Expanding computer display advertising method and system

• US 8,396,745 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2004
• Issued: 03/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pen
• Original Assignee: Pen
• Inventors: Pen, The
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Alvin L
• Application Number:
  US10/833,971
• Publication Number:
  US 20040239703A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,240 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/14.43
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A method and system is disclosed for creating additional advertising space by sensing the position of an element on a web page or other client viewer, and upon interaction of a user with that element positioning the appearance of additional web page elements not limited by the boundary of the initial element. Marketing methods enabled thereby are disclosed where among other possibilities this created advertising space can be sold to pay for placement of instances of the invention, where licensees are motivated to themselves place instances of the invention in exchange for usage rights, or further be compensated with a share of income from built-in links, where instances of the invention can carry value added content so that hosting sites will pay for the placement or carry it at no charge, and where a content provider might pay for having its content programmed or provide it for free for promotional value, where instances of the invention maintain links back to a generator site for its own propagation, where a web presence can be created across multiple sites for any commercial or social purpose as a conglomerate world wide billboard, where any instance of the invention can be reconfigured on any site where it resides in real time protected by optional password, and other alternatives more fully described in the specification.

Claims

1. A computer display advertising method, comprising:

(a) placing a first visible element on a displayable page on at least one hosting server with a first predefined contractual relationship with an agency entity;

(b) placing a computer code file on a control server with a secondary predefined contractual relationship with the agency entity;

(c) making the hosting server and the control server accessible to a client viewer;

(d) loading the computer code file upon loading of the displayable page on the screen of the client viewer;

(e) in response to the interaction of a computer pointing device with the first visible element, and according to the specifications of the computer code file,

(1) the client viewer, via the execution of the computer code file, detecting the actual position on the screen of the client viewer of the first visible element;

(2) determining an optimized display position for a secondary visible element, so that its display position is optimized in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions on the screen of the client viewer, the method by which the optimized display position is determined comprising;

(i) computing a first amount of space in the viewable area of the client viewer that is available above the first visible element,

(ii) computing a second amount of space in the viewable area of the client viewer that is available below the first visible element,

(iii) computing a third amount of space in the viewable area of the client viewer that is available to the left of the first visible element, and

(iv) computing a fourth amount of space in the viewable area of the client viewer that is available to the right of the first visible element,

(v) comparing the size of said first amount of space, said second amount of space, said third amount of space, and said fourth amount of space,

(vi) determining which one of said first amount of space, said second amount of space, said third amount of space, and said fourth amount of space is the largest amount of display space, and

(vii) selecting said largest display space as said optimized display position for said secondary visible element;

(3) displaying, relative to the actual position on the screen of the client viewer of the first visible element, said secondary visible element in said optimized display position, the optimized display position providing for said secondary visible element to be directly proximate to the first visible element on the screen of the client viewer and said optimized display position providing for both the secondary visible element and said first visible element to remain visible in their entirety on the screen of the client viewer, taking into account any scrolling position offset within the screen of the client viewer of the displayable page;

(f) having a link between at least one of the visible elements and at least one advertiser, the advertiser having a third predefined contractual relationship with the agency entity;

(g) maintaining the appearance of the said secondary visible element while the computer pointing device maintains an interactive relationship with any of the said visible elements.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(a) placing a position detectable element on the displayable page in a predefined position relative to the first visible element;

(b) determining the position of the first visible element by relatively detecting the position of the position detectable element.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first visible element is a text element.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, obtaining other content accessible through one of the visible elements from at least one content provider based on a fourth predefined contractual relationship with the agency entity.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising, placing the first visible element on multiple hosting servers.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the secondary visible element is itself a nested instance of the invention.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of secondary visible elements linked to a plurality of advertisers.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising, assigning a unique id associated with each instance of the invention.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(a) assigning at least one password to the advertiser

(b) enabling the advertiser to update any of the visible elements linked to the advertiser.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the visible elements links to an offer to supply additional instances of the invention.

21. The method of claim 7, further comprising the said agency entity selling shares of the said visible elements to the said plurality of advertisers.

22. The method of claim 4, further comprising the said agency entity providing said content as a value added feature in the computer code file, in exchange for its placement on the said control server.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising;

(a) a placement entity with a fifth predefined contractual relationship with the said agency entity, providing for the accessibility of instances of computer code file to a plurality of client viewers;

(b) the agency entity sharing with the placement entity a portion of income generated from the client viewers by the computer code file.

27. The method of claim 1, where the interactive relationship is for the second visible element to remain displayed while the computer pointing device is positioned over either the second visual element or at least some part of the first visual element.

28. The method of claim 1, where the interactive relationship is for the second visible element to remain displayed until it is closed by an affirmative mouse click.

11. A computer display advertising system, comprising:

(a) a first visible element on a displayable page of at least one hosting server with a first predefined contractual relationship with an agency entity;

(b) a computer code file on a control server with a secondary predefined contractual relationship with the agency entity;

(c) making the host server and control server accessible to a client viewer

(d) loading the computer code file upon loading of the displayable page on the client viewer;

(e) in response to the interaction of a computer pointing device with the first visible element, and according to the specifications of the computer code file,

(1) the client viewer, via the execution of the computer code file, detecting the actual position on the screen of the client viewer of the first visible element;

(2) determining an optimized display position for a secondary visible element, so that its display position is optimized in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions on the screen of the client viewer, the method by which the optimized display position is determined comprising;

(i) computing a first amount of space in the viewable area of the client viewer that is available above the first visible element,

(ii) computing a second amount of space in the viewable area of the client viewer that is available below the first visible element,

(iii) computing a third amount of space in the viewable area of the client viewer that is available to the left of the first visible element, and

(iv) computing a fourth amount of space in the viewable area of the client viewer that is available to the right of the first visible element,

(v) comparing the size of said first amount of space, said second amount of space, said third amount of space, and said fourth amount of space,

(vi) determining which one of said first amount of space, said second amount of space, said third amount of space, and said fourth amount of space is the largest amount of display space, and

(vii) selecting said largest display space as said optimized display position for said secondary visible element;

(3) displaying, relative to the actual position on the screen of the client viewer of the first visible element, said secondary visible element in said optimized display position, the optimized display position providing for said secondary visible element to be directly proximate to the first visible element on the screen of the client viewer and said optimized display position providing for both the secondary visible element and said first visible element to remain visible in their entirety on the screen of the client viewer, taking into account any scrolling position offset within the screen of the client viewer of the displayable page;

(f) a link between at least one of the visible elements and at least one advertiser, the advertiser having a third predefined contractual relationship with the agency entity;

(g) maintaining the appearance of the said secondary visible element while the computer pointing device maintains an interactive relationship with any of the said visible elements.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

(a) a position detectable element on the displayable page in a predefined position relative to the first visible element;

(b) determining the position of the first visible element by relatively detecting the position of the position detectable element.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the first visible element is a text element.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising, content accessible through one of the visible elements from at least one content provider based on a fourth predefined contractual relationship with the agency entity.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the first visible element is placed on multiple hosting servers.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the secondary visible element is itself a nested instance of the invention.

17. The system of claim 11 wherein there are a plurality of secondary visible elements linked to a plurality of advertisers.

18. The system of claim 11 wherein a unique id is assigned associated with each instance of the invention.

19. The system of claim 11 further comprising:

(a) at least one password assigned to the advertiser

(b) wherein the password enables the advertiser to update any of the visible elements linked to the advertiser.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein one of the visible elements links to an offer to supply additional instances of the invention.

24. The system of claim 17, further comprising the said agency entity to sell shares of the said visible elements to the said plurality of advertisers.

25. The system of claim 14, further comprising the said agency entity to provide said content as a value added feature in the computer code file, in exchange for its placement on the said control server.

26. The system of claim 11, further comprising;

(a) a placement entity with a fifth predefined contractual relationship with the said agency entity, providing for the accessibility of instances of computer code file to a plurality of client viewers;

(b) the agency entity to share with the placement entity a portion of income generated from the client viewers by the computer code file.

29. The method of claim 11, where the interactive relationship is for the second visible element to remain displayed while the computer pointing device is positioned over either the second visual element or at least some part of the first visual element.

30. The method of claim 11, where the interactive relationship is for the second visible element to remain displayed until it is closed by an affirmative mouse click.