Methods and systems for member-created advertisement in a member network

• US 8,538,810 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2005
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Fox, Kevin David
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamilton, Matthew L
• Application Number:
  US11/093,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20060224446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,094 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14, 705/26, 705/78, 705/27, 705/14.49, 709/225, 709/224, 709/223, 370/389, 725/36
• US Class Current: 705/14.49
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested

Abstract

Methods and systems for members of a member network to create and target advertisement to other members of the member network. A member can target advertisement to other members in the member network by establishing a member profile that includes associations and/or nexuses with the targeted members. Fees can be charged to members who create and disseminate advertisement to other members in the member network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a request to generate a user-created advertisement from a first user, wherein the first user is a member of a member network of associated users and the first user is associated with a first page in the member network;

receiving, by the one or more processors, advertisement content for the user-created advertisement that is associated with the request from the first user, the advertisement content comprising at least one of the first user'"'"'s composed text and the first user'"'"'s imported graphics;

receiving, by the one or more processors, a target audience from the first user for the user-created advertisement, the target audience comprising one or more users from the network that have a relationship with the first user in the member network, the relationship comprising at least one of a particular degree of association with the first user in the member network and a particular level of association with the first user in the member network;

generating, by the one or more processors, the user-created advertisement based on the advertisement content received from the first user;

receiving, from at least one user of the member network from the target audience, a category selection that describes the advertisement content of the user-created advertisement; and

providing, by the one or more processors, information including the user-created advertisement for display within at least one second page of the at least one user of the member network from the target audience in response to receiving the category selection from the at least one of the member network from the target audience and receiving the target audience from the first user that has a relation with the target audience.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second page includes a home page or a communities page associated with one of the target audience.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, by the one or more processors, advertisement content for the user-created advertisement that is associated with the request from the first user comprises:

receiving, from the first user, a selection of a category for the user-created advertisement; and

receiving, from the first user, advertisement content that is specific to the selection of the category.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the receiving, from the first user, advertisement content that is specific to the selection of the category comprises:

receiving, from the first user, the specific advertisement content from an input to at least one predetermined field of entry.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, by the one or more processors, the target audience from the first user for the user-created advertisement, the target audience comprising one or more users from the member network comprises receiving, from the first user, a selection of the target audience from a predetermined group of users from the member network of associated users, wherein the predetermined group of users have a predetermined type of relationship with the first user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one second page includes an advertisement tab or an advertisement link.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a link to the user-created advertisement within the at least one second page of the at least one user of the member network from the target audience.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an e-mail including the user-created advertisement to at least one user of the member network from the target audience.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-created advertisement further includes at least one of a picture and an identification of the first user.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the first user, a selection of at least one of the particular degree of association and the particular level of association of the first user to the target audience; and

providing the information including the user-created advertisement for display within the at least one second page of the at least one user from the target audience based on the selection of the at least one of the particular degree of association and the particular level of association.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving, by the one or more processors, the target audience for the user-created advertisement further comprises receiving a selection of a particular community associated with the first user in the member network.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

charging a fee to the first user for the providing information including the user-created advertisement for display within the at least one second page of the at least one user from the target audience.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the degree of association is a type-specific degree of association.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the degree of association is a level-specific degree of association.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship comprises a friendship relationship.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship comprises a business relationship.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the relationship comprises a family relationship.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user and the one or more users from the target audience are bi-directionally associated with each other in the member network.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which is encoded executable program code, the executable program code when executed causing a computer to perform the steps comprising:

receiving a request to generate a user-created advertisement from a first user, wherein the first user is a member of a member network of associated users and the first user is associated with a first page in the member network;

receiving advertisement content for the user-created advertisement that is associated with the request from the first user, the advertisement content comprising at least one of the first user'"'"'s composed text and the first user'"'"'s imported graphics;

receiving a target audience from the first user for the user-created advertisement, the target audience comprising one or more users from the member network that have a relationship with the first user in the member network, the relationship comprising at least one of a particular degree of association with the first user in the member network and a particular level of association with the first user in the member network;

generating the user-created advertisement based on the advertisement content received from the first user;

receiving, from at least one user of the member network from the target audience, a category selection that describes the advertisement content of the user-created advertisement; and

providing information including the user-created advertisement for display within at least one second page of the at least one user of the member network from the target audience in response to receiving the category selection from the at least one user of the member network from the target audience and receiving the target audience from the first user that has a relationship with the target audience.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the at least one second page includes a home page or a communities page associated with one of the target audience.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the program code is further configured to perform the steps of receiving, from the first user, a selection of a category for the user-created advertisement;

and

receiving, from the first user, advertisement content that is specific to the selection of the category.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein receiving, from the first user, advertisement content that is specific to the selection of the category further comprises program code for receiving, from the first user, the advertisement that is specific content from an input to at least one predetermined field of entry.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein receiving the target from the first user for the user-created advertisement, the target audience comprising one or more users from the member network comprises receiving, from the first user, a selection of the target audience from a predetermined group of users from the member network of associated users, wherein the predetermined group of users have a predetermined type of relationship with the first user.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the at least one second page includes an advertisement tab or an advertisement link.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the program code is further configured to perform the step of:

providing a link to the user-created advertisement within the at least one second page of at the least one user of the member network from the target audience.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the program code is further configured to perform the step of:

providing an e-mail including the user-created advertisement to the at least one user of the member network from the target audience.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the user-created advertisement further includes at least one of a picture and an identification of the first user.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the program code is further configured to perform the steps of:

receiving, from the first user, a selection of at least one of the particular degree of association and the particular level of an association of the first user to the target audience; and

providing the information including the user-created advertisement for display within the at least one second page of the at least one user from the target audience based on the selection of the at least one of the particular degree of association and the particular level of association.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein receiving the target audience for the user-created advertisement further comprises receiving a selection of a particular community associated with the first user in the member network.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the program code is further configured to perform the step of:

charging a fee to the first user for generating the user-created advertisement.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the program code is further configured to perform the step of:

charging a fee to the first user for providing the information including the user-created advertisement for display within the at least one second page of the at least one user from the target audience.