Internet contextual advertisement delivery system

• US 7,945,476 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2001
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pulsepoint Incorporated (Pulsepoint Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: ContextWeb Incorporated (Pulsepoint Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Rajendram, Shanthini, Sterns, Jeremy, Subramanian, Anand
• Primary Examiner(s): Alvarez; Raquel
• Application Number:
  US10/001,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20020123912A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,485 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.1, 705/14.4, 705/14.54, 705/14.55, 705/14.67, 705/14.73, 705/1, 705/10, 705/14
• US Class Current: 705/14.67
• 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 references 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 system for delivering ads to a user viewing content operating a station connected to a distributed computer network, comprising:

an ad server which maintains the ads for the user at the station across the distributed computer network, the user station allowing the user to retrieve information containing content;

a data store containing a set of relevancy rules associated with each ad, the rules being operable to indicate a level of relevancy of the ad to the content of the information retrieved; and

a match maker configured to, in response to the submission of a URL by the user at the operating station, access the content retrieved by the user, extract the content according to extracting rules, parse the content of the information into objects, target an ad from the server to the content by applying the relevancy rules in the data store to the objects, free of information about the user, and directly send the targeted ad to the station for display with the content;

wherein the extracting rules enable a classification of the content according to a channel, and wherein a channel is one of an object, a group of objects, a classification of objects or a structural relationship among objects;

wherein the channel into which the content is classified is related to past consumption by users as a consequence of ads that were received and responded to by them.

2. A 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. A system as in claim 1, wherein the targeted ad is presented to the user in at least one of static text, Hyper Text Markup Language, image, Flash, and or rich media format.

4. A system as in claim 1, wherein an advertiser has purchased a right to advertise the targeted ads maintained by at least one of the ad server, an ad network, and or an affiliate network.

5. A system as in claim 1, wherein the objects parsed by the match maker are at least one of a keyword, a key phrase, or a structural relationship of at least one of multiple keywords, multiple key phrases, a keyword with a key phrase, or multiple keywords with multiple key phrases.

6. A system as in claim 5, wherein said at least one key word, a key phrase, and or structural relationship was purchased by an advertiser for targeted advertising.

7. A system as in claim 1, wherein the relevancy rules relate to at least one of a keyword, a key phrase or a structural relationship of at least one of multiple keywords, multiple key phrases, a keyword with a key phrase, or multiple keywords with multiple key phrases that was purchased by an advertiser for targeted advertising and wherein the data store stores a price at which said at least one key word, key phrase, or structural relationship was purchased or a performance measurement of the targeted ad associated with the purchased at least one key word, key phrase, or structural relationship.

8. A system as in claim 7, wherein performance is measured by at least one of changes in revenues or click through rates of targeted ads.

9. A system as in claim 1, wherein the content is a portion of content from a location on the distributed computer network that the user requested to view.

10. A system as in claim 1, wherein the content is a portion of content from a location on the distributed computer network that the user requested to receive.

11. A system as in claim 1, wherein the channel into which the content is classified is among channels used for existing advertising sales by at least one of an advertiser, an ad network, or an affiliate network.

12. A system as in claim 1, wherein the match maker parses the content and maps to the targeted ad in real time as the user operates at the station connected to the distributed computer network.

13. A system as in claim 1, wherein the match maker parses the content and maps to the targeted ad prior to the user operating at the station connected to the distributed computer network.