Communications system and method for serving electronic content

• US 8,510,137 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2008
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bonev
• Original Assignee: Smooth Productions Inc.
• Inventors: Bonev, Robert, Palahnuk, Samuel Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): CAMPBELL, SHANNON S
• Application Number:
  US12/337,615
• Publication Number:
  US 20090216569A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1.1, 705/5, 705/14.4
• US Class Current: 705/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4393 Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/447 Temporal browsing, e.g. timeline
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/489 using time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising

Abstract

A network system for serving digital content to a graphical user interface of a user device is provided. The system includes a database storing user data including user preferences and events in a calendar of a system user; a processor configured to automatically scan the database to determine an event scheduled for a predetermined window of time; to automatically determine the event is associated with travel by the user and access one or more travel services, and to prepare content conveying a travel package customized to the event of the user; and a server to serve the content for presentation by the graphical user interface.

Claims

1. An online network system configured to serve digital content to an external user device communicating with the network system, the user device including a graphical user interface configured to present the served digital content, the network system comprising:

a user database configured to store data for a system user including;

data indicating preferences of the system user, and

a user calendar configured to store data indicating one or more events of the system user;

an advertisement database configured to store a plurality of graphical advertisements (GLADs) comprising configurable digital data, the configurable digital data of each GLAD including an advertisement and a plurality of configurable filter conditions;

the plurality of filter conditions of the GLAD being configured to at least one condition selected from a range of digitally selectable conditions, from general to specific, to target a particular aspect of the data of a system user stored by the system user database;

one or more processing devices configured to automatically scan the user database to;

determine a predetermined window of time in the future;

determine a scheduled time or date of an event stored by the user calendar in the user database;

determine whether the scheduled time or date of the event occurs during the predetermined window of time;

determine the event is associated with travel by the user;

access one or more travel services and evaluate travel content provided from the travel services with regard to the user data including the event when it is determined the scheduled time or date occurs during the predetermined window of time; and

prepare content conveying a travel package customized for the event of the user based on the evaluated travel content;

determine whether the configurable filter conditions of any of the GLADs match the user data of the system user including the data indicating preferences of the system user and the data stored in the user calendar that is associated with the event; and

cause the content conveying a travel package customized for the event of the user and one or more GLADS, each of the one or more GLADs having the configurable filter conditions that are determined to match the user data of the system user including the data indicating preferences of the system user and the data stored in the user calendar that is associated with the event, to be served as content configured for presentation by the graphical user interface of the external user device.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more processing devices is configured to receive a response from the user device presenting the graphical user interface and automatically book the travel package in response.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the travel package includes at least one of a transportation ticket, a hotel reservation, and a car rental.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the travel services are one or more of a transportation company, an online travel website, a ticket agency, and a travel agency.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the served content is configured to solicit a user response.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the solicited response is one of book the travel package, edit the travel package, postpone booking the travel package, cancel the travel package, and access online content associated with at least one of the one or more served GLADs.

7. The system of claim 2 wherein at least one of the one or more processing devices is configured to save the package information in the user database in association with the event.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more processing devices is configured to process a record stored in the user database associated with the event to determine one or more keywords associated with the event to determine the event is associated with travel.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the one or more processing devices is configured to determine whether the configurable filter conditions of a GLAD match the scheduled time or date of the event stored by the user calendar in the user database.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the configurable filter conditions of a GLAD include a who filter condition configured to target data associated with preferences or demographics of the system user;

a what filter condition configured to target activities the system user engages in;

a when filter condition configured to target a time, a date, or a time period;

a where filter condition configured to target a location associated with the system user.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein at least one of the one or more processing devices is configured to determine whether the configurable filter conditions of a GLAD match the who filter condition, the what filter condition, the when filter condition, and the where filter condition.

24. The system of claim 1 wherein the plurality of configurable filter conditions include two or more of:

a who filter condition target data associated with preferences or demographics of the network system user;

a what filter condition target activities the network system user engages in;

a when filter condition target a time, a date, or a time period;

a where filter condition target a location associated with the network system user.

26. The system of claim 1 wherein the advertisement comprises digital content or a link configured to point to where to access the digital content.

9. A method for serving digital content from a network system including a user database, one or more processing devices, and a server, to a user device for presentation on a graphical user interface of the user device, the method comprising:

storing, in the user database of the system, data for a system user including;

data indicating preferences of the system user, and

a user calendar including data indicating one or more user events of the system user;

storing, in an advertisement database, a plurality of graphical advertisements (GLADs) comprising configurable digital data, the configurable digital data of each GLAD including an advertisement and a plurality of configurable filter conditions;

the plurality of filter conditions of the GLAD being configured to at least one condition selected from a range of digitally selectable conditions, from general to specific, to target a particular aspect of the data of a system user stored by the system user database;

automatically scanning the database by at least one of the one or more processing devices to determine a scheduled time of an event stored by the calendar in the user database, a predetermined window of time in the future, and whether the scheduled time or date of the event-occurs during the predetermined window of time;

automatically determining by at least one of the one or more processing devices that the event is associated with travel by the user;

accessing by at least one of the one or more processing devices one or more travel services with regard to the user data including the event when it is determined the scheduled time or date occurs during the predetermined window of time;

evaluating by at least one of the one or more processing devices travel content provided from the travel services for the event;

determining by at least one of the one or more processing devices whether the configurable filter conditions of any of the GLADs match the user data of the system user including the data indicating preferences of the system user and the data stored in the user calendar that is associated with the event;

preparing by at least one of the one or more processing devices content conveying a travel package customized for the event of the user based on the evaluated content; and

causing by at least one of the one or more processing devices the content conveying the travel package customized for the event of the user and one or more GLADS, each of the one or more GLADs having the configurable filter conditions that are determined to match the user data of the system user including the data indicating preferences of the system user and the data stored in the stored in the user calendar that is associated with the event, to be served as content configured for presentation by the graphical user interface of the user device.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising receiving a response from the user device presenting the graphical user interface, wherein at least one of the one or more processing devices is configured to automatically book the travel package in response.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the travel package includes at least one of a transportation ticket, a hotel reservation, and a car rental.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the travel services are one or more of a transportation company, an online travel website, a ticket agency, and a travel agency.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the served content is configured to solicit a user response.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the solicited response is one of book the travel package, edit the travel package, postpone booking the travel package, cancel the travel package, and access online content associated with at least one of the one or more served GLADs.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising saving the package information in the user database in association with the event.

16. The method of claim 9 further comprising processing a record stored in the user database associated with the event to determine keywords associated with the event to determine the event is associated with travel.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein determining whether the configurable filter conditions of a GLAD match the scheduled time or date of the event stored by-the user calendar in the user database.

21. The method of claim 11 wherein storing a plurality of graphical advertisements (GLADs) comprising configurable data, the configurable data of each GLAD including one or more configurable filter conditions includes storing a who filter condition configured to target data associated with preferences or demographics of the system user;

a what filter condition configured to target activities the system user engages in;

a when filter condition configured to target a time, a date, or a time period;

a where filter condition configured to target a location associated with the system user.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein determining whether the filter conditions of a GLAD match includes determining whether the configurable filter conditions of a GLAD match the who filter condition, the what filter condition, the when filter condition, and the where filter condition.

25. The method of claim 9 wherein storing a plurality of graphical advertisements (GLADs) in an advertisement database, includes storing the plurality of configurable filter conditions include two or more of a who filter condition target data associated with preferences or demographics of the network system user;

a what filter condition target activities the network system user engages in;

a when filter condition target a time, a date, or a time period;

a where filter condition target a location associated with the network system user.

27. The method of claim 9 wherein the advertisement comprises digital content or a link configured to point to where to access the digital content.

23. A network system for serving digital content to a graphical user interface of a user device, the network system comprising:

a user database configured to store user data for a system user including;

data indicating preferences of the system user, and

an event of the system user scheduled in a calendar of the system user;

a user calendar configured to stored data indicating one or more events of the system user;

an advertisement database configured to store a plurality of graphical advertisements (GLADs) comprising configurable digital data, the configurable digital data of each GLAD including a plurality of configurable filter conditions;

the plurality of filter conditions of the GLAD being configured to at least one condition selected from a range of digitally selectable conditions, from general to specific, to target a particular aspect of the data of a system user stored by the system user database,

a one or more processors configured to automatically scan the user database, to determine the scheduled event occurs during a predetermined window of time;

to determine the event is associated with travel of the user;

to access one or more travel services, to prepare content conveying an travel package customized for the scheduled event of the user, and to determine whether the configurable filter conditions of any of the GLADs match the user data of the system user stored by the user database including the data indicating preferences of the system user and the data stored in the calendar that is associated with the event; and

a server configured to serve the content conveying the travel package customized for the event of the user and one or more GLADS, each of the one or more GLADs having the one or more filter conditions that are determined to match the user data of the system user including the data indicating preferences of the system user and the data stored in the stored in the user calendar that is associated with the event, to be served as content configured for presentation by the graphical user interface.