Display of location-related promotional message with search query results

• US 9,311,655 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2012
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tolani, Anand, Maghoul, Farzin
• Primary Examiner(s): Boccio, Vincent F
• Application Number:
  US13/651,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20140108447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 707/707, 707/713, 707/765, 707/766
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices

Abstract

Briefly, embodiments of methods or systems for display of a location-related promotional message with search query results are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

executing computer-readable instructions by one or more processing units to;

generate electrical signals representing a promotional message for a first establishment, the first establishment to have a geographical relationship to a second establishment, wherein the second establishment is to represent, at least in part, results of a search query, the search query to include one or more user-supplied search terms; and

assign a fee to the promotional message, the fee to be a function of a proximity of the second establishment to the first establishment.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the geographical relationship is to relate to the first establishment and the second establishment to be mutually geographically relevant.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographical relationship is to relate to proximity of the first establishment with the second establishment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the geographical relationship is to relate to the first establishment to be being located along a travel route to the second establishment.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing computer-readable instructions by one or more processing units to;

generate signals to represent a determination that the promotional message for the first establishment is to be transmitted based, at least in part, on whether search results that include the second establishment are also to be transmitted.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing computer-readable instructions by one or more processing units to;

generate electrical signals responsive to the one or more processing units to access a memory, the memory to comprise physical memory states to represent a rule set of the promotional message.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the rule set to direct transmission of the promotional message based, at least in part, on a time of day the search query is initiated.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing computer-readable instructions by one or more processing units to;

generate electrical signals to represent an estimated location of the search query.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the promotional message for the first establishment to be displayed based, at least in part, on the search query being initiated during hours of operation of the first establishment.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a hardware computing device, wherein one or more processing units of the hardware computing device to generate electrical signals for a promotional message of a first establishment, the first establishment to have a geographical relationship to a result of a search query that includes one or more user-supplied search terms, the geographical relationship to include proximity of the first establishment to a second establishment, the second establishment to correspond to the result of the search query, and wherein one or more processing units of the computing device to generate signals to assign a fee to the promotional message, the fee to be a function of proximity of the second establishment to the first establishment.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more processing units of the hardware computing device to compute a travel route to the first establishment from an estimated location for initiation of the search query.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the geographical relationship to also include the second establishment to be proximate with a travel route to the first establishment.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the promotional message to be transmitted if the second establishment comprises attributes complementary to attributes of the first establishment.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more processing units to generate the promotional message to be based, at least in part, on a time of day that the search query is to be initiated.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the promotional message to be displayed is to be based, at least in part, on the search query to be initiated during hours of operation of the first establishment.

16. An article comprising:

a non-transitory storage medium comprising computer-readable instructions stored thereon which are executable by a special purpose computing device to;

transmit a promotional message for a first establishment if the first establishment is determined to have a geographical relationship to a second establishment, wherein the second establishment is to be represented in search query results, the search query to include one or more user-supplied search terms; and

generate signals to assign a fee to the promotional message, the fee to be a function of proximity of the second establishment to the first establishment.

17. The article of claim 16, wherein the non-transitory storage medium additionally comprises computer-readable instructions stored thereon which are executable by the special purpose computing device to:

determine whether the geographical relationship comprises the first establishment to be within a specified range of the second establishment.

18. The article of claim 16, wherein the non-transitory storage medium additionally comprises computer-readable instructions stored thereon which are executable by the special purpose computing device to:

determine whether attributes of the first establishment complement attributes of the second establishment.

19. The article of claim 18, wherein the non-transitory storage medium additionally comprises computer-readable instructions stored thereon which are executable by the special purpose computing device to:

transmit the promotional message for the first establishment if the attributes of the first establishment complement the attributes of the second establishment.

20. The article of claim 16, wherein the promotional message for the first establishment to be displayed based, at least in part, on the search query to be initiated during hours of operation of the first establishment.