Information distribution system and method utilizing a position adjustment factor

• US 7,822,661 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2004
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thryv, Inc. (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Original Assignee: Supermedia LLC (Mudrick Capital Management LP)
• Inventors: Palma, James, Harada, Edwin, Messina, James, Mahoney, Timothy, Heatherly, Douglas, Chu, Lester
• Primary Examiner(s): Felten; Daniel S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson; John A
• Application Number:
  US10/800,887
• Time in Patent Office: 2,416 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35
• US Class Current: 705/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

A system and method for distributing information (collectively the “system”) is disclosed. The system can, but need not, include category-based and geography-based attributes to better “focus” the information distributed by the system. In the processing of listing-based attributes (e.g. attributes limited to a particular listing), the system can also be influenced by relationship-based attributes (e.g. attributes between the administrator of the system and the advertisers, and even potentially users). If desired, the system can accommodate the ability of advertisers to modify or enhance the display characteristics relating to information records in order to further differential listings and advertisers. The ability to organize listings into tiers can also be incorporated into the system. By organizing listings into tiers, the system may be more effective in maximizing competition at all ends of the listing continuum, and not just the competition for the top position or two.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting information in the form of a response to a request, comprising:

calculating, in a computer server, a position adjustment factor for a listing affiliated with the position adjustment factor, the affiliated listing to be included in the response at a position;

influencing, in the computer server, the position adjustment factor by a per-hit fee associated with the affiliated listing; and

using the position adjustment factor to influence the position of the affiliated listing associated with the position adjustment factor among a plurality of listings in the response provided by the computer server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising influencing the position of at least one said listing in said plurality of listings within said response by at least one relationship between said plurality of listings and a plurality of groups of listings.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising influencing said position adjustment factor by a search term.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising influencing said search term by the magnitude of said position adjustment factor.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the position adjustment factor is one of a plurality of position adjustment factors, the method further comprising using said search term to selectively identify at least one said position adjustment factor.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising influencing said position adjustment factor by a relationship between an advertiser and an administrative organization.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising influencing said position adjustment factor by a length of time relating to said relationship.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising influencing said position adjustment factor by a number of listings relating to said relationship.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising influencing said position adjustment factor by a lifetime fee total relating to said relationship.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising influencing said position adjustment factor by a non-lifetime fee total relating to said relationship.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising a bid amount, wherein said position adjustment factor is not influenced by a bid amount.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising influencing said position adjustment factor by a time of year.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said listings in said plurality of listings is associated with a fixed fee value.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said affiliated listing is associated with said fixed fee value.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said listings in said plurality of listings is associated with an enhanced display fee value.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said affiliated listing is not associated with said enhanced display fee value.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said listings in said plurality of listings is associated with at least one per-hit fee value.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said affiliated listing is associated with the at least one per-hit fee value.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein each said listing is associated with the at least one per-hit fee value.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said plurality of listings are not ordered in accordance with the at least one per-hit fee value.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein each said listing in said plurality of listings is associated with at least one priority metric, the method further comprising ordering said listings in accordance with said at least one priority metric, and influencing said priority metric for said affiliated listing by said position adjustment factor.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein no said at least one priority metric for said listing is influenced by said enhanced display fee value.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising influencing said at least one priority metric by a per-hit fee value, and influencing said at least one priority metric by a fixed fee value.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising influencing said at least one priority metric by a category factor.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising influencing said at least one priority metric by a geography factor.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein each said listing is associated with at least one priority metric and one group, the method further comprising influencing said at least one priority metric for said affiliated listing by said position adjustment factor.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising influencing said at least one priority metric by said search term.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising influencing said at least one group by a search term.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein a subset of listings share an association with a common one of said groups, the method further comprising ordering said subset of listings in accordance to the priority metrics corresponding to said listings in said subset.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one listing in said response is associated with said per-hit fee.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said per-hit fee is said variable per-hit fee.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising influencing said variable per-hit fee by said number of hits and a period of time in which to measure said number of hits.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of listings includes a first listing, wherein said first listing is associated with more than one said per-hit fee type.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein said position adjustment factor does not relate to a listing-based attribute.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein said position adjustment factor relates to an advertiser profile.

36. The method of claim 1, further comprising influencing said position adjustment factor by a search attribute.

37. The method of claim 1, wherein said position adjustment factor is derived from at least one of:

a seniority;

an aggregate monetary value;

a number of listings; and

an advertiser profile.

38. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically setting said position adjustment factor in accordance with at least one administrative rule from a set of administrative rules and by accessing at least one advertiser attribute from a set of advertiser attributes.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein said administrative rules include at least one of:

a category hierarchy and a geography hierarchy.

40. The method of claim 1, wherein said position adjustment factor is not influenced by a monetary value.

41. The method of claim 1, wherein said position adjustment factor is not solely influenced by a monetary value.

42. The method of claim 1, wherein said position adjustment factor is not influenced by a per-hit fee, and wherein said position adjustment factor is not influenced by an enhanced display fee.

43. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the position adjustment factor includes accessing an advertiser account record.

44. The method of claim 1, wherein the listings included in the response are not ordered in accordance to a bid amount associated with each listing.

45. The method of claim 1, further comprising influencing calculating the position adjustment factor by an entity-based characteristic.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the entity-based characteristic is at least one of:

(a) an annual advertising budget;

(b) a market capitalization value;

(c) a subjective determination by an administrator.

47. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating the position adjustment factor without human intervention.

48. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer-executable instructions for transmitting information in the form of a response to a request, the instructions comprising instructions for:

calculating a position adjustment factor for a listing affiliated with the position adjustment factor, the affiliated listing to be included in the response at a position;

influencing the position adjustment factor by a per-hit fee associated with the affiliated listing; and

using the position adjustment factor to influence the position of the affiliated listing associated with the position adjustment factor among a plurality of listings in the response.

49. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 48, further including instructions for:

calculating a second position adjustment factor for a second listing affiliated with a second position adjustment factor, the second affiliated listing to be included in the response at a second position;

influencing the second position adjustment factor by a second per-hit fee associated with the second affiliated listing; and

using the second position adjustment factor to influence the second position of the second affiliated listing associated with the second position adjustment factor among the plurality of listings in the response.

50. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 48, further including instructions for:

associating each listing in said plurality of listings with a per-hit fee value.

51. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 50, further including instructions for:

calculating the position of the affiliated listing among the plurality of listings in the response in accordance with the per-hit fee values before influencing the position using the position adjustment factor.

52. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 48, further including instructions for:

including the listings in the response in an order other than in accordance with a bid amount associated with each listing.

53. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 48, wherein the position adjustment factor is negative, said negative position adjustment factor indicating an adjustment to a less desirable position among the plurality of listings in the response.

54. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 48, wherein the position adjustment factor is positive, said positive position adjustment factor indicating an adjustment to a more desirable position among the plurality of listings in the response.

55. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 48, further including instructions for:

influencing calculating the position adjustment factor by an entity-based characteristic.

56. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 55, wherein the entity-based characteristic is at least one of:

(a) an annual advertising budget;

(b) a market capitalization value;

(c) a subjective determination by an administrator.

57. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 48, wherein each listing in the plurality of listings is associated with at least one priority metric, the medium further comprising instructions for ordering the plurality of listings in accordance with the at least one priority metric, and influencing the priority metric for the affiliated listing by the position adjustment factor.

58. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 48, further including instructions for automatically setting the position adjustment factor in accordance with at least one administrative rule from a set of administrative rules and by accessing at least one advertiser attribute from a set of advertiser attributes.

59. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 48, further including instructions for:

accessing an advertiser account record; and

influencing the position adjustment factor based on the advertiser account record.

60. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 48, further including instructions for:

maintaining a profile for each of a plurality of advertisers; and

influencing the position adjustment factor based on an advertiser profile.

61. A system, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions for;

a position adjustment factor configured to influence a position of a listing affiliated with said position adjustment factor;

a per-hit fee value configured to influence said position adjustment factor; and

a plurality of listings, wherein at least one listing in said plurality of listings is associated with at least one per-hit fee value; and

a server configured to receive a request and to transmit information in the form of a response to said request, said response comprising a plurality of listings from said plurality of listings, said server further configured to;

calculate said position of said affiliated listing among said plurality of listings in said response;

calculate said position adjustment factor for said affiliated listing;

influence said position adjustment factor by said per-hit fee associated

with said affiliated listing; and

use said position adjustment factor to influence said position of said affiliated listing associated with said position adjustment factor among said plurality of listings in said response.