Abstract: A system for cause-based marketing including an interface to communicate with registered merchants, causes and users, a memory to store data associated with activities of the registered merchants, causes and users, and at least one processor coupled to said interface and said memory, said at least one processor configured to: facilitate each registered user to associate with one or more of the registered causes; facilitate each registered user to view offers of donation from registered merchants to the causes with which the user is associated; record transactional data evidencing a registered user's transaction with an offering merchant; facilitate a user to allocate a donation resulting from a transaction with an offering merchant amongst the causes with which the user is associated; compile donation amounts allocated to each registered cause; and facilitate transfer of the compiled donation amounts from the registered merchants to the registered causes.

Abstract: A method for providing and displaying advertising content. The method can include: receiving an initial content request identifying a platform of a client computing device; providing initial advertising content for the client computing device in response to the initial content request; receiving a user engagement request generated based on a user input associated with the initial advertising content; rendering secondary advertising content for the platform of the client computing device; and providing the rendered secondary advertising content for display in a thin client application executing on the client computing device.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to methods and systems for selling products across sales channels. In one aspect the disclosure relates to receiving information regarding an item that is offered for sale by a first sales channel, receiving information regarding an item that is offered for sale by at least one second sales channel, storing the information received from the first sales channel and the at least one second sales channel, populating a product data record with the information received from the first sales channel and the at least one second sales channel, and offering, in a single transaction, items for sale from the first sales channel and the at least one second channel.

Abstract: Methods and systems for identifying target media content and determining supplemental information about the target media content are provided. In one example, a method includes determining target media content within a media stream, and determining whether the target media content has been previously identified and indexed within a database. The method also includes based on the target media content being unindexed within the database, determining semantic data associated with content of the target media content. The method also includes retrieving from one or more sources supplemental information about the target media content using the semantic data, annotating the target media content with the retrieved information, and storing in the database the annotated target media content associated with the retrieved information.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for estimating demographic compositions of television audiences from audience similarities. In an aspect, pairwise cosine similarities of segment of viewers of rated and unrated television programs are determined, demographic information of rated programs is attributed to the unrated programs from the cosine similarity measures and demographic information for the rated programs.

Abstract: Methods and systems for maintaining user privacy preferences based on one or more user identifications across a plurality of applications are provided. Two or more user identifications are received with associated user privacy preferences. The received user identification is compared against other user identifications to determine if the user identifications relate to the same user. It may be determined that two user identifications are related if they have at least one browser property in common. A consolidated data stream of the user privacy preferences for the related user identifications is created. The consolidated data stream is communicated to one or more applications and propagated to maintain the user privacy preferences across the applications relating to the user identification.

Abstract: A computing environment containing a mesh network that is adapted to provide a reliable transport mechanism over which services may be delivered. Nodes of the mesh can automatically select routable addresses without conflicts, which allows nodes of the mesh to be accessed, even as the mesh changes through the addition or deletion of nodes. Also, nodes communicate with a protocol that supports service advertisements. These advertisements can identify mesh nodes that supply services, such as file or print servers, for which devices that have not yet connected to the network may be searching. Advertisements can also identify services to be used by nodes in the network, allowing, for example, a node to select a gateway providing a reliable connection to an external network. The mesh network can be used as a transport for communication using protocols, such as TCP/IP, that generally exhibit poor performance when using unreliable transports.

Abstract: A method and system for providing a digital platform including interactive tools to a plurality of content providers to enable broadcasting via digital streaming by the content providers, side-loading and cross selling between content providers, connecting one or more content providers with each other and with selected content consumers are disclosed.

Abstract: Provided herein are systems, methods and computer readable media for facilitating transfer of promotions. A promotion and marketing service may allow for assignment of one or more promotions to a first provider or consumer. A method for transferring promotions may include assigning a promotion to a first user account. The promotion may be redeemable by a first user account to obtain a good, service, or experience. The method may also include receiving a request to transfer the promotion to at least one second user account, receiving a promotion reassignment trigger, and in response to receiving the promotion reassignment trigger, assigning the promotion to the second user account using a processor, wherein assignment of the promotion to the second user account enables the second user account to redeem the promotion to obtain the good, service, or experience.

Abstract: A digital display system for displaying pricing data, product data, and advertising data on digital display strips connected to shelving in stores and adapted to interface with product placement software enabling the pricing data, product data and advertising data to be positioned & displayed on the digital display strips according to coordinates supplied by the product placement software.

Abstract: An apparatus and method use client information to automatically select products appropriate for the client. According to one aspect of the invention, client information, information about the products, ancillary data, and decision criteria pertaining to selection from among the products are stored in a storage device Decision-making logic circuitry use the stored data to select the products. An output device prepares a client communication identifying the selected products and incorporates a portion of the client information and a portion of the product information into the client communication.

Abstract: A system and method in accordance with exemplary embodiments may receive, at a server, user profile data associated with one or more set top boxes via a network. The system and method may then search for and select local advertisement content based on at least the user profile data. Further, the system and method may transmit, to the one or more set top boxes, the selected local advertisement content.

Abstract: A method and system conduct an auction for advertising across multiple markets. A first market conducts a first auction for a first advertising impression. A first bid is selected as the auction winner and a ratio is computed as the first bid plus a spread to the second highest bid. The price to be paid is the lower of the first bid or the first bid multiplied by the ratio. The first bid, second bid, and spread are transmitted to a second market for a second advertising impression auction. The second market respects the rules of the first market's auction where such that if the first bid is selected as the winner, a ratio is computed as the first bid plus the spread to the next highest bid. The price to be paid for the second impression is the first bid multiplied by the new ratio.

Abstract: A processing workflow method, system, and computer program product provide the ability; to recommend alternative programming during playback of a source media program. A media program player plays the source media program to a first viewer and provides information regarding the first viewer to a recommendation engine. The recommendation engine calculates and sends the media player a list of recommended media program candidates (including identifications of the candidates) based on the information. Prior to reaching an advertising break in the source media program, the media player transmits a request (including the identifications) for an advertisement to an advertising server and in response, receives an advertisement that is played to the first viewer during the advertising break.

Abstract: An advertiser submitting a sponsored ad to a provider can determine aspects of the ad, such as creative elements and bid price, based on a dynamic categorization of an item and/or landing page associated with the ad. An algorithm can be used that utilizes a browse tree for each item to be displayed to a user following a sponsored link, for example, and attempts to find a node in the browse tree that appears at the lowest level in the tree and with a sufficient appearance frequency. When consensus is reached for a node in the browse tree that meets these criteria, a corresponding categorization is determined, which can be used to determine appropriate aspects to be used for the sponsored ad, at least until enough information is obtained such that aspects can be determined independent of the categorization.

Abstract: An application displaying primary content, such as a webpage, may include unused space. The unused space may exist within the application displaying the primary content (e.g., within the browser window), or on other portions of the display (e.g., outside of the browser window). The unused space is identified and leveraged to display secondary content on the client display along with the primary content. The secondary content may be adaptable to conform to different sizes and/or configurations of the unused space. The secondary content may be updated as the user interacts with elements on the client display.

Abstract: Methods and systems for venue-oriented commerce via a mobile communication device are presented. An example system may include an access device and a communication node. The access device may be located at a commercial venue and communicatively coupled via a local area network with a mobile communication device located at the venue. The communication node may be communicatively coupled to the access device via a wide area network to provide a commercial service related to the commercial venue to a user of the mobile communication device. The access device may exchange information relating to the commercial service between the communication node and the mobile communication device.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and computer program products identify one or more web page impressions satisfying one or more simply queries, each of the one or more web page impressions associated with a respective impression ID. Respective impression IDs of the one or more web pages satisfying the one or more simple queries are stored in an impression log. Subsequent to storing the respective impression IDs, a query is received from a client device, and a number of impression IDs for the one or more web pages satisfying the query are identified based on the identified one or more web page impressions satisfying the one or more simple queries.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for facilitating collaboration amongst individuals working on a coordinated campaign toward certain goals. In furtherance of these goals, the individual team members use technical resources provided by specialized tools, which are also sometimes referred to as applications or products. As the campaign progresses, these applications generate a large volume of data, some of which may be useful to teams other than those which were originally responsible for producing the data. In certain embodiments a campaign manager platform is used to facilitate data sharing and collaboration amongst the various teams that comprise a campaign. In such embodiments the individual team members interact not only with the applications specifically adapted for their team, but also with the campaign manager, which provides a medium for exchanging data and ideas with other teams.

Abstract: A manufacture, comprising a non-transitory non-volatile computer-readable storage device that can include computer-readable code for managing a sponsorship transaction and interpretable by a processor to cause a computing system to perform a process that can include including presenting to a user a human-readable representation of a plurality of objectives, receiving from the user a designated business objective, storing, in a first data record of a database, the designated business objective, presenting to the user a human-readable representation of a plurality of criteria, receiving from the user a designated criteria, storing, in the database, the designated criteria in a second data record, based on receiving the designated business objective and the designated criteria, matching a property, and presenting to the user a human-readable representation of the property.

Abstract: To provide an electronic book provision system that can make advertisements easily recognized by a user. The electronic book acquisition unit (104) acquires an electronic book in which tag is set in the text. The tag indicates a replacement target phrase in the text of the electronic book to be replaced with an advertising phrase on an advertisement. An advertising phrase acquisition unit (106) acquires the stored content of an advertising phrase storage unit (102) storing an advertising phrase such that the advertising phrase is associated with the replacement target phrase or the tags. An advertising phrase insertion unit (108) inserts the advertising phrases into the text of the electronic book based on the tags included in the text of the electronic book and the stored content of the advertising phrase storage unit (102).

Abstract: The present invention provides systems and methods for determining the originality of data content. In one embodiment, the determined originality of a particular item (e.g., a book) as compared to one or more other items can be used as a factor in recommending the item to a user. For example, in one embodiment, upon a user's selection of an item (e.g., a book), one or more items that have content most diverse from the selected item are determined and provided to the user. In another embodiment, various versions of an item are compared to each other to determine how content in each version differs from that in another version. In another embodiment, content in a collection of items are compared against content from publicly (freely) available sources (e.g., web pages) to determine the originality of the content in the collection of items.

Abstract: An online ad provisioning system couples persuasive media items (ads) with an established viewership/recipient set by first identifying a popularity, or number of recipients of a requested media item, and subsequently associating the media item with an advertisement (banner, window, video segment) expecting the established viewership. While conventional advertising seeks to divert the readers attention before their eyes are on the page, the system identifies and targets recipients after their eyes are on the page (or screen, window, etc.). Such an association allows an advertiser to specify, for example, to associate an ad (persuasive media item) with the most popular web page, or to run a commercial in a video stream only if at least a predetermined number of viewers are receiving the stream.

Abstract: A system configured to receive a request to perform an electronic transaction associated with merchant equipment, where the request identifies one or more value-added services that are to be provided when the transaction is performed; retrieve workflow information, associated with a workflow that corresponds to the transaction, where the workflow information identifies how the transaction is to be performed and how the value-added services are to be provided; obtain information associated with one or more second server devices that provide the value-added services; instruct the second server devices to provide the value-added services, in a manner that conforms to the workflow information, based on the information associated with the one or more second server devices; perform the transaction in a manner that conforms to the workflow information; and transmit, to the merchant equipment, a notification that the transaction has been performed or that the value-added services have been provided.

Abstract: A computing device receives, over a network, information regarding word phrases (e.g., search terms) and determines longevity values associated with content built around the word phrases. The computing device selects, based on the longevity values, a first phrase from the word phrases. Content is built or created around the first phrase, and the built or created content is presented or published over a network such as the Internet.

Abstract: The presented invention is a method for an advertising sponsor user, using a client computer, or mobile device to be able to register, login and create zip code related local sponsor advertisements, with small advertisements for creating interest in the offers, that link to bigger advertisements with an embedded shopping cart. When a user creates the advertisements, they can upload their images, and create their type for the offers in the same interface form and the advertisements are instantly created and able to be published immediately throughout a network. Utilizing zip codes allows the system to use an intelligent smart decision engine, to make decisions of where advertisements and campaigns should be displayed as related to registered users locations. Also past performance and past advertisement information is utilized by the present invention to make appraisal value judgments as to the value of advertisements for sale, and campaign values for sale.

Abstract: An advertisement inserted in contents of, for example, a game does not serve its purpose after a while. An advertisement-information reception unit (112) receives an advertisement-space definition file (32). The advertisement-space definition file (32) is a file that defines an advertisement space for an advertisement to be inserted when contents are displayed and an advertising agency is assigned to the advertisement space. An assignment changing unit (116) cancels the assignment of an advertising agency, whose license has expired, to the advertisement space even when the advertising agency is assigned to the advertising space in the advertisement-space definition file (32). An advertisement downloading unit (118) downloads advertisement data to be inserted in the advertisement space from the server of the advertising agency validly assigned to the advertisement space.

Abstract: A system and method is provided for aggregating information from a plurality of remote information systems, such as bulletin boards, over a wide area network, such that a reception device operating on an aggregated information system can receive message data contained on the plurality of remote information systems. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention an aggregating application operating on the aggregated information system is adapted to retrieve original message data (OMD), such as a previously posted new message, and response message data (RMD), such as a previously posted response message, from a plurality of remote information systems. This retrieved message data (i.e., OMD, RMD) can then be provided to at least one reception device communicating with the aggregated information system.

Abstract: An advertisement server can provide sponsored listings for uniquely identifiable objects to remote search engines. The remote search engines display the listings locally as sponsored search results. The advertisement server can verify sponsored search results remain eligible for display, in real-time with a query received by the remote search engine. The verification can be based on budget values associated with an ad campaign.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed to challenge search query game systems and methods wherein search queries are integrated into game play activities. In one example approach, a challenge search query game system may include a search server configured to receive a challenge query from a game program in response to an in-game action by a game player, and retrieve a challenge in response to the challenge query. The challenge may include one or more clues and a solution. The search server may further be configured to send the challenge to the game program for display in the game, causing the game program to store the challenge and present a first clue from the one or more clues to the game player.

Abstract: Methods and systems for facilitating commercial distribution of merchandise from prestocked lockers. A locker bank having multiple secure lockers is deployed at a strategic location near consumers. The locker bank is prestocked with goods available for purchase. Goods are selected for prestocking using local consumer preference data. The prestocked goods are marketed to local consumers in a marketing campaign. When a purchase commitment respecting one of the prestocked goods is received from a local consumer, an access key to a locker in the locker bank where the purchased good is stocked is provided to the local consumer and the local consumer can retrieve the purchased good from the locker using the access key.

Abstract: An advertisement system of a map using a virtual POI according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a map database including map data; a membership database including advertisement display configuration information; a virtual POI database where stored are information about virtual advertisement POI and advertisement location which is the location of the virtual advertisement POI; and a virtual world generation module, generating an image map based on the map data and searching the image map for a virtual advertisement POI associated with a location which can be displayed on the image map and corresponding to the advertisement display configuration information; and displaying the virtual advertisement POI on the advertisement location of the image map.

Abstract: A social networking system generates socially-relevant ads for a user based on actions taken by other users to whom the user is connected. These may be actions taken on, and determined by, an external system, information about which actions can be received by the social networking system and used for matching to an advertisement request. The social networking system may determine a social context for advertising to a user based on the action and may generate an advertisement for the matched ad request that includes an informational message communicating the social context (i.e., an ad with the information message appended to it, a news story for the informational message, etc.). The ad may be targeted to the user based on user affinity for the ad, based on an object interacted with or an action taken by the user's connections on or external to the social networking system, among other criteria.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed towards modifying when to publish content to a channel for distribution based on monitored actions associated with previously published content. A plurality of publishing slots may be determined from a plurality of time slots. Each publishing slot may indicate a time to publish content to the channel. Content may be published to the channel at each of the plurality of publishing slots. User actions associated with the published content may be monitored. The plurality of publishing slots may be ranked based on these monitored actions. At least one of the plurality of publishing slots may be modified to a different time slot based on the rankings of the publishing slots. The publication of content at a publishing slot may be delayed based on a success of other content published at a previous publishing slot being above a threshold.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for generating an electronic map display. In one implementation, a method is provided for receiving route information associated with a route having an origination point and a destination point, determining a location of a reference point along the route, assigning a spatial identifier to the reference point, searching for points of interest (POIs) in a search area associated with the spatial identifier, ranking, using a processor, the POIs based on distances of POIs from the location of the reference point, and providing POI information for an electronic map display, wherein the POI information is associated with one or more POIs and selected based on the ranking of the POIs.

Abstract: A client-to-service compatibility framework is described that allows online entities to provide a single set of service offerings for client devices of multiple different brands and/or models, such as televisions, set-top-boxes, game consoles, and portable media players, for example. Generally, the client-to-service compatibility framework comprises a plurality of plug-ins or adapters that translate communications from client devices to a form compatible with the online entity's service offerings and vice versa. In this manner, online entities are able to insulate their service offerings from the changing communication needs of client devices.

Abstract: A method (400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900) of providing a shared virtual lounge experience. The method can include analyzing one or more messages communicated from a first participant (104) in a virtual world (102) to a second participant (106) in the virtual world to determine at least one context (110) of the message(s). Based on the determined context of the message(s), a context-specific virtual lounge (112) can be dynamically created to pertain to the determined context and host participant interactions.

Abstract: The usefulness, and consequently the performance, of advertisements are improved by allowing businesses to better target their ads to a responsive audience. For example, location information may be used in ad relevancy determination, and in attribute (e.g., position) arbitration. Such location information may be associated with price information, such as a maximum price bid, and/or with ad performance information. Ad performance information may be tracked on the basis of location information. The content of an ad creative, and/or of a landing page may be selected and/or modified using location information. Tools may be provided to enter and/or modify location information, such as location-dependent targeting information and price information. The location information used to target and/or score ads may be, include, or define an area. The area may be defined by at least one geographic reference point (e.g., defined by latitude and longitude coordinates) and perhaps additional information.

Abstract: A computerized management system for corporate, entertainment or sports management by a remote party is disclosed. For instance, in entertainment management the entertainment an event is transmitted for the remote party to remotely analyze the performer or participant. A decision is received via a communications link from a remote computing device associated with the remote party, the decision relating to a reading by an actor, choosing between different scripts, a choice of a participant, editing of a script, angle of a lens for a camera shot, and closeness of a lens for a camera shot, which take of a scene is best, choosing between different endings of a script, total budget for a production, amounts to budget for each of a plurality of line items, amounts to spend in advertising, what markets to focus on for release, or what day to release a film in different markets.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for advertisers to target specific calendar users with the advertisers' events. When uploading information for an advertisement to a service provider system, the advertiser provides targeting criteria along with advertisement content. The targeting criteria is compared against user data stored about the user within one or more databases in the service provider system to select targeted recipients that meet the targeting criteria. The advertised events are then downloaded for display along side a users' calendar interface, where users may quickly and easily add the event to their calendars.

Abstract: A method is described that includes accessing bids for ranked goods and minimum rank indicators that each specifies a lowest rank for a good that is acceptable to a bidder, assigning a ranked good to a first bidder based on a first bid and a first minimum rank indicator each associated with the first bidder, and outputting a signal indicative of a cost of the assigned rank good based on a second bid associated with a next highest bidder having a second minimum rank indicator that specifies a rank that is inclusive of a rank of the ranked good assigned to the first bidder.

Abstract: Systems and methods for message-based advertising in a wireless communications network are described. A digital message is contained in a data packet set in transit from a terminal of a sender to a terminal of a recipient. At least one of the terminals is implemented as a mobile telephone. The digital message is received through a network connection. A processor determines a context for the digital message and matches the message context to content of advertisements stored in an advertisement database in order to identify at least one relevant advertisement. The data packet set is transmitted to the terminal of the recipient. A processor retrieves the relevant advertisement(s) from the advertisement database and generates a confirmation message containing a delivery status of the data packet set. The confirmation message includes the relevant advertisement and is transmitted to the terminal of the sender.

Abstract: A method and system for selection of a task in proportion to a desired distribution. Specifically, in one embodiment, the present invention discloses a method and system for selecting a task associated with a visiting customer to a web site over a communication network. The customer is assigned to a segment of a target customer base that most closely resembles the customer's characteristics. A plurality of tasks is associated with the segment and can be expressed as a distribution of tasks performed. A current distribution of tasks is determined. The task which provides a new distribution that is closest to a desired distribution of the plurality of tasks is selected to be performed. In one embodiment, the task to be performed is the offering of an advertising promotion to the customer over the communication network.

Abstract: A group of key terms associated with an ad campaign are identified, each key term including a keyword or a key phrase. The group is automatically classified into two or more sub-groups each having one or more key terms, at least one of the sub-groups having key terms that have a higher similarity level than the key terms in the original group. The two or more sub-groups of key terms are provided to a sponsor of the ad campaign.

Abstract: A method is provided for enterprise management and bundling of inventory to maximize revenue on perishable products. An electronic data-mart collects factors for the probability and price sensitivity of a buyer. The data-mart also collects rules for inventory scaling, available inventory to sell, budget (goal) information, advertiser payment history, and station performance data to feed to a scenario planner. Once three or more variables exist, algorithms create scenario plans to present the most profitable bundle of offerings. The scenarios are typically pre-approved although presented to local business units for an abnormality failsafe. Once processed by local business units, the scenarios are presented to the buyer. Negotiations typically cause the process to restart.

Abstract: The claimed subject matter provides an architecture and associated schema for facilitating advantageous solutions the generalized online matching problem. The architecture can employ a blended schema that includes distinct aspects of both primal-dual schema and dual-fitting schema. In accordance therewith, the blended schema can provide algorithms that yield solutions in accordance with a competitive ratio of 1?1/e. In addition, the blended schema can be extended to provide for rich risk management features. Further, an addition of stochastic information can be employed in connection with the blended schema to improve the results beyond the competitive ratio.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, that generate a display including one or more user-adjustable advertising mechanisms and receive a user selection of at least one of the one or more user-adjustable advertising mechanisms. Optionally, a user-adjustable tool can be displayed. The user-adjustable tool is configurable by the user to adjust the at least one user-adjustable advertising mechanism. A graphic is generated that represents at least one other user-adjustable advertising mechanism, where the graphic is generated based at least in part on the adjustment of the at least one user-adjustable advertising mechanism using the user-adjustable tool.

Abstract: A social networking website logs information about actions taken by members of the website. For a particular member of the website, the website generates socially relevant ads for the member based on the actions logged for other members on the website to whom the member is connected (i.e., the member's online friends). The advertiser associated with the social ad may compensate the social networking website for publishing the ad on the website. When presenting a member with a social ad, the website may optimize advertising revenue by selecting an ad from the received ads that will maximize the expected value of the social ad. The expected value may be computed according to a function that includes the member's affinity for the ad content and the bid amount. The technique is also applied for providing socially relevant information off the social networking website.

Abstract: An electronic publication (e.g., an electronic document, e-book, e-pub, etc.) is created and edited using content provided by at least one source. In some aspects, a server-based (e.g., web-based) environment enables multiple authors to seamlessly corroborate to create an electronic publication. In some aspects, a server-based environment enables content to be automatically or manually in a non-linear manner (e.g., designing pages while writing content, and visa versa, or one before the other) become incorporated into an electronic digitally interactive book and print-ready publication (e.g. books, novels, yearbooks, textbooks, comic books, etc.). In some aspects, a server-based environment provides new and innovative ways to incorporate subscriptions and advertisements into an electronic publication, and to display these advertisements in the electronic publication.

Abstract: A device for presenting information about an article of footwear is disclosed, including: a housing for securing to the article of footwear; a position sensor disposed in the housing for determining a position of the device; a memory for storing information related to the article of footwear being in a first position; and a display for presenting the information about the article of footwear being in the first position based on the position of the device determined by the position sensor.