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Targeting users' interests with a dynamic index and search engine server

  • US 9,977,831 B1
  • Filed: 11/03/2009
  • Issued: 05/22/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 08/16/1999
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method of improving the way a computer provides personalized advertising to users of internet web pages, the method comprising the steps of:

  • a) providing an index server maintaining dynamic indices to internet web pages and employing a hierarchical plurality of topic categories whose contents are maintained and updated by the index server, wherein a master index is maintained as well as one for each user;

    b) permitting a user to customize the user'"'"'s index by addition of an internet web page to the user'"'"'s index in conjunction with one or more topic categories;

    c) permitting the user to customize the user'"'"'s index by deleting, renaming, and re-hierarchializing topic categories and to specify any subset of the plurality of topic categories as customized by the user;

    d) performing customization value calculations to determine numeric customization values, each of the numeric customization values representing how much the user has customized a respective one of the topic categories;

    e) calculating a numeric interest value for at least some of the topic categories, wherein calculating a numeric interest value for at least some of the topic categories comprises using the numeric customization values for a respective one of the topic categories;

    f) at request of the user, executing a search of the index server in any category of the subset but only of categories in the subset; and

    g) serving to the user an advertisement based at least in part upon the calculated numeric interest value.

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