Abstract: Helping advertisers to control marketing expenditures by governing the delivery of an advertisement over a time period. Such governing may be accomplished by (a) determining an expected cost associated with delivering the advertisement, ungoverned, over the time period; and (b) governing the delivery of the advertisement based on the expected cost and a target cost. The delivery of the advertisement may be also governed based on time remaining in the time period, budget deficits from past periods, budget surpluses from past periods, a start date and an end date associated with the advertisement, time since a start date associated with the advertisement, and/or time until an end date associated with the advertisement. The target cost may be based on a predefined budget.

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: 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: An ordering of advertisements requested by an ad consumer is based on scores generated for the ads. In each case, a score may be a function of at least one performance parameter associated with the ad and/or a price parameter associated with the ad. The ad consumer may generate presentation information (e.g., a Web page) including advertisements and non-advertisement content (e.g., search results) by (i) accepting the non-advertisement content and advertisements, each of the advertisements including a score, and (ii) combining the non-advertisement content and the advertisements such that relative placements of the advertisements are based on their associated scores.

Abstract: Helping advertisers to control marketing expenditures by governing the delivery of an advertisement over a time period. Such governing may be accomplished by (a) determining an expected cost associated with delivering the advertisement, ungoverned, over the time period; and (b) governing the delivery of the advertisement based on the expected cost and a target cost. The delivery of the advertisement may be also governed based on time remaining in the time period, budget deficits from past periods, budget surpluses from past periods, a start date and an end date associated with the advertisement, time since a start date associated with the advertisement, and/or time until an end date associated with the advertisement. The target cost may be based on a predefined budget.

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: An ordering of advertisements requested by an ad consumer is based on scores generated for the ads. In each case, a score may be a function of at least one performance parameter associated with the ad and/or a price parameter associated with the ad. The ad consumer may generate presentation information (e.g., a Web page) including advertisements and non-advertisement content (e.g., search results) by (i) accepting the non-advertisement content and advertisements, each of the advertisements including a score, and (ii) combining the non-advertisement content and the advertisements such that relative placements of the advertisements are based on their associated scores.

Abstract: Helping advertisers by simplifying the management of interactive advertising. Such simplification can by achieved by allowing an advertiser to specify a single bid for multiple keywords associated with an advertisement. When used in conjunction with a maximum cost bid, advertisers are not penalized with higher costs for such simplification.

Abstract: Different minimum prices are assigned to different ad serving constraints (such as keywords, geolocations, serving times, etc.). A single auction minimum price may be determined for an auction using the minimum prices assigned to satisfied serving constraints of ads participating in the auction.

Abstract: Helping advertisers by simplifying the management of interactive advertising. Such simplification can be achieved by allowing an advertiser to specify a single bid for multiple keywords associated with an advertisement. When used in conjunction with a maximum cost bid, advertisers are not penalized with higher costs for such simplification.

Abstract: Different minimum prices are assigned to different ad serving constraints (such as keywords, geolocations, serving times, etc.). A single auction minimum price may be determined for an auction using the minimum prices assigned to satisfied serving constraints of ads participating in the auction.

Abstract: Different minimum prices are assigned to different ad serving constraints (such as keywords, geolocations, serving times, etc.). A single auction minimum price may be determined for an auction using the minimum prices assigned to satisfied serving constraints of ads participating in the auction.

Abstract: This invention relates generally to the art of computer graphics, and more specifically to the field of line sampling object scene information for the purpose of reconstructing an image of the object scene. In particular, the inventions distributes a set of line samples across an image plane such that the distribution of the set of line samples is non-regular. Additionally, the invention projects objects from an object scene onto an image plane and computes a view of the objects along each line sample in the set of line samples. Finally, the invention combines the view along each line sample in the set of line samples to form a view of the object scene.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for rendering shadows. A pre-rendering process implements a two dimensional array or map of depth-based functions, such as a visibility function in z. During rendering of an object scene, these functions are accessed via lookup operations to efficiently determine the function value for a sample point at a given depth. The use of visibility functions allows for partial light attenuation effects. Each visibility function is computed by filtering multiple transmittance functions obtained by casting sample rays from a light source onto an object scene. The visibility function is implemented as a sequence of vertices. Colored shadows are modeled by vertices comprising a depth value and separate visibility function values for red, green, and blue light at a given depth value. Compression is achieved by minimizing the number of vertices needed to represent a visibility function within a desired error tolerance.

Abstract: The present invention is related to rendering computer animated video and/or images generally, and to efficiently intersecting rays with an object scene while shading complex object representations. The present invention, generally, includes creating a plurality of representations for the object. After creating the plurality of representations, a plurality of primary positions are established on one of the representations. Shading positions on one or more other representations included in the plurality of representations are then established by reference to the primary positions. These shading positions correspond to the plurality of primary positions and each of these representations has a coarser resolution than the representation with the primary positions. Shading values for the shading positions are the computed and applied to the plurality of primary positions.

Abstract: In an online advertising system, advertisers compete with each other for advertising space. There may be multiple advertising positions available, where the placement of advertisements is determined by an auction. To encourage competition, some advertisements may be presented with enhanced features. These enhanced features create an incentive for which advertisers can compete, thereby increasing the effectiveness, usefulness and/or profitability of the advertising system. The application of enhanced features may be determined using at least one or more of pricing information, performance information and advertising information.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for surface approximation without cracks. In one or more embodiments, a surface to be rendered is split into multiple adjacent regions (e.g., subdivision surfaces or patches). A data structure is associated with each boundary edge between two regions for storage of adjacency information in the form of a sequence of tessellation vertices. Adjacency information for a given edge is written into the data structure when an adjacent region is first tessellated. When the remaining adjacent region is tessellated, the adjacency information is read from the data structure and used to achieve tessellation without cracks. In one embodiment, visible cracks due to T-vertices are prevented by forming an overlap of adjacent regions at the location of each T-vertex. This technique allows regions to be tessellated and rendered without any advance knowledge of how the adjacent regions will be split.

Abstract: The present invention is related to rendering computer animated video and/or images generally, and to efficiently intersecting rays with an object scene while shading complex object representations. The present invention, generally, includes creating a plurality of representations for the object. After creating the plurality of representations, a plurality of primary positions are established on one of the representations. Shading positions on one or more other representations included in the plurality of representations are then established by reference to the primary positions. These shading positions correspond to the plurality of primary positions and each of these representations has a coarser resolution than the representation with the primary positions. Shading values for the shading positions are the computed and applied to the plurality of primary positions.

Abstract: An ordering of advertisements requested by an ad consumer is based on scores generated for the ads. In each case, a score may be a function of at least one performance parameter associated with the ad and/or a price parameter associated with the ad. The ad consumer may generate presentation information (e.g., a Web page) including advertisements and non-advertisement content (e.g., search results) by (i) accepting the non-advertisement content and advertisements, each of the advertisements including a score, and (ii) combining the non-advertisement content and the advertisements such that relative placements of the advertisements are based on their associated scores.

Abstract: This invention relates generally to the art of computer graphics, and more specifically to the field of line sampling object scene information for the purpose of reconstructing an image of the object scene. In particular, the inventions distributes a set of line samples across an image plane such that the distribution of the set of line samples is non-regular. Additionally, the invention projects objects from an object scene onto an image plane and computes a view of the objects along each line sample in the set of line samples. Finally, the invention combines the view along each line sample in the set of line samples to form a view of the object scene.