Abstract: A method and system for point of sale consumer packaged goods and lottery promotions. A discount coupon is generated having two barcodes. The first barcode encodes standard UPC barcode data including, e.g., manufacturer ID, retail product or a retail product family, and discount value code. The second barcode encodes a FreePlay identifier code. A POS system scans the barcodes and the FreePlay identifier code is recognized. Based on this, the consumer is offered a choice of a Lottery FreePlay coupon in lieu of the discount on the retail product. When the consumer accepts the choice of a Lottery FreePlay coupon, a Lottery FreePlay coupon is printed for the consumer in lieu of giving the consumer a discount on the retail product. The Lottery FreePlay coupon is redeemable at an authorized lottery booth for a lottery ticket having a purchase price based on the discount value code.

Abstract: A method for distribution of advertising that includes combining an audio data file that produces an advertising message when processed with a data file that produces a performance of a musical composition when processed. Alternatively the invention may be viewed as a method for distribution of music which includes providing a server connected to a computer network, permitting message data files to be provided for a fee paid by the party providing the message, purchasing rights to multimedia data files from owners of such rights and making available to end users data files comprising a message and a licensed multimedia file by a connection to the network server. Preferably the method provides a multimedia file that comprises a musical composition. An especially preferred embodiment provides a multimedia data file that is an MP3 file comprising a musical composition.

Abstract: For use in a wireless communication network, a method and system for targeting advertising for a mobile device is provided. The method includes receiving a plurality of advertisements from an advertising distributor. The method also includes filtering the advertisements based on meta data for each advertisement. The method further includes receiving ratings of the advertisements from a plurality of mobile devices. The method also includes further filtering the advertisements based on an end user profile and the ratings from the plurality of mobile devices. The method still further includes transmitting a selected advertisement to the first mobile device.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for tracking user access to an advertisement and user transactions with an electronic commerce computer associated with the advertisement. In accordance with one aspect of the disclosed technology, a transaction tracking computer associates an identifier with each access (e.g., click) of an advertisement. Transactions that occur at the electronic commerce computer that are related to the advertisement will be reported to the transaction tracking server together with the identifier. In one embodiment, if the reported transaction is a duplicate of a previously reported transaction, then the reported transaction is determined to be invalid. In one embodiment, if the reported transaction occurs more than a predetermined amount of time after the time the identifier was initially generated, then the reported transaction will also be determined to be invalid.

Abstract: Systems and methods for bookmarking media content for future availability are described. The method includes receiving a receiving a request for media content and user account data for a plurality of unique online content sources. The method also includes requesting content availability data from the plurality of unique online content sources and using received content availability data to generate a notification. Pricing information, the media format, and notification preferences may be used to further configure the searches and notifications.

Abstract: A seller may sell advertisements, such as banner ads, to a buyer pursuant to a request made by the buyer to the seller. Each request has a value. The seller may accept the request from the buyer to provide a banner ad for the buyer at a later time. A request, once accepted, may be revoked at a cost which may be a fixed fraction of the request value. The cost may be referred to as a buyback cost. The buyback cost represents the cost of revoking a request that had been accepted. Additionally, matroid set systems and knapsack systems may use buyback techniques.

Abstract: Method, procedure, algorithm, system, and computer program and computer program product for improving and optimizing or attempting to optimize performance of messaging campaigns, particularly to marketing campaigns in which advertisements or other messages are distributed over an interactive measurable medium such as the Internet. When message is an advertisement, campaign involves a list of ad alternatives and a target customer population. Goal of message manager or marketing manager is to allocate ad alternatives to customer population to optimize business objectives such as maximizing the number of positive responses received. This is achieved at least in part by segmenting customer population into segments and then finding best allocation of ad alternatives for each segment. The number of segments and grouping of a customer population changes at different stages of the campaign.

Abstract: Binary advertising markets are developed where personalized media such as digital and even analog advertising is delivered to and accessed by audience members enabling advertisers to buy advertising for broadcast to televisions, smartphones and other types of digital devices. The market is designed to provide participants a new way to have their orders entered, matched, executed, and settled, to manage and monitor risk characteristics of their content placement or advertising placement transactions, and any rights and positions that result from those transactions. Standardized units of exchange represented by profile access rights and display space access rights appropriately designed for their respective markets are used in both primary direct and secondary alternative markets. Processes are also implemented where an audience member receives economic benefit in exchange for confirming view of or rating an advertisement, or viewing advertisements while logged in.

Abstract: A system provides a unified way for a user to manage a number of separate online advertising accounts. A simple and secure web page accessible through an ordinary web browser is used to both control and receive data from the separate accounts. The user can alter aspects of the various accounts (bid amount per click, etc.) and these changes will be relayed to the individual accounts. The system also includes a “ticker” application that operates constantly on the user's personal computer and displays selected online data in a separate window that can quickly be brought to the front and checked as needed. The system also provides visual or audible alarms when the data from the online accounts indicate that certain preset threshold have been passed. The system also provides the user with a variety of custom reports enabling the user to better control and exploit online advertising.

Abstract: A donation aspect for a website is provided. Amounts of donations are limited and users are given awards based on their donations.

Abstract: A machine-controlled method can include estimating expected conversion rates for ads by applying an estimated conversion rate statistical model to each ad, estimating an expected AOV for each ad by applying an estimated AOV statistical model to each ad, applying an inference algorithm, and determining auction bids based on the estimated expected conversion rate and the estimated expected AOV for the ads.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to systems and methods for employing canonical metadata to describe advertisements comprising an advertiser storing an advertisement and arbitrarily complex metadata that is descriptive of the advertisement, which is received at a control center. At the control center, the advertisement is mapped to canonical metadata. The advertisement and canonical metadata are stored at the control center for use in discriminating between advertisements from a plurality of advertisers.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to systems and methods for creating a program for delivery to a client in a video time shifting architecture. The system of the present comprises an advertisement selection system (ADS) operative to select one or more advertisements and transmit one or more identifiers that uniquely identify the selected advertisements and an advertisement management system (AMS) operative to generate a playlist that identifies content. The playlist includes a user requested time shifted program and the one or more selected advertisements. A video server is operative to interpret the playlist and deliver the content to the user.

Abstract: In one embodiment, the invention provides a method. The method includes dynamically allocating a telephone number to an advertisement on a just-in-time basis; and if the telephone number is not called for a predefined period of time, then unallocating the telephone number.

Abstract: Systems and methods for dynamically sizing, structuring and operating advertisements that include a variety of content, including interaction prompts and other elements, which enable an engagement-based revenue generation model. According to one embodiment, a computer implemented method comprises storing advertising content, serving an XML file from an advertising server to an advertisement manager in order to control a player on a user computer, dynamically generating the advertisement through the player based on directions from the advertisement manager and the stored content, and tracking and reporting a user's engagement with the advertisement in order to determine compensation for the publisher.

Abstract: Methods, systems and computer program products for inferring a value of a visitor property for a visitor to a web destination are described. A set of traversals indicating visits to web destinations are received, including scored and unscored traversals. Initial destination scores for the web destinations visited by the scored traversals are inferred based on the known scores of the scored traversals. Initial scores for the unscored traversals are estimated based on the initial destinations scores. Revised destination scores for the web destinations visited by the scored traversals and initial destination scores for the web destinations only visited by the unscored traversals are inferred. Revised scores for the unscored traversals are estimated based on the revised destination scores and initial destination scores. Revised destination scores for all of the web destinations are inferred based on the scores of the scored traversals and the revised scores of the unscored traversals.

Abstract: Information can be shared across a pre-approved (PA) channel and a non pre-approved (NPA) channel to reduce unnecessary offers of a transactional instrument or transactional instrument upgrade to prospects. All prospects listed in the NPA channel that have been evaluated in the PA channel may be removed from a NPA offeree list. This may be done by matching the NPA prospect list with a list of prospects who have been evaluated in the PA channel. The list of prospects evaluated in the PA channel may include, for example, prospects who were pre-approved for an offer as well as prospects who were considered for a pre-approved offer but who were denied the offer. Prospects in the NPA channel that are removed from the NPA offer list may be dropped from further NPA processing, as such prospects are either unprofitable or do not meet a transactional account company's standards for credit.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to provide user interfaces dynamically customized according to partners through which the user interfaces are accessed in a customer acquisition process. One embodiment includes providing to a plurality of entities a platform, configured to assign references for embedding in listings for presentation and configured to connect people for real time communications according to the references embedded in the listings, the references to be used to request the platform to provide the connections; responsive to a request received via a first entity of the plurality of entities, presenting a user interface of the platform in a first format to identify the first entity; and responsive to a request received via a second entity of the plurality of entities, presenting the user interface of the platform in a second format to identify the second entity.

Abstract: A computer readable medium is disclosed, containing instructions useful in performing a method for sending advertising data, the method comprising measuring user-to-user connectivity between users within a community of users; determining a plurality of highly connected users (HCUs) based on the user-to-user connectivity; and sending advertising data to selected HCUs based on a zone of influence (ZOI) for each HCU. A system useful in performing the method is disclosed.

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.