Advertisement selection engine for placing micro-advertising

• US 20030023631A1
• Filed: 07/26/2001
• Published: 01/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Castle, Daniel C.
• Application Number:
  US09/916,970
• Publication Number:
  US 20030023631A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/513
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

An information content delivery service determines the white space remaining on a page of requested information content. The selection engine selects a micro-advertisement or a plurality of micro-advertisements based on criteria such as the space available, the value assigned to each advertisement, and the frequency that the consumer has seen the advertisement. The micro-advertisements are placed on the page in the available space and the page is transmitted to the consumer for viewing and/or printing.

Claims

1. A method for placing a micro-advertisement on a page comprising information content, the method comprising the steps of:

determining available space on the page for the micro-advertisement, the available space not interfering with the information content;

selecting the micro-advertisement, from a plurality of micro-advertisements, to place on the page; and

placing the micro-advertisement on the page in the available space.

2. The method of claim 1 and further including the step of transmitting the page to a consumer.

3. The method of claim 1 and further including the step of transmitting the page to a consumer over the Internet.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of selecting includes the step of determining the consumer'"'"'s heuristics.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the step of selecting includes the step of determining a value for the micro-advertisement.

6. A method for exposing a consumer to advertisements by placing a plurality of micro-advertisement on a page comprising information content, the method comprising the steps of:

determining available space on the page for the plurality of micro-advertisements, the available space not interfering with the information content;

determining a value for each of the plurality of micro-advertisements;

selecting the plurality of micro-advertisements, from a pool of micro-advertisements, in response to the available space and the value; and

placing the plurality of micro-advertisements on the page in the available space.

7. The method of claim 6 and further including the step of transmitting the page to the consumer.

8. The method of claim 6 and further including the step of transmitting the page to the consumer over the Internet.

9. A method for advertising to a consumer over the Internet, from an information service provider, using micro-advertisements on a page comprising information content, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for information content from the consumer;

formatting the information content on the page;

determining available space on the page for the micro-advertisements, the available space not interfering with the information content;

selecting the micro-advertisements in response to the available space; and

placing the micro-advertisements on the page in the available space.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of selecting comprises selecting the micro-advertisements from a pool of micro-advertisements.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein and further including the step of transmitting the page over the Internet to the consumer.

12. The method of claim 9 and further including the step of the service provider accumulating the information content from various sources.

13. The method of claim 9 and further including the step of the service provider accumulating the information content from the service provider'"'"'s Web server.

14. A method for advertising to a consumer over the Internet, from an information service provider, using micro-advertisements on a page comprising information content, the method comprising the steps of:

the information service provider receiving a request for predetermined information content from the consumer;

formatting the information content on the page;

determining available space on the page for the micro-advertisements, the available space not interfering with the information content;

determining a value for each of the plurality of micro-advertisements;

selecting the micro-advertisements in response to the available space and the value;

placing the plurality of micro-advertisements on the page in the available space; and

transmitting the page to the consumer.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the step of selecting comprises selecting the micro-advertisements from a pool of micro-advertisements stored on the service provider'"'"'s Web server.

16. The method of claim 14 and further including the step of the service provider accumulating the information content from various information sources.

17. A system for placing micro-advertisements on a page comprising information content intended for a consumer, the system comprising:

a processor that controls processes for placing micro-advertisements in response to micro-advertisement selection criteria;

memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing the micro-advertisement selection criteria used by the processor;

storage media coupled to the processor, the storage media storing the page of information content, a plurality of micro-advertisements, and a plurality of micro-advertisement selection criteria associated with each micro-advertisement; and

input/output apparatuses coupled to the processor, the input/output apparatuses comprising means for transmitting the page comprising the information content and the micro-advertisement.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the storage media comprises means for storing consumer profiles.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the input/output apparatuses comprise an Internet interface that couples the system to the Internet.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the storage media comprises a disk drive for storing the page of information content, the plurality of micro-advertisements, and the plurality of micro-advertisement selection criteria associated with each micro-advertisement.