Deep-linking system, method and computer program product for online advertisement and E-commerce

• US 9,633,378 B1
• Filed: 11/30/2011
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MetaRail, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Wayfare Interactive, Inc.
• Inventors: Nath, Narendra, Hiremani, Mallikarjun
• Primary Examiner(s): Rines, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Karmis, Alissa
• Application Number:
  US13/308,004
• Time in Patent Office: 1,973 Days
• Field of Search: 705 144, 705 1473, 705 1451
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein can leverage dynamic data, fields and implied information from arbitrary web sites, mobile apps and other forms of online media to create a universal variable map and automatically generate deep-linked ads utilizing the universal variable map, linking any arbitrary web site, mobile app, network, Internet TV channel, and other forms of online media to any other such arbitrary web site, mobile app, network, Internet TV channel, and other forms of online media. The automatically generated deep-linked ads can be inserted into any ad server and served out from there in real-time. A deep-linked ad thus presented to a user can take the user from a starting page on one site or application where the ad is displayed directly to a resulting page such as a checkout page on another site or mobile application, with pertinent information already pre-populated, and action already initiated for the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at and by a server computer operating in a network environment and having at least one processor and non-transitory computer memory;

obtaining, utilizing a set of obtaining rules, a plurality of explicit or implicit computer-readable field identifiers from a plurality of sites or applications on the Internet;

applying via programming code a set of enhancing rules to enhance results of the obtaining of the plurality of computer-readable field identifiers;

mapping the plurality of computer-readable field identifiers to one another using a set of normalized variables stored in a normalized variable data database, the normalized variable data database representing a universal variable map of searchable classes and attributes of products or services on the Internet, the mapping linking computer-readable field identifiers of the plurality of sites or applications;

automatically programmatically generating a deep-linked ad utilizing the universal variable map, the deep-linked ad linking one or more of a set of computer-readable field identifiers used by a first site or application with one or more of a set of computer-readable field identifiers used by a second site or application;

placing the deep-linked ad on a page of the first site or application; and

in response to user interaction with the deep-linked ad on the page of the first site or application on a user device;

extracting, from the user interaction with the deep-linked ad on the page of the first site or application, values corresponding to the one or more of the set of computer-readable field identifiers used by the first site or application;

automatically directing the user device to display a page of the second site or application; and

passing the values corresponding to the one or more of the set of computer-readable field identifiers used by the first site or application to the correspondingly linked one or more of the set of computer-readable field identifiers used by the second site or application such that the correspondingly linked one or more of the set of computer-readable field identifiers used by the second site or application are determined using the universal variable map and such that one or more fields on the page of the second set or application are explicitly or implicitly pre-populated with the values extracted from the user interaction with the deep-linked ad on the page of the first site or application without necessitating any pre-existing relationship between the pages.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of sites or applications is categorized by a plurality of verticals, sub-verticals or product or service categories, and wherein generating the deep-linked ad comprises selecting one or more verticals, sub-verticals or product or service categories of the plurality of verticals, sub-verticals or product or service categories.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein selecting a vertical, sub-vertical or product or service category of the plurality of verticals, sub-verticals or product or service categories comprises examining meta tags associated with a site or application.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein field identifiers are programmatically searched or scanned or received or gathered or inferred by content and mapped to normalized variables in the universal variable map.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the programmatic mapping of field identifiers to normalized variables in the universal variable map is based on heuristic patterns of typical forms and field identifiers on the Internet, the heuristic patterns being adaptable based on the accuracy of mapping.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the universal variable map comprises a database containing classes and instances of products and services searchable on the Internet.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the deep-linked ad is generated or refined based on information provided by a user'"'"'s implicit action on the page of the first site or application.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the user'"'"'s implicit action comprises the user hovering over a target of interest on the page of the first site or application.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user interaction with the deep-linked ad comprises the user explicitly or implicitly selecting the deep-linked ad.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the deep-linked ad is displayed on the page of the first site or application as a product ad, a banner, an icon, an animated ad, a text ad, a check box, a link, a form, a video clip, or any element of interest.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the user interaction with the deep-linked ad provides a query string, wherein the extracting or inferring includes parsing the query string, and wherein the values extracted or inferred from the query string are used to identify normalized product attributes in the universal variable map.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

identifying a product or service category using the normalized product attributes in the universal variable map;

identifying at least one form associated with the product or service category, the at least one form associated with the second site or application; and

populating the at least one form associated with the second site or application with the values extracted or inferred from the query string.

13. A system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions translatable by the at least one processor to perform;

obtaining, utilizing a set of obtaining rules, a plurality of explicit or implicit computer-readable field identifiers or product or service attributes from a plurality of sites or applications on the Internet;

applying via programming code a set of enhancing rules to enhance results of the obtaining of the plurality of computer-readable field identifiers;

mapping the plurality of computer-readable field identifiers to one another using a set of normalized variables stored in a normalized variable data database, the normalized variable data database representing a universal variable map of searchable classes and attributes of products or services on the Internet, the mapping linking computer-readable field identifiers of the plurality of sites or applications;

automatically programmatically generating a deep-linked ad utilizing the universal variable map, the deep-linked ad linking one or more of a set of computer-readable field identifiers used by a first site or application with one or more of a set of computer-readable field identifiers used by a second site or application;

placing the deep-linked ad on a page of the first site or application; and

in response to user interaction with the deep-linked ad on the page of the first site or application on a user device;

extracting, from the user interaction with the deep-linked ad on the page of the first site or application, values corresponding to the one or more of the set of computer-readable field identifiers used by the first site or application;

automatically directing the user device to display a page of the second site or application; and

passing the values corresponding to the one or more of the set of computer-readable field identifiers used by the first site or application to the correspondingly linked one or more of the set of computer-readable field identifiers used by the second site or application such that the correspondingly linked one or more of the set of computer-readable field identifiers used by the second site or application are determined using the universal variable map and such that one or more fields on the page of the second set or application are pre-populated with the values extracted from the user interaction with the deep-linked ad on the page of the first site or application without necessitating any pre-existing relationship between the pages.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of sites or applications is categorized by a plurality of verticals, sub-verticals or product or service categories, and wherein generating the deep-linked ad comprises selecting one or more verticals, sub-verticals or product or service categories of the plurality of verticals, sub-verticals or product or service categories.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein selecting a vertical, sub-vertical or product or service category of the plurality of verticals, sub-verticals or product or service categories comprises examining meta tags associated with a site or application.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the universal variable map comprises a database containing classes and instances of products and services searchable on the Internet.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the deep-linked ad is generated or refined based on contextual information provided by a user'"'"'s implicit action on the page of the first site or application.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the user'"'"'s implicit action comprises the user hovering over a target of interest on the page of the first site or application.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the user interaction with the deep-linked ad comprises the user explicitly or implicitly selecting the deep-linked ad.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the deep-linked ad is displayed on the page of the first site or application as a product ad, a banner, an icon, an animated ad, a text ad, a check box, a link, a form, a video clip, or an element of interest.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the user interaction with the deep-linked ad provides a query string, wherein the extracting or inferring includes parsing the query string, and wherein the values extracted or inferred from the query string are used to identify normalized product attributes in the universal variable map.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

identifying a product or service category using the normalized product attributes in the universal variable map;

identifying at least one form associated with the product or service category, the at least one form associated with the second site or application; and

populating the at least one form associated with the second site or application with the values extracted or inferred from the query string.

23. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions translatable by at least one processor to perform:

obtaining, utilizing a set of obtaining rules, a plurality of explicit or implicit computer-readable field identifiers or product or service attributes from a plurality of sites or applications on the Internet;

applying via programming code a set of enhancing rules to enhance results of the obtaining of the plurality of computer-readable field identifiers;

mapping the plurality of computer-readable field identifiers to one another using a set of normalized variables stored in a normalized variable data database, the normalized variable data database representing a universal variable map of searchable classes and attributes of products or services on the Internet, the mapping linking computer-readable field identifiers of the plurality of sites or applications;

automatically programmatically generating a deep-linked ad utilizing the universal variable map, the deep-linked ad linking one or more of a set of computer-readable field identifiers used by a first site or application with one or more of a set of computer-readable field identifiers used by a second site or application;

placing the deep-linked ad on a page of the first site or application; and

in response to user interaction with the deep-linked ad on the page of the first site or application on a user device;

extracting, from the user interaction with the deep-linked ad on the page of the first site or application, values corresponding to the one or more of the set of computer-readable field identifiers used by the first site or application;

automatically directing the user device to display a page of the second site or application; and

passing the values corresponding to the one or more of the set of computer-readable field identifiers used by the first site or application to the correspondingly linked one or more of the set of computer-readable field identifiers used by the second site or application such that the correspondingly linked one or more of the set of computer-readable field identifiers used by the second site or application are determined using the universal variable map and such that one or more fields on the page of the second set or application are pre-populated with the values extracted from the user interaction with the deep-linked ad on the page of the first site or application without necessitating any pre-existing relationship between the pages.

24. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the plurality of sites or applications is categorized by a plurality of verticals, sub-verticals or product or service categories, and wherein generating the deep-linked ad comprises selecting one or more verticals, sub-verticals or product or service categories of the plurality of verticals, sub-verticals or product or service categories.

25. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the deep-linked ad is generated or refined based on contextual information provided by a user'"'"'s implicit action on the page of the first site or application.

26. The computer program product of claim 23, wherein the user interaction with the deep-linked ad comprises the user explicitly or implicitly selecting the deep-linked ad.