System and method for increasing click through rates of internet banner advertisements

• US 6,379,251 B1
• Filed: 03/05/1999
• Issued: 04/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Realtime Acquisition LLC A Delaware Limited Liability Company
• Original Assignee: Realtime Media
• Inventors: Seidman, Charles, Auxier, Robert, Khera, Vivek
• Primary Examiner(s): SAGER, MARK ALAN
• Application Number:
  US09/263,526
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 463/1, 463/9, 463/11-12, 463/16-19, 463/25, 463/29, 463/30, 463/36, 463/40-42, 340/323.R, 340/825, 700/91, 700/92, 273/236, 273/237, 273/138.1, 273/138.2, 273/139, 273/269, 705/1, 705/14, 705/16-17, 705/39, 705/41, 705/44, 709/200-201, 709/217, 709/223, 709/224, 379/114.11
• US Class Current: 463/42
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/329 Regular and instant lottery, e.g. electronic scratch cards

Abstract

A system and method for increasing click-through rates of Internet banner advertisements (ads) is enabled through the delivery of banner ads having a user interactive gaming function. In one embodiment, the user interactive gaming function is implemented as an Internet scratch-off game. The gaming further on the banner ad is completed by the user upon the interaction by the user at a merchant web site. A transfer to the merchant'"'"'s web site is accomplished using a uniform resource locator request that includes game state information. Automatic transfers to a merchant web site can also be effected based upon indications of user interaction with an interactive portion of a banner ad.

Claims

1. A method for increasing click-through rates for Internet banner advertisements, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting a first uniform resource locator request to a first web server;

(b) receiving web page data from said first web server, said web page data including banner ad data that identifies the source of one or more components to be used in rendering a banner ad in the web page defined by said web page data;

(c) transmitting a second uniform resource locator request to a second web server, said second uniform resource locator request identifying at least one component to be used in rendering said banner ad;

(d) receiving, from said second web server, computer program logic for storage on a computer usable medium in a client computer, said computer program logic including a means for enabling a processor in said client computer to implement a user interactive gaming function within a portion of said banner ad, wherein said user interactive gaming function is completed by interaction with a merchant web server; and

(e) transmitting a third uniform resource locator request to said merchant web server, said third uniform resource locator request including game state information that is indicative of a state of said user interactive gaming function, wherein said game state information is processed by said merchant server to determine whether said user is qualified to win a prize.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step (d) comprises the step of receiving computer program logic for storage on a computer usable medium in a client computer, said computer program logic including

first means for enabling a processor in said client computer to display at least one secondary image on a display screen, said at least one secondary image corresponding to at least one gaming symbol image; and

second means for enabling said processor in said client computer to replace a portion of said at least one secondary image on said display screen with a corresponding portion of said at least one gaming symbol image, wherein said portion defines a display area that corresponds to a display area covered by the movement in a cursor position.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein step (e) comprises the step of transmitting a third uniform resource locator request to said merchant web server, said third uniform resource locator request including an identifier of said at least one gaming symbol image.

4. A method for increasing click-through rates for Internet banner advertisements, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting a first uniform resource locator request to a first web server;

(b) receiving web page data from said first web server, said web page data including banner ad data that identifies the source of one or more components to be used in rendering a banner ad in the web page defined by said web page data;

(c) transmitting a second uniform resource locator request to a second web server, said second uniform resource locator request identifying at least one component to be used in rendering said banner ad;

(d) receiving, from said second web server, computer program logic for storage on a computer usable medium in a client computer, said computer program logic including

first means for enabling a processor in said client computer to display at least one secondary image on an interactive portion of said banner ad, said at least one secondary image; and

second means for enabling said processor in said client computer to replace a portion of said at least one secondary image on said display screen with a corresponding portion of at least one symbol image, wherein said portion defines a display area that corresponds to a display area covered by the movement in a cursor position; and

(e) automatically transmitting a third uniform resource locator request to a merchant web server based upon an examination of user interaction within said interactive portion of said banner ad.

5. The method of claim 4, where step (e) comprises the step of automatically transmitting a third uniform resource locator request to a merchant web server upon a stoppage of a user'"'"'s scratching within said interactive portion of said banner ad.

6. The method of claim 4, where step (e) comprises the step of automatically transmitting a third uniform resource locator request to a merchant web server after a lapse of a predetermined period of time after a user has initiated scratching within said interactive portion of said banner ad.

7. The method of claim 4, where step (e) comprises the step of automatically transmitting a third uniform resource locator request to a merchant web server after a lapse of a predetermined period of time after a user has stopped scratching within said interactive portion of said banner ad.

8. The method of claim 4, where step (e) comprises the step of automatically transmitting a third uniform resource locator request to a merchant web server after a user has scratched off a sufficient portion of said at least one secondary image in said banner ad.