METHOD FOR OPTIMUM PLACEMENT OF ADVERTISEMENTS ON A WEB PAGE

• US 20110276411A1
• Filed: 07/01/2011
• Published: 11/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: R2 Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Radford, Michael, McElfresh, Charles, Mineiro, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,521,588 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.66
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0243 Comparative campaigns
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0247 Calculate past, present or future revenues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0254 based on statistics
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A method and system for placement of graphical objects on a page to optimize the occurrence of an event associated with such objects. The graphical objects might include, for instance, advertisements on a webpage, and the event would include a user clicking on that ad. The page includes positions for receipt of the object material. Data regarding the past performance of the objects is stored and updated as new data is received. A user requests a page from a server associated with system. The server uses the performance data to derive a prioritized arrangement of the objects on the page. The server performs a calculation regarding the likelihood that an event will occur for a given object, as displayed to a particular user. The objects are arranged according to this calculation and returned to the user on the requested page. The likelihood can also be multiplied by a weighting factor and the objects arranged according to this product.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of providing placement of a plurality of advertisements on a page accessible by a user, the page having positions for receipt of the advertisements, each advertisement having at least one link to information, the link being invoked by an event identifying the advertisement by a computer pointing device, the method comprising:

at the server, storing in a database and retrieving from the database performance data associated with a likelihood of the event occurring for each advertisement;

at the server, in response to a request for advertisements from a web site, unless an advertiser has secured an agreement or right requiring otherwise, arranging the advertisements relative to one another on the page using the performance data; and

delivering data relating to the arranged advertisements for placement on the page.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising delivering data defining arrangement of the arranged advertisements relative to one another for placement on the page by the web site.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the server uses the performance data to calculate a likelihood that the event will occur, and the server prioritizes the arranging of the advertisements using the likelihood calculation.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each advertisement has an associated weighting factor, the likelihood calculation is multiplied times the weighting factor by the server, and the arranging of the advertisements is prioritized using this product by the server.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the weighting factor includes a price of the advertisement.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertiser securing an agreement or right comprises the advertiser securing a contract.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the advertiser securing an agreement or right comprises the advertiser making a purchase.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising providing an advertiser with an option to secure an agreement or right to a particular placement of one or more advertisements on one or more web pages or web sites independent of performance data.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising providing an advertiser with an option to secure an agreement or right to a particular placement of one or more advertisements on one or more web pages or web sites without regard to performance data, and wherein securing the agreement or right to the particular placement comprises overriding placement arrangement as would otherwise be applied.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein securing the agreement or right to a particular placement comprises demographic targeting of users.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the demographic targeting overrides targeting that would otherwise be applied.

12. The method of claim 9, comprising providing an advertiser with an ability to purchase an agreement or right to secure placement of one or more advertisements on a specified section of a web site or web page.

13. A system comprising:

one or more server computers coupled to a network; and

one or more databases coupled to the one or more server computers;

wherein the one or more server computers are for use in performing a method of providing placement of a plurality of advertisements on a page accessible by a user, the page having positions for receipt of the advertisements, each advertisement having at least one link to information, the link being invoked by an event identifying the advertisement, the method comprising;

at a server, storing in a database and retrieving from the database performance data associated with the likelihood of the event occurring for each advertisement;

at the server, in response to a request for advertisements from a web site, unless an advertiser has secured an agreement or right requiring otherwise, arranging the advertisements relative to one another on the page using the performance data; and

delivering data relating to the arranged advertisements for placement on the page.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the advertiser securing an agreement or right comprises the advertiser securing a contract.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the advertiser securing an agreement or right comprises the advertiser making a purchase.

16. The system of claim 13, comprising providing an advertiser with an option to secure an agreement or right to a particular placement of one or more advertisements on one or more web pages or web sites independent of performance data.

17. The system of claim 13, comprising providing an advertiser with an option to secure an agreement or right to a particular placement of one or more advertisements on one or more web pages without regard to performance data, and wherein securing the agreement or right to the particular placement comprises overriding placement arrangement as would otherwise be applied.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein securing the agreement or right to a particular placement comprises demographic targeting of users.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the demographic targeting overrides targeting that would otherwise be applied.

20. A computer readable medium or media containing instructions for executing a method of providing placement of a plurality of advertisements on a page accessible by a user, the page having positions for receipt of the advertisements, each advertisement having at least one link to information, the link being invoked by an event identifying the advertisement by a computer pointing device, the method comprising:

at a server, storing in a database and retrieving from the database performance data associated with the likelihood of the event occurring for each advertisement;

at the server, in response to a request for advertisements from a web site, unless an advertiser has secured an agreement or right requiring otherwise, arranging the advertisements relative to one another on the page using the performance data; and

delivering data relating to the arranged advertisements for placement on the page by the web site.