Method and system for generating and distributing electronic communications

• US 8,429,190 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2005
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adknowledge
• Original Assignee: Adknowledge
• Inventors: Gutierrez, Christopher J.
• Primary Examiner(s): GIRMA, ANTENEH B
• Application Number:
  US11/101,857
• Publication Number:
  US 20060036608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,937 Days
• Field of Search: 707/9
• US Class Current: 707/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

Content is provided to electronic mail, commonly known as e-mail, over a network, such as the Internet. This content is provided in accordance with keywords, typically organized in a hierarchy. The presently highest ranked keyword, that is active, is passed to various content servers, along the network, in response to a request, returned from the e-mail client of a recipient user. The keywords are managed, such that after a certain number of responses from the recipients of the electronic mails, to content in each e-mail generated from a particular keyword, use of that particular keyword is terminated, as the keyword is inactivated. Content is then delivered in accordance with another keyword, typically the next highest ranked keyword.

Claims

1. A method for managing keywords over a communications network comprising:

providing data, by a server system linked to the communications network, in accordance with a first keyword, when the first keyword is active, to electronic communications, that i) have been sent to computers associated with recipients, and ii) have been activated by the recipients such that the data may be responded to, and, each of the computers associated with each of the recipients is linked to the communications network;

receiving indicators, by the server system, over the communications network, when at least a portion of the data provided to each activated electronic communication, in accordance with the first keyword, has been responded to;

determining, by the server system, whether the number of received indicators has reached a predetermined number of indicators; and

when the number of received indicators has reached the predetermined number of indicators, the server system i) deactivating the first keyword, and ii) activating a second keyword for providing data to electronic communications activated while the second keyword is active.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first keyword and the second keyword are different.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first keyword and the second keyword are the same.

4. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

sending, by the server system, electronic communications to e-mail clients associated with the computers of the recipients, the electronic communications including at least one request, and the at least one request including a keyword identifier, the keyword identifier associated with the first keyword and the second keyword.

5. The method of claim 4, additionally comprising:

correlating, by the server system, the keyword identifier returned with the at least one request with a keyword identifier in a database associated with the first keyword and the second keyword, and, providing, by the server system, data to the activated electronic communications in accordance with the active first or second keyword associated with the keyword identifier in the database.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indicators, by the server system, causes the server system to redirect a browsing application associated with the computer of the recipient associated with each response to the data provided to the activated electronic communication, to be directed to a targeted web site associated with the data provided in accordance with the first or second keyword, while it is the active keyword, to the activated electronic communication.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each response includes at least one click of a pointing device associated with the computers of the recipients of the electronic communications.

8. The method of claim 1, additionally comprising:

providing data, by the server system, to electronic communications, in accordance with the second keyword, when the electronic communications are activated while the second keyword is active.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data includes content.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the server system includes at least one server.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the server system includes a plurality of servers. second keyword is active.

12. A method for managing keywords over a communications network comprising:

providing data in accordance with an active keyword, by a server system linked to the communications network, to electronic communications associated with computers of recipients, and which have been activated by the recipients of the electronic communications, each computer linked to the communications network;

receiving indicators, by the server system, when at least a portion of the data provided in accordance with the active keyword, in the activated electronic communications, has been responded to by the recipients;

determining, by the server system, whether the number of indicators received has reached a predetermined number; and

when the number of indicators has reached the predetermined number, the server system, deactivating the active keyword and designating a new keyword as the active keyword for providing data to electronic communications.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the keywords are different.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the keywords are the same.

15. The method of claim 12, additionally comprising:

sending, by the server system, electronic communications to e-mail clients associated with the computers of the recipients, each of the electronic communications including at least one request, and the at least one request including a keyword identifier associated with the keywords.

16. The method of claim 15, additionally comprising:

correlating, by the server system, each keyword identifier returned with the at least one request with a keyword identifier in a database associated with the keywords, when each electronic communication has been activated, and the server system providing data to each electronic communication in accordance with the active keyword of the keywords associated with the keyword identifier in the database.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving each indicator causes a browsing application of the computer of the recipient to be redirected to a targeted web site associated with the data provided in accordance with the active keyword, when the electronic communication was activated.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein each of the indicators results from a response defined by the portion of the data in the activated electronic communication having been responded to, the response including at least one click of a pointing device associated with the computer of the recipient of the electronic communication.

19. The method of claim 12, additionally comprising:

providing data, by the server system, to electronic communications in accordance with the new keyword for the electronic communications which are activated while the new keyword is the active keyword.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the data includes content.

21. The method of claim 12, wherein the predetermined number includes a predetermined number of indicators for the active keyword.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the server system includes at least one server.

23. The method of claim 12, wherein the server system includes a plurality of servers.

24. A method for managing keywords over a communications network comprising:

providing content, by at least one server linked to the communications network, to activated electronic communications associated with computers of recipients, the computers linked to the communications network, in accordance with a first keyword being the active keyword, from a group of keywords associated with a keyword identifier;

receiving indicators, by the at least one server, that at least a portion of the content provided in accordance with the first keyword, in the activated electronic communications, has been responded to;

determining, by the at least one server, whether the number of indicators received has reached a predetermined number of indicators associated with the first keyword; and

changing, by the at least one server, the active keyword from the first keyword to a second keyword from the group of keywords associated with the keyword identifier, such that the first keyword is deactivated and the second keyword is activated to be the active keyword for providing content to activated electronic communications, when the number of indicators received has reached the predetermined number of indicators.

25. The method of claim 24, additionally comprising:

sending, by the at least one server, electronic communications to e-mail clients associated with the computers of the recipients, the electronic communications each including at least one request including the keyword identifier associated with the group of keywords, the request automatically transmitted from the computers of the recipients to the at least one server when the electronic communications are activated and become the activated electronic communications.

26. The method of claim 25, additionally comprising:

correlating, by the at least one server, the keyword identifier returned with each of the at least one request with the keyword identifier in a database associated with the group of keywords, when each electronic communication has been activated, to become the activated electronic communication, and providing, by the at least one server, content to each activated electronic communication in accordance with the keyword being used from the group of keywords associated with the keyword identifier in the database.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the indicator includes data corresponding to a click of a pointing device on the at least a portion of the content associated with each activated electronic communication on the computer of each recipient which supports one of the activated electronic communications.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the content provided to each electronic communication in accordance with the keyword, when the electronic communication is activated, includes data for redirecting a browsing application associated with the computer of the recipient of the electronic communication to a targeted site on the network, the redirecting data activated in response to the click of the pointing device.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the targeted site includes at least one of a web page or a web site hosted by at least one computer device linked to the communications network and the communications network includes the Internet.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one server includes a server.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one server includes a plurality of servers.

32. The method of claim 24, additionally comprising:

providing, by the at least one server, to the activated electronic communications, content in accordance with the second keyword, the activated electronic communications which were activated after the second keyword became the active keyword.

33. A system for managing keywords comprising:

a computer system configured for operating on a communications network, the computer system comprising;

a storage medium for storing computer components; and

a processor for executing the computer components comprising;

a first computer component, configured for providing data to activated electronic communications associated with computers of recipients, in accordance with an active keyword, from a group of keywords, via the communications network;

a second computer component, configured for receiving an indicator via the communications network, from each of the activated electronic communications whose data, has been responded to by the recipients through their computers;

a third computer component, configured for determining if the number of indicators received from responses to the data associated with the active keyword has reached a predetermined number of indicators associated with the active keyword; and

a fourth computer component, configured for changing the active keyword for providing content to electronic communications if the number of indicators received has reached the predetermined number of indicators.

34. The system of claim 33, additionally comprising:

a fifth computer component, configured for sending electronic communications to e-mail clients associated with the computers of the recipients of the electronic communications, each of the electronic communications including at least one request including a keyword identifier, the keyword identifier associated with the group of keywords.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the second computer component is additionally configured for receiving an indicator that includes data corresponding to a click of a pointing device from the computers of the recipients who have activated the electronic communications.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the first computer component is additionally configured for providing data for redirecting a browsing application associated with each of the computers of the recipients of the electronic communications and who have activated the electronic communications, to a targeted site on the communications network, the redirecting data activated in response to the click of the pointing device.

37. A method for managing keywords over a communications network comprising:

transmitting, by a server system linked to the communications network, electronic communications, to computers of recipients, the computers linked to the communications network, the electronic communications each including a content request including data for obtaining content for the electronic communication in accordance with an active keyword, such that when the electronic communication is opened, the content request is automatically transmitted from the computer to the server system;

rendering, by the server system, content to the electronic communications, via the communications network, in accordance with the active keyword, for each electronic communication that has been opened by a recipient via their computer;

receiving, by the server system, an indicator from each open electronic communication, when at least a portion of the content provided to the opened electronic communication, in accordance with the active keyword, has been responded to; and

,

when the number of indicators received has reached a predetermined number, the server system changing the keyword that is the active keyword to another keyword, that becomes the active keyword, for providing content to electronic communications.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the rendering the content to the opened electronic communication, by the server system, is performed automatically.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the predetermined number includes a predetermined number of indicators for the active keyword.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein the server system, after changing the keyword that is the active keyword, provides content to the electronic communications which are opened while the changed keyword is the active keyword.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the active keyword and the changed keyword to being the active are different.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein the keywords are the same.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein the server system includes at least one server.

44. The method of claim 40, wherein the server system includes a plurality of servers.

45. A method for providing content over a communications network comprising:

electronically maintaining, in a storage device linked to the communications network, at least one identifier associated with a plurality of keywords, each of the keywords for providing content to opened electronic communications, when said each keyword is the active keyword;

receiving a content request, by at least one processor in a device linked to the communications network, the processor in electronic communication with the storage device, the content request activated when a user opens an electronic communication sent to a terminal associated with the user and the terminal is linked to the communications network, and the content request is automatically transmitted from the terminal associated with the user who opened the electronic communication to the at least one processor over the communications network, the content request embedded in the electronic communication, the content request including the at least one identifier corresponding to a plurality of keywords, that upon receipt causes content to be obtained for the active keyword associated with the at least one identifier, and providing the content to the opened electronic communication; and

changing the active keyword, by the at least one processor linked to the communications network, the processor linked to the storage device, when a predetermined number of responses to the content corresponding to the active keyword associated with the at least one identifier have been received over the communications network from the terminal associated with the user who has opened the electronic communication, the changed active keyword for providing content to the electronic communication opened while the changed active keyword is the active keyword.

46. The method of claim 45, additionally comprising:

providing, by the at least one processor, content in accordance with the changed active keyword in response to receiving a content request for the at least one identifier to electronic communications opened when the changed active keyword is the active keyword.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the at least one processor includes the same processor.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein the at least one processor includes a plurality of different processors.

49. A method for managing keywords and providing content over a communications network comprising:

providing, by a server system, content to electronic communications received on computers of recipients of the electronic communications, the computers linked to the communications network, when the electronic communications are opened, over the communications network, in accordance with an active keyword;

receiving, by the server system, an indicator for each opened electronic communication which has received content in accordance with the active keyword, when at least a portion of the content has been responded to; and

when the number of indicators received has reached a predetermined number of indicators, deactivating, by the server system, the keyword that is the active keyword, and activating another keyword, that becomes the active keyword, used for providing content to electronic communications opened after the number of indicators received has reached the predetermined number of indicators.

50. The method of claim 49, additionally comprising:

providing, by the server system, content in accordance with another keyword that became the active keyword, to the electronic communications opened while the another keyword is the active keyword.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the server system includes at least one server.

52. The method of claim 50, wherein the server system includes a plurality of servers.

53. The method of claim 50, wherein the active keywords are the same keywords.

54. The method of claim 50, wherein the active keywords are different keywords.