targeted advertising in the building. Advertisements are received from a user of the portal and the advertisements are distributed to a target audience in the building that is determined based upon historical transaction data for the building. A user is provided with the historical transaction data of previous transactions by tenants in the building. The portal is designed to suit the specific needs of a building.

Claims

1. A method for targeting advertisements to tenants in a building, said method under the control of a manager, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a portal for a building, said portal accessible via the Internet;

wherein providing a portal for a building includes the step of;

providing a user with access to an anonymous user home page;

determining whether said user is one of an advertiser or a tenant, each tenant and each advertiser being uniquely identified and having a specific user role with respect to said portal for the building;

receiving data input by said user with respect to a user profile; and

processing via said portal said data to create one of a building user home page or a vendor user home page for the user,

providing a personalized home page for each tenant and each advertiser;

associating at least one advertiser with said portal for the building;

receiving at least one request from at least one advertiser to place an advertisement on said portal, wherein the advertisement is targeted at a selected group of tenants in said building, said selected group of tenants being selected by the advertiser;

wherein said step of receiving at least one request to place an advertisement includes the steps of;

receiving a request from at least one advertiser for historical transaction data, wherein said historical transaction data includes one or more of data processed by collective users of the building and/or data processed by tenant and one or more data regarding prior orders placed for products or services via the portal;

providing said advertiser with the requested historical transaction data, wherein said targeted tenants in the building are determined based on said historical transaction data;

the manager selectively granting said at least one request from said at least one advertiser to place said advertisement on said portal; and

upon the manager granting said at least one request, posting said advertisement on said portal for said building such that the advertisement is viewable by said selected group of tenants and not by other tenants of the building.

2. The method for targeting advertisements to tenants in a building as defined in claim 1, wherein said building is a building network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected group of tenants includes all the tenants of said building.

4. A method for controlling the advertisements viewable to tenants and services and products purchases by the tenants in a building, said method under the control of a manager, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a portal for a building, said portal accessible via the Internet by a plurality of tenants of said building;

providing a home page for each tenant and each advertiser;

each tenant and each advertiser being uniquely identified and having a specific user role with respect to said portal for the building;

providing a plurality of categories of advertisers;

associating at least one advertiser with said portal for the building;

identifying one or more of said categories which the advertiser qualifies under;

receiving at least one request from the advertiser to place an advertisement on said portal, wherein the advertisement is targeted at a selected group of tenants in said building selected by the advertiser;

receiving a request from at least one advertiser for historical transaction data and providing said advertiser with the requested historical transaction data, wherein said historical transaction data is one or more of data processed by collective users of the building and/or data processed by tenant;

the manager selectively granting the request from the advertiser to place the advertisement on said portal;

upon granting the request from the advertiser, posting said advertisement at said portal for said building such that the advertisement is viewable by said selected group of tenants and not by other tenants of the building;

creating via said portal one or more purchasing classes consisting of one or more tenants of the building, each purchasing class being able to purchase a list of products or services via the portal, at least two purchasing classes having a different list of products or services that the respective class can purchase;

assigning each of the tenants of the building to one or more purchasing classes;

permitting one tenant of said selected group of tenants to place an order with the advertiser if the order is for a product or service on the list for the respective purchasing class of the tenant.

5. The method for targeting advertisements to tenants as defined in claim 4, wherein said step of providing the requested historical transaction data includes the step of processing stored historical transaction data, said stored historical transaction data including data previously stored at the time of each transaction by a user of said portal.

6. The method for targeting advertisements to tenants in a building as defined in claim 4, wherein said step of providing a portal includes:

providing a user with access to an anonymous user home page;

determining whether said user is one of an advertiser or a tenant;

receiving data input by said user with respect to a user profile; and

processing said data to create one of a building user home page and a vendor user home page.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the historical transaction data includes prior orders placed for products or services via the portal.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein a first purchasing class is permitted to purchase a first product or service at a first specified time of day and prevented from purchasing the first product or service at a second specified time of day.

9. A method for controlling the advertisements viewable to tenants and services and products purchasing by the tenants in a building, said method under the control of a manager, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a portal for a building, said portal accessible via the Internet, wherein providing a portal for a building includes the step of;

providing a user with access to an anonymous user home page;

determining whether said user is one of an advertiser or a tenant, each tenant and each advertiser being uniquely identified and having a specific user role with respect to said portal for the building;

receiving data input by said user with respect to a user profile; and

processing via said portal said data to create one of a building user home cage or a vendor user home cage for the user,

providing a personalized home cage for each tenant and each advertiser;

creating a plurality of categories of advertisers, each category of advertisers having one or more purchasing requirements;

associating at least one advertiser with said portal for the building;

identifying one or more categories which the advertiser qualifies under;

receiving at least one request from at least one advertiser to place an advertisement on said portal, wherein the advertisement is targeted at a selected group of tenants in said building, and wherein said step of receiving at least one request to place an advertisement includes the steps of;

receiving a request from at least one advertiser for historical transaction data, wherein said historical transaction data includes one or more of data processed by collective users of the building and/or data processed by tenant and one or more data regarding prior orders placed for products or services via the portal;

providing said advertiser with the requested historical transaction data, wherein said targeted tenants in the building are determined based on said historical transaction data;

the manager selectively granting said at least one request from said at least one advertiser to place said advertisement on said portal; and

in response to the grant from the manager, posting said advertisement at said portal for said building such that the advertisement is visible by the selected group of tenants and not the other tenants of said building;

receiving a request from a tenant from the selected group of tenants to place an order with the advertiser;

the manager selectively granting or denying the request to place the order, comprising determining whether or not the order fulfills the purchasing requirement of the advertiser category.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein according to the purchasing rules of the purchasing class, the tenant within the purchasing class is permitted to purchase a first product or service at a first specified time of day and prevented from purchasing the first product or service at a second specified time of day.

11. A method for controlling advertisements viewable to tenants and services and products purchased by the tenants in a building, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a portal for a building, said portal accessible via the Internet, wherein providing a portal for a building includes the step of;

providing a user with access to an anonymous user home page;

determining whether said user is one of an advertiser or a tenant, each tenant and each advertiser being uniquely identified and having a specific user role with respect to said portal for the building;

receiving data input by said user with respect to a user profile; and

processing via said portal said data to create one of a building user home cage or a vendor user home cage for the user,

providing a personalized home cage for each tenant and each advertiser;

providing a building administrator for controlling portal access and capabilities of a tenant of the building;

receiving a vendor application from a vendor, the vendor application including a vendor category;

selectively approving the vendor application from the vendor;

creating a vendor user profile for the vendor;

creating a purchasing class consisting of one or more tenants of said building, the purchasing class having a set of purchasing rules, wherein according to the purchasing rules of the purchasing class, the tenant within the purchasing class is permitted to purchase a first product or service at a first specified time of day and prevented from purchasing the first product or service at a second specified time of day and wherein a second purchasing class prevented from purchasing the first product or service at the first specified time of day;

providing a manager for controlling the purchasing rules.

12. A method for controlling the advertisements viewable to tenants and services and products purchased by the tenants in a building, said method under the control of a manager, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a portal for a building, said portal accessible via the Internet by a plurality of tenants of said building, wherein providing a portal for a building includes the step of;

providing a user with access to an anonymous user home page;

determining whether said user is one of an advertiser or a tenant, each tenant and each advertiser being uniquely identified and having a specific user role with respect to said portal for the building;

receiving data input by said user with respect to a user profile; and

processing via said portal said data to create one of a building user home page or a vendor user home page for the user;

providing a tenant home page specific to each tenant of said building;

associating an advertiser with the portal;

receiving at least one request from said advertiser to place an advertisement on said portal, wherein said request identifies one or more tenants of said building to whom said advertisement is to be presented, the one or more tenants being selected by said advertiser,

wherein said step of receiving at least one request to place an advertisement includes the steps of;

receiving a request from at least one advertiser for historical transaction data, wherein said historical transaction data includes one or more of data processed by collective users of the building and/or data processed by tenant and one or more data regarding prior orders placed for products or services via the portal;

providing said advertiser with the requested historical transaction data, wherein said targeted tenants in the building are determined based on said historical transaction data; and

granting or rejecting said request, and

upon granting said request, posting said advertisement on the tenant home page of each tenant selected by said advertiser.