Provision of targeted content

• US 9,213,985 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2013
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novatiq Technologies Ltd. (Smartpipe Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Clickstream Technologies PLC
• Inventors: Barclay, Brewster Fahys, Evison, Rufus Simon Tobias
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Uyen
• Application Number:
  US13/961,690
• Publication Number:
  US 20130325936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/183 Provision of network file services by network file servers, e.g. by using NFS, CIFS network file access protocols H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Measures, including methods, apparatus and computer program products, are provided for amending content transmitted from a server to a client. The methods are performed by a system configured to communicate with the server and the client. A method comprises: configuring a domain name service to route requests for pages hosted at the server to the system; receiving a request from the client for a page hosted at the server, the request being received on the basis of the configuring; transmitting the request to the server; receiving a page from the server corresponding to the transmitted request; searching the page for a predetermined item of content; selectively amending the content of the page to form a modified page on the basis of whether the predetermined item of content is found; and transmitting the modified page to the client.

Claims

1. A method of amending content transmitted from a server to a client, the method performed by a system configured to communicate with the server and the client, the method comprising:

configuring a domain name service to route requests for pages hosted at the server to the system such that the client sends the requests for the pages hosted at the server to the system;

receiving a request from the client to the server for a page hosted at the server, wherein the request has been sent by the client to the system as a result of the configuring of the domain name service;

transmitting the request to the server;

receiving a page from the server corresponding to the transmitted request;

searching the page for a predetermined item of content;

selectively amending content of the page to form a modified page on the basis of whether the predetermined item of content is found; and

transmitting the modified page to the client.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein amending the content of the page comprises replacing the predetermined item of content in the page with a new predetermined item of content.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the predetermined item of content is related to an advertisement from a first advertisement provider and the new predetermined item of content is related to an advertisement from a second advertisement provider.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein amending the content of the page comprises amending the predetermined item of content to include a link to related content.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein amending the content of the page comprises amending the predetermined item of content such that a related part of the page is emphasized when that page is displayed by the client.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined content is a link, and amending the content of the page comprises amending the destination of the link.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined content is a word or phrase, and amending the content of the page comprises replacing that word or phrase with a different word or phrase.

8. A method according to claim 1, further comprising inserting additional content into the page.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the additional content is configured to cause the client to perform an action.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the action comprises the client requesting further content from a content provider, wherein the further content and content provider are specified by the additional content.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the action comprises recording information with regard to a user'"'"'s behavior in relation to the received page.

12. A method according to claim 8, further comprising analyzing a structure of the page and selecting a point of insertion for the additional content at least partly on the basis of the structure of the page.

13. A method according to claim 8, wherein the additional content is inserted at a point at least partially dependent upon a type of the inserted content.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the system is geographically remote from the server.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein the server is a web-server and the client is a web-browser.

16. A method according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting a reference to a frame-set to the client to cause the client to request the frame-set, wherein, at least one frame in the frame-set includes a reference to cause the client to display the page.

17. A method according to claim 16, further comprising:

receiving a request for the frame-set; and

transmitting the frame-set to the client.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein the reference includes an indication that the reference was provided by the system, and wherein at least one frame in the frame-set includes a reference to additional content to be displayed with the requested page.

19. Apparatus for use in amending content transmitted from a server to a client, the apparatus being configured to communicate with the server and the client and to receive requests for pages hosted at the server on the basis of a domain name service having been configured to route requests for pages hosted at the server to the apparatus, such that the client sends the requests for the pages hosted at the server to the apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

and at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to cause the apparatus at least to;

receive a request from the client to the server for a page hosted at the server, wherein the request has been sent by the client to the apparatus as a result of the configuring of the domain name service to route requests for pages hosted at the server to the apparatus;

transmit the request to the server;

receive a page from the server corresponding to the transmitted request;

search the page for a predetermined item of content;

selectively amend content of page to form a modified page on the basis of whether the predetermined item of content is found; and

transmit the modified page to the client.

20. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon, the computer readable instructions being executable by a computerized device to cause the computerized device to perform a method of amending content transmitted from a server to a client, the method being performed by a system configured to communicate with the server and the client and to receive requests for pages hosted at the server on the basis of a domain name service having been configured to route requests for pages hosted at the server to the system, such that the client sends the requests for the pages hosted at the server to the system, the method comprising:

receiving a request from the client to the server for a page hosted at the server, —

wherein the request has been sent by the client to the system as a result of the configuring of the domain name service;

transmitting the request to the server;

receiving a page from the server corresponding to the transmitted request;

searching the page for a predetermined item of content;

selectively amending content of the page to form a modified page on the basis of whether the predetermined item of content is found; and

transmitting the modified page to the client.