Methods and systems for member-created advertisement in a member network

• US 20060224446A1
• Filed: 03/29/2005
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Fox, Kevin David
• Granted Patent: US 8,538,810 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.550
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested

Abstract

Methods and systems for members of a member network to create and target advertisement to other members of the member network. A member can target advertisement to other members in the member network by establishing a member profile that includes associations and/or nexuses with the targeted members. Fees can be charged to members who create and disseminate advertisement to other members in the member network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a request to create an advertisement from a first user, wherein the first user is from a network of associated users;

receiving advertisement content for the advertisement;

receiving a selection of a category of one or more users from the network of associated users as a target for the advertisement, wherein the category of one or more users comprises at least a second user;

generating the advertisement based on the advertisement content; and

providing the advertisement to at least the second user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network of associated users comprises a member network.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving advertisement content for the advertisement comprises:

receiving a selection of a category for the advertisement; and

receiving advertisement content that is specific to the selection of the category.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the receiving advertisement content that is specific to the selected category comprises:

receiving the specific advertisement content from an input to at least one predetermined field of entry.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the input comprises text content.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the input comprises graphic content.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the graphic content is imported.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving a selection of at least a second user comprises:

receiving a selection of a predetermined group of users from the network of associated users.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the advertisement to the at least second user comprises:

displaying the advertisement within a profile of the at least second user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the advertisement to the at least second user comprises:

displaying the advertisement separate from a profile of the at least second user; and

providing a link to the advertisement from within the profile of the at least second user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the advertisement to the at least second user comprises:

displaying the advertisement in an e-mail sent to the at least second user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the advertisement to the at least second user comprises:

receiving a selection of a category for the advertisement; and

providing the advertisement to the at least second user based on the selection of the category.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the advertisement to the at least second user comprises:

receiving a selection of an association of the first user to the at least second user in the network of associated users; and

providing the advertisement to the at least second user based on the selection of the association.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection of the at least second user from the network of associated users as a target for the advertisement is based on a profile of the first user as maintained by the network.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

charging a fee to the first user for the providing the advertisement to the at least one second user.

16. A computer-readable medium on which is encoded program code, the program code comprising:

program code for receiving a request to create an advertisement from a first user, wherein the first user is from a network of associated users;

program code for receiving advertisement content for the advertisement;

program code for receiving a selection of a category of one or more users from the network of associated users as a target for the advertisement, wherein the category of one or more users comprises at least a second user;

program code for generating the advertisement based on the advertisement content; and

program code for providing the advertisement to at least the second user.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the network of associated users comprises a member network.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the program code for receiving advertisement content for the advertisement comprises:

program code for receiving a selection of a category for the advertisement; and

program code for receiving advertisement content that is specific to the selection of the category.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the program code for receiving advertisement content that is specific to the selected category comprises:

program code for receiving the specific advertisement content from an input to at least one predetermined field of entry.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the input comprises text content.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the input comprises graphic content.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the graphic content is imported.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the receiving a selection of at least a second user comprises:

receiving a selection of a predetermined group of users from the network of associated users.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the program code for providing the advertisement to the at least second user comprises:

program code for displaying the advertisement within a profile of the at least second user.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the program code for providing the advertisement to the at least second user comprises:

program code for displaying the advertisement separate from a profile of the at least second user; and

program code for providing a link to the advertisement from within the profile of the at least second user.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the program code for providing the advertisement to the at least second user comprises:

program code for displaying the advertisement in an e-mail sent to the at least second user.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the program code for providing the advertisement to the at least second user comprises:

program code for receiving a selection of a category for the advertisement; and

program code for providing the advertisement to the at least second user based on the selection of the category.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the program code for providing the advertisement to the at least second user comprises:

program code for receiving a selection of an association of the first user to the at least second user in the network of associated users; and

providing the advertisement to the at least second user based on the selection of the association.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the selection of the at least second user from the network of associated users as a target for the advertisement is based on a profile of the first user as maintained by the network.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

program code for charging a fee to the first user for the providing the advertisement to the at least one second user.