Method for providing node targeted content in an addressable network

• US 7,490,135 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2003
• Issued: 02/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panalogin LLC (Acacia Research Corporation), Customer Communications Group
• Original Assignee: Registrar Systems LLC (Continental Communications Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Klug, John R., Peterson, Thad D., Klug, Noah H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuoc H
• Application Number:
  US10/615,219
• Publication Number:
  US 20040010546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,045 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/218, 709/203, 715/733, 715744-747
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6272 by registering files or documents with a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Advertising, entertainment or other content is targeted to a particular node of an addressable network based on user information. Such addressable networks may include the Internet, certain television networks or other networks where content can be addressed to specific nodes. The user information may include financial information, product or service preference information, and user contact information regarding a user of the targeted node. In one implementation, targeted content is presented during waiting time of an Internet session. The corresponding process involves monitoring (416) a user node to identify a website access request, accessing (418) a previously stored message said, selecting (432) a message from the message set and displaying or playing back (434) the selected message.

Claims

1. A system for providing node targeted content in an addressable network, comprising:

an access request receipt module;

a module configured to provide information in response to the access request, wherein the information comprises a given quantity of data;

a module configured to present a viewable portion of at least one message prior to completing display of the information based upon the quantity of data to be received and the network bandwidth;

a message selection module providing at least one message choice option; and

a user profile containing user demographic information, program participation parameters including rules for disseminating the user demographic information, and a participation credit, wherein the user demographic information includes an e-mail address associated with the user.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a base message set from which the at least one message is chosen;

wherein the choice of the message is additionally based on the user demographic information.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a first transmission module operative to transmit the information; and

a second transmission module operative to transmit the at least one message.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the second transmission module is further operative to transmit at least one message chosen from the base message set after receipt of the access request and prior to the transmission module transmitting the information.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the second transmission module transmits the at least one message during transmission of the information by the first transmission module.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the first and second transmission modules are the same.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the message is an advertisement.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein:

the user demographic information is specified by a user;

the access request receipt module is located at a first site of the addressable network;

the user profile is stored in a database configured for use in registering the user with one or more third party web sites; and

the database is located at a second site of the addressable network.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the expected time period is further determined based upon an operating speed of a processor used to execute the module configured to present the at least one message.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a module configured to present at least one of the messages as a screen saver during a period of inactivity for a computer hosting a web browser utilized to present the information.

11. A system for providing node targeted content in an addressable network, comprising:

a web browser configured to receive and communicate a request to connect with a network node identified by an uniform resource locator and in response thereto to receive and present information provided by the network node, wherein the information comprises a given quantity of data; and

a first module configured to determine a time period available for presenting a viewable portion of one or more messages, wherein the time period comprises an approximate quantity of time needed for the web browser to establish the connection with the network node and to retrieve and present a viewable portion of the information based upon the quantity of data to be received and network bandwidth;

a second module configured to present at least one message during the time period; and

a message selection module providing, in response to a connection request, at least one option for choosing a message content category;

whereby upon selecting at least one message content category, at least one message associated with a chosen message content category is presented to the user during the time period; and

a third module configured to present an option to a user to participate in an on-line program facilitating the providing of node targeted content.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the time period is less than an amount of time necessary for the web browser to request, retrieve and present a first frame of information formatted using hyper text markup language.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the message is terminated upon expiration of the time period.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the message is terminated prior to expiration of the time period and in conjunction with the presentation of at least a portion of the retrieved information.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one message is selected based upon the time period available.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the at least one message is selected based upon user demographic information used by a registrar web site to register the user with another web site.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the user demographic information is stored at a node remote to the web browser.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the user demographic information is derived from Internet usage.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the message presented is selected based upon the amount of the information provided by the network node.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the time period is further determined based upon an operating speed of the network node providing the information.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the time period is further determined based upon an amount of information to be presented.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the time period is further determined based upon a determination of network congestion.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the time period is further determined based upon bandwidth of the data communications path.

24. The system of claim 11, wherein the time period is further determined based upon a configuration of a data communications path from the network node providing the information to the web browser.

25. The system of claim 11, wherein the time period is further determined based upon a communications protocol utilized in the addressable network.

26. The system of claim 11, wherein participation by the user in the on-line program results in an awarding of one or more credits redeemable in a frequent use program.

27. A method for providing one or more messages to an Internet user, during an Internet session, comprising:

receiving a request from an Internet user, during a current Internet session, to establish a connection with a first Internet site, the request including an address identifying content available from an Internet site;

estimating a first time period necessary to retrieve the content from the Internet site, the first time period based upon the amount of content requested and upon a monitoring of communications between a server hosting the first Internet site and a web browser receiving the information;

identifying, in response to the request, at least one message choice option to present to the Internet user;

processing an identification by a user of at least one of the at least one message choice option; and

responsive to the identification and the estimated time of the first time period, retrieving and presenting a detectable portion of at least one message associated with the at least one message choice option during at least a portion of the first time period;

wherein the user is identified based upon demographic information provided by a registrar web site.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the message is presented for a second time period, the second time period being longer than the first time period.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the message is additionally identified based upon a user profile.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the content is retrieved using at least one of the file transfer protocol and the hyper text transfer protocol.

31. The method of claim 27, wherein the message is obtained from a local data store established during a previous Internet session and configured to store at least a portion of the demographic information provided by the registrar web site.

32. The method of claim 27, wherein the message is presented during a loading time of the content and is terminated based upon a loading state.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the loading state is user specified.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the message is terminated based upon a monitoring of communications between a server hosting the first Internet site and a web browser receiving the information.

35. The method of claim 27, wherein at least one of the message choice options includes an option of not receiving any messages.