System and method for computer-created advertisements

• US 7,665,105 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: eComSystems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: eComSystems Incorporated
• Inventors: Evans, Jon C.
• Primary Examiner(s): RUDY, ANDREW J
• Application Number:
  US11/932,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20080120185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/26, 705/16, 725/32, 725/42, 715/202, 709/203, 709/219, 709/223, 709/229, 345/619, 345/629
• US Class Current: 725/32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising

Abstract

The invention relates to a computerized method for a user to create an advertisement by displaying a plurality of advertising formats for selection by a user; displaying a template corresponding to a selected advertising format; displaying a plurality of product references for selection by the user; displaying on the template a selected product reference to create a proposed advertisement; and creating a preview of the proposed advertisement, all of which may be implemented using the Internet. The invention further relates to a computerized system for creating an advertisement that comprises a template database for storing advertising formats; a product database for storing product references; and a computer to access the databases. Preferably, the user has a network interface such as Internet access that permits access via a remote location, software to permit a user to specify specifications such as quantity, printing information, ship date, paper type, pricing information, and payment information, and may be configured to receive images and text for new products.

Claims

1. A system automatically determine charges related to an advertisement for a product that is inserted into an advertising space, comprising:

a central processing unit;

an input device in communication with the processing unit;

a display unit in communication with the processing unit; and

software executing on the processing unit, wherein the software;

receives expenses for an advertising space;

determines the advertising space allotted to the product;

determines a portion of the advertising expenses to be allotted to the product based upon the advertising space allotted to the product;

determines a charge for the product by applying a surcharge to at least one of the advertising expenses, the advertising space allotted to the product, and the portion of the advertising expenses to be allotted to the product;

receives a selection of at least one report relating to the product and the charge;

generates the selected at least one report; and

outputs the selected at least one report.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one report comprises at least one of an individual report for each product which is advertised, or a general report of all products advertised in the advertising space.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the surcharge is a predetermined surcharge.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the surcharge is entered by a user.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the portion of the advertising expenses to be allotted to the product is automatically determined based upon the ratio of the advertising space allotted to the product to the advertising space associated with the advertising expenses.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one report comprises at least one of advertising activity by dealer, advertising activity by area, advertising activity by region, advertising activity at large, sales with respect to advertising expenses, and annual advertising productivity.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the report is one of outputted to a printer, outputted to the display unit, sent via e-mail, and saved as an electronic file.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a local terminal in communication with and remote from the central processing unit, the local terminal including the input device and the display unit.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the local terminal and the central processing unit communicate via a wide area network.

10. A system to control distribution of an advertisement, comprising:

a central processing unit;

an input device in communication with the processing unit;

a display unit in communication with the processing unit;

a database in communication with the central processing unit; and

software executing on the processing unit, wherein the software;

accesses the database;

manages the database;

identifies a target list of potential customers from the database;

lists one or more products associated with the target list of potential customers for selection;

receives selection of the one or more products; and

outputs the target list and the advertisement for the one or more products.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the software lists multiple products.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the the software sorts entries in the database based upon a predetermined or user entered characteristic.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the software allows a user to create, modify, or delete an entry in the database.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the software allows a user to create, modify, or delete demographic information of an entry in the database.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the database stores predetermined demographic information.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein the target list and the advertisement are at least one of outputted to a printer, outputted to the display unit, sent via e-mail, and saved as an electronic file.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein the target list and the advertisement are sent to a printing device at a distribution point.

18. The system of claim 10, further comprising a local terminal in communication with and remote from the central processing unit, the local terminal including the input device and the display unit.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the local terminal and the central processing unit communicate via a wide area network.

20. A system creating or modifying an advertisement for at least one product comprising:

a central processing unit;

an input device in communication with the processing unit;

a display unit in communication with the processing unit;

at least one database in communication with the central processing unit; and

software executing on the processing unit, wherein the software;

receives a selection of at least one of an advertisement from the database or a new advertisement;

receives a selection of at least one of a size, color, design, type, format, template, layout, shape, or placement of the advertisement;

receives a selection of at least one item from the database or a new item, the item having a background; and

receives a selection of the placement of the item on the advertisement.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein a first item is placed on the advertisement, and wherein the software:

at least one of receives a selection of a second item from the database creates a second item, the second item having a transparent background;

receives a selection of placement of the second item on the advertisement such that at least part of the background of the second item overlaps at least part of the first item.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the background of the item is transparent.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the software obtains historical pricing information of the at least one product.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein historical pricing information includes one or more of lowest sale price, highest regular price, average sale price, and competitor'"'"'s sale price.

25. The system of claim 20, wherein the software obtains pricing information on the at least one product or on products within a category.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the software receives a selection of advertisement logos or trademarks for the at least one product.

27. The system of claim 20, wherein the software automatically formats the advertisement to a predetermined size.

28. The system of claim 20, wherein the software obtains product reference information for the at least one product.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein product reference information comprises one or more of information on price, size, weight, or specification, stock keeping unit (SKU) or universal product code (UPC) number, color option, reference number, manufacturer identification, barcode, manufacturer trademark or logo, pictures, characters, images, designs, or sketches.

30. The system of claim 20, wherein the software outputs a preview of the advertisement.

31. The system of claim 20, wherein the software automatically checks for errors.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the automatic checking comprises one or more of price checking, quantity checking, determining availability from inventory, from a distributor, or from a manufacturer, determining availability of product size, color or composition, or a combination thereof.

33. The system of claim 20, wherein the software provides publication date information of the advertisement.

34. The system of claim 20, wherein the item is selected from the group consisting of a headings, text, images, logos, trademarks, prices, sizes, weights, specifications, SKU numbers, UPC numbers, colors, reference numbers, manufacturer identifications, barcodes, manufacturer trademarks, pictures, characters, designs, sketches, lowest prices, highest prices, sale prices, regular prices, average sale prices, competitor pricing, and images or text of product sizes, product colors and product compositions.

35. The system of claim 20, wherein the software customizes the advertisement by inserting at least one of images and text.

36. The system of claim 20, wherein the advertisement is for publication.

37. The system of claim 20, wherein the the software:

receives a selection, for placement on the advertisement, of an additional advertisement for an additional product from a database of products or creates an advertisement for an additional product, the additional advertisement having a transparent background;

receives a selection of placement of the additional advertisement on the advertisement such that at least part of the transparent background of the additional advertisement overlaps at least part of the advertisement of the at least one product.

38. The system of claim 20, wherein at least one item has a square cut background or a lifestyle image.

39. The system of claim 20, further comprising a local terminal in communication with and remote from the central processing unit, the local terminal including the input device and the display unit.

43. The system of claim 39, wherein the local terminal and the central processing unit communicate via a wide area network.

40. A system for creating or modifying an advertisement for one or more products, comprising:

a central processing unit;

an input device in communication with the processing unit;

a display unit in communication with the processing unit;

at least one database in communication with the central processing unit; and

software executing on the processing unit, wherein the software;

receives a selection of a first product advertisement from a database or a newly created first product advertisement;

receives a selection of product reference information wherein the product reference information comprises one or more of price, size, weight, specification, SKU or UPC number, color, reference number, manufacturer identification, or barcode, or one or more of manufacturer trademarks and logos, or pictures, characters, images, designs, or sketches of the one or more products;

receives a selection of placement of the product reference information on the advertisement;

checks for errors wherein the checking comprises one or more of price checking, quantity checking, determining availability from inventory, a distributor, or a manufacturer, or determining availability of product size, color or composition;

formats the first product advertisement to the advertisement; and

provides a preview of the advertisement.

41. The system of claim 40,

wherein the software obtains historical pricing information, wherein the historical pricing information comprises one or more of lowest sale price, highest regular price, average sale price, or a competitor sale price of the one or more products.

42. The system of claim 40, wherein the software receives a selection of one or more additional product advertisements from the database or one or more additional newly created product advertisements.

44. The system of claim 40, further comprising a local terminal in communication with and remote from the central processing unit, the local terminal including the input device and the display unit.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the local terminal and the central processing unit communicate via a wide area network.