Provision of targeted content

• US 8,533,221 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2007
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Novatiq Technologies Ltd. (Smartpipe Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: 5th Tier Limited
• Inventors: Barclay, Brewster Fahys, Evison, Rufus Simon Tobias
• Primary Examiner(s): GIRMA, ANTENEH B
• Application Number:
  US11/896,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,203 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/771
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/183 Provision of network file services by network file servers, e.g. by using NFS, CIFS network file access protocols H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/335 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles filtering in web context G06F16/9535, G06F16/9536
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Methods of providing services using a web marketing platform are described. The web marketing platform acts as a proxy associated with a host company and can intercept traffic passing to and from the host company. In an embodiment, an interface is provided which enables clients to easily request services. One example service is the provision of targeted content to users within web pages from sites hosted by the host company and in such an example, the actual content can be analyzed in real time to provide improved targeting based on the content, user behavior or any other criteria.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

configuring a domain name service to route requests for content hosted at a server associated with a host company to a platform remote from the server;

receiving, at the platform, a request from a user for content hosted at the server, the platform being remote from the user, the request being received at the platform on the basis of the configuring;

accessing, at the platform, the content from the host company server;

analyzing an aspect of the content or the request via the platform to create targeting data;

identifying, at the platform, targeted content based on the targeting data;

inserting, at the platform, the targeted content into the content to create modified content; and

sending, from the platform, the modified content to the user.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein analyzing an aspect of the content or the request to create targeting data is performed in real time.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said aspect of the content or the request comprises one of:

a referrer address, an address of the content, the content, a search term, the user and data associated with the user.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the targeted content comprises a tag for additional content.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the targeted content comprises one of:

a targeted advertisement and a tag for a targeted advertisement.

6. A method according to claim 5, further comprising:

obtaining revenue from one of;

the owner of the content, the publisher of the content and the host company for the content.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the targeted content comprises a tag comprising data relating to the user'"'"'s behavior.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein identifying targeted content based on the targeting data comprises:

providing the targeting data to a plurality of content providers;

receiving bids from at least one of the plurality of content providers; and

selecting one of the plurality of content providers based on the bids received.

9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

inserting a tag associated with the selected one of the plurality of content providers into the content to create modified content; and

sending the modified content to the user.

10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the targeting data comprises at least one of:

information defining the content and information defining the user.

11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media with computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

configuring a domain name service to route requests for content hosted at a server associated with a host company to a platform remote from the server;

receiving, at the platform, a request from a user for content hosted at the server, the platform being remote from the user, the request being received at the platform on the basis of the configuring;

accessing, at the platform, the content from the host company server;

analyzing an aspect of the content or the request via the platform to create targeting data;

identifying, at the platform, targeted content based on the targeting data

inserting, at the platform, the targeted content into the content to create modified content; and

sending, from the platform, the modified content to the user.

12. A method comprising:

receiving, at a platform via an interface, a request from a host company for one of a plurality of services available to the host company;

establishing, via the platform, an account for the host company for said one of the plurality of services;

configuring a domain name service to route requests for content hosted at a server associated with a host company to the platform, the server being remote from the platform;

receiving, at the platform, a request from a user for content hosted at the server associated with the host company, the request being received on the basis of the configuring, the user being remote from the platform and the server;

dynamically inserting, at the platform, one or more tags required for said one of the plurality of services into one or more of a request for content sent to the host company server and requested content sent to the user;

sending, from the platform, the request for content to the host company server;

receiving, at the platform, the requested content from the host company server; and

sending, from the platform, the requested content to the user.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein said platform comprises a web marketing platform.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein the web marketing platform is arranged such that at least a portion of data traffic between the network entity and a plurality of users passes through the web marketing platform.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the web marketing platform is associated with the host company as a result of an agreement between the network entity and at least one of an operator and a provider of the web marketing platform.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein the network entity comprises a web site.

17. A method according to claim 12, wherein said interface is provided to at least one customer of said host company.

18. A method according to claim 12, further comprising:

obtaining revenue from said host company.

19. A method according to claim 12, wherein one of the plurality of services comprises provision of targeted content.

20. A method according to claim 12, wherein said one of the plurality of services is operated by a service provider and wherein the method further comprises:

obtaining revenue from said service provider.