Ad sponsors for mobile devices based on download size

• US 8,700,613 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2008
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Aaltonen, Janne, Antikainen, Ismo, Ahopelto, Timo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ly, Cheyne D
• Application Number:
  US12/019,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20080228758A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,272 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.54, 705/14.69, 705/14.73, 707/723
• US Class Current: 707/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and system for ranking search results and is particularly, but not exclusively, suited to providing search results when the delivery of data corresponding to the search results is metered, such as when data are delivered to terminals connected to mobile networks.

Claims

1. A method of generating a search results list in response to a search request, the request comprising one or more search terms, the search terms being held in a storage system arranged to store a plurality of search listings, one or more search terms, and a bid amount, wherein each search listing is associated with a network location providing access to a set of data, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server, a search request made by a subscriber;

accessing, by the server, the storage system so as to identify search listings having search terms generating a match with the received search request;

retrieving, by the server, data indicative of a first bid amount and a network location corresponding to each matched search term, the network location providing access to a set of data corresponding to the matched search term;

generating, by the server, a second bid amount based on the first bid amount and an amount of data associated with the set of data accessible via the network location, wherein the second bid amount is at least partially indicative of a transmission cost to the subscriber for delivery of the data corresponding to the search term;

ordering, by the server, the identified search listings into a search results list in accordance with values corresponding to respective second bid amounts for the identified search listings; and

outputting, by the server, data indicative of the ordered search result list, the outputted data comprising a plurality of selectable links, each corresponding to a network location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the second bid amount is performed so as to account for an amount of data corresponding to at least one data item accessible from the network location.

4. The method of claim 3, including weighting the first bid amount according to the size of at least one data element accessible from the network location, to generate the second bid amount.

5. The method of claim 4, including weighting the first bid amount according to the size of a predetermined number of data elements accessible from the network location, to generate the second bid amount.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of data includes a link to the network location and the method includes identifying a cost associated with accessing the link and allocating a classification dependent on the identified cost.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the classifications include fully subsidized, partially subsidized and non-subsidized.

8. The method of claim 7, in which ordering the search list further comprises identifying selectable links classified as fully subsidized differently to identifying selectable links classified as partially subsidized and non-subsidized.

9. The method of claim 8, in which the ordered list comprises a plurality of portions, each portion corresponding to one of the classifications, whereby to identify the selectable links in accordance with the classifications.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of data includes a link to a further network location, the further network location being accessible via the network location, and the method includes weighting the first bid amount according to the type of the link to the further network location, to generate the second bid amounts.

11. The method of claim 10, including identifying a number of the links to the further network location and classifying each link.

12. The method of claim 1, including identifying costs of transporting data from the network location to a terminal, in which the method further comprises weighting the first bid amount in accordance with the identified transport costs, to generate the second bid amounts.

13. The method of claim 1, including periodically accessing a given network location so as to determine the amount of data associated therewith, and updating the storage system based on the determined amount of data.

14. The method of claim 1, including transmitting the search results to a terminal connected to a mobile communications network.

15. The method of claim 14, in which the search request is received from the terminal.

16. The method of claim 1, in which the storage system comprises an account database arranged to hold a record for each of a plurality of network information providers, each network information provider corresponding to a network location and each account record comprising data indicative of one or more search terms, a specified bid amount, a storage and/or transmission characteristic corresponding to the network location, and an account balance, the method further comprising:

querying respective account balances prior to ordering the search listings into the search results list so as to identify availability of resources; and

modifying the specified bid amounts based on the identified resource availability, whereby to generate the bid amounts for use in ordering the search listings.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the bid amount corresponds to a metered amount that is used to offset the account of the information provider associated with the network location upon receipt of a retrieval request from the terminal for data from the network location, the method further comprising:

receiving a retrieval request from the terminal to retrieve information associated with a link selected from the ordered search result list;

recording a retrieval request event including account identification information corresponding to the network information provider;

identifying a metered amount corresponding to the request event, and

offsetting the metered amount against the account corresponding to the information provider so as to modify the account balance.

2. A method of generating a bid amount for use in generating search results, the method comprising:

receiving, at a server, data indicative of a first bid amount and a network location corresponding to a search term, the network location providing access to a set of data corresponding to the search term;

generating, by the server, a second bid amount in dependence on the first bid amount and an amount of data associated with the set of data accessible via the network location, wherein the second bid amount is at least partially indicative of a transmission cost to a subscriber for delivery of the data corresponding to the search term; and

storing, by the server, the generated second bid amount and search term corresponding thereto in a storage system.

18. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server, a search request in respect of a terminal;

accessing, by the server, a storage system to identify search listings having search terms generating a match with the received search request;

for each of the identified search listing;

identifying, by the server, data indicative of costs associated with transmitting data from a corresponding network location to the terminal;

modifying, by the server, a bid amount based on a storage and/or transmission characteristic and an identified transmission costs, wherein the bid amount is at least partially indicative of a transmission cost to a subscriber associate with the terminal for delivery of the data corresponding to the search term;

ordering, by the server, the identified search listings into a search results list in accordance with values corresponding to the modified bid amounts for the identified search listings; and

transmitting, by the server, data indicative of the ordered search result list to the terminal, the transmitted data comprising a plurality of selectable links, each corresponding to a the network location.

19. A system comprising:

a storage system arranged to store a plurality of search listings, wherein each search listing is associated with a network location providing access to a set of data, one or more search terms, and a bid amount;

an interface for receiving a search request from a subscriber;

a processor configured to;

identify a search listing corresponding to the search request;

retrieve data indicative of a first bid amount and a network location corresponding to each matched search term, the network location providing access to a set of data corresponding to the matched search term;

generate a second bid amount in dependence on the first bid amount and an amount of data associated with the set of data accessible via the network location, wherein the second bid amount is at least partially indicative of a transmission cost to the subscriber for delivery of the data corresponding to the search term; and

generate a search results list of the identified search listings on the basis of the second bid amount, the generated list comprising a selectable link corresponding to the network location, wherein the interface is arranged to output the generated list.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the storage system is arranged to hold a record for each of a plurality of network information providers, each network information provider corresponding to a network location and each account record comprising data indicative of one or more search terms, a specified bid amount, an amount of data corresponding to the set of data accessible from the network location, a classification of the network location, and an account balance.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the processor is configured to arrange the search results list in accordance with the classification of the network location.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the classification includes subsidized data transmission and non-subsidized data transmission, and the processor is configured to arrange the search results list such that the selectable links corresponding to subsidized data transmission appear at the top of the list.

23. A system for generating a search results list in response to a request for search results in respect of one or more search terms, the apparatus comprising:

storage means arranged to store a plurality of search listings, wherein each search listing is associated with a network location providing access to a set of data, one or more search terms, and a bid amount;

interfacing means for receiving a search request in respect of the terminal;

processing means arranged to;

identify a search listing corresponding to the search request;

retrieve data indicative of a first bid amount and a network location corresponding to each matched search term, the network location providing access to a set of data corresponding to the matched search term;

generate a second bid amount in dependence on the first bid amount and an amount of data associated with the set of data accessible via the network location, wherein the second bid amount is at least partially indicative of a transmission cost to a subscriber associated with the terminal for delivery of the data corresponding to the search term; and

generate a search results list of the identified search listings based on the second bid amount, the generated list comprising a selectable link corresponding to the network location,

wherein the interfacing means are arranged to output the generated list.

24. A method comprising:

receiving a search request;

accessing a storage system so as to identify search listings having search terms generating a match with the received search request;

ordering the identified search listings into a search results list in accordance with values corresponding to respective bid amounts for the identified search listings, wherein the bid amounts are generated in dependence on a first bid amount and an amount of data associated with the set of data accessible via the network location, the second bid amount being at least partially indicative of a transmission cost to a subscriber associated with the terminal for delivery of the data corresponding to the search term; and

outputting data indicative of the ordered search result list, the outputted data comprising a plurality of selectable links, each corresponding to a network location.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure comprising a computer program causing a computing device to perform a method comprising:

receiving a search request;

accessing a storage system to identify search listings having search terms generating a match with the received search request;

retrieving data indicative of a first bid amount and a network location corresponding to each matched search term, the network location providing access to a set of data corresponding to the matched search term;

generating a second bid amount in dependence on the first bid amount and an amount of data associated with the set of data accessible via the network location, wherein the second bid amount is at least partially indicative of a transmission cost to a subscriber for delivery of the data corresponding to the search term;

ordering the identified search listings into a search results list in accordance with values corresponding to respective second bid amounts for the identified search listings; and

outputting data indicative of the ordered search result list, the outputted data comprising a plurality of selectable links, each corresponding to a network location.