Based On User Profile Or Attribute Patents (Class 705/14.66)
  • Publication number: 20140289053
    Abstract: Discussed herein is an evaluation and scoring system that may be used to quickly assess and guide financial decisions, facilitate or create communities of interest, and assist in accessing markets and/or consumers that may not have been sufficiently considered before.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2014
    Publication date: September 25, 2014
    Inventor: Reginald D. Maisonneuve
  • Patent number: 8843395
    Abstract: A system for receiving data associated with a mobile content is configured to calculate an expected value of the mobile content based at least in part on the data received, and determine a bid amount for a sponsorship of the mobile content based at least in part on the expected value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Millennial Media, Inc.
    Inventors: Jorey Ramer, Adam Soroca, Dennis Doughty
  • Patent number: 8843394
    Abstract: Systems and methods for mapping identifiers are provided. Activity logs illustrate activities and/or events associated with a plurality of identifiers. The identifiers may be registered identifiers, unregistered identifiers, or a combination thereof. When at least two identifiers share a linking attribute, the at least two identifiers may be mapped to one another, along with information associated therewith (if any) such as a user profile. Each subsequent line of an activity line may also be mapped to the identifiers of the initial single line when a linking attribute or an overlapping identifier is present. A number of identifiers associated with each other may be increased by mapping identifiers and, thus, a targeted audience for a customized advertisement may, in turn, be increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Fei Cao, Shaoyu Zhou, Siddhartha Roy, Michael Elizarov, Zhuoqing Wu, James Zhang
  • Publication number: 20140275855
    Abstract: Systems and methods of providing targeted advertising are provided. Physiological information is collected from a wearable monitoring device attached to a body of a first subject over a period of time, such as multiple days, weeks, or months. Exemplary physiological information includes pulse rate information, body temperature information, breathing rate information, blood pressure information, cardiac output information, and blood gas level information. The collected physiological information is analyzed to generate a profile for the first subject. At least one advertisement is selected in response to the profile, and presented to a second subject not wearing a monitoring device, wherein the first and second subjects have at least one matching demographic.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Valencell, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven Francis LeBoeuf, Jesse Berkley Tucker, Michael Edward Aumer
  • Publication number: 20140279047
    Abstract: Advanced set top devices are beginning to merge with home network gateway devices and will soon become the major single entry point into the home. A growing trend and implementation of home gateways is to provide a centralized data entrance point to end user home. Behavioral information may be compiled from each individual device in the home network, and the home network gateway device determines advertisements to insert specifically to each device based on the entirety of the behavioral information compiled from within the home network. The advertisements provided to individual users within the home network may be determined by the home network gateway device, transparent to entities outside the home network. For example, a headend that delivers content to a home network may not know how many devices are connected to a home network gateway device, the type of devices connected, or which devices are receiving content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Yeqing Wang, Christopher S. DelSordo, Patrick J. Leary, Patrick Wright-Riley
  • Publication number: 20140274107
    Abstract: A user device may be configured to receive information regarding a set of points of interest that have been determined based on behavior information associated with a user of the user device. The information regarding the set of points of interest may indicate geographical locations associated with one or more of the points of interest, of the set of points of interest. The user device may determine a present geographical location associated with the user device; compare the geographical locations associated with the one or more points of interest to the present geographical location associated with the user device; identify, based on the comparing, a particular point of interest, of the set of points of interest, that is within a particular distance of the present geographical location of the user device; and output, via a display device, information regarding the identified particular point of interest.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: VERIZON PATENT AND LICENSING INC.
    Inventor: Steven R. Rados
  • Publication number: 20140279045
    Abstract: Disclosed is a computer-implemented method for audience ID synchronization in a data management platform. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a first redirect traffic from a first domain during a first browser session, in response to a web browser loading an embedded web object on a web page of the first domain; identifying a consumer user by searching through a cookie cache of the web browser to determine whether an unity identifier has been assigned in the cookie cache by the data management platform; in response to determining no unity identifier has been assigned to the consumer user, generating a cookie containing a new unity identifier and dropping the cookie in the cookie cache of the web browser; and synchronizing identifiers for the consumer user with a partner platform by updating a matching table of the identifiers with either the identified unity identifier or the new unity identifier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventor: Jonathan SHOTTAN
  • Publication number: 20140278877
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for facilitating the purchase of excess items. In one embodiment, customer information and inventory data are retrieved from a merchant client. A determination is made on whether excess items exist. A list of target purchasers is generated based on data associated with a user account, and offers are generated and sent by electronic communication to the list of target purchasers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Amazon Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David C. Yanacek, Gustavo Eduardo Lopez, Steven T. Rabuchin, Michael M. George, Brandon H. Yarbrough
  • Publication number: 20140279046
    Abstract: An advertisement providing apparatus includes a first advertisement providing unit, a friend list acquisition unit, a score calculation unit, and a second advertisement providing unit. The first advertisement providing unit is configured to provide a first advertisement to a user group including one or a plurality of users. The friend list acquisition unit is configured to acquire a friend list of a user who clicked on the first advertisement among the users included in the user group. The score calculation unit is configured to calculate, for each friend user included in the friend list, a score in which a click tendency of the friend user is reflected. The second advertisement providing unit is configured to provide a second advertisement that is the same as the first advertisement, to a friend user having a score that satisfies a certain condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: YAHOO JAPAN CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tsutomu SANADA
  • Publication number: 20140278984
    Abstract: Systems and methods for presenting dynamic offers to a computer user are presented. In one embodiment, in response to a request for content, one or more items in the content are identified. For each of the items, a determination is made as to whether to offer a dynamic offer for the item is made. For those items where it is determined to make a dynamic offer, the dynamic offer is incorporated into the content. The content is then presented to the computer user. Alternative, a component on the user computer identifies one or more items in content to be displayed to the computer user. The user computer then obtains dynamic offers corresponding to at least some of the identified items and incorporates the dynamic offers into the displayed content.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Weiguo Liu, Ye Chen
  • Publication number: 20140279043
    Abstract: A method for page personalization is provided, including the following method operations: identifying a user operating a client; receiving a request for page data from the client; determining a user profile associated with the user; for each of a plurality of articles, predicting a display time of the article when presented to the user, based on the user profile and features of the article; determining selected articles from the plurality of articles based on the predicted display times; assembling the page data, the page data defining a page when rendered by the client, the rendered page defining references to the selected articles; sending the page data to the client; wherein the method is executed by a processor
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventors: Xing Yi, Scott Gaffney, Jean-Marc Langlois
  • Publication number: 20140279039
    Abstract: One variation of a method for selectively advertising items in an image includes: loading an image to a social feed; receiving a first tag and a second tag including identification of a first item and a second item visible in the image, respectively; based on the first tag and the second tag, correlating the first item with a first product and the second item with the second product; based on the first product and the second product, sourcing a first link to a first electronic storefront and a second link to a second electronic storefront that facilitate purchase of the first product and the second product, respectively; and selectively displaying a first visual cue of the first link and a second visual cue of the second link to a first user and to a second user, respectively, according to demographics of the first user and the second user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Systrom, Amy Cole
  • Publication number: 20140279049
    Abstract: A system comprising a computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program and a computer-implemented method for providing a social product reveal. Consistent with some embodiments, the method may include presenting content to a first user with a reference to an interaction with the content by a second user. The reference to the interaction conceals the identity of the second user from the first user. The method may further include receiving a request from the first user to reveal the identity of the second user. In response to receiving the request to reveal, a communication is sent to the second user requesting the reveal of his or her identity. Upon receiving a confirmation to reveal from the second user, the identity of the second user is revealed to the first user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventors: Garry Wiseman, Michael Lenahan, Ben Mitchell
  • Publication number: 20140279040
    Abstract: A method of marketing by delivering advertisements and promotional offers to groups comprises preparing promotional offers to be redeemed by groups meeting predetermined conditions related to number of group members, group members' ages and gender, location and anticipated time for promotional offer to be redeemed, and delivering such offers to groups meeting such conditions. Delivery of promotional offers is done via any combination of the internet, a proprietary group server, an advertising exchange, merchants' and publisher's web sites, and cellular communications networks. Redemption of offers is reported to participating entities so that an accounting for revenues may be completed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventor: Clint Kuboyama
  • Publication number: 20140279041
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for payment account fee prevention. A system monitors purchases made by a payment account, the account having a penalty fee that is applied due to purchase inactivity during a period of time and withdraws an amount of money from the payment account prior to the end of the period of time when the system indicates purchase inactivity to avoid the penalty fee application. The amount of money is calculated as a percentage of the penalty fee, such that a user is charged a lesser fee by the system than an entity collecting the penalty fee for account inactivity. In one embodiment, the system presents an interactive notice with an optional product advertisement, as a reminder to the user via a device, enabling a payment to an entity prior to the end of the period of time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventors: Thomas M. Isaacson, Joseph Bous
  • Publication number: 20140279038
    Abstract: A social and mobile business tool is provided for managing multi-platform marketing, publishing, and analysis. The marketing and publishing software program provides an intuitive campaign management system and graphical user interface with in-depth, real-time analytics for conducting social, mobile, and digital targeted campaigns. The social and mobile business software program improves how social, mobile and digital campaigns work, by syncing the multi-platform based campaigns together. Simultaneous and full synchronization means a campaign can be launched at the same time across mobile, social and Web platforms, and are fully synchronized so changes to a campaign are reflected across the other platforms immediately.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventor: Andrew Lombard
  • Publication number: 20140279037
    Abstract: Systems and methods for creating product advertising campaigns in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. In one embodiment, a product target generation server system includes a processor, product data including a plurality of attribute-value pairs describing a set of products, semantic models including data describing relationships between product targets, concepts described using categories and attribute-value pairs, and target grouping data constituting a set of groupings of product targets, global performance data including performance data, wherein the processor is configured to identify at least one category in a portion of the product data, determine a product advertising structure based on the product data and the identified at least one category, match a portion of the groupings of product data with the product targets within the global performance data, identify performance data, and generate at least one product target using the identified performance data and the product data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: DataPop, Inc.
    Inventors: John Zimmerman, Robert Manly, Maggie Yeh Chen, Kelvin Li, David Schwartz
  • Publication number: 20140279050
    Abstract: Disclosed is a novel system and process for presenting a customized chatbot. The transaction in one example is a sales transactions. Information is retrieved that is associated with the user or customer. The information includes demographic information of the user or behavioral information of the first party, or a combination of both. A chatbot is presented on the system of the user as of a messaging window of a web page document of an entity selling a good or a service. The messaging window is customized to the end user based on the demographic information of the first party, or the behavioral information of the first party or a combination of both. The messaging window is customized to include one or more of an initial greeting, an appearance of the messaging window, and a picture of an agent.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 27, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: THE DELFIN PROJECT, INC.
    Inventors: Michael G. MAKAR, Tracy A. TINDALL
  • Publication number: 20140279036
    Abstract: An ad targeting system may provide for determining a prime target based on one or more prime target parameters. The one or more prime target parameters may include criteria for determining a prime target. The criteria for determining a prime target may include one or more of a minimum amount of interactions or associations with individuals and organizations, a minimum amount of notoriety, or a minimum amount of conversions. The system may also provide for deriving a graph data structure based on the prime target and one or more social graph generation parameters. The one or more social graph generation parameters may include criteria for determining targets to link to the prime target. The criteria for determining targets to link to the prime target may include a minimum amount of interactions or associations with prime target.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: YAHOO! INC.
    Inventors: Mark Ke, Wei Zhu
  • Publication number: 20140279042
    Abstract: Methods, systems and computer-readable storage mediums encoded with computer programs executed by one or more processors for providing social media purchase offers are disclosed. An offer strategy construct including: a markup tag associated with a social media platform (SMP), a purchase offer, and criteria for providing the purchase offer in response to a post to the SMP is received. The SMP is monitored for posts corresponding to the markup tag. User info is extracted from the SMP upon a detection that a particular post corresponds to the markup tag. It is determined whether the user info satisfies the criteria. The purchase offer is provided to the user associated with the post as determined from the user info upon a determination that the user info satisfies the criteria.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: Rapp Worldwide Inc.
    Inventors: Craig Allen Elimeliah, Juan Camilo La Cruz-Smith
  • Publication number: 20140279048
    Abstract: Systems and methods for predicting and monetizing information pathways. An indication is received that a user has visited a webpage and, based on information associated with the visit, a predictive model is used to predict a plurality of webpages that are likely to be visited by the user. The user is then provided with a subset of the predicted webpages as a traversable pathway of webpages. Information relating to the user's traversal of the pathway can be collected and used to facilitate the provision of an advertisement to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Inventor: Justin Wohlstadter
  • Publication number: 20140279044
    Abstract: In various example embodiments, a system and method for omni-channel identity matching is provided. In example embodiments, identifiers from online and offline communication channels are obtained. A user that corresponds to at least one of the identifiers is identified. An identity profile is created for the user that contains the at least one of the identifiers corresponding to the user. The identity profile is maintained in an identity profile store. A communication, such as an ad request, containing an identifier is received. The identity profile that matches the identifier received in the communication is determined. In some embodiments, an advertisement may be determined to be returned to the user based on the identity of the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2013
    Publication date: September 18, 2014
    Applicant: eBay Inc.
    Inventors: Joshua Summers, Victor Mendoza
  • Patent number: 8839384
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Siddhartha Roy, Sijian Zhang, Michael Elizarov, Shaoyu Zhou, Fei Cao
  • Patent number: 8839291
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Per R. Anderson, Diane Lambert, Daniel J. Zigmond
  • Patent number: 8838688
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for inferring user interests from both direct and indirect social neighbors. User interests are inferred from social neighbors by exploiting the correlation among multiple attributes of a user, in addition to the social correlation of an attribute among a group of users. Attributes of a user are inferred by obtaining an inferred set of attributes comprised of one or more attributes of social neighbors of the user. Thereafter, the inferred set is modified using a user attribute correlation model describing a probability that the attributes in the inferred set co-occur on the user and one or more of the social neighbors. An inference quality of the obtained attributes can optionally be obtained based on social network properties of the social neighbors. Interactions with the user and/or the social neighbors can be employed to solicit feedback to improve the one or more inferred attributes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2014
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Ching-Yung Lin, Zhen Wen
  • Publication number: 20140257990
    Abstract: A computer implemented system and method determines correlations between one or more personality traits of a group of consumers and one or more brand/product. A first collection of consumer motivations of the group of consumers are determined based on associations between possible consumer motivations and the one or more personality traits. A second collection of consumer motivations are derived from the first collection of consumer motivations, where each consumer motivation of the second collection has a correlation with the one or more brand/product. Correlations between the personality traits and the brand/product are determined and output by identifying which of the one or more personality traits contributed to each of the consumer motivations of the second collection based on the associations between the possible consumer motivations and the one or more personality traits from the group of consumers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 26, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: TipTap, Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Cudgma, Christopher C. Nocera, Kyle A. Thomas
  • Publication number: 20140257953
    Abstract: An information dissemination method and apparatus facilitates transmission of information to primary receivers and re-transmission to secondary receivers using native mobile devices, without necessarily depending on friends lists or the internet. The chain of transmission “links” can be tracked and logged, and users in the chain can be rewarded for participating. The information, referred to as “germs,” can be generated, propagated and spread in a viral manner, wherein the germs are filtered and exchanged among users in close proximity, within a pre-registered user group, or through the internet. Embodiments can be used for one-to-one and one-to-many communications in the social media, advertising, and/or security industries, and do not require client-users to know each other or be on friends lists.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: VYRAL LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY
    Inventors: David Todd Kaplan, Alan Stuart Kaplan
  • Publication number: 20140257993
    Abstract: A rendering constraint is detected for a maximum time between capture of each a plurality of frames of a captured video stream of a consumer and a rendering of each corresponding frame of a consumer representation comprising a rendered three dimensional model rendered to depict a consumer appearance and a movement wearing a particular merchandise item. Processor elements accessible to the at least one computing system are selected that are able to generate the rendered three dimensional model within the time period specified in the rendering constraint. At least one processing task is directed to the selected processor elements to build the consumer representation comprising the three dimensional model and generate a rendering of the three dimensional model wearing the particular merchandise item as the captured video stream is received in real time at the at least one computer system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
    Inventor: MICHAEL A. PAOLINI
  • Publication number: 20140257992
    Abstract: An embodiment of the present invention is described that includes an incentive application for providing incentives to a visitor of a site. The incentive application is both portable onto other sites and is customizable on each site to the information provided on the site.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: Bunchball Inc.
    Inventor: Rajat Paharia
  • Publication number: 20140257991
    Abstract: Computer-implemented methods are provided for the delivery and/or prioritization of electronic marketing and promotional offers to a client device. In some embodiments, user context information associated with a user, and/or extrinsic context information, is employed to identify matching offers for a user, and to prioritize and optionally rank a subset of the matching offers. In other embodiments, user context information, and optionally extrinsic context information, is employed to dynamically trigger the activation and optional customization of offers for users, according to triggering logic and trigger parameters. In other embodiments, extrinsic context information is employed for triggering the availability of offers to one or more users, according to triggering logic and trigger parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2012
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: DEALBARK INC.
    Inventors: Michael Christensen, Hilton Hiu Tung Lee, Sing Yoong Khew
  • Publication number: 20140257995
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, a device, and a system for playing a video advertisement. The method includes: receiving at least one of image feature data, a subtitle text, and an audio text of a video file sent by a client; obtaining a feature fusion result vector of the video file according to the at least one of the image feature data, subtitle text, and audio text of the video file; performing similarity matching calculation on feature fusion result vectors of advertisement files to be placed and the feature fusion result vector of the video file and determining one or more advertisement files of maximum similarity as a matching advertisement file; and sending the matching advertisement file to the client. With the embodiments of the present invention, an advertisement played on a client is more adaptable to a scene being played on the client.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Wei Wang
  • Publication number: 20140257994
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods and apparatus for sending content to a media player. In general, a user of the disclosed system consumes a plurality of media content (e.g., audio content, visual content, audiovisual content, etc.) distributed from a media server. The content preferably include advertising content and non-advertising content. Some or all of the content is selected by the system based on the user's specific requests, profile, preferences, and/or feedback, in conjunction with the profiles, preferences, requests, and feedback of other users, (e.g. using social media, social matching and/or collaborative filtering techniques). Preferably, the feedback includes statistical data indicative of partial experiences (e.g., user listened to 50%) of the content by one or more media consumers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Inventor: Carson Victor Conant
  • Publication number: 20140257971
    Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments of a system and a method for conducting cloud-based commerce. In accordance with one aspect of the approach, a method of cloud-based commerce, the method may include the steps of receiving a plurality of campaign instructions from a plurality of campaign controllers, configuring the campaign instructions and creating a unique brand identifier, campaign data, and a distribution trigger, the campaign data including a brand communication message and a redemption offer, distributing the campaign data to a plurality of mobile computer devices, causing the display of the brand communication message upon a first of the mobile computer devices, authorizing redistribution of the campaign data to a second of the mobile communication devices, acknowledging the acceptance of the redemption offer, creating analytics data based upon the campaign data, distribution data, and redemption data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 6, 2013
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Inventor: Daniel Frankfort
  • Patent number: 8831978
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method, system and computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for facilitating consistent application of price polices on every sales transaction supported through a customer relationship management system, in order to identify price exceptions in violation of stated corporate pricing objectives. Having such capabilities coupled with a customer relationship management system enables embodiments of the present invention to reduce the time to identify and evaluate price exceptions that impact revenue and margin. Agents responsible for sales interaction with customers can immediately identify violations of price policies. Those responsible for authorizing exceptions can easily determine the effect of those exceptions upon impacted markets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Oracle International Corporation
    Inventors: Tarak Ishwarbhai Patel, William Thomas Turchin, David Andrew Fraser, David Wayne Trice, Stanley Edward Quinn, Laurel Ann Turner, Rachel Alexander Scales, Paul Lars Helgeson
  • Patent number: 8832735
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Hulu, LLC
    Inventors: Eugene Chuan-Huai Wei, Peter E. Sargent, Hua Zheng, Chaitanya Laxminarayan, Wing Chit Mak
  • Publication number: 20140249932
    Abstract: A web portal residing on a computer server coupled to a worldwide computer network is configured to receive advertising campaign specifications from an advertiser, including merchandise offerings and customer demographics, identify at least one retailer having characteristics that match the advertising campaign specifications, receive a selection of at least one retailer from the advertiser, receive an advertising image file from the advertiser, receive printer specifications specifying printer and shipping label characteristics from the selected at least one retailer. The web portal is further configured to transmit the advertising image file to a printing vendor to pre-print the advertising image onto a plurality of blank shipping labels that satisfy the printer specifications, the plurality of pre-printed shipping labels to be supplied to the retailer for printing shipping information and application to shipping containers containing outgoing merchandise.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 15, 2014
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: Boxstar, LLC
    Inventor: Chris Gilliam
  • Publication number: 20140249931
    Abstract: A method that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, the steps of transmitting media content to a group of set top boxes for presentation with an overlay superimposed onto the media content, receiving a first comment from a first set top box of the group of set top boxes where the first comment is presentable with the overlay and the media content by the group of set top boxes, determining a first advertisement based on the first comment, and transmitting the first advertisement to the first set top box for presentation with the overlay and the media content. Other embodiments are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 14, 2014
    Publication date: September 4, 2014
    Applicant: AT&T Intellectual Property I, LP
    Inventors: Linda Roberts, E-Lee Chang, Ja-Young Sung, Natasha Barrett Schultz, Robert King
  • Patent number: 8825019
    Abstract: A method and system for providing a phone directory service to a user terminal in a mobile communication network are provided. The method includes receiving a search request including a search keyword for the phone directory service and a subscriber identifier for the user terminal from the user terminal, acquiring subscriber information of a subscriber possessing the user terminal from the mobile communication network in which the user terminal is registered using the subscriber identifier, acquiring a business list of businesses corresponding to the search keyword from a business DataBase (DB) for managing businesses which have subscribed to the phone directory service, arranging the business list based on a communication pattern of a group of similar subscribers which have been determined to have subscriber information similar to that of the subscriber possessing the user terminal according to a predetermined criteria, and providing the arranged business list to the user terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Young-Sung Kho, Young-Ky Kim, Ji-Hye Ha
  • Publication number: 20140244381
    Abstract: An online system for managing multiple types of online sites for a company is disclosed. Such an online system is designed to retain user interest in the company.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: DELONACO LIMITED
    Inventor: Maxym Polyakov
  • Publication number: 20140244400
    Abstract: Systems and methods for syndicating advertising content are described. In one embodiment, a method of syndicating relevant user activities includes obtaining a first advertising bid from a first advertising site, obtaining a second advertising bid from a second advertising site, recording user activities with a first participating site, classifying the recorded user activities describing at least one category associated with the recorded user activity, determining an auction strategy based on the first advertising bid, the second advertising bid, the first advertising site, and the second advertising site, where the auction strategy selects at least one winning advertising site, generating an ad unit ad unit including metadata describing the recorded user activity and the at least one winning advertising site, and syndicating the generated ad unit to at least one participating site within an advertisement network.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2014
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: CitizenNet Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel Benyamin, Michael C. McGinley, Michael Aaron Hall, Nicholas J. Bina
  • Publication number: 20140240130
    Abstract: A method and system for monitoring biometric data. The method includes authenticating a user and providing content to a user device associated with the user. Biometric data associated with the user is obtained and compared to one or more threshold values. A representation of the comparison is generated and provided to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicants: Sony Network Entertainment International LLC, Sony Corporation
    Inventors: True Xiong, Charles McCoy, Leo Pedlow
  • Publication number: 20140244401
    Abstract: A system for identifying a same user of multiple communication devices is configured to perform the steps of: (a) receiving data corresponding to a first user-managed asset from a first communication device operated by a user, wherein the first user-managed asset is a plurality of applications and their placement within a graphical user interface of the first communication device; (b) receiving data corresponding to a second user-managed asset from a second communication device operated by a user, wherein the second user-managed asset is a plurality of applications and their placement within a graphical user interface of the second communication device, wherein the first user-managed asset is substantially the same as the second user-managed asset; and (c) determining that the user of the first communication device is the user of the second communication device based on identifying that the first user-managed asset is substantially the same as the second user-managed asset.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2014
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: Millennial Media, Inc.
    Inventors: Dennis L. Doughty, Benjamin M. Gordon, Shrikanth B. Mysore, Matthew A. Tengler
  • Publication number: 20140244378
    Abstract: A computerized method and system for providing real-time response to consumer activity is disclosed. The method and system includes receiving a consumer activity, the consumer activity being associated with marketing engagement by a consumer, analyzing the consumer activity to determine one or more changes to previously known attributes of the consumer stored in a database, pushing the one or more changes into a data queue, processing the one or more changes from the data queue based on a business logic process, the business logic process comprising one or more marketing activities and a timing for each marketing activity of the one or more marketing activities, and performing the one or more marketing activities based at least in part on the business process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 31, 2014
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: EXACTTARGET, INC.
    Inventors: Darin Brown, Jeff Middlesworth
  • Publication number: 20140244398
    Abstract: Transmitting entertainment information for presentation to a user and receiving, on behalf of the user, user response information responsive to the entertainment information is disclosed. The entertainment information may include a set of questions such as trivia-related questions or polling questions. The user response information may indicate a set of corresponding responses provided by the user in response to the set of questions. The entertainment information may be identified based on available historical preference data associated with the user, demographic data associated with the user or may be randomly selected to gauge user interest. User psychographic data associated with the user may be generated based at least in part on the user response information. At least one offering for targeting to the user such as a product or service offering or a targeted advertisement may be identified based on the user psychographic data and may be transmitted for presentation to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: COX COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventor: Louise Mary Wasilewski
  • Publication number: 20140244399
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system configured to enable a user to track how his or her personal data is being used, and to control its collection, storage, and/or use, and delete certain personal data across information providers. A user may establish criteria regarding such collection, use, and storage of personal data generated by a security system device, capture the personal data at a control gateway before it is provided to an information provider; and applying the criteria to the personal data. The invention also relates to a system to present additional information to the user that is relevant to both the user and at least one marketing partner (such as targeted advertising); and to provide data to enable at least one marketing partner to provide value (a “reward”) to the user in exchange for the user allowing an information provider to collect and use personal data of the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2014
    Publication date: August 28, 2014
    Applicant: ADT US Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Arthur Orduna, Joy Wald, Tana BartonHaas, Scott Johnson
  • Publication number: 20140236733
    Abstract: Provided is an interactive multilingual advertisement system and method for driving same using a social network service which does away with the modification of a social network service server or with the use of personal information on users and social network groups, determines a used language only from information selectively provided by a user terminal, and effectively provides related advertisements. The present invention relates to an interactive multilingual advertisement system and to a method for driving same using a social network service which determines a used language only from information selectively provided by a user terminal, provides related advertisements in a corresponding language, and provides advertisement information that a user can block or use to connect to an advertisement service.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2012
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: SOMMERCE LTD.
    Inventors: Okrae Cho, Eungsu Kim
  • Publication number: 20140236731
    Abstract: Techniques for using interaction data of application users to target a social-networking advertisement are described herein, as well as other techniques. Interaction data of application users is received through applications associated with the social-networking platform. This interaction data can provide additional information about users to better enable marketers to target users of a social-networking platform. This improved targeting potentially saves advertising resources, increases effectiveness of advertisements, or improves users' impressions of a maker or brand associated with the advertisement.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2013
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: ADOBE SYSTEMS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Andrew I. Schein, Abhishek Pani
  • Publication number: 20140236728
    Abstract: Systems and methods for providing interactive services and adaptive advertising in a retail environment such as a shopping mall are provided. One or more systems and a data network are used to provide services which in turn are used to collect information about users and user's preferences at a site area to adapt digital multimedia advertising content at that site. User's preferences at a site area are compiled from selections made by users on systems with fixed or mobile terminals located at the site and which provide services to the users relating to the site area. The selections are used to automatically adjust digital multimedia advertisement at the site and at specific systems with displays at the site which are in the proximity or viewable range of the user or along an approximate path that the user may take at the site.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2014
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: Seeln Systems, Inc
    Inventor: Jason Robert Wright
  • Publication number: 20140236732
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, and system of pet management and pet groups in a geospatial environment are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method includes generating a community network of user profiles, each user profile associated with a specific geographic location, procuring pet data, providing categories of the pet data, automatically generating, within the community network, groups of user profiles, each group of user profiles based on at least one category of the pet data, and generating a display view to include a map view embodied by the community network, a first group of user profiles, each user profile of the first group represented at a location in the map view corresponding to the specific geographic location with which each user profile is associated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 25, 2014
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Inventor: Raj Abhyanker
  • Publication number: 20140236716
    Abstract: An ad bidder receives a request from a user device to select an advertisement (“ad”) for presentation along with a web page. The ad bidder includes a user profile database and may be a social networking system. The ad bidder determines if the user of the user device is logged into the ad bidder and selects the advertisement based on information in the user profile database if the user is logged into the ad bidder. If the ad bidder determines the user is not logged into the ad bidder, the ad bidder retrieves a device cookie stored on the user device. The device cookie describes interactions with content from the user device, such as viewed web pages or ads. Data stored by the device cookie is then used to select the ad for presentation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2013
    Publication date: August 21, 2014
    Applicant: Facebook, Inc.
    Inventors: Scott Shapiro, Brian T. Boland, Kelly MacLean, Nipun Mathur