ZOOMABLE ADVERTISEMENTS WITH TARGETED CONTENT

• US 20090177538A1
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Karidi, Ron, Brewer, Brett
• Application Number:
  US11/970,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20090177538A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.540
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search

Abstract

Advertisements may be displayed on electronic devices within a variety of contexts, such as websites and applications, but the amount of information that may be conveyed by small advertisements in a portion of the screen may be limited. One technique for displaying information in a limited space involves a zoomable advertisement, wherein the advertisement displayed in a first zoom state is supplemented with additional information upon transitioning to a second zoom state (e.g., zooming in to visualize small content, and zooming out to visualize content that was out of bounds in the first zoom state.) Moreover, the content visible at the second zoom state may present advertising content targeted with respect to the user and based on one or more user criteria. The system may notify an advertisement tracking server of various events, e.g., upon rendering the targeted content on behalf of the user.

Claims

1. A method of rendering an advertisement having at least two zoom states and targeting a user represented by at least one user criterion, the method comprising:

rendering the advertisement at a first zoom state; and

upon transitioning to a second zoom state, rendering the advertisement at the second zoom state with targeted content based on the at least one user criterion representing the user.

2. The method of claim 1, the advertisement comprising at least one of a website, a document, a media item, and an application.

3. The method of claim 1, the advertisement contained in an advertisement host comprising at least one of a website, a document, a media item, and an application.

4. The method of claim 3, the advertisement contained in an advertisement region within the advertisement host.

5. The method of claim 1, the advertisement comprising a continuously zoomable advertisement.

6. The method of claim 1, the targeted content arranged in the advertisement as viewable at the second zoom state and not viewable at the first zoom state.

7. The method of claim 1:

the first zoom state including targeted content based on a first user criterion relating to the user; and

the targeted content of the second zoom state comprising targeted content based on the first user criterion and a second user criterion relating to the user.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

detecting at least one user criterion relating to the user.

9. The method of claim 1, the second zoom state rendering comprising:

upon transitioning to the second zoom state;

retrieving the targeted content from an advertisement server relating to the at least one user criterion, and

rendering the advertisement at the second zoom state with the targeted content.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

upon rendering the targeted content, notifying an advertisement tracking server of the rendering of the targeted content.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising:

upon detecting a user interaction with the advertisement, rendering at least one of;

the advertisement transitioned to a zoom state, and

a second advertisement relating to the advertisement.

12. The method of claim 11, comprising:

upon detecting an advertisement interaction, notifying an advertisement tracking server of the user interaction with the advertisement.

13. A computer-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions configured to perform a method of rendering an advertisement targeted to a user and having at least two zoom states, the method comprising:

rendering the advertisement at a first zoom state; and

upon transitioning to a second zoom state, rendering the advertisement at the second zoom state with targeted content based on at least one user criterion relating to the user.

14. A system for rendering an advertisement having at least two zoom states and targeting a user represented by at least one user criterion, the system comprising:

an advertisement memory configured to store the advertisement and the targeted content;

a user criteria memory configured to store the at least one user criterion;

an advertisement zoom state indicator memory configured to store an advertisement zoom state indicator; and

a targeted advertisement rendering component configured to render the advertisement at the advertisement zoom state indicated by the advertisement zoom state memory, and upon transitioning to a second zoom state, to render within the second zoom state the targeted content targeting the at least one user criterion.

15. The system of claim 14, the advertisement comprising a continuously zoomable advertisement.

16. The system of claim 14, comprising:

an advertisement receiving component configured to receive the advertisement and the targeted content and to store the advertisement and the targeted content in the advertisement memory.

17. The system of claim 16, the advertisement receiving component configured to receive the advertisement and the targeted content prior to rendering the advertisement.

18. The system of claim 16, the advertisement receiving component configured to receive the advertisement prior to rendering the advertisement, and configured to receive the targeted content subsequent to rendering the advertisement at the first zoom state and prior to transitioning to the second zoom state.

19. The system of claim 14, comprising:

an input component configured to detect user input representing an advertisement interaction;

and the targeted advertisement rendering component configured, upon the input component detecting user input representing an advertisement interaction, to render at least one of;

the advertisement transitioned to a zoom state, and

a second advertisement relating to the advertisement.

20. The system of claim 14, comprising:

an advertisement tracking server notification component configured to notify the advertisement tracking server of at least one of;

a rendering of the targeted content at the first zoom state,

a rendering of the targeted content at the second zoom state, and

a user interaction with the advertisement.