Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110178871 | IMAGE CONTENT BASED ADVERTISEMENT SYSTEM - A system for serving an advertisement in a networked environment receives data that defines a user selection of an image. The system also selects an advertisement associated with the user selection and communicates the selected advertisement to the user. The data that defines the user selection includes an x selection coordinate, a y selection coordinate, a width, and a height that defines a region of an image. The user selection defines also defines a scene of a video. The system also includes circuitry and logic configured to extract text and to detect objects from an image region defined by the user selection and to select an advertisement associated with any extracted text and/or detected object. | 07-21-2011 |
20110179359 | SELF-TARGETING LOCAL AD SYSTEM - A system for serving localized advertisements receives data that defines an advertisement from an advertiser and determines a geographic location of the advertiser. The system also receives a request to serve an advertisement from a browser operated by a user and determines a geographic location associated with the user. The system communicates the advertisement to the browser if the geographic location associated with the user matches the geographic location of the advertiser. | 07-21-2011 |
20110196871 | Targeting Online Ads by Grouping and Mapping User Properties - A method and a system are provided for targeting online ads by grouping and mapping user properties. In one example, the system receives user data associated with one or more users. The system identifies user properties for a user. The system eliminates unacceptable user properties associated with the user. The system identifies permutations of the user properties associated with the user. The system eliminates unacceptable permutations of the user properties associated with the user. Valid permutations remain. The system attaches a weight of importance to each valid permutation. A weight quantifies a level of importance of a valid permutation for the user with respect to buckets. A bucket is an ad category. The system grades each valid permutation relative to a bucket. The system calculates a final grade for each bucket. The system then assigns the user to zero or more buckets based on the final grade for each bucket. | 08-11-2011 |
20120010928 | SOCIAL AGGREGATION TARGETING AND COMMUNICATIONS - The present invention provides techniques for utilizing opportunities presented by events and social gatherings, such as online advertisement targeting and communications-related opportunities. Techniques are provided in which information is obtained that provides an indication that a set of users, including mobile electronic device users, are in a specified area, and indicating that at least some of the set of users are at a particular event or gathering. A virtual user grouping may be formed, and users of the set are targeted, such as with online advertisements, based at least in part on the particular event or gathering. | 01-12-2012 |
20120059698 | SOCIAL AGGREGATION AND SUBSTRUCTURES TARGETING AND COMMUNICATIONS - The present invention provides techniques for utilizing opportunities presented by events and social gatherings, such as online advertisement targeting and communications-related opportunities. A virtual user grouping may be formed based in part on a particular event or gathering with which the users are associated, and communications between users in the grouping may be facilitated. Furthermore, social substructures, which may be associated with the virtual grouping, may be identified. Social substructures, and associated generated templates, may be used in facilitating communications between users. Feedback from use of templates may be used in modifying and improving templates for future use. | 03-08-2012 |
20120084136 | EBOOK ADVERTISING, INCLUDING COST-SHARING TECHNIQUES - Techniques are provided that include allowing an ebook reader to select an advertising setting which specifies permissible forms of advertising to be presented to the ebook reader via one or more ebooks. Based at least in part on the selected setting, the ebook reader may be provided with a reduction relating to cost of the one or more ebooks. The reduction may be greater if the selected option indicates more valuable permissible advertising. Permissible advertising may be presented to the ebook reader via at least one of the one or more ebooks. | 04-05-2012 |
20120084150 | EBOOK ADVERTISING AND RELATED TECHNIQUES - Techniques are provided in which a first set of information is obtained regarding ebook content evidenced as being accessed by an ebook reader, such as a page or paragraph being read, for example. Based at least in part on the ebook content, a second set of information is obtained, including multiple ebook advertising targeting parameters. Based at least in part on the targeting parameters, at least one advertisement is targeted to the ebook reader, in which the at least one advertisement is to be presented to the reader at least in part via the ebook. | 04-05-2012 |
20120150655 | INTRA-EBOOK LOCATION DETECTION TECHNIQUES - Techniques are provided in which usage information is obtained, regarding reading-related usage of an ebook by a reader. The usage information can include, for example, reading rate information, page-flip information, zooming information, highlighting information, read-along information, or read out-loud information. Based at least in part on the usage information, a determination or approximation is made regarding a portion of the ebook being read by the reader, such as a chapter, page, paragraph or sentence. Based at least in part on the portion, the reader is targeted with an advertisement to be presented at least in part via the ebook. | 06-14-2012 |
20120151351 | EBOOK SOCIAL INTEGRATION TECHNIQUES - Techniques are provided in which usage information is obtained, regarding reading-related usage of an ebook by a reader. Based at least in part on the usage information, a determination or approximation is made regarding a portion being read by the reader. Based at least in part on the portion, the reader is targeted with a graphical display to be presented at least in part via the ebook. The graphical display provides a social interaction-related recommendation or suggestion relating at least in part to the portion. | 06-14-2012 |
20120158508 | MOBILE ADVERTISING INCLUDING LOCALIZED ADVERTISER BIDDING - Techniques are provided that include targeting a user of a portable electronic device with an interest-based and location-based advertisement, based at least in part on advertiser bidding. Techniques are provided in which a user is indicated as being at a particular location or within a particular geographic area. An advertisement, such as an electronic coupon or discount offer, may be selected for sending to the user based at least in part on advertiser bidding. The advertisement may relate at least in part to a store or business at the particular location or within the particular area. | 06-21-2012 |
20120197723 | USER-CUSTOMIZABLE SOCIAL GROUPING AND ADVERTISEMENT TARGETING TECHNIQUES - Methods and systems are providing that include joining a user to asocial group based at least in part on social grouping settings, and targeting the user with advertising based at least in part on at least one of the settings. Social grouping setting information may be obtained from the portable electronic device user. Available social groups may be detected, based at least in part on a detected location of the user. Based at least in part on at least one of the settings, it may be determined whether to join the user to a particular available social group. Furthermore, based at least in part on at least one of the social grouping settings, and/or other social grouping related aspects or parameters, information can be derived and used in selecting and serving highly relevant advertisements to the user. | 08-02-2012 |
20120197986 | USER-CUSTOMIZABLE SOCIAL GROUPING TECHNIQUES - Methods and systems are providing that include joining a user to a social group based at least in part on social grouping settings. Social grouping setting information may be obtained from a portable electronic device user, specifying one or more settings for use in determining whether to join the user to a social group. Available social groups may be detected, based at least in part on a detected location of the user. Based at least in part on at least one of the settings, it may be determined whether to join the user to a particular available social group. | 08-02-2012 |
20120271713 | METHOD OF USING GPS AND/OR VEHICLE SENSOR DATA FOR DETECTING USER INTERESTS AND BENEFITS, AND FOR ADVERTISEMENT TARGETING - The present invention provides techniques for use in providing advertisers and other entities with information relating to target audiences. Techniques are provided in which real-time travel information may be obtained from users' GPS devices to determine one or more potential interests of users. The potential interests may then be used to generate or select advertisements that may be relevant to the users. The advertisements may be transmitted to the GPS devices for presentation on the GPS devices. | 10-25-2012 |
20120272159 | COLLABORATIVE ELECTRONIC BOOKS - The present invention provides techniques relating to collaboratively authored stories and electronic books, and the writing thereof. Techniques are provided in which a template relating to a story, and a set of rules governing collaborative writing of the story by multiple user authors, are obtained. Writing contributions, for integration into the story, may be obtained from each of the user authors. A completed story is obtained, in which forming the completed story includes integrating the writing contributions. Access to the story, such as in the form of an electronic book, is provided to users, such as for a fee. | 10-25-2012 |
20120278146 | ONLINE SOCIAL BRAND AMBASSADORS - Techniques are provided which allow users to become online ambassadors for their favorite brands and products. Methods and systems may detect if a user is associated with a particular brand or product. The user may be presented with an offer to act as an ambassador for that brand or product. If the user accepts, the system may determine if at least a portion of the user's online activities are directed to promoting the brand or product. The user may then be presented with one or more rewards based at least in part on the user's promoting of the brand. The rewards may include rewards points, cash rewards, coupons, discounts and other incentives. | 11-01-2012 |
20120310739 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TARGETING ADVERTISING TO A DEVICE BASED ON INSTALLED APPLICATIONS - A system and method for targeting advertising to devices based on the applications installed on the device are provided. The system and method comprise retrieving data pertaining to the applications a user has installed on a device and assigning the applications weights based on their patterns of usage. The applications are categorized according to their genre and/or the time of day during which they are typically used, and each category is assigned a priority value based on the patterns of usage of the applications therein. An advertisement corresponding to the highest priority category is delivered to the device. | 12-06-2012 |
20130014182 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR GRABBING VIDEO SURFERS' ATTENTION - Methods and systems are disclosed in which an estimated time a user will have to wait before a user selected video begins playing is calculated. The estimated time may be calculated based on, for example, speed of the connection, quality of the video (e.g., HD versus standard definition), length of the video, load on the server at the current time, etc. A game may be selected based at least in part on the calculated estimated wait time and the approximate time to finish the game. In some embodiments, one or more advertisements may be selected based on, for example, the type of video selected by the user (e.g., Sci-Fi, Action, Comedy, etc.), the search term(s) used by the user to search for the video, history of games played (e.g., what games, if any, has the user played previously), etc. The selected game and the one or more advertisements may be served to the user substantially simultaneously. | 01-10-2013 |
20130041757 | DISAGGREGATION TO ISOLATE USERS FOR AD TARGETING - Targeting advertisements to a specific user includes steps or acts of: identifying an area of interest that includes a plurality of users using the Internet; logging each Internet request from the plurality of users; aggregating data regarding each Internet request to reveal use patterns; and disaggregating the data according to the use patterns to match the Internet use pattern with the specific user, thus identifying the specific user with each Internet request. | 02-14-2013 |
20130091015 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR VIRTUAL VENDOR HAWKING USING DIRECTIONAL ADVERTISING - Techniques are provided for use in targeting potential customers that may be travelling near a vendor. A set of one or more potential customers travelling in a predetermined direction within a predetermined distance from a vendor's geographic location may be detected substantially in real time. The vendor may specify one or more criteria to target the potential customers. The set of potential customers may be reduced based at least in part on the one or more criteria to create a subset of potential customers. One or more advertisements may be transmitted to the subset of potential customers such that the advertisements may be viewed or displayed or played back on the vehicle's sound system and/or on the occupants' smartphones. | 04-11-2013 |
20130110591 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PROVIDING SOCIAL CONSUMER DRIVEN GEO INCENTIVES | 05-02-2013 |
20130311296 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TARGETING ADVERTISING TO A DEVICE BASED ON INSTALLED APPLICATIONS - A system for targeting advertising can include a communications interface and a processor. The communications interface can receive data associated with times of use of applications. The processor can be communicatively coupled to the communications interface and can categorize the applications by genres. The categorization is within a time of use group and is based on at least part of the retrieved data. The processor can also determine priority values associated with the genres based on levels of use of the applications during a period of time associated with the time of use group. The processor can also identify a current time and determine an advertisement according to at least one genre of the genres. The at least one genre can be associated with a highest priority value of the determined priority values. The period associated with the time of use group can correspond to the identified current time. | 11-21-2013 |
20130332301 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MAKING OFFERS BASED ON CONSUMERS' PRICE DISCRIMINATION - Techniques are provided which allow users to view historical price information for a product, and which allow users to specify a desired purchase price. Historical price information may be collected and displayed to the user in a graphical format. The user may specify a desired purchase price that the user is willing to pay for the product. The user provided price may be presented to a seller of the product. The user may be targeted with an offer to purchase the product at the user provided price or may be targeted with advertisements or recommendations for a similar product. Some techniques include targeting a group of users including the user with the offer if the group of users includes at least a predetermined number of users, where each user in the group provided the user provided price. | 12-12-2013 |
20130332385 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DETECTING AND EXTRACTING PRODUCT REVIEWS - Techniques are provided which collect user generated online review information related to a product, and detecting at least information related to an assessment or opinion related to the product included within user generated online communication information. The information related to an assessment or opinion related to the product may be extracted. It may be determined whether the online review information and the information related to an assessment or opinion include fraudulent information. The fraudulent information from the online review information and the information related to an assessment or opinion may be filtered out to generate genuine online review information and genuine information related to an assessment or opinion. The genuine online review information and the genuine information related to an assessment or opinion may each be assigned respective weights, and integrated to create a review summary for the product. | 12-12-2013 |
20140006164 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR TARGETING ADS BASED ON RISK BEHAVIOR METADATA | 01-02-2014 |
20140052507 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR TARGETING MOBILE DEVICES DURING CHARGING - Methods and systems for targeting advertisements to mobile electronic devices while the devices are being charged are disclosed. An indication is received from a mobile electronic device that the device is currently being charged. Targeting criteria are determined based at least in part on usage of the mobile electronic device during a time period between the last charge and the current charge. An advertisement is selected based at least in part on the targeting criteria. The advertisement is transmitted to the mobile electronic device for display on the mobile electronic device. | 02-20-2014 |
20140067817 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR RECOMMENDING SOCIAL NETWORK CONNECTIONS - Methods and systems for recommending social networking connections are disclosed. Information is received from a mobile device relating to software applications that are installed on a first user's mobile device. A weight for each software application is calculated based on usage information and each software application is designated to at least one category. A priority is calculated for each category based at least in part on respective weights of software applications designated to the category. A second user, who is not connected to the first user, is detected, wherein the second user has a predetermined number of categories that are the same as the first user's categories, and wherein priorities corresponding to the second user's categories are within a predetermined range of priorities corresponding to the first user's categories. A recommendation to connect with the second user is provided to the first user. | 03-06-2014 |
20140136596 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CAPTURING AUDIO OF A VIDEO TO DISPLAY SUPPLEMENTAL CONTENT ASSOCIATED WITH THE VIDEO - A system and method for providing a user with supplemental content associated with a product or item the user sees or hears in a video. The system and method include receiving, by a server computer over a network from a client device, an audio clip associated with a portion of a video; determining, by the server computer, that the video is a specific media program; using, by the server computer, the captured audio clip to map the portion of the video with supplemental content for a product associated with the portion of the video; and communicating, by the server computer, the supplemental content for the product to the client device for display on the client device. | 05-15-2014 |
20140337116 | MARKETING TECHNIQUE TO NEGOTIATE PRICE OF PRODUCT - Techniques are provided in which the current price of a commodity purchased from a seller by a buyer with a price guarantee policy is monitored. Upon detection of the current price dropping below the purchase price, the buyer and seller are notified, leading to a rebate being provided to the buyer from the seller to be redeemed based on the terms of the price guarantee policy. In some embodiments, buyers are offered incentives, such as a discounted price, in exchange for a reduced time period within which a price guarantee policy is redeemable. | 11-13-2014 |
20140337132 | DYNAMIC TEXT REPLACEMENT IN E-BOOKS FOR ADVERTISING - Techniques are provided in which advertisements are presented to a user via access to electronic reading content. A first set of information is obtained regarding electronic reading content evidenced as being accessed by the user. A second set of information is obtained pertaining to a particular user. Using both sets of information, advertising targeting parameters are generated to target the user with one or more advertisements by inserting the advertisements within Based at least in part on the targeting parameters, the user is targeted with at least one advertisement via inserting the advertisement within the electronic reading content. | 11-13-2014 |
20140337169 | ONLINE AND OFFLINE COLLABORATION ASSOCIATED WITH SHOPPING AND PURCHASING - Techniques are provided that include using a collaborative arrangement between a first entity associated with a physical location, such as a physical store or residence that has or sells one or more products of a first product type, and a second entity, such as a Web site offering for purchase products of the first product type. According to some such arrangements, if, for example, a user purchases a product from the Web site after the user evidently made a visit to the physical location, or received a display or demonstration of a product of the first product type at the physical location, then revenue or value resulting from the purchase may be split or shared between entities including the first entity and the second entity. | 11-13-2014 |
20140344060 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TARGETING USER INTERESTS BASED ON MOBILE CALL LOGS - Techniques are provided that include targeting a user of a mobile electronic device with an interest-based advertisement, based at least in part on various call logs on a user device. Techniques are provided in which a set of calls from a user's call log from a mobile device are assigned to one or more categories indicative of potential user interests for the purposed of targeted advertisements. The usage pattern of the user's call log takes into account the time of the day, week, and/or month that the user tends to make particular calls to determine recurring patterns and calculate individual metrics for comparison with other users. | 11-20-2014 |
20140372210 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SERVING ADVERTISEMENTS RELATED TO SEGMENTS OF A MEDIA PROGRAM - A system and method that receives, over a network (e.g., from a client device), an audio clip associated with a portion of a media program, determines, based on the audio clip, that the media program is a specific media program, determines a product associated with a segment of the specific media program, determines a keyword associated with the product, submits the keyword to an advertisement platform for use in a keyword auction, receives an advertisement from the advertisement platform, and communicates the advertisement to a client device at a predetermined time. | 12-18-2014 |