Apparatus and methods for providing route-based advertising and vendor-reported business information over a network
DCFirst Claim
1. A method of providing advertising to a user or community of users over a network, the method comprising:
- receiving from the user a query identifying a contemplated route;
accessing a computer database of self-reported business information from vendors, each vendor having an identified geographic location, wherein the self-reported business information has been previously supplied by the vendors through an interface and stored in the database, wherein the interface is configured so that each vendor can also specify an advertising budget;
providing to the user or community, over the network, information from the database concerning the business information of a set of vendors extracted from the database on the basis of geographic proximity to the route identified by the user; and
providing to the user or community, over the network in response to the query, advertising from the set of vendors based, at least in part, on data retrieved from the database and on advertising budgets supplied by the set of vendors.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method of providing advertising to a user or community of users over a network includes receiving from the user a query identifying a contemplated route, accessing a computer database of self-reported business information from vendors, each vendor having an identified geographic location, wherein the self-reported business information has been previously supplied by the vendors through an interface and stored in the database, wherein the interface is configured so that each vendor can also specify an advertising budget, providing to the user or community information from the database concerning the business information of a set of vendors extracted from the database on the basis of geographic proximity to the route identified by the user, and providing to the user or community advertising from the set of vendors based, at least in part, on data retrieved from the database and on advertising budgets supplied by the set of vendors.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method of providing advertising to a user or community of users over a network, the method comprising:
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receiving from the user a query identifying a contemplated route; accessing a computer database of self-reported business information from vendors, each vendor having an identified geographic location, wherein the self-reported business information has been previously supplied by the vendors through an interface and stored in the database, wherein the interface is configured so that each vendor can also specify an advertising budget; providing to the user or community, over the network, information from the database concerning the business information of a set of vendors extracted from the database on the basis of geographic proximity to the route identified by the user; and providing to the user or community, over the network in response to the query, advertising from the set of vendors based, at least in part, on data retrieved from the database and on advertising budgets supplied by the set of vendors. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A computer system for providing information about vendors to a user or community of users, the computer system comprising:
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a digital storage medium in which is stored a computer database of self-reported business information and an advertising budget supplied by the vendors through an interface, each vendor having an identified geographic location that is stored in the database; and wherein the computer system is running processes comprising; receiving from the user a query identifying a contemplated route; accessing the computer database; providing to the user or community, over the network, information from the database concerning the business information of a set of vendors extracted from the database on the basis of geographic proximity to the route identified by the user; and providing to the user or community, over the network in response to the query, advertising from the set of vendors based, at least in part, on data retrieved from the database and on advertising budgets supplied by the set of vendors. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification