System and method for providing customized advertisements over a network

• US 7,917,390 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2001
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Feinberg, Paul H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alvarez; Raquel
• Application Number:
  US09/785,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20010053999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,693 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/14.49, 705/14.58, 705/14.55, 705/14.63, 705/14.67, 705/26.63
• US Class Current: 705/14.63
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0266 based on the position of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0627 using item specifications

Abstract

In response to a request for audio-visual content from a user, a method and system is provided which sends the content and additional information related to the location of the user.

Claims

1. A method of providing information to a device, said method comprising:

receiving a request for information from said device;

receiving location information indicative of the geographical position of said device;

processing the requested information and location information with at least one processor so as;

(1) to select audio-visual content based on said request and regardless of said location information, and (2) to select geographically-oriented information, based on said location information; and

sending response information to said client device in response to said request, said response information comprising both said geographically-oriented information and said content,

wherein the geographically-oriented information includes (a) a first message of a vendor and (b) a subsequent message of the vendor indicating a change in proximity of the device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said location information is provided by said at least one processor.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein said request for information is the address of a web page and said response information is a web page.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said geographically-oriented information is placed within said web page.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said web page comprises an on-line magazine.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said geographically-oriented information relates to an advertisement.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said advertisement information comprises a hyperlink to another web page.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein said geographically-oriented information is selected based on the time of day of the request.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein said geographically-oriented information is selected based on demographic information relating to the processor or the user of said processor.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said demographic information was received before said request was received.

11. The method of claim 2 further comprising transmitting default information in place of said geographically-oriented information if said location information is not received.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said steps of sending and receiving comprise sending and receiving via a wireless connection.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said location information comprises latitude and longitude.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said location information is provided by a GPS receiver connected to said processor.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a request for information from a second processor different from the other said processor;

receiving location information indicative of the geographical position of said second processor;

selecting audio-visual content based on said request and regardless of said location information, said request from said second processor being identical to the request from said other processor;

selecting geographically-oriented information for said second client that is different from the geographically-oriented information for said other processor.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein said geographically-oriented information is chosen from a plurality of information associated with said geographical position.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said plurality of information associated with said geographical position comprises a plurality of advertisements associated with a plurality of different entities near said geographical position.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein said geographically-oriented information comprises an advertisement for a vendor and said advertisement changes based on the distance between said geographical position and said vendor'"'"'s establishment.

21. The method of claim 1 wherein said audio-visual content and said geographically-oriented information are stored on different servers.

26. The method of claim 1 wherein said geographically-oriented information includes information relating to the inventory of an entity.

27. The method of claim 1 wherein said location information comprises latitude and longitude.

28. The method of claim 1 wherein said location information comprises a zip code.

29. The method of claim 1 wherein said location information comprises a cell base station identifier.

30. The method of claim 1 wherein said location information comprises an area code.

31. The method of claim 1 wherein said location information the identity of local radio station.

15. A method of providing information to a device, said method comprising:

receiving a request for information from said device;

receiving location information indicative of the geographical position of said device;

processing the requested information and location information with at least one processor so as;

(1) to select audio-visual content based on said request and regardless of said location information, and (2) to select geographically-oriented information, based on said location information; and

sending response information to said client device in response to said request, said response information comprising both said geographically-oriented information and said content,

wherein said step of selecting geographically-oriented information comprises selecting said geographically-oriented information from a collection of said geographically-oriented information,

wherein the collection of said geographically-oriented information includes a second message of a vendor and a first message of the vendor, and wherein the step of selecting the geographically-oriented information includes delivering the first message to indicate a change in proximity of the device relative to the vendor.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein at least two items in the collection are associated with the same geographic location.

22. A method of providing information to a device, said method comprising:

receiving a request for information from said device;

receiving location information indicative of the geographical position of said device;

processing the requested information and location information with at least one processor so as;

(1) to select audio-visual content based on said request and regardless of said location information, and (2) to select geographically-oriented information, based on said location information; and

sending response information to said client device in response to said request, said response information comprising both said geographically-oriented information and said content,

wherein said geographically-oriented information is associated with an entity, and further comprising the step of said entity being notified that said geographically-oriented information has been sent to said client, and

wherein the geographically-oriented information communicates a change in proximity between the device and the entity with a plurality of messages concerning the entity.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said entity sends a communication to said processor after said step of said entity being notified.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising the step of said entity and said processor chatting with one another.

25. The method of claim 22 further comprising the step of the entity associated with said geographically-oriented information sending an electronic coupon to said processor.

32. A portable system for presenting information to a user comprising:

a processor;

a positioning system;

input means for receiving information from a user;

a display;

a modem;

instructions executable by said processor, said instructions comprising receiving a request for information from a user via said input means;

retrieving the geographic location of said positioning system from said positioning system;

sending said request and said geographic location to a server via said modem;

receiving from said server requested information and location information, said requested information being responsive to said request and said location information being responsive to said geographic location; and

displaying said requested information and said location information with a plurality of messages of a vendor to indicate a change in location of the portable device with respect to the vendor.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein said portable system is a personal digital assistant (PDA) and said modem is a wireless modem.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein said wireless modem communicates with a cellular base station.

35. The system of claim 33 wherein said display and said input means comprises a touch-sensitive display.

36. The system of claim 32 wherein said portable system comprises an Internet-capable wireless phone.

37. The system of claim 32 wherein said positioning system comprises a GPS receiver.

38. The system of claim 32 wherein said positioning system determines location based on a signal from a cellular base station.

39. The system of claim 32 wherein said positioning system determines location by triangulating signals from cellular base stations.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein said positioning system determines location based a unique sector identifier transmitted by a cellular base station.

41. A system for presenting information to a user comprising:

a remote device comprising a positioning system and a modem;

a server comprising neutral content and dependant content, said dependant content comprising geographically-oriented content;

wherein when said remote device requests said neutral content via said modem and sends its geographical location as determined by said positioning system, said server sends said neutral content and said dependant content, said dependant content at least including first and second messages concerning a vendor to indicate a change in proximity of the remote device with respect to the vendor.

42. The system of claim 41 wherein said server is a web server and communicates with said remote device via the Internet.

43. The system of claim 41 wherein said neutral content and dependant content is sent in HTML format.

44. The system of claim 41 wherein said neutral content and dependant content is sent in XML format.

45. The system of claim 41 wherein said server is associated with a URL.

46. The system of claim 45 wherein said remote device requests said neutral. content by requesting said content form said URL.

47. The system of claim 46 wherein said neutral content comprises a web page containing audio or visual data.

48. The system of claim 47 wherein said web page comprises an on-line magazine.