Internet contextual communication system

• US 7,912,752 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2001
• Issued: 03/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pulsepoint Incorporated (Pulsepoint Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: ContextWeb Incorporated (Pulsepoint Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Shanthini, Rajendram, Sterns, Jeremy, Subramanian, Anand
• Primary Examiner(s): Kyle; Charles R
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEIS, SAMUEL
• Application Number:
  US10/380,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20040078265A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,429 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.49, 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/14.49
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange

Abstract

This invention relates to a system and method for presenting to a user relevant areas of distributed computer network sites. In particular, the invention disclosed infers and cross reference user mind sets with data stores of potential user goals. The user mind sets indicate a navigational goal of a user over the distributed computer network. In addition, the invention cross-references indicated user goals with data stores of service and service providers providing those services. The invention presents targeted service and service providers to the user across the distributed computer network thereby enabling the user to navigate towards the user goal.

Claims

1. A computer system for delivering targeted ads to a user operating a station for viewing web pages, the computer system being connected to a distributed computer network and comprising:

an ad server which maintains a plurality of ads;

a data store that stores a set of rules associated with the plurality of ads, the rules indicating a level of relevancy of one or more of the plurality of ads to one or more predetermined objects and to one or more predetermined attributes which correspond to the one or more predetermined objects; and

a match maker configured to parse the content of a web page to identify one or more objects and one or more attributes in the content of the web page, to cross-reference the identified objects and the identified attributes with the rules in the data store to determine whether at least one of the identified objects and one or more of the identified attributes comprise one of the predetermined objects and corresponding predetermined attributes for which one or more of the plurality of ads are relevant, and to select one or more ads from the one or more relevant ads as targeted ads for delivery over the distributed computer network to the station for display with the web page.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the station is at least one of a personal computer, a pager, a Web-enabled phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a pen-based platform, a wireless digital platform, or a voice-based platform.

3. The system as in claim 1, wherein the match maker is further configured to send information identifying the one or more targeted ads to the ad server, and the ad server is further configured to deliver the one or more targeted ads over the distributed computer network to the station for display with the web page.

4. The computer system as in claim 1, wherein the at least one identified object and one or more identified attributes include a keyword extracted from the content of the web page.

5. A method implemented on a computer system for delivering targeted ads to a user at a station, wherein the station is configured for displaying web pages and the computer system is connected to a distributed computer network, and the computer system is further configured to communicate with an ad server that stores a plurality of ads for delivery to the station and with a data store that stores a set of rules associated with the plurality of ads, the rules indicating a level of relevancy of one or more of the plurality of ads to one or more predetermined objects and to one or more predetermined attributes corresponding to the one or more predetermined objects, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the content of a web page to be displayed at the station over the distributed computer network;

parsing the received content of the web page to identify one or more objects and one or more attributes in the received content of the web page;

cross-referencing the identified objects and identified attributes with the set of rules stored in the data store to determine whether at least one of the identified objects and one or more of the identified attributes comprise one of the predetermined objects and corresponding predetermined attributes for which one or more of the plurality of ads are relevant; and

selecting one or more targeted ads from the one or more relevant ads for delivery over the distributed computer network to the station for display with the web page.

6. The method as in claim 5 wherein the station is at least one of a personal computer, a pager, a Web-enabled phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a pen-based platform, a wireless digital platform, or a voice-based platform.

7. The method as in claim 5, further comprising the step of:

sending information identifying the one or more targeted ads to the ad server, whereby the ad server delivers the one or more targeted ads over the distributed computer network to the station for display with the web page.

8. The method as in claim 5, wherein the at least one identified object and one or more identified include a keyword extracted from the content of the web page.