System and method for selective advertising

• US 7,809,753 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2001
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kanai, Seiji, Hatta, Nariaki, Fujikawa, Yasufumi, Endoh, Hitoshi, Tsuyama, Fumio, Kobayashi, Mariko, Makiyama, Ryota, Fujita, Takeshi, Sato, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): LU, CHARLES EDWARD
• Application Number:
  US10/398,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20040015492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,280 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104.1, 707/706, 707/758, 707/781, 707/791, 705/14.4
• US Class Current: 707/791
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system having an information image management server, an advertising agency terminal and a client computer connected with one another via a network, in which the information image management server extracted a client computer which meets a client specifying condition on the basis of client specifying condition information from the advertising agency terminal, then a message to carry out update or addition of an information image recorded in a management area of the extracted client computer is transmitted to the extracted client, and the client computer which has received the message carries out update or addition of an information image in accordance with the message.

Claims

1. An information image management method comprising:

receiving notification of a first information image recorded in a management area of a first client computer by a user-initiated drag-and-drop operation on the first information image included on a web page provided to the first client computer;

associating a client ID uniquely identifying the first client computer with an information image ID corresponding to the first information image, indicating that the first client computer has recorded the first information image into the management area;

receiving, from an advertising agency terminal, client selection criteria including a plurality of information image values,

wherein the client selection criteria is entered by a user in a first input portion on a single user input form, the first input portion allowing the user to enter a plurality of information image ID values as search conditions, and further allowing the user to specify a logical operator for performing a search using a combination of the plurality of information ID values,

the single user input form displaying, in combination with the first input portion, an information image corresponding to each of the plurality of information image ID values in a preview portion of the single user input form for visual confirmation,

the single user input form further comprising a second input portion in combination with the first input portion and the preview portion for entering, by the user, an identifier of the advertising agency terminal;

searching a client information recording unit, on the basis of the client selection criteria, for client computers which satisfy the client selection criteria, and providing a listing of client computers which satisfy the client selection criteria;

sending, to the advertising agency terminal, the listing of client computers, the advertising agency terminal presenting to the user a total number of client computers satisfying the client selection criteria, a cost for distributing a second information image to the client computers, and the client selection criteria;

receiving, from the advertising agency terminal, client specifying information of the client computers satisfying the client selection criteria, wherein the client specifying information includes client IDs uniquely identifying the client computers satisfying the client selection criteria;

transmitting, to the client computers, the second information image for addition to, or replacement of, the first information image; and

receiving notification of the second information image being recorded in the client computers;

wherein the first information image comprises first image information, and first related information incorporated into a comment extension portion of the first image information, and wherein;

the comment extension portion contains non-graphical text information comprising names of parties concerned with production of the first image information, and an explanation of the contents of the first image information,

the first related information is a program operable to perform specific processing for the first image information, and

the first image information and the first related information are packaged together as a single piece of data;

wherein the second information image comprises second image information, and second related information incorporated into a comment extension portion of the second image information, and wherein;

the comment extension portion contains non-graphical text information comprising names of parties concerned with production of the second image information, and an explanation of the contents of the second image information,

the second related information is a program operable to perform specific processing for the second image information, and

the second image information and the second related information are packaged together as a single piece of data; and

wherein the specific processing comprises acquiring new image information from a server.

2. The information image management method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising generating retrieved client information on the basis of the client specifying information, supplying the retrieved client information to an advertising agency terminal, and transmitting, to the client computers, the second information image upon receipt of a notification from the advertising agency terminal.

3. The information image management method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising acquiring attribute information about the first client computer and recording the attribute information in association with the client specifying information.

4. A computer-readable storage medium in which an information image management program is stored, the information image management program causing a computer to execute an information image management method comprising:

receiving notification of a first information image recorded in a management area of a first client computer by a user-initiated drag-and-drop operation on the first information image included on a web page provided to the first client computer;

associating a client ID uniquely identifying the first client computer with an information image ID corresponding to the first information image, indicating that the first client computer has recorded the first information image into the management area;

receiving, from an advertising agency terminal, client selection criteria including a plurality of information image values,

wherein the client selection criteria is entered by a user in a first input portion on a single user input form, the first input portion allowing the user to enter a plurality of information image ID values as search conditions, and further allowing the user to specify a logical operator for performing a search using a combination of the plurality of information ID values,

the single user input form displaying, in combination with the first input portion, an information image corresponding to each of the plurality of information image ID values in a preview portion of the single user input form for visual confirmation,

the single user input form further comprising a second input portion in combination with the first input portion and the preview portion for entering, by the user, an identifier of the advertising agency terminal;

searching a client information recording unit, on the basis of the client selection criteria, for client computers which satisfy the client selection criteria, and providing a listing of client computers which satisfying the client selection criteria;

sending, to the advertising agency terminal, the listing of client computers, the advertising agency terminal presenting to the user a total number of client computers satisfying the client selection criteria, a cost for distributing a second information image to the client computers, and the client selection criteria;

receiving, from the advertising agency terminal, client specifying information of the client computers satisfying the client selection criteria, wherein the client specifying information includes client IDs uniquely identifying the client computers specifying the client selection criteria;

transmitting, to the client computers, the second information image for addition to, or replacement of, the first information image; and

receiving notification of the second information image being recorded in the client computers;

wherein the first information image comprises first image information, and first related information incorporated into a comment extension portion of the first image information, and wherein;

the comment extension portion of the first image information contains non-graphical text information comprising names of parties concerned with production of the first image information, and an explanation of the contents of the first image information,

the first related information is a program operable to perform specific processing for the first image information, and

the first image information and the first related information are packaged together as a single piece of data;

wherein the second information image comprises second image information, and second related information incorporated into a comment extension portion of the second image information, and wherein;

the comment extension portion of the second image information contains non-graphical text information comprising names of parties concerned with production of the second image information, and an explanation of the contents of the second image information,

the second related information is a program operable to perform specific processing for the second image information, and

the second image information and the second related information are packaged together as a single piece of data; and

wherein the specific processing comprises acquiring new image information from a server.