Press release distribution system

• US 9,286,622 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2013
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Integrated Advertising Labs LLC
• Original Assignee: Nativo, Inc.
• Inventors: Choi, Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrahamson, Amanda
• Assistant Examiner(s): Long, Meredith A
• Application Number:
  US13/871,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20130246165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

A press release distribution system provides press release and other news to forum sites as posts. The forum software that runs at forum sites includes press release interface software or is adapted to receive press release interface plug-in modules for interfacing with the press release distribution system. The press release interface software or plug-in module may also monitor and/or analyze user data of forum members and/or forum activities of the users. The monitored user data and forum activities may be provided to the press release distribution system for analysis and generation of user profiles. Using the result of the analysis (e.g., user profiles), the press release distribution system can target particular users or forums to direct the press releases, news, or advertisements for most effective advertising campaign.

Claims

1. A press release distribution system configured to deliver advertisements as sponsored news content to multiple web sites that each includes one or more pages containing non-sponsored content, the press release distribution system comprising:

one or more server computers configured to receive sponsored news content from one or more advertisers over a communications network and to distribute the sponsored news content to a related one or more of the web sites over the communications network;

multiple web server computers coupled to the server computer over the communications network,

each web server computer configured to run at one or more of the related one or more of the web sites, wherein the web servers are further configured to receive the sponsored news content from the server computer over the communications network, to post the sponsored news content among the non-sponsored content at the related one or more of the web sites, and to monitor user data or user activity at the related one or more of the web sites,

wherein the press release distribution system is further configured to utilize a particular one of the monitored user data or user activity to deliver a specific advertisement in a form of the sponsored news content to a particular user,

wherein the one or more web servers are further configured to track one or more of impressions, clicks, click-through rate, or user actions with respect to the sponsored news content,

wherein the sponsored news content is not a banner advertisement or a static header,

wherein the at least one web server is further configured to display the sponsored news content separately from any banner advertisement or static header on the page, embed the sponsored news content contiguously together with at least some of the non-sponsored content on the page, enable the sponsored content to scroll together with the at least some of the non-sponsored content on the page, and to place the sponsored news content in a fixed position relative to the contiguous non-sponsored news content on the page,

wherein a plurality of features of the sponsored news content are substantially the same as a corresponding plurality of features of the contiguous non-sponsored news content, and at least one feature of the sponsored news content differs from or is in addition to the corresponding feature of the non-sponsored news content in order to distinguish the sponsored news content from the non-sponsored news content, and

wherein the press release distribution system is further adapted to limit a time period during which the sponsored news content is posted at the related one or more of the web sites, and to limit a frequency at which the sponsored news content is displayed for each user.

2. The press release distribution system of claim 1, wherein the sponsored news content comprises a press release, news, announcement, message, news feed, or non-“

press”

event.

3. The press release distribution system of claim 1, wherein the non-sponsored content comprises one or more of messages, postings, posts, or threads.

4. The press release distribution system of claim 1, wherein the communications network is the Internet.

5. The press release distribution system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of web sites comprise forum sites, fan sites, popular sites, enthusiast sites, message forums, user forums, or popular forums.

6. The press release distribution system of claim 1, wherein the at least one poster module comprises a corresponding at least one press release plug-in module.

7. The press release distribution system of claim 1, wherein the press release distribution system is further configured to generate user profiles from the monitored user data or user activity at the related one or more of the web sites.

8. The press release distribution system of claim 1, wherein the user activity at the related one or more of the web sites comprises one or more of posts, reads of posts, or searches at the related one or more of the web sites.

9. The press release distribution system of claim 1, wherein the sponsored news content comprises one or more of text, video, or images.

10. The press release distribution system of claim 1, wherein the at least one poster module is configured to display the sponsored news content with a background color or another distinguishing feature to denote it as being different from the non-sponsored content.

11. The press release distribution system of claim 1, wherein revenue generated from the delivery of the specific advertisement is shared between an operator of the press release distribution system and operators of the related one or more of the web sites.

12. The press release distribution system of claim 1, wherein the poster module is configured to post the sponsored news content among the non-sponsored content at each of multiple web sites, and to monitor user data or user activity at each of the multiple web sites.

13. A method of electronically delivering advertisements as sponsored news content to a plurality of web sites that each includes non-sponsored content, the method comprising:

electronically receiving the sponsored news content by a server computer from one or more advertisers over a communications network;

electronically distributing the sponsored news content by the server computer to a related one or more of the web sites over the communications network;

electronically receiving the sponsored news content by the one or more web sites from the server computer over the communications network;

electronically posting the sponsored news content among the non-sponsored content at each of the related one or more of the web sites;

electronically tracking one or more of impressions, clicks, click-through rate, or user actions with respect to the sponsored news content at the related one or more of the web sites;

electronically monitoring user data or user activity at the related one or more of the web sites; and

delivering a specific sponsored news content to a particular user utilizing a particular one of the monitored user data or user activity, wherein revenue generated from the delivery of the specific sponsored news content is shared with the related one or more of the web sites,

wherein the sponsored news content is not a banner advertisement,

wherein when the sponsored news content is displayed, it is displayed separately from any banner advertisement and contiguously together with at least some of the non-sponsored content appearing on the page to scroll together with the at least some of the non-sponsored content such that the sponsored news content is in a fixed, position relative to at least some of the contiguously displayed non-sponsored content,

wherein a time period during which the sponsored news content is posted at the related one or more of the web sites is limited,

wherein a frequency at which the sponsored news content is displayed for each user is limited, and

wherein a plurality of features of the sponsored news content are substantially the same as a corresponding plurality of features of the contiguous non-sponsored news content, and at least one feature of the sponsored news content differs from or is in addition to the corresponding feature of the non-sponsored news content in order to distinguish the sponsored news content from the non-sponsored news content.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the sponsored news content comprises a press release, news, announcement, message, news feed, or non-“

press”

event.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the non-sponsored content comprises one or more of messages, postings, posts, or threads.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the communications network is the Internet.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of web sites comprise forum sites, fan sites, popular sites, enthusiast sites, message forums, user forums, or popular forums.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising electronically generating user profiles from the monitored user data or user activity at the related one or more of the web sites.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the user activity at the related one or more of the web sites comprises one or more of posts, reads of posts, or searches at the related one or more of the web sites.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the sponsored news content comprises one or more of text, video, or images.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the sponsored news content is displayed with a background color or another distinguishing feature to denote it as being different from the non-sponsored content.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising electronically posting the sponsored news content among the non-sponsored content at each of multiple related web sites, and electronically monitoring user data or user activity at each of the multiple web sites.