Content-targeted advertising for interactive computer-based applications

• US 20060167747A1
• Filed: 01/25/2005
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Goodman, Joshua T., Meek, Christopher A., Kadie, Carl M.
• Application Number:
  US11/042,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20060167747A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.530
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0261 based on user location
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

The subject invention provides a unique system and method that facilitates providing content-targeted advertising to a user based at least in part on the content of a user action. The user action can be performed in connection with an outbound messaging system, a real-time messaging system such as a chat or instant messaging, a game environment, and/or calendaring system. The system and method analyze at the least the content of an outbound message and then present a content-targeted advertisement based on the content of the message. The same can be done with respect to calendar entries. However, outbound and inbound calendar entries, invitations, and responses to invitations can be analyzed for content and have content-targeted advertisements presented to the sender or receiver of such items. User privacy can be maintained and/or increased by allowing a user to opt out of content-targeting advertisements. Reasons for being targeted can also be provided to the user.

Claims

1. A system that facilitates targeting advertising on an interactive computer-based application comprising:

a user-analysis component that examines at least one user action and content associated with the action with respect to at least one of the following computer-based applications comprising;

outbound messaging system, real-time messaging system, game system, and calendaring system; and

an advertisement delivery component that determines at least one advertisement to present to a user based at least in part on at least one of the user action, the content associated therewith, demographic information, and geographic information.

2. The system of claim 1, the real-time messaging system comprises a chat system and an instant messaging system.

3. The system of claim 1, the user action comprises composition of an outbound message.

4. The system of claim 3, the user-analysis component analyzes at least a portion of the content of the outbound message.

5. The system of claim 3, the advertisement delivery component appends at least one advertisement to the outbound message.

6. The system of claim 1, the user-analysis component examines user information, the information comprising at least one of demographic and geographic information combined with the content associated with the user action.

7. The system of claim 1, the user action comprises any one of the following with respect to the calendaring system:

composition of a calendar entry, composition of an invitation, and acceptance of the invitation; and

the content associated with the action comprises text content, image content, time, date, and day of at least one of the calendar entry and the invitation.

8. The system of claim 1, with respect to the real-time messaging system, the user action is performed by at least a first party and a second party to a real-time computer-based conversation.

9. The system of claim 1, the user-analysis component examines a history of user actions and the content associated therewith to facilitate determining the at least one advertisement to delivery to the user.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising an advertisement share component that informs at least a second user related to a first user of an advertisement responded to by the first user.

11. A system that facilitates user privacy comprising:

a receiving component that receives user-related information, whereby the information comprises a user selection in connection with choosing an advertisement delivery preference for at least one messaging service employed by a user, and the advertisement delivery preference comprises receipt of one of content-targeted advertisements and non-content targeted advertisements; and

an advertising delivery component that delivers any one of content or non-content targeted advertisements to a user based at least upon the user selection, the user selection comprising at least one of a selection for non-content targeted advertisements or a selection for content-targeted advertisements, whereby the selection for the non-contented targeted advertisements results in a reduced user experience and the selection for content-targeted advertisements results in an improved user experience with respect to the at least one messaging service.

12. The system of claim 11, the reduced-user experience comprises at least one of the following:

lower storage capacity on a messaging system;

lower size limitations on a messaging system; and

an increased receipt of non-content targeted advertisements.

13. The system of claim 11, the at least one messaging service comprising a chat messaging system and an instant messaging system.

14. The system of claim 11, further comprising a notification component that informs the user of at least one reason the user is targeted for at least one advertisement that is delivered to the user.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the user is informed of the at least one reason in at least one of the following manners:

the at least one reason is provided as part of the advertisement, the at least one reason is provided to the user when the user hovers over the advertisement, or the at least one reason is provided to the user when the user clicks on the advertisement.

16. A method that facilitates content-targeted advertising comprising:

analyzing at least one user action and content associated with the action with respect to at least one of the following computer-based applications comprising;

outbound messaging system, real-time messaging system, game system, and calendaring system; and

determining at least one advertisement to present to a user based at least in part on the user action and the content associated therewith.

17. The method of claim 16, the user action comprises at least one of the following:

at least one of preparing and sending an outbound message, playing an electronic game, at least one of composing or sending a calendar entry, at least one of composing or sending an invitation, and responding to the invitation; and

the content associated with the user action comprises content of the outbound message, user profile information, recipient domain, history of outbound messages, name of environment in which the outbound message is communicated, and/or time, date, and/or day of at any one of the calendar entry and invitation.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising notifying the user of content-targeted advertisements clicked on by others exhibiting a similar state as the user.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising improving user privacy at least in part by informing the user of at least one reason for targeting the user with a particular content-targeted advertisement.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising at least one of presenting the user with at least one content-targeted advertising and appending the at least one content-targeted advertisement to a corresponding outbound message.