Displaying advertisements in a computer network environment

• US 8,341,264 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2011
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yahoo AD Tech LLC
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Morris, Harry W., Lippke, David Lowell, Watkins, Bob, Bosco, Eric, Steele, Colin
• Primary Examiner(s): Tiv, Backhean
• Application Number:
  US13/115,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20110225054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0243 Comparative campaigns
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A method of presenting advertising to viewers in a computer network environment includes monitoring a viewer'"'"'s interactions with an associated computer system, and adjusting a timing of displayed advertisements on the viewer'"'"'s associated computer system based on one or more of the viewer'"'"'s monitored interactions.

Claims

1. A method for displaying advertisements in a computer network environment, the method comprising:

providing one or more tuning parameters for a user'"'"'s computer; and

causing, based on the tuning parameters, a display of a first advertisement to be changed to a display of a second advertisement on the user'"'"'s computer,

wherein the tuning parameters include an idle delay configured to cause a delay, measured from the time the viewer'"'"'s computer has gone idle, before the first advertisement is replaced with the second advertisement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the tuning parameters include an ad expiration parameter configured to set a quantity of time for which an advertisement is displayed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tuning parameters include a maximum display count configured to set a maximum number of advertisement display times.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the tuning parameters include a minimum display time configured to set a minimum amount of advertisement display time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the tuning parameters include an active delay configured to cause a delay from the time the viewer'"'"'s computer goes active before displaying a banner advertisement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the tuning parameters include an idle (no spin) parameter configured to stop the display of the first advertisement from being replaced with the display of the second advertisement after the viewer'"'"'s computer goes idle.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein advertisements are displayed on an instant messaging client.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein advertisements are displayed on an Internet browser.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the tuning parameters are configured to change between the display of the first advertisement and the display of another advertisement based on the viewer'"'"'s activity with respect to the viewer'"'"'s computer.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing click-through information for the advertisements; and

sending the click-through information to a host computer.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

varying the tuning parameters downloaded to the viewer'"'"'s computer; and

utilizing a correlation technique to determine a correlation between the tuning parameters and the click-through rate.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising setting another set of tuning parameters based on the correlation between the first tuning parameters and the click-through rate.

13. A computer-based system for displaying advertisements in a computer network environment, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable medium storing a set of instructions, wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to perform a method comprising;

providing one or more tuning parameters for a user'"'"'s computer; and

causing, based on the tuning parameters, a display of a first advertisement to be changed to a display of another advertisement, wherein the tuning parameters include an idle delay that causes a delay, measured from the time a user has gone idle, before a first advertisement is replaced with the another advertisement.

14. The computer-based system of claim 13, wherein the tuning parameters include an ad expiration parameter that sets a quantity of time for which an advertisement is available for display.

15. The computer-based system of claim 13, wherein the tuning parameters include a maximum display count that sets a maximum number of advertisement display times for any individual user viewing a batch of advertisements.

16. The computer-based system of claim 13, wherein the tuning parameters include a minimum display time that sets a minimum amount of advertisement display time before another advertisement is displayed.

17. The computer-based system of claim 13, wherein the tuning parameters include an active delay that causes a delay from the time a user goes active before displaying another advertisement.

18. The computer-based system of claim 13, wherein the tuning parameters include an idle (no spin) parameter that stops the display of a first advertisement from being replaced with the display of another advertisement after a user goes idle.

19. The computer-based system of claim 13, wherein advertisements are displayed on an instant messaging client.

20. The computer-based system of claim 13, wherein advertisements are displayed on an Internet browser.

21. The computer-based system of claim 13, wherein the tuning parameters are configured to change between the display of the first advertisement and the display of another advertisement based on the viewer'"'"'s activity with respect to the viewer'"'"'s computer.

22. The computer-based system of claim 13, further comprising:

instructions to store click-through information for the advertisements; and

instructions to send the click-through information to a host computer.

23. The computer-based system of claim 22, further comprising:

instructions to vary the tuning parameters downloaded to the viewer'"'"'s computer; and

instructions to utilize a correlation technique to determine a correlation between the tuning parameters and the click-through rate.

24. The computer-based system of claim 23, further comprising instructions to set another set of tuning parameters based on the correlation between the first tuning parameters and the click-through rate.

25. A system for timing the display of advertisements on a web page, the system comprising:

a host computer; and

a storage device that stores a set of at least a first advertisement and a second advertisement and a set of tuning parameters configured to cause a display of the first advertisement to be changed to a display of the second advertisement on the web page,

wherein the tuning parameters include an idle delay that causes a delay, measured from the time a computer of a viewer of the web page has gone idle before a first advertisement is replaced with the second advertisement.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the web page is an instant messaging client.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the web page is an Internet browser.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the software stores click-through information for the first advertisement and the second advertisement and sends the click-through information to the host computer.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the tuning parameters are configured to be varied, analyzed to provide a correlation between the tuning parameters and the click-through rate, and modified to provide a second set of tuning parameters.