Press release distribution system

• US 9,652,781 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2016
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• 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): Long, Meredith A
• Application Number:
  US15/069,908
• Publication Number:
  US 20160196581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 sponsored news content to multiple web sites that each includes one or more pages containing non-sponsored content, the press release distribution system comprising multiple web server computers delivering web pages containing sponsored and non-sponsored news content to clients, the web server computers each configured to:

monitor user data or user activity at a related one or more of the web sites,

request sponsored new content from one or more ad servers over a communication network for inclusion on one or more related web sites based on monitored user data or activity;

post the sponsored news content among the non-sponsored content at the related one or more of the web sites, wherein the posting comprises displaying the sponsored news content separately from any banner advertisement or static header on the page and embedding the sponsored news content contiguously together with at least some of the non-sponsored content on the page such that the sponsored content scrolls together with the at least some of the non-sponsored content on the page, and the sponsored news content is placed in a fixed position relative to the contiguous non-sponsored news content on the page;

track one or more of impressions, clicks, click-through rate, or user actions with respect to the sponsored news content;

limit a time period during which the sponsored news content is posted at the related one or more of the web sites; and

limit a frequency at which the sponsored news content is displayed;

wherein the sponsored news content posted by the web server is not a banner advertisement or a static header,

wherein at least one feature of the sponsored news content is the same as a corresponding feature of the contiguous non-sponsored news content on the page, and at least one other 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 contiguous non-sponsored news content.

2. The press release distribution system of claim 1, wherein the sponsored news content comprises a press release.

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 web servers are further configured to monitor user data and user activity at the related one or more of the web sites.

6. 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.

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

8. 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 monitoring user data or activity on one or more web sites;

electronically requesting sponsored news content by a server computer based on the monitored user data or activity;

electronically distributing the sponsored news content by the server computer to a related one or more of the web sites over the communications networks based on the monitored user data or activity;

electronically embedding the sponsored news content among the non-sponsored content at 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; and

electronically delivering a specific sponsored news content to a user based on the monitored user data or user activity,

displaying specific sponsored content among non-sponsored content on a plurality of related web sites;

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

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 the user is limited, and

wherein a plurality of features of the sponsored news content are 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.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the sponsored news content comprises a press release, news, announcement, message, news feed, or non-press event.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the non-sponsored content comprises one or more of messages, postings, posts, or threads.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the communications network is the Internet.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of web sites comprise forum sites, fan sites, popular sites, enthusiast sites, message forums, user forums, or popular forums.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising electronically generating user profiles from the monitored user data or user activity at the related one or more of the web sites.

14. The method of claim 8, 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.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the sponsored news content comprises one or more of text, video, or images.

16. The method of claim 8, 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.

17. The method of claim 8, 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.