ADAPTIVE RUN-TIME ADVERTISEMENTS

• US 20100082440A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: SINGH, BALBIR, VAIDYANATHAN, SHANKAR, VADDADI, PHANI
• Granted Patent: US 9,710,817 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.720
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0276 Advertisement creation

Abstract

Systems, computer-implemented methods and computer-storage media are provided for presenting customizable advertisements to a user. Advertising is customized through the use of user-specific or user-relevant data. Items such as keywords, profile data, and application data are received and are then used to retrieve customizations. These customizations are stored by a server or group of servers that the vendor makes available to the advertising provider. Items that could further identify adaptations desirable for advertising, such as a user profile, may be sent to the vendor'"'"'s server as well. The adaptations take forms that include pictures, text, graphics, links, audio, and video files. Systems that comprise an advertising server, a vendor server, and a client application used for completing the above method, as well as computer-readable media necessary at each device to accomplish the customizations, are also described.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for presenting advertisements to a user through a client application, the method comprising:

communicating a request for an advertisement, wherein the request is from the client application to a first server that is configured to provide advertisements;

receiving at the client application a first advertisement that can be customized;

extracting one or more context items at the client application;

communicating the one or more context items from the client application to the first server;

receiving at the client application one or more ad enhancements from a second server that is configured to provide vendor information, wherein the one or more ad enhancements are based on the one or more context items and are sent via the first server; and

rendering the first advertisement with the ad enhancement at the client application.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the extracting one or more context items comprises extracting keywords associated with a browsed web page.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the extracting one or more context items comprises extracting at least a portion of a user profile stored in an application cookie.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the extracting one or more context items comprises extracting an identifier associated with the user, wherein the identifier is used to access a customer profile at the second server configured to provide vendor information.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the extracting one or more context items comprises extracting user location information.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the one or more ad enhancements comprises receiving one or more of a graphic, an image, an audio file, a video file, a scripting code, a link, a coupon, and a portion of code rendering additional text.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein receiving the one or more ad enhancements comprises receiving a second advertisement to completely replace the first advertisement.

8. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method for customizing advertising content at a first server configured to provide advertisements, the method comprising:

receiving at the first server a request for an advertisement, wherein the request is received from a requesting application;

communicating an advertisement that contains at least one portion that can be adapted according to user-relevant factors;

receiving one or more user-relevant factors from the requesting application;

communicating the one or more user-relevant factors to a second server configured to provide vendor information;

receiving one or more adaptation elements from the second server; and

communicating the one or more adaptation elements to the requesting application.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein the user-relevant factors include at least one of a keyword, application metadata, information contained in an application cookie, user profile information, and a user location.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein the user-relevant factors received from the client application correspond directly to the one or more adaptation elements.

11. The media of claim 9, wherein the user-relevant factors are further manipulated to determine the one or more adaptation elements.

12. The media of claim 11, wherein the first server derives the one or more adaptation elements through direct manipulation of the one or more user-relevant factors.

13. The media of claim 12, wherein the direct manipulation is a determination of user location based on a received internet protocol (IP) address.

14. The media of claim 11, wherein the second server derives the one or more adaptation elements through manipulation of the one or more user-relevant factors.

15. The media of claim 14, wherein the manipulation by the second server includes determining an applicable customer profile.

16. The media of claim 14, wherein the manipulation by the second server includes determining a scheduled event associated with interests of the user.

17. The media of claim 14, wherein the manipulation by the second server includes determining a discounted item associated with user purchasing habits.

18. The media of claim 14, wherein the manipulation by the second server includes determining an additional vendor offering products associated with the product included in the advertisement.

19. The media of claim 9, wherein the adaptation elements comprise one or more of a graphic, an image, an audio file, a video file, a scripting code, a link, a coupon, and a portion of code rendering additional text.

20. A system for presenting to a user customizable computer-generated advertisements, the system comprising:

an application on a client device configured to request advertisements and provide user-specific context items;

a first set of one or more servers configured to provide advertisements, wherein at least a portion of the advertisements are configured to receive enhancements during run-time execution;

a second set of one or more servers configured to provide vendor information, wherein the vendor information can be communicated to the application to enhance advertisements according to user-specific context items; and

one or more data stores containing advertising content for one or more vendors.