System and method for online lead generation

• US 8,229,780 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2008
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: June Media, Inc.
• Original Assignee: June Media, Inc.
• Inventors: Sirote, Barry, Tan, Annie X., Zhou, Jian, Xidas, T. Theodore, Davidow, Dorothy Young
• Primary Examiner(s): DIXON, THOMAS A
• Application Number:
  US12/021,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20090037253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,638 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.29, 705/14.4
• US Class Current: 705/7.29
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements

Abstract

A system and method for collecting and processing user data over a network relating to a given advertisement. The invention displays advertisements on a given web page to a user running a web browser application on a client. In response to a user action such as clicking on the advertisement or moving the mouse cursor over the advertisement, a form is displayed to the user for input of data. The user may then input data into the form, and receive a new advertisement in the same location as the old advertisement upon completing the form. At no point is the user redirected to a new web page, nor does a new web page “pop up” over or under the current web page. The user inputted data is checked for accuracy and completeness, and may either be sent to the advertiser immediately or stored for future transmission. This data collection, processing, and delivery is all handled by the real-time communication within the original web page context. Advertisements selected for display are targeted to the user based on a variety of factors.

Claims

1. A method for collecting and processing data over a network comprising:

displaying a first advertisement on a web page;

presenting a form for data input within said first advertisement in response to an action by a user running a web browser application on a client computing device;

collecting said user inputted data and transmitting it to a first server; and

displaying a second advertisement on said web page in the same location on said web page as said first advertisement,

wherein said first advertisement and said second advertisement are displayed on said web page, without said web page having been reloaded or said web browser having been redirected to a second web page in response to said action.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying said user inputted data for completeness by checking that all fields requiring data within said form have been filled or for accuracy by comparing said user inputted data to an existing database.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending an error message to said user or discarding said user inputted data if said user inputted data is either not complete or not accurate.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said step of verifying and said step of sending an error message or discarding said user inputted data is performed by said first server.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said step of verifying said user inputted data is not performed by a server that delivers the content of said web page.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said form is provided as an overlay on said web page.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending said user inputted data to a second server from said first server.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of displaying a second advertisement comprises selecting said second advertisement, said step of selecting being performed through use of a targeting engine.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said step of selecting said second advertisement comprises use of contextual advertising, demographic matching or a combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said step of selecting said second advertisement is not performed by the party delivering the content of said web page.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the content of said web page is not delivered through the use of said first server or said second server.

12. A system for collecting and processing data over a network comprising:

an advertisement server for transferring advertisements to a client computing device over a network within the context of a web page being displayed on said device;

a data verification unit for verifying the accuracy and completeness of data entered into forms associated with said advertisements;

a selection and targeting engine for selecting said advertisements to be displayed for a user running a web browser application on said client computing device; and

a data store for storing said advertisements and said data entered into said forms,

wherein each of said forms is displayed within at least one of said advertisements in response to an action by said user, and

wherein said advertisements are successively displayed in a web page running on said browser, without said web page having been reloaded or said web browser having been redirected to a second web page in response to said user action.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said data verification unit checks the completeness of said data entered into said forms by checking that all fields requiring data within said form have been filled or the accuracy of said data entered into said forms by comparing said user inputted data to an existing database.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said data verification unit sends an error message to said user or discards said user inputted data if said user inputted data is either not complete or not accurate.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein said forms are provided as overlays on said web page.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein said targeting engine uses contextual advertising, demographic matching or a combination thereof.

17. The system of claim 12, further comprising a data aggregation unit to aggregate all said user inputted data associated with each of said advertisements and to transmit said aggregated data to a server associated with the respective advertisement.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein said data verification unit, said selection and targeting engine, and said data store are not located on a web server hosting the content of said web page.

19. A system for collecting and processing data over a network comprising:

an advertisement server for transferring a first advertisement over a network to a client computing device for display within a web page being displayed on said client computing device, and, in response to an action by a user running a web browser application on said client computing device, for generating a form associated with said advertisement for data input for display on said client computing device;

a data verification unit for verifying the accuracy and completeness of data entered said forms associated with said advertisement;

a selection and targeting engine for selecting a second advertisement to be displayed to a user running a web browser application on said client computing device, said second advertisement being displayed within said web page without said web page having been reloaded or said web browser having been redirected to a second web page in response to said user action; and

at least one data store for storing said advertisements and said data entered into said forms;

wherein said data verification unit, said selection and targeting engine, and said data store are not located on a web server that delivers the content of said web page.

20. A method for placing an advertisement on a web page, the method comprising:

allocating space on a web page to display an advertisement; and

inserting into said web page a reference to a block of remote code, said code configured to;

display a first advertisement within said space on said web page;

present a form for data input within the context of said first advertisement in response to an action by a user running a web browser application on a client computing device;

collect said user inputted data and transmit it to a remote server; and

display a second advertisement on said web page in the same location on said web page as said first advertisement, without said web page having been reloaded or said web browser having been redirected to a second web page, between display of said first advertisement and said second advertisement, in response to said action.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said code is further configured to verify the completeness and accuracy of said user inputted data.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said code is further configured to select said second advertisement.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said selection of said second advertisement is performed through contextual advertising, demographic matching or a combination thereof.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein said code is further configured to aggregate and transmit said user inputted data with respect to each advertisement to an advertiser associated with such advertisement.