Abstract: A first indicator associated with a first group modification request to modify a first attribute value associated with each one of a plurality of keyword phrases that are stored as a first group indicating that the first group is included in a first hierarchical entity may be obtained. The first request may specify the first hierarchical entity as a target of the first group modification request. A first group modification of the first attribute value may be initiated, based on a first group modification of the first attribute value representing the first attribute value associated with each one of the plurality of keyword phrases, in response to the first group modification request.

Abstract: A news and/or search engine system predicts events and stories based on existing events, stories, etc., extracted from a knowledge domain. These predictions can be used for a number of different purposes, including locating new content and actual event outcomes.

Abstract: Advertisements are provided to users for an extended period of time based on a categorization of those users into one or more audiences. A user is being offered credits in exchange for the display such advertisements, which can be utilized to purchase items of value. The advertisements are selected based on which audience a user belongs to and a user is categorized as a member of one or more audiences based on a user profile that is informed by information explicitly provided by the user, information generated by the user to which the user has granted permission and contextual information, such as location. An audience taxonomy is centrally maintained and provided to enable categorization without transmitting users' information off of their computing devices. Advertisers bid on advertisements, not by bidding on keywords, but rather by bidding on the duration for which advertisements are displayed to selected audiences.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an event that has recently occurred is identified. The event is categorized into a category of events from a plurality of categories. A set of one or more advertisements associated with the category of events is ascertained. At least one advertisement is selected from the set of one or more advertisements associated with the category of events. The at least one advertisement is then provided to a user.

Abstract: A search engine considers events and stories described in electronic documents, a location of a searcher/reviewer, and a situs associated with a query and content of the document to determine how/if they should be presented to users as part of relevant search results.

Abstract: Ad segments on a Web page are filled with ads that are served by a service provider operating between a user computer and publisher on one end and multiple ad serving entities on the other. The service provider implements a bidding process for the ad segment. The winning ad serving entity (DSP, ATD, advertiser, etc.) has its ad delivered to the user browser by the service provider where it is displayed in the Web page. The floor e-CPM for the ad segment is determined by the publisher using data related to the user (demographic, geographic, socio-economic, etc.), information on the ad segment (e.g., location on page), and relationships the publisher (e.g., a DSP having a relationship with the publisher may be offered a lower e-CPM). The service provider provides tools and highly granular information for the publisher in order to create an appropriate floor e-CPM for the ad segment.

Abstract: A system for dynamically playing information using conventional feeds and ad-hoc feeds to produce “playable” content includes a device that executes a player engine, the player engine collecting, combining and sequencing items to play based on selection criteria and device context, of text, image, video content by parsing selective tags, patterns, text, identifiers and resource types of interest on resources such as web pages to produce playable content, storing the playable contents results from parsing in a queue of playable feed items, selecting items from the queue to produce an ad-hoc feed and playing the ad-hoc feed.

Abstract: An advertising system may enable an advertiser to associate multiple targeting criteria bids with an advertisement. The targeting criteria bids include a bid amount and a targeting criteria defining a group of users who may be delivered the advertisement. The cost for the advertisement is the sum of the bid amounts associated with the targeting criteria that match the user profile of the viewing user.

Abstract: A method of ad or content insertion and a visual communication system includes communicating, by a server, with a plurality of users; creating a visual talking message by a user of the plurality of users comprising a sender, the message being for one or more recipients comprising users of the plurality of users; adding advertisements or other content within or around the visual talking message, wherein the advertisements or other content comprises one or more of an image forming part of the visual talking message and content around the visual talking message; sending the visual talking message with the advertisements or other content to the one or more recipients comprising; and tracking the advertisements or other content through the server. The advertisements or other content can be selected based on a substantially real-time bidding process or as part of existing images supplied to senders via content creators.

Abstract: In one general aspect, a wide area network fact information service system is disclosed. It includes a real time database that stores information about facts on the network by recording at least an identifier and an occurrence timepoint for each fact, with the occurrence timepoint identifying a time at which the fact occurred. It also includes fact-based expression logic operative to interact with expressions that define relationships between facts based on both their identifiers and their timepoints, and a timeline display interface operative to display a timeline that shows a temporal relationship between facts.

Abstract: Systems and methods for selecting advertisements for presentation in a map space are disclosed. Map requests are received, map spaces identified, advertisement bids are received for advertisement space within the map spaces, and advertisements are selected for presentation in the map space based on the advertisement bids. The advertisement bids can be selected through an auction.

Abstract: A cost maintenance scheme useful with an advertising system which orders ads in a manner that maximizes both their relevance and their economic value, and which provides a fair bidding process in which a winning bidder is assured of not having paid too much. Ordering may be done based on accepted maximum ad bid information and/or ad performance information. For example, this information may be used to determine a position value. Cost may be determined based on accepted maximum ad bid information and/or performance information. Billing the determined cost may be subject to a condition precedent.

Abstract: Enabling advertisers using a computer network such as the Internet and a match engine to submit their offerings to product, service, benefit seeking entities. In some embodiments, a database having accounts for the providers is made available. Accounts contain contact and billing information for an advertiser; and at least one offering having at least a description, a criteria set comprising one or more criterion factors, and a bid amount. An advertiser influences a position of an offering in the advertiser's account by first selecting offering relevant criteria. The advertiser enters the criteria and the description into a listing; influencing at least in part the position for the listing within a results page through an online bidding process. This results page is generated in response to a seeking entity query of the match engine. Pay for performance demographic, geographic, psychographic criteria/characteristics targeted directly advertising (frictionless advertising) is enabled.

Abstract: Methods for providing multiple creatives in a display order are disclosed. A user may request a resource, and a request for an advertisement may be received. A plurality of advertisements responsive to the request are identified. Each advertisement may be associated with one or more creatives, and a display order for each of the one or more creatives. An advertisement from the plurality of identified advertisements is selected based on a bid amount associated with each identified advertisement. One of the creatives of the selected advertisement is then provided, based on the display order of the creatives associated with the selected advertisements. The user may make a request for a second resource, and a second request may be received. Advertisements responsive to the second request may be identified. A second creative, according to the display order, may be provided to the user from an advertisement selected based on bid amount.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and techniques for presenting commercial opportunities to be used in a gesture-based user interface are provided. Example embodiments provide a Gesture Based Content Presentation System (GBCPS), which enables a gesture-based user interface to offer occasions for an opportunity for commercialization related to a portion of electronic input that has been indicated by a received gesture to one or more sponsors of content. In overview, the GBCPS allows a portion (e.g., an area, part, etc.) of electronically presented content to be dynamically indicated by a gesture. The GBCPS examines the indicated portion in conjunction with a set of (e.g., one or more) factors to determine which opportunity for commercialization to present which is dynamically or has been previously associated with the content indicated by the gesture. Once the opportunity for commercialization is determined, it is then presented to the user in conjunction with the indicated product and/or service.

Abstract: Methods and systems for providing advertising content over the Internet through a hierarchical content-specific node structure and pricing advertising delivery over each node independently. Independent delivery and pricing allows an advertiser to pay more for advertisements delivered to a narrowly targeted audience likely to be interested in the goods or services offered by the advertising entity and to pay less for advertisements directed at a more general audience who may or may not have an interest in the goods or services offered. The less content specific the node is, the less targeted the advertisement will be, and therefore, the less valuable the advertisement will be to the advertising entity. Targeted advertising to multiple levels of content specific nodes is enabled.

Abstract: Systems and method are provided for conducting an auction to match an advertising payload to an available advertising impression. In the auction, a dynamic floor price is provided. The dynamic floor price provides a way for a publisher to incorporate the internal value of the available impression into the auction process, while still allowing the publisher to maximize the value of the available impression by exposing the impression to bids from outside parties. The dynamic floor price can be calculated based on both internal valuations of an available impression as well as external valuations derived from feedback from prior auctions. To facilitate determination of a dynamic floor prices, advertisers and available impressions can be categorized into various segments.

Abstract: A task guidance tool that displays instructional steps and associated advertisements may facilitate the accomplishment of a task by users who are otherwise unfamiliar with the task. The task guidance tool may be developed from input data mined from various sources. The task guidance tool may display a series of step pages in which each step page include instructions for accomplishing a corresponding step of the task. Further, one or more step pages of the task guidance tool may be provided with selected advertisements that are displayed with the step instructions.

Abstract: A computing device is described herein that is configured to select a subset of keywords from a plurality of keywords based at least on measures of competition associated with the keywords and to suggest the selected subset for bidding. The plurality of keywords is relevant to at least one advertising target. The computing device calculates a measure of competition for a respective keyword based on a number of bidders for the respective keyword and on a number of available advertisement slots in search results provided responsive to queries for the respective keyword.

Abstract: A system and method for calculating an effective bid per impression are disclosed. The system and method may receive a price per conversion bid of an advertiser and information from at least one user. The information may comprise a user state of the user. In some embodiments, the user state may comprise a number of times that the user has previously viewed the advertisement. The user state may be input into a user behavioral model to determine predictive values of the user behavior. An effective bid per impression may then be calculated based on the predictive values of the user and the advertiser's bid per conversion.

Abstract: An auction module and one or more private bidding modules operate within a client system to select information items for presentation to users. Upon receiving content with space or opportunities for presenting information items to users, the auction module initiates an auction between the private bidding modules. Each private bidding module may use a user profile, information item attributes, and content attributes to select one or more previously stored information items for possible presentation to the user. The private bidding modules submit bids to the auction module for the selected information items. The auction module determines a winning bid and may provide the corresponding information item for presentation within the content.

Abstract: An auction module and one or more private bidding modules operate within a client system to select information items for presentation to users. Upon receiving content with space or opportunities for presenting information items to users, the auction module initiates an auction between the private bidding modules. Each private bidding module may use a user profile, information item attributes, and content attributes to select one or more previously stored information items for possible presentation to the user. The private bidding modules submit bids to the auction module for the selected information items. The auction module determines a winning bid and may provide the corresponding information item for presentation within the content.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products for: facilitating a business-to-business (“B2B”) consumer acquisition marketplace among several online and offline advertisers to acquire customers in either a spot or futures market in any addressable media; optimizing use of real-time bidding to retain and acquire opportunities to access customers via any addressable media; optimizing the attribution of credit and payment to advertisers (or their service providers on their behalf) serving advertisements in any addressable media; and facilitating a business-to-consumer (“B2C”) marketplace that leverages consumer valuations to enable to enable consumers to optimize buying decisions as they engage with advertisers in the B2C marketplace are disclosed. In an aspect, such consumer acquisition marketplace analyzes consumer behavior data and advertiser data in order to generate a valuation score indicative of the value of a consumer to one of a plurality of advertisers.

Abstract: A cost-per-second (CPS) based technology for Internet advertising is introduced. In one embodiment, the systems and methods described herein improve efficiency and efficacy of Internet based advertisements. Efficiency is improved by making advertisements relevant to the user; decreasing loss or waste in advertisement space and opportunity for the publisher; and displaying advertisements only for an appropriate duration and being charged according to actual duration for the advertiser. In embodiments, the cost for a certain branding effect can be measured and used with higher accuracy. In embodiments where multiple advertisements are shown simultaneously or at various timings, the technology introduced here provides unique bidding models to allow an advertiser to bid for advertising space, of an advertisement display. The bidding models incorporate bidding based on CPS, a function of CPS and cost-per-click, effective CPS, etc.

Abstract: A cost-per-second (CPS) based technology for Internet advertising is introduced. In one embodiment, the systems and methods described herein improve efficiency and efficacy of Internet based advertisements. Efficiency is improved by making advertisements relevant to the user; decreasing loss or waste in advertisement space and opportunity for the publisher; and displaying advertisements only for an appropriate duration and being charged according to actual duration for the advertiser. In embodiments, the cost for a certain branding effect can be measured and used with higher accuracy. In embodiments where multiple advertisements are shown simultaneously or at various timings, the technology introduced here provides unique bidding models to allow an advertiser to bid for advertising space, of an advertisement display. The bidding models incorporate bidding based on CPS, a function of CPS and cost-per-click, effective CPS, etc.

Abstract: Introduced is a method for presenting online advertisements based on a visibility of an advertisement (ad) spot in online content. The method includes determining ad spots that are visible or at least a substantial portion of the ad spots that are visible for a pre-defined duration, and serving advertisements in those ad spots. The method includes auctioning only the selected ad spots to the advertisers. Another method for measuring effectiveness of an ad creative is disclosed. The effectiveness of an ad creative is measured using a metric, such as an engagement rate of the ad creative. The engagement rate is determined as a ratio of a number of users that responded to the ad creative to a total number of users to whom the ad creative was served, wherein number of users who responded to the ad creative is a function of response score of the ad creative.

Abstract: An automobile auction system to receive scanned automobile bar codes and function bar codes along with location data and to process the scanned bar codes. The system includes a first interface for receiving scanned bar codes, GPS coordinates, scanner ID, and time of scan from a custom scanning device. A second interface is to receive a map of an auto auction facility from a map source. A server is to process the bar codes and the GPS coordinates received from the scanning device and to associate the GPS coordinates to the map of the auto auction facility received from the map source. The system may process bar codes associated with functions, such as employees, shops or staging operations, specific tasks, and work orders. The function bar codes may, for example, assign scanners to employees, record tasks being performed, record employee performing the tasks, and record shop or staging operations opened/completed.

Abstract: Provided are methods and systems for creating and generating modified logo images. In one example embodiment, the method includes obtaining an original logo image associated with a first brand, wherein the original logo image has a corresponding recognition value, and identifying one or more areas of the original logo image for modification. The method further includes obtaining one or more replacement images associated with a second brand, wherein the one or more replacement images meet one or more predetermined criteria and replacing the one or more areas of the original logo image with at least a portion of the one or more replacement images to create a modified logo image. The method further includes displaying the modified logo image, wherein one or more parties selected from a party associated with the one or more replacement images or a party associated with the original logo image is receiving a fee or is generating a revenue that is directly associated with the modified logo from a third party.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention comprise optimizing travel routes for purchasing the products in which a user is interested. In some embodiments the system may provide the user with an optimized route based on the best offers available from various businesses. The best offers may be based on products with the lowest prices, highest quantities, highest user ratings, most convenient locations, etc. The offers may also be based on the user's current location, past location, future location, etc. Optimization of the route may also take into account user transaction history, user profile data, the time a user spends in a location, discounts, etc. In some embodiments of the invention the optimized route may be split between two or more people, over one or more trips, that may occur over one or more days, in order to maximize the best available offers with minimal expenditures of time, money, etc.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for offering shopping assistance tools. The tools may be used by developers to create enhanced in-store customer shopping applications. The shopping assistance tools provide in-store navigation, customer assistance, and inventory management services.

Abstract: The present invention provides techniques that may be used in connection with or as part of an online advertising auction-based exchange. Techniques are provided in which reserve prices, which may set minimum amounts for winning bids, are randomized. For a set of one or more auctions during a time period to which a single reserve price would otherwise apply, one or more randomized reserve prices may instead be applied. Use of randomized reserve prices can smooth otherwise abrupt responses resulting from advertiser bid modifications, and lead to desirable marketplace characteristics or marketplace optimization.

Abstract: A method implemented in a computer system for determining an advertisement in response to an advertising opportunity, wherein the advertising opportunity is an opportunity to place the advertisement on a web page subsequent to a request for the web page by a browser. The computer system receives an indication of the advertising opportunity, and in response to receiving the indication, the computer system determines bids, wherein each bid is associated with an advertisement, selects one of the bids and places the advertisement associated with the selected bid on the web page.

Abstract: Technologies for providing a digital advertising system and a method for controlling the same are provided. The method includes setting a price for each time unit in a target time slot of a digital sign at least with reference to a usage rate. Advertisers for the time units are selected in response to requests received therefrom via a communication network to advertise in the target time slot. Content segments are received from the selected advertisers via the communication network, and content packages, each including at least one content segment and metadata related thereto, are generated and transmitted to the digital sign via the same or a different communication network. The usage rate is a function of the time units being used for advertising and all the available time units in the target time slot, all the time slots, or a subset of all of the time slots.

Abstract: Disclosed are a marketing message providing system and method. The marketing message providing system is capable of providing a marketing message for inducing the user to access a service of a business owner. Through the marketing message, the user is able to receive targeted information and the business owner is provided with the opportunity in which the user can access the service of the business owner, thereby improving profits.

Abstract: In various example embodiments, a system and method for offering and billing advertisement opportunities are provided. In example embodiments, an advertisement opportunity in media to be communicated to a user device associated with a viewer is identified. Attributes of the advertisement opportunity are determined. Based on these attributes, a value to assign to the advertisement opportunity is determined. The advertisement opportunity is offered to a potential advertiser based on the assigned value determined using the attributes of the advertisement opportunity.

Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, computer instructions to identify a subscriber leader, identify a plurality of subscriber followers that track activities of the subscriber leader, detect from the activities of the subscriber leader a behavioral pattern that influences a consumption behavior of the subscriber followers, receive a request for media content from at least one of a plurality of devices of the subscriber followers, identify in the media content a substitutable product, select a promotional system to supply a promotional product according to at least one of a winning bid supplied by the promotion system and the behavioral pattern, substitute the substitutable product in the media content with the promotional product to generate updated media content, and transmit the updated media content to the at least one of the plurality of devices of the subscriber followers. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: A system and method for determining the identity of a product and then calculating an offer price for the product are disclosed. The identity of the product may be determined using near-field communication in one aspect. The system and method are operable to enable retailers to provide a lowest price for the product and conduct a series of offer calculations to determine an offer for a consumer. The offer is based, in part, on costs to the consumer in executing the transaction (e.g., travel time, fuel, etc.). The offer may be higher than the lowest price as determined by each retailer, respectively, while still providing a discount to the consumer to entice a purchase of the product.

Abstract: A system comprising a first location within a bounding area, a second location within the bounding area, a first bid associated with the first location, and a second bid associated with the first location is disclosed. A method comprising receiving a first proximity ad zone associated with a first bid amount, receiving a second proximity ad zone associated with a second bid amount, intersecting the first proximity ad zone and the second proximity ad zone is also disclosed. Further, a method comprises assigning an accuracy assignment to a participant client device, assigning a first proximity ad zone around a first advertisement, associating a first bid amount with the first advertisement, assigning a second proximity ad zone around a second advertisement, associating a second bid amount with the second advertisement, and intersecting the first proximity ad zone with the second proximity ad zone.

Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed in which a guaranteed delivery advertisement may be appended with a non-guaranteed delivery advertisement. The guaranteed delivery advertisement may be, for example, a manufacturer or brand advertisement, and the non-guaranteed delivery advertisement may be, for example, a retailer advertisement. The guaranteed delivery advertisement may relate to a particular brand and/or product and the non-guaranteed delivery advertisement may relate to a purchasing opportunity for that particular brand and/or product. The guaranteed delivery advertisement may be selected based on targeting information and the non-guaranteed delivery advertisement may be selected based on factors such as, for example, the manufacturer name, the product name, the product type, a related product, price, availability of the product, discount, location of the retailer, etc.

Abstract: Systems and methods to provide telephonic connections. In one embodiment, a method includes: providing a listing on a marketplace, the listing including an assigned reference to be used to initiate a real time communication connection; and billing for a real time communication lead generated from presenting the listing in response to a real time communication initiated via the reference. In one embodiment, a method includes: conducting online auction of telephonic leads; determining a way to present listings based at least partially on received price bids on the telephonic leads (e.g., the order of placement, the selection for placement, etc); and providing the listings with information to initiate a telephonic connection in a way trackable to measure a number of telephonic calls generated from presenting the listings.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for consolidating content item request for multiple content item environments. In one aspect, a method includes consolidating content item requests for two or more content item environments in a webpage. A first content item environment is a primary content item environment and the remaining content item environments are secondary content item environments. The primary content item environments issues a content item request for itself and the secondary content item environments, and owns a process that distributes the received content items for the secondary content item environments to the secondary content item environments.

Abstract: A method and system for automatically generating a self-updating naturally-reading narrative product summary including assertions about a selected product. In one embodiment, the system and method includes evaluating an existing narrative product summary, comparing an existing attribute name, attribute value, attribute unit, and assertion model, respectively, to a current attribute name, attribute value, attribute unit, and assertion model to determine if one of the comparisons shows a change. The system and method further determines a new attribute associated with the selected product, selects an alternative product, retrieves a new assertion model with assertions that describe the selected product and identify an alternative product in a natural manner.

Abstract: An automated bidding system accepts offers for an advertising opportunity within a computer-implemented game. The advertising opportunity may indicate an opportunity to place a branded virtual object in a virtual environment of the computer-implemented game. This bidding system may receive advertising offers for the advertising opportunity from multiple entities, where an advertising offer may include offer attributes that indicate at least a virtual object for the advertising opportunity. The bidding system may also determine opportunity constraints of the advertising opportunity, which are used to select an advertising offer that is appropriate for the advertising opportunity. The bidding system may then selectively accept an advertising offer from an advertising entity based on the offer attributes and the opportunity constraints.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method and system for keyword bidding in a market cooperative are disclosed. A particular embodiment includes receiving a keyword bid from a first party; determining a value to a host associated with the keyword bid; augmenting the keyword bid by an amount corresponding to the value to the host; and sending the augmented keyword bid to a second party.

Abstract: A learning model is built on a combination of advertiser, publisher and user data. The learning model can be applied to all advertisers in an advertising system. The learning model provides predicted conversion rates for a given advertisement (“ad”) appearing on different publisher networks. A predicted conversion rate represents the probability that a click on a given ad appearing on a given publisher will lead to a conversion. The predicted conversion rates are used to generate a multiplier. The multiplier is used to automatically adjust the advertiser's bid (e.g., maximum cost-per-click (CPC)) for the given ad prior to an auction for the ad. Adjusting the advertiser's bid equalizes a cost-per-conversion among the publishers for the ad.

Abstract: Techniques are described for facilitating bidding on images. The techniques may include receiving bids includes presenting a first image and a bid associated with the first image. The first image is similar to a second image for which a bid is to be submitted for presenting sponsored content based on the second image. A bid is received for presenting a sponsored-content item based on the second image. The received bid is stored in association with second image and a sponsored-content item based to be presented based on the bid and the second image.

Abstract: Enabling advertisers using a computer network such as the Internet and a match engine to submit their offerings to product, service, benefit seeking entities. In some embodiments, a database having accounts for the providers is made available. Accounts contain contact and billing information for an advertiser; and at least one offering having at least a description, a criteria set comprising one or more criterion factors, and a bid amount. An advertiser influences a position of an offering in the advertiser's account by first selecting offering relevant criteria. The advertiser enters the criteria and the description into a listing; influencing at least in part the position for the listing within a results page through an online bidding process. This results page is generated in response to a seeking entity query of the match engine. Pay for performance demographic, geographic, psychographic criteria/characteristics targeted directly advertising (frictionless advertising) is enabled.

Abstract: A system and methods for allocating impressions using an auction comprises a delivery engine, a statistics collector, a forecasting module, and optimization engine and a direct demand source. The delivery engine receives indirect demand, direct demand and optimization information that it uses to allocate impressions and serve ads. The statistics collector is coupled to collect information from the delivery engine and input from the forecasting module. The forecasting module provides information to the optimization to smooth the rate at which direct demand is allocated. The optimization engine receives information from the statistics collector, the forecasting module and the direct demand source to produce optimization information that is used to generate bids for the direct demand.

Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for selecting content for display in an electronic document. In one embodiment, a first machine generates instructions tailored for execution on a second machine and transmits the instructions to the second machine over a network. The generated instructions cause the second machine to select, for display in the electronic document, a particular content item from a list of potential content items specified in the instructions.

Abstract: A system and method for determining the identity of a product and then calculating an offer price for the product are disclosed. The identity of the product may be determined using near-field communication in one aspect. The system and method are operable to enable retailers to provide a lowest price for the product and conduct a series of offer calculations to determine an offer for a consumer. The offer is based, in part, on costs to the consumer in executing the transaction (e.g., travel time, fuel, etc.). The offer may be higher than the lowest price as determined by each retailer, respectively, while still providing a discount to the consumer to entice a purchase of the product.