Application software add-on for enhanced internet based marketing

• US 6,282,567 B1
• Filed: 06/24/1999
• Issued: 08/28/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Journyx, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Journyx, Inc.
• Inventors: Finch, II, Curtis L., Leake, William, Miller, William, Anderson, Christopher B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Geckil, Mehmet B.
• Application Number:
  US09/339,428
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/223, 709/224, 707/10, 707/3
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A method for performing enhanced marketing operations upon the Internet enables a company web server to employ a client web server in its marketing efforts. An application program installs upon a client web server coupled to the Internet. An application program add-on also installs upon the client web server and becomes primarily responsible for the ongoing marketing efforts provided. During the installation process (and thereafter), client information is collected by the application program and/or the application program add-on at the client web server. The application software/application software add-on then relays this client information to the company web server across the Internet for further use. Marketing content is then downloaded from the company web server to the client web server across the Internet. After its receipt, the marketing content is supported upon the client web server to support the marketing efforts of the company. In one embodiment of the present invention, the marketing content is one or more advertisements that are displayed upon the client web server. In another embodiment of the present invention, the marketing content is search engine content. Search engine content is used by the application program add-on to create a search engine content that include content relating to search terms or phrases. Once these search engine content pages are created, they will be spidered by at least one search engine. The content and location of these search engine content pages will cause the search engines to return a desired link for particular a selected search term or phrase.

Claims

1. A method for performing enhanced marketing operations upon the Internet, the method comprising:

downloading, across the Internet, an application program and an application program add-on from a company web server to each of a plurality of client web servers;

installing the application program upon each of the plurality of client web servers;

for each application program installed, installing the application program add-on upon the corresponding client web server;

downloading marketing content from the company web server to each of the plurality of client web servers across the Internet, wherein the marketing content includes a search term and a link to a corresponding web site;

upon each of the plurality of client web servers, creating at least one search engine content page that includes the search term and the link to the corresponding web site; and

sending a request to a search engine to spider the plurality of search engine content pages residing on the plurality of client web servers so that a search performed on the search engine site for the search term will return the link to the corresponding web site.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application program is freely provided in exchange for allowing the creation of the search engine content pages on the plurality of client web servers.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

downloading advertisements to the plurality of client web servers; and

displaying the advertisements to users of the application program.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying the advertisement upon a web page serviced by the client web server.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising, upon an advertisement update event, downloading another advertisement from the company web server to the client web server across the Internet.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising periodically downloading advertisements across the Internet.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the advertisements include content that is selected based upon the client information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the application program add-on is installed upon the corresponding client web server during installation of the application program.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the application program add-on is installed upon the corresponding client web server subsequent to the installation of the application program.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending requests to a plurality of search engines to spider the plurality of search engine content pages.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the application software add-on sends a request to the search engine to spider at least one corresponding search engine content page.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the application software add-on sends a request to the company web server to spider at least one corresponding search engine content page; and

the company web server sends a request to the search engine for the search engine to spider the at least one corresponding search engine content page.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a web client access of a search engine content page; and

redirecting the web client to the company web server.

14. A computer readable medium for use by a company web server and a plurality of client web servers, the computer readable medium comprising:

a set of distribution instructions that, when operated upon by the company web server, cause the company web server to download, across the Internet, an application program and an application program add-on to a plurality of client web servers;

a set of application program installation instructions that, when operated upon by a client web server of the plurality of client web servers, cause the client web server to install an application program upon the client web server;

a set of application add-on instructions that, when operated upon by the client web server, cause the client web server to install an application program add-on;

a set of marketing content download instructions that cause the client web server to download marketing content from the company web server across the Internet, wherein the marketing content includes a search term and a link to a corresponding web site;

a set of search engine content creation pages that cause the client web server to create at least one search engine content page that includes the search term and the link to the corresponding web site; and

a set of spidering request instructions that cause the client web server to send a request to a search engine to spider the at least one search engine content page.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the application program is freely provided in exchange for allowing the creation of the search engine content pages on the plurality of client web servers.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising a set of advertisement display instructions that cause the client web server to download advertisements from the company web server and to display the advertisement to a user of the application program.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising a set of advertisement display instructions that cause the client web server to display the advertisement upon a web page serviced by the client web server.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising a set of advertisement download instructions that cause the client web server to, upon an advertisement update event, download another advertisement across the Internet.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising a set of advertisement download instructions that cause the client web server to periodically download advertisements from the company web server to the client web server across the Internet.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the advertisements include content that is selected based upon the client information.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the application program add-on is installed upon the corresponding client web server during installation of the application program.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the application program add-on is installed upon the client web server subsequent to the installation of the application program.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the set of spidering request instructions cause a plurality of search engines to spider the at least one search engine content page.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the set of spidering request instructions cause the client web server to send a spidering request directly to the search engine.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein:

the search engine spider request instructions cause the client web server to send a spidering request to the company web server; and

the company web server sends a request to the search engine for the search engine to spider the at least one search engine content page.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising:

a set of web client detection instructions that cause the client web server to detect a web client of a search engine content page of the at least one search engine content page; and

a set of web client redirect instructions that cause the client web server to redirect the web client to the company web server.