Monetizing service calls through advertising

• US 8,224,695 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Pansari, Ambar, Ewing, Jessica R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hashem, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US11/394,197
• Publication Number:
  US 20070265858A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,300 Days
• Field of Search: 370/401, 379/114.28, 379/88.14, 379/88.17, 455/414.3, 455/406, 455/432.3, 725/34, 705/11, 705 13- 16, 705/14.13, 705/14.16
• US Class Current: 705/14.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0211 Determining the effectiveness of discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0214 Referral reward systems

Abstract

A platform service that is used by an application may be linked to an advertising service. A cost of using the platform service may be reduced based on the linking.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

enabling, via one or more processors in one or more server devices, a user to access, through a first application code executed on a browser, a second application code associated with a platform service and executed on the browser, the first application code being provided by a first party that differs from the user, and the second application code being provided by a second party that differs from first party and the user;

determining, by one or more processors in one or more server devices, content associated with the first application code;

providing, via one or more processors in one or more server devices and based on the content associated with the first application code, at least one advertising link associated with the second party, where the first application code presents the at least one advertising link to the user through the browser; and

tracking, by one or more processors in one or more server devices, a quantity of times that the at least one advertising link is selected by the user over a period of time;

where enabling the user to access, through the first application code, the second application code includes;

tracking an amount of access to the second application code provided by the first party to the user;

calculating an amount of free access based on the quantity of times that the at least one advertising link, provided by the first application code, is selected by the user over the period of time; and

,

storing information regarding an excess amount of access, where the excess amount corresponds to a portion of the tracked amount of access, to the second application code, that exceeds the amount of free access.

2. The method of claim 1, where the first application code is associated with a desktop application.

3. The method of claim 1, where the first application code is associated with a network-based application.

4. The method of claim 1, where the platform service includes at least one of a mapping service, an e-mail service, or a search service.

5. The method of claim 1, where the at least one advertising link relates to a content of the first application code.

6. The method of claim 1, where the at least one advertising link is provided to the first application code by the second party.

7. A device comprising:

a memory configured to store instructions; and

a processor configured to execute the instructions to;

enable a user to access, through a first application code, a second application code associated with a platform service, the first application code being associated with a first party, and the second application code being associated with a second party that differs from first party, where the user differs from the first party and the second party;

provide, based on contents associated with the first application code, at least one advertising link associated with the second party, where the first application code presents the at least one advertising link to the user;

track a quantity of times that the at least one advertising link is selected by the user over a period of time;

track an amount of access to the second application code provided to the user;

calculate, based on the quantity of times that the at least one advertising link is selected by the user over the period of time, an amount of free access by the user to the second application code, where the amount of free access to the second application code varies according to the tracked quantity of times that the at least one advertising link is selected by the user; and

store information regarding an excess amount of access, where the excess amount corresponds to a portion of the tracked amount of access to the second application code that exceeds the amount of free access.

8. The device of claim 7, where the first application code provides a plurality of services, including the platform service.

9. The device of claim 7, where the platform service includes at least one of a mapping service, an e-mail service, or a search service.

10. A non transitory memory device containing instructions for controlling a processor to perform a method comprising:

enabling a user to access, through a first application code, a second application code associated with a platform service, the first application code being associated with a first party, and the second application code being associated with a second party that differs from the first party;

providing at least one advertising link associated with the second party, where the first application code presents the at least one advertising link to the user;

tracking, over a period of time, a first quantity of times that the advertising link is displayed, via the first application code, to the user, a second quantity of times that the advertising link is selected by the user, and a third quantity of times that the user performs an action associated with the advertising link, the user differing from the first party and the second party;

tracking an amount of access to the second application code provided to the user;

calculating, based on tracking, over the period of time, the first quantity of times that the advertising link is displayed, via the first application code, to the user, the second quantity of times that the advertising link is selected by the user, and the third quantity of times that the user performs an action associated with the advertising link, an amount of free access by the user to the second application code; and

storing information regarding an excess amount of access, where the excess amount corresponds to a portion of the tracked amount of access to the second application code that exceeds the amount of free access.

11. The non-transitory memory device of claim 10, where the first application code provides a plurality of services, including the platform service.

12. The non-transitory memory device of claim 10, where the amount of free access to the second application code varies according to the tracked quantity of times that the at least one advertising link is selected by the user.