Patents Examined by John G. Weiss
  • Patent number: 9230266
    Abstract: Systems and methods for generating customized electronic advertisements are disclosed. A request for an advertisement is received. Viewer data is received and analyzed to determine current viewer features, characteristics, attributes, and/or interest(s). Product data can be extracted from publicly accessible electronic data generated by an ad source organization. The product data can be compared to the current viewer interest(s) to determine which product of the plurality of products most closely aligns with the current interests of the viewer to select a product to be advertised. A customized advertisement can be generated specifically for the viewer using at least a portion of the extracted product data for the product to be advertised.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: ADAMATIC INC.
    Inventor: Jordan Michael Bentley
  • Patent number: 9218613
    Abstract: The present invention is a short message service (“SMS”) based interactive information and marketing system, which provides the User with a means to rapidly and effectively communicate with its customer base. The system represented by this invention is a completely voluntary, opted-in system, by which the customer provides its mobile telephone number or the telephone number of its chosen mobile device to the User and requests that the User forward marketing, promotional and informational materials to the customer. The present invention permits the customer to request that certain product specific information be transmitted by the User to the customer visa short message service (“SMS”) text, as said information becomes available. The present invention permits both the User and the customer to transmit a URL link from the User's website to a mobile number via short message service (“SMS”) text directly from the web site page.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: MONKEETECH, LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey Neil Dinardo, Sr., Jeffrey Neil Dinardo, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9219788
    Abstract: Methods and systems for serving at least one online resource item to a user based on a state of the user are provided. A host computing device in communication with a memory receives data representing a record of movements of a user device. A user device profile associates locations of the user device with points in time, and with a state of a user. Following receipt of a resource request from the user device, a state of the user is determined. After at least one candidate online resource item responsive to the resource request are received, at least one online resource item relevant to the state of the user is identified and served to the user device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Florian Buron, Hristo Stefanov Stefanov, Reto Strobl, Steven George Dropsho, Ralitsa Lyudmilova Angelova
  • Patent number: 9218615
    Abstract: A system and method for predicting a performance of a target advertisement placement via a simulation for optimum tuning is disclosed. A simulator receives a set of queries from a production engine, selects a subset of simulation queries from the queries by filtering, modifies query parameters as needed, transmits the simulation queries to the target engine for simulation, collects search results from the target engine, and computes a summary metric, which includes data fields retrieved from the search results and quantities calculated by using a prediction model derived from a production data warehouse. The simulator may further produce a simulation report, an indicator of performance prediction for the target engine, which comprises multiple metrics for the target engine, calculated with varying engine parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 22, 2015
    Assignee: PAYPAL, INC.
    Inventors: Howard Shi Kin Wan, Sudhir Mohan, Ryan Sue
  • Patent number: 9208499
    Abstract: A method of and system for displaying information on a display are disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the method has the following actions: a) accessing a 3D model with 3D objects 5 b) showing on the display a graphical display of one or more scenes comprising a moving view on one or more of the 3D objects as seen from a certain moving point of view, the one or more 3D objects comprising at least one advertisement space, the at least one advertisement space having an advertisement space location and an advertisement space size, c) receiving a message inclusive of message data and message location data, and d) in dependence on a distance between the moving point of view and the one or more 3D objects, mapping the message data on the at least one advertisement space if the advertisement space location is associated with the message location data such that the message data overlays the advertisement space in the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: TomTom Belgium N.V.
    Inventor: Linde Vande Velde
  • Patent number: 9202229
    Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments relate to systems and/or methods for managing “show-rooming” practices of consumers, e.g., where consumers interact with a product at a sometimes convenient brick-and-mortar location, only to later purchase the product from a different (and typically online) provider. Distinct special offers (e.g., in the form of price adjustments) may be presented to potential show-rooming consumers, e.g., via a mobile device operated by those consumers. In certain exemplary embodiments, the distinct special offers may be generated based on, for example, pricing information gathered from competitors, rules specified by the brick-and-mortar location, characteristics or habits of a particular consumer using a particular device, recent trends, etc. The rate at which browsing consumers buy products for which they are presented with special offers, etc., may be monitored and fed back into the system, e.g., to help provide a more finely tuned special offer that helps preserve profit for the seller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: Nintendo of America Inc.
    Inventor: Peter J. Junger
  • Patent number: 9202232
    Abstract: The present invention provides techniques for use in electronic and online advertising. Techniques are provided in which an advertiser provides information specifying a time-spaced sequence of advertisements to be targeted and served to a particular user, across a number of different devices and screens. Each advertisement in the sequence may be served to the user while the user is using a particular electronic device. The sequence of advertisements as a whole may be optimized with regard to eliciting a particular response from the user, and each advertisement may be optimized regarding its order in the sequence and the type of device or screen on which it is to be served.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Ahrens, Greg Muchnik, Aaron Klish
  • Patent number: 9202233
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for determining the likelihood of a user's attendance at an event. For example, the systems and methods can be used to determine that a particular user is attending, is planning to attend, has already attended, or is about to attend a particular event, such as a movie, concert, tour, etc. Further, upon determining that a user is attending, has already attended, or is about to attend an event, systems and methods can be used to serve to a device, associated with the user, content that is related to the event. For example, the content may include invites that invite the user to provide a review of the event and to join a discussion about the event. Further, for example, the content may include links to websites that provide reviews and other information about the event, provide information about related events, or that offer related items for sale.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: IMDb.com, Inc.
    Inventors: Hilliard Bruce Siegel, Francis J. Kane, Alexandre Edelman, George E. Rabatin, III, Justin M. Campbell, Adam Carlson, Andrej Gregov
  • Patent number: 9202236
    Abstract: A method for associating a financial transaction with an electronic advertisement including obtaining unique electronic tokens for each potential financial transaction resulting from an electronic advertisement of an advertiser to consumers; storing the unique electronic tokens as stored tokens associated with the electronic advertisement; transmitting the unique electronic tokens as distributed tokens to the advertiser; receiving at least one of the distributed tokens that has been passed from the advertiser to a consumer in relation to a financial transaction based on the electronic advertisement; and associating each financial transaction identified by the received distributed token with the electronic advertisement identified by the stored tokens, if the received distributed token matches with the stored token.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2015
    Assignee: OIKIAN SOLUTIONS OY
    Inventor: Mikko Lietsalmi
  • Patent number: 9195997
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media that may be used to generate representative sample images for content campaigns are provided. One method includes identifying a resource in which a content campaign item has been previously displayed. The method further includes determining a content slot within the resource in which the content campaign item was previously displayed. The content slot is determined based on a slot signature associated with the content slot. The method further includes retrieving a current version of the resource, where the current version of the resource includes a current content item appearing in the content slot. The method further includes generating a representative image of the resource that includes the content campaign item by replacing the current content item appearing in the content slot within the current version of the resource with the content campaign item.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Nikola Jevtic, Zhaosheng (Josh) Bao, William David Reardon, Max David Cohen
  • Patent number: 9189804
    Abstract: Systems and methods for placing ads in a block on a webpage are disclosed. Generally, two ranking models are trained using a first and second ads data set. The first model predicts a first click probability for each ad in the first ads data and rank the ads based on the eCPM. The second model is trained using the second ads data set comprising a subset of the first ads data set and interaction features related to ad position in the block. The second model predicts a second click probability for each ad in the second ads data set. An overall expected revenue for each arrangement of ads in the second ads data set is then calculated. The computer system selects the arrangement with maximum computed overall expected revenue and places the ads in the block on the webpage according to the selected arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Yahoo! Inc.
    Inventors: Siyu You, Jiacheng Guo, Quansheng Duan
  • Patent number: 9189795
    Abstract: A method for selecting content items, comprising: receiving, using one or more processing devices, a request for content items for display in a content stream; retrieving, using the one or more processing devices, in response to the request, a condition for targeting a content item for display in the content stream; detecting, using the one or more processing devices, that the condition is satisfied; adjusting, using the one or more processing devices, the bid price in accordance with the condition; executing, using the one or more processing devices, an auction, based on the bid price adjusted and other bid prices for other content items in the auction; and selecting, using the one or more processing devices, based on the auction, the content items for display in the content stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventor: Ranjith Jayaram
  • Patent number: 9183187
    Abstract: Advertisement information (45, 46) and a character string which is set in advance are stored in association with each other (S2), display data are obtained (S3), link information including a character string is specified from among link information included in the obtained display data (S8), a display position 42 for displaying the specified link information is specified (S9), an advertisement display area for displaying advertisement information is specified on the basis of the specified display position (S10), advertisement information corresponding to a character string included in the specified link information is specified (S11), and the specified advertisement information is displayed in the specified advertisement display area (43, 44) (S14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Rakuten, Inc.
    Inventor: Narutaka Iwasaki
  • Patent number: 9183575
    Abstract: Methods, apparatuses and systems for calculating an amount to be billed in respect of running an out-of-home advertisement during a period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Ayuda Media Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Andreas Soupliotis, Francois De Gaspe Beaubien, Giuseppe Cotugno, Pierre-Yves Troel
  • Patent number: 9183577
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for selecting thumbnail images to display with text advertisements. In one aspect, a method includes identifying landing page non-textual content items from a landing page to which the textual content item links and which a user device requests when the textual content item is selected at the user device; for each landing page non-textual content item, determining a relevance measure that measures the relevance of the landing page non-textual content item to the content of the landing page; selecting one or more of the landing page non-textual content items for display with the textual content item based on the relevance measures of the landing page non-textual content items; and storing, in a data storage system, data associating the selected landing page non-textual contents with the textual content items.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventor: Amit Mhatre
  • Patent number: 9183569
    Abstract: Text and display may be generated automatically for an online service platform. Dynamic data is received from a provider offering items, the data comprising information about the items. Content is generated and keywords are assigned to the content. Content may include dynamic text and images. The generated content and keywords are configured into the online service via an application programming interface. The text and display may comprise text and display advertisements. The online service platform may comprise online advertise service platform such as search engine platform that also presents advertisements or information associated with entered search keywords.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: DRIVEMATIC, LLC
    Inventors: Phil Anderson, Adam Rouff, Christopher Burns
  • Patent number: 9183566
    Abstract: A method for supporting multiple advertisement sizes in a single advertisement unit includes receiving a format preference for an advertisement unit and a selected advertisement and size for the selected advertisement. The method further includes applying editing properties to determine additional visual content for the selected advertisement. The additional visual content is determined based on the format preference of the advertisement unit and the size of the selected advertisement. The method further includes rendering the selected advertisement and the additional visual content in the advertisement unit based on the editing properties.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Amit Mhatre, Nathan Peter Lucash
  • Patent number: 9177332
    Abstract: A method and/or system for managing media library merchandising promotions may include determining one or more current promotions from a plurality of promotions. A universal score may be assigned to each of the one or more current promotions, wherein the universal score is updated dynamically based on interactions with the one or more current promotions by one or more users. A personal score for each of the one or more current promotions may be assigned for a particular user, wherein the personal score is updated dynamically based on interactions with the one or more current promotions by the particular user. Personalized digital content promotions may be determined for the particular user from the current promotions based on the personal score and/or the universal score. The personalized promotions may be presented to the particular user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: GOOGLE INC.
    Inventors: Brandon Bilinski, Curtis Glenn Hawthorne
  • Patent number: 9177334
    Abstract: A method of providing an ad extension includes selecting an advertisement for display. The method also includes selecting additional information related to the advertisement. The method also includes transmitting data representing the advertisement to a browser. The browser interacts with an expandable API to render an inline frame having an advertisement slot. The browser renders and displays the advertisement in the frame. The method also includes transmitting display data representing the additional information related to the advertisement to the browser. The browser receives an input to activate the ad extension. In response to the input, the browser interacts with the expandable API system to expand and render the frame. The browser renders, in the frame, the advertisement slot containing the advertisement. The browser also renders, in the frame, the additional information. The browser displays the expanded inline frame, such that the displayed frame covers a portion of the content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Amy Wu, Brandon Murdock Pearcy, Nathan Peter Lucash, Jun Xu, Yi Zhang, Zhen Yu
  • Patent number: 9177055
    Abstract: A system for displaying and managing information on a webpage using an indicator comprises an indicator displayed on a surface of specific contents of the webpage with reference to coordinate values corresponding to the specific contents and for classifying and elaborating on the specific contents; an indicator generation module for generating the indicator comprising a block setting portion for predicting a width of the specific contents, a coordinate setting portion for grasping the coordinate value of a webpage area corresponding to the specific contents, an input portion for inputting information to be recorded in the indicator, a storage portion for storing the coordinate value and an output portion for outputting the indicator to the specific contents based on the information stored in the storage portion; and an indicator database stored in the system server through the storage portion and collected according to a specific classification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2015
    Inventors: Moon-Sung Choi, Man-Jin Han, Tae-Kyun Kim