Abstract: A system and method providing for communication and resolution of utility functions between participants, wherein the utility function is evaluated based on local information at the recipient to determine a cost value thereof. A user interface having express representation of both information elements, and associated reliability of the information. An automated system for optimally conveying information based on relevance and reliability.

Abstract: The efficient allocation of advertisements, also known as creatives, on one or more web sites is provided for while ensuring that guarantees to advertisers are honored. In one embodiment, a linear program solver allocates creatives to advertising slots according to an optimizing function designed to maximize revenue for the site. The linear program solver takes as input a set of creatives, creative performance data, constraints, and slot identifiers. The output of the linear program solver is an optimized schedule not violative of any of the input constraints.

Abstract: In a computer-implemented method of determining an abstraction of a plurality of differentiated goods available for exchange, data regarding each differentiated good is stored in a computer storage, wherein the data regarding each differentiated good includes an attribute value assigned to at least one attribute of the differentiated good. A processor of a computer determines a first abstraction of the plurality of differentiated goods based on the stored data. The first abstraction includes at least one abstract good. Each abstract good includes one or more differentiated goods. At least one abstract good of the first abstraction includes at least two distinct differentiated goods. The processor determines for each abstract good a specification for the abstract good based on the data regarding one or more differentiated goods forming the abstract good. The processor stores in the computer storage the specification determined for each abstract good.

Abstract: Systems, computer-readable media, and methods for suggesting intents and bids for the suggested intents to a user are provided. The user may have an advertising campaign that includes one or more words. An advertisement system is configured to suggest intents and bids for intents. The intents are represented by a bundle of keywords. The advertisement system suggests bundles having similar intents to the one or more words associated with the user. A graphical user interface displays the bundles and allows the user to modify the keywords and bids. The graphical user interface is also updated with statistics associated with the bundles or keywords in the bundle.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention may include receiving a plurality of bids, wherein each bid corresponds to an advertisement placement opportunity in a plurality of video frames generated by a graphics processing system in response to instructions from a software application. In addition, a winning bid may be determined from the plurality of bids by evaluating the plurality of bids. Further, an advertisement corresponding to the winning bid may be provided to the graphics processing system, wherein the graphics processing system is operable to include the advertisement in the plurality of video frames for display.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for companion ad auctions. One of the methods includes conducting an online auction that allows bidders to bid on companioned advertisement slots on a web page. The method also includes determining a winning bidder for each of the companioned advertisement slots on the web page. The method also includes determining a price that each winning bidder pays for their respective advertisement slot or slots.

Abstract: For a multi-party online advertising exchange including advertising and publishing entities and one or more third party participants, the disclosed systems and methods enable third party participation in arbitrage opportunities in online advertising transactions. A plurality of underlying transaction details are abstracted and provided to the third party participants without loss of generalization and while preserving relationships in the transaction data, to enable a third party share risk in advertising transactions. Various system refinements are provided and disclosed according to a host of optional embodiments.

Abstract: Transaction data of consumers is stored in a data store. Offer entries of merchants are received from a plurality of merchant computer systems and stored in the data store in association with respective merchant accounts. At least a representation of the transaction data is transmitted to the merchant computer system. A bid is received from each of the merchant computer system for the transaction data. The bids are compared and an activation level of one or more of the offer entries is set based on the comparison of the bids. The offer entry is transmitted to a consumer device based. The transmission of the offer entry is dependent on the activation level of the offer entry.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an auction for an advertisement that can be used for streaming of digital contents, and more specifically, to an auction for an advertisement that can be used for streaming of digital contents that can maximize the economic profit of a contents provider by maximizing the use of an advertisement. In particular, the present invention relates to a system and a method for conducting an advertisement auction considering popularity ranking of contents, specific contents, profile of users. The present invention enables a contents provider to use the characteristics of on-line contents to conduct the advertisement auction, thereby maximizing the economic profits, and building a foundation for maintaining a business that provides contents for free or at cost.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with the present invention provide an electronic marketplace that matches units of content from secondary content providers with suitable vacancies from primary content providers. Vacancies may constitute, or be included in, any digital transmission containers, such as a television or radio programming, web pages, and the like. Specifically, the electronic marketplace automatically matches content offered by secondary content providers with vacancies offered by primary content providers thus filling the vacancies in these containers through a real-time content trading, placement, and distribution system. To do so, attributes associated with the vacancies and with units of secondary content are used to trade and match suitable vacancies with suitable content. This invention enables both secondary content owners and vacancy owners (primary content providers) to obtain the full commercial benefit of their secondary content and containers.

Abstract: An Internet system for and method of automatic optimizing quantitative business objectives of sellers (advertisers) with synergistic pricing, promotions and advertisements, while simultaneously minimizing expenditure and discovery and optimizing allocation of advertising channels that optimize such objectives.

Abstract: Various embodiments of methods, systems, and computer programs are disclosed for providing advertisements in a conference user interface. One embodiment is a method comprising: a conferencing system establishing a conference between a plurality of participants via a corresponding computing device connected to the conferencing system via a communication network; presenting a conference user interface to the computing devices, the conference user interface displaying each of the participants as a unique participant object in a virtual location; an online advertising platform selecting advertisement data from one or more advertisers; providing the selected advertisement data to the conferencing system; and displaying the advertisement data with an associated advertisement object in the virtual location during the conference.

Abstract: Various embodiments enable auctioning of segmented advertisement insertion opportunities, e.g., segmented avails, associated with distributed content. In at least some embodiments, bids from advertisers to place advertisements in conjunction with a segmented avail are obtained. The bids that are obtained can have different durations (e.g., 60, 30, 15 seconds) that can be selectively enabled by a segmented avail in various combinations to fill a total duration of the segmented avail. Ranking criteria and/or logic can be applied to rank the bids one to another. In at least some embodiments, the bids are ranked within groups corresponding to different time durations. Bids can be allocated to the segmented avail by testing one or more combinations of the bids and selecting a winning combination based at least in part upon a sum of the ranks associated with bids in the combination.

Abstract: The present invention is a system and method for a computer-implemented auction, based on a system with multiple bidder and auctioneer computers or terminals (20a-n,30) communicating with the server (10) over a network (40). The computers (20a-n) are employed by bidders, the computer (30) is employed by the auctioneer, and the server (10) is the auction computer. That server consist of a CPU (11), memory (12), a data storage device (13), a communication interface (140), a clock (150), an operating system (16), and an auction program (17). In one embodiment, the system architecture is as a client-server system: the auction computer is a server; and the bidder and auctioneer are clients.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided for determining a bid value for placing an advertisement onto advertising space available through an electronic marketplace. A method is used for calculating the option value of maintaining the advertisement in the advertising space during one or more periods of time. The option value may be based on expected profits and the estimated future value of maintaining the advertisement. The option value may then be used to calculate the bid price for placing the advertisement.

Abstract: A computing system is configured to accept bid rules from merchants for the placement of ads for a plurality of products. The bid rules comprise a bid amount, a rule definition and a priority. The bid amount may be an absolute bid or it may be relative to base advertising rate. The rule definition comprises criteria for describing products to determine when the bid rule is applied to a product for sale. The priority indicates whether the bid rule applies to a particular product when the rule definition of more than one bid rule could be applied to a product. The computing system is also configured to generate a list of product offers based at least in part on the bids. The system may also generate reports for merchants.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for identifying the physical location of internet service providers. Requests for data are received from a plurality of locatable browsing clients that include the IP address of the internet service provider that each of the locatable browsing clients is connected to, and geolocation data identifying the physical location of each of the plurality of locatable browsing clients. These requests are stored in records in a first database. A query is then performed on the first database to identify records where the originating IP addresses match and the geolocation data match within a threshold range; the results of the query are then stored in records in a second database. The records in the second database can then be used to provide location-specific data to clients in a web server implementation, or make bids on advertising opportunities based upon a browsing client's location.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for use in an auction in which selected content items, or advertisements, of content providers, or advertisers, are selected and served, and in which, for an item served in response to a serving opportunity, contingent upon occurrence of a specified user action, an associated provider's account is charged a first sum and an associated publisher's account is credited a second sum. Performance of particular content items may be explored, such as ones for which little or no historical performance information may be available. Content item selection may be based at least in part on an objective of acquiring learning information that can be used in prediction of future performance of the content item. The associated provider's account may be charged a sum that reflects a learning value component, but the associated publisher's account may be credited a sum that does not reflect a learning value component.

Abstract: The efficient allocation of advertisements, also known as creatives, on one or more web sites is provided for while ensuring that guarantees to advertisers are honored. In one embodiment, a linear program solver allocates creatives to advertising slots according to an optimizing function designed to maximize revenue for the site. The linear program solver takes as input a set of creatives, creative performance data, constraints, and slot identifiers. The output of the linear program solver is an optimized schedule not violative of any of the input constraints.

Abstract: A real-time-bidding process that includes security mechanisms that limits access to various aspects of the bidding process including communications between bidders, the user browser, and the auctioneer, and the content of bids received and utilized by the user browser.

Abstract: A mobile communications marketing and advertising platform is described for delivering advertising content to subscribers of a telecommunications network over telecom-based channels, such as SMS, MMS and WAP Push. The platform is integrated with business tools, such as business process execution language (BPEL) based systems, business intelligence (BI) systems, Billing and Revenue Management (BRM) and business analytics monitoring (BAM) systems. By integrating these systems, the business tools can leverage the data generated by the mobile marketing and advertising platform in order to provide an improved view, analysis and understanding of the content delivery process. Similarly, the mobile marketing platform can utilize the functionality provided by the integrated business systems in order to more efficiently deliver the advertising content to subscribers.

Abstract: A server stores personal information associated with a user of a wireless communication device. The server also receives from the wireless communication device an image of an item for sale and a price of the item, and appends the image and the price to include the user's email address and the delivery information.

Abstract: An importable electronic template and methods of creating and utilizing the importable template. The template includes an alphanumeric field created by a template creation entity and a response field created by the template creation entity. Data is electronically entered into the response field by a responding entity. The importable electronic template is incorporated into a general purpose electronic template.

Abstract: Systems and methods to provide telephonic connections. In one embodiment, a method includes: providing a listing on a marketplace, the listing including an assigned reference to be used to initiate a real time communication connection; and billing for a real time communication lead generated from presenting the listing in response to a real time communication initiated via the reference. In one embodiment, a method includes: conducting online auction of telephonic leads; determining a way to present listings based at least partially on received price bids on the telephonic leads (e.g., the order of placement, the selection for placement, etc); and providing the listings with information to initiate a telephonic connection in a way trackable to measure a number of telephonic calls generated from presenting the listings.

Abstract: Products and processes are provided in which information is received about a post for an item to be sold. The information may include type data identifying the item for sale as being a specific type of item. Based on the received type data, a posting payment amount is determined.

Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a set-top box (STB) having a controller to present a plurality of advertisement categories, detect a selection of one of the plurality of advertisement categories, present an advertisement template associated with the selected advertisement category, detect a plurality of entries in the advertisement template for constructing a consumer classified advertisement, generate an advertisement graphical user interface (GUI) corresponding to the entries, detect one or more demographic patterns in the plurality of entries, identify a plurality of users of a media communication system from which the STB operates according to the detected one or more demographic patterns, and provide the plurality of users of the media communication system accessibility to the advertisement GUI. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: According to a cost-per-action advertising model, advertisers submit ads with cost-per-action bids. Ad auctions are conducted and winning ads are returned with contextually relevant search results. Each time a winning ad is selected by a user, resulting in the user being redirected to a website associated with the advertiser, a selected impression and a price is recorded for the winning ad. Periodically, an advertiser submits a report indicating a number of actions attributed to the ads that have occurred through the advertiser website. The advertiser is then charged a fee for each reported action based on the recorded prices for the winning ads and based on the number of selected impressions recorded for the winning ads.

Abstract: Techniques are provided which improve performance of bid agents on online advertising exchanges. Methods and systems elicit an advertiser's goals for an online advertising campaign. One or more bid agents are selected to be included in a bid program based at least in part on the goals. Each of the bid agents is matched to one or more goals, and each of the bid agents is configured to calculate a bid for an ad call based at least in part on predetermined rules. One or more parameters of the selected bid agents are set based at least in part on marketplace conditions in an online advertising exchange.

Abstract: Various embodiments pertain to techniques for forecasting and providing guaranteed delivery of ad impression opportunities using real-time bidded platform inventories. In various embodiments, bid landscape data, such as information regarding a number of impression requests by a particular supply unit, a time of the impression requests, and an amount of a winning bid for the impression requests, is recorded for use in forecasting an available impression volume as a function of cost. The forecasted available impression volume represents a number of ad impression requests likely to be obtained through real-time bidding channels. In various embodiments, an advertiser can place an order for a number of ad impressions at a particular price, and the ad impressions ordered can be specifically allocated for that advertiser. The number of ad impressions ordered by an advertiser that are guaranteed vary depending on the price and the available volume forecasted at that price.

Abstract: An advertising system identifies behaviors from user activity and associates the behaviors with a user profile. Advertisers provide the advertising system with information on conversion rates of users associated with user profiles. A behavioral model of user responses is built to identify the relative frequency of behaviors for increasing the response rate of ads. Incoming advertising requests are matched to modeled behaviors to determine an advertiser's interest in bidding on the ad placement.

Abstract: For a multi-party advertising exchange, including publishing entities and advertising entities from disparate advertising networks, which facilitates transactions for publishing inventory, a value add broker is provided to aggregate information from third parties having valuable information for input to the exchange or to perform services that are valuable to transactions in the exchange. The valuable information or services further facilitate the transactions for the publishing inventory automatically generating a benefit for the third parties providing the valuable information or services commensurate with the value added to the transactions.

Abstract: The present invention is directed towards systems and method for generating a bid amount for one or more keywords for a display of an advertisement associated with a given keyword. The method comprises calculating estimates of one or more advertising metrics for one or more keywords associated with one or more advertisements displayed at one or more positions. Target positions are identified for the one or more keywords at which a return on investment earned by the display of one or more advertisements in response to a query that matches a given keyword exceeds a threshold by a given probability on the basis of the estimates to select a given target position that provides a greatest estimated profit. Bid amounts are generated for the one or more keywords in order to obtain the display of associated advertisements at the given target position.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for administering a bidding language for online advertising. In one example, the method includes providing an expressive bidding language that allows an advertiser to specify an ad campaign in a tree structure, receiving the ad campaign that is written in the expressive bidding language, translating the ad campaign into scripts, and using the scripts to access appropriate inventory from an ad inventory database.

Abstract: Advertisers provide bids for the placement of one or more advertisements on web pages, along with a set of externalities. The externalities from an advertiser indicate discounts that can be applied to their bid based on information learned from a browse history of a user. The externalities may include externalities based on previous viewings of advertisements from the advertiser by the user, externalities based on previous viewings of advertisements from competitor advertisers viewed by the user, and externalities based on web pages or domains that have been visited by the user. When a request for an advertisement is received, the externalities are used to discount the provided bids based on the browse history of the user. An advertisement is then selected based on the discounted bids.

Abstract: Content can be annotated with indications that contextually-related content associated with the annotation is available to a user in order to allow a user to more easily locate and access contextually-related content, particularly where hypertext links are unsuitable, such as for graphic and/or audio content. The location of the annotation within the content can indicate the portion of the content to which the contextually-related content pertains, and can be associated with a summary of the contextually-related content, such as a summary of the content, a brief explanation of the relatedness of the related content, and/or an indication of the source or the contextually-related content.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for selecting advertisements for display over a communications network and, more particularly, to systems and methods for selecting video advertisements for display within internet web pages based on relevance, bid price, past performance, or a combination thereof.

Abstract: In a computer-implemented method of determining an abstraction of a plurality of differentiated goods available for exchange, data regarding each differentiated good is stored in a computer storage, wherein the data regarding each differentiated good includes an attribute value assigned to at least one attribute of the differentiated good. A processor of a computer determines a first abstraction of the plurality of differentiated goods based on the stored data. The first abstraction includes at least one abstract good. Each abstract good includes one or more differentiated goods. At least one abstract good of the first abstraction includes at least two distinct differentiated goods. The processor determines for each abstract good a specification for the abstract good based on the data regarding one or more differentiated goods forming the abstract good. The processor stores in the computer storage the specification determined for each abstract good.

Abstract: Television advertisements and associated advertisement parameters are received from advertisers. The television advertisements are automatically selected for airing during an advertisement availability based on the associated advertisement parameters. Data related to the selected television advertisements are provided to a television provider to facilitate airing of the selected television advertisements during the advertisement availability. Reporting data related to television advertisement airings and impressions are received from the television provider.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses to present information to sellers/advertisers/advisors for connections to customers for real time communications. One embodiment includes: responsive to a request from a customer, determining a telephonic reference of the customer; presenting to at least one entity an option to be connected to the customer; responsive to a first entity selecting the option, initiating a telephonic connection to the customer using the determined telephonic reference of the customer to provide a telephonic connection between the customer and the first entity; and charging the first entity a fee for a lead to the customer in response to establishing the telephonic connection between the customer and the first entity.

Abstract: Products and processes are provided in which information is received for a post relating to an item to be sold via a posting site. A posting payment amount relating to the post is determined. The posting amount is provided as a credit for purchases. For example, the credit may be a credit that is usable for purchases via the posting site.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for consolidating content item requests for multiple content item environments. In one aspect, a method includes consolidating content item requests for two or more content item environments in a webpage. A first content item environment is a primary content item environment and the remaining content item environments are secondary content item environments. The primary content item environments issues a content item request for itself and the secondary content item environments, and owns a process that distributes the received content items for the secondary content item environments to the secondary content item environments.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media are provided. One example method includes receiving a textual input that forms a part of a user request, the textual input in the form of a prefix that when complete constitutes the request. The method further includes identifying completions based on the prefix, determining one or more content items associated with each completion, computing initial scores including a score for each content item-completion pair including determining a likelihood that a given completion represents the request and a quality of the content item as compared to the completion, computing final scores including scores for each prefix-content item pair using the initial scores, computing a bid for each content item, running an auction to select a content item based on the bids and final scores, and identifying display data associated with the selected content item.

Abstract: A method for optimizing real-time bidding utilizing mobile device characteristics in a computer system is disclosed. Digital media content, such as music, games and applications (“apps”) are widely available with the popularity of mobile computing. Advertisers of such digital media content that utilize real-time bidding would appreciate it if their advertisements were more closely related to users most likely to download their digital media content. In one method, an inference may be made through collected device characteristics that the same mobile device that has downloaded digital media had previously interacted with a real-time bidding advertisement for the digital media, and that through evaluation of an advertisement placement characteristic from the advertisement, new advertisement placements may be optimized based on the evaluation.

Abstract: In a system that supports paid advertisements, as advertisements are awarded ad spots based on contextual relevance to search queries, periodic performance indicators are recorded. The periodic performance indicators represent ad performance during a specific time period. Over time, the periodic performance indicators are aggregated to form historical behavior indicators. A graphical model of advertiser behavior is formulated based on the periodic performance indicators and the historical behavior indicators. The graphical model may then be used to forecast future bid values based on previous advertiser behavior.

Abstract: Methods, articles, and systems for determining a bidding strategy for on-line query answer set or contextual advertisement positions for marketing options is described herein.

Abstract: Systems and methods to provide telephonic connections. In one embodiment, a method includes: providing a listing on a marketplace, the listing including an assigned reference to be used to initiate a real time communication connection; and billing for a real time communication lead generated from presenting the listing in response to a real time communication initiated via the reference. In one embodiment, a method includes: conducting online auction of telephonic leads; determining a way to present listings based at least partially on received price bids on the telephonic leads (e.g., the order of placement, the selection for placement, etc); and providing the listings with information to initiate a telephonic connection in a way trackable to measure a number of telephonic calls generated from presenting the listings.

Abstract: A system and method are directed towards identifying advertisement keywords within a variety of content types, identifying similarity rankings of advertisements based on the keywords, and to the guiding of keyword purchases. In one embodiment, a search is performed based in part on defined selection criteria, and/or scheduling rules. Content that may include advertisements is processed to identify advertisement keywords. A similarity ranking of different advertisements based on keywords therein may be determined. The similarity rankings may be used, with keyword pricing data, to identify instances of keyword arbitrage, guide purchase of keywords, and to control traffic flow to and from advertisements to obtain a benefit from price differentials between what one keyword seller charges for a keyword and what a click buyer will, pay for traffic directed to advertisements with the same or related keyword.

Abstract: A first indicator associated with a first group modification request to modify a first attribute value associated with each one of a plurality of keyword phrases that are stored as a first group indicating that the first group is included in a first hierarchical entity may be obtained. The first request may specify the first hierarchical entity as a target of the first group modification request. A first group modification of the first attribute value may be initiated, based on a first group modification of the first attribute value representing the first attribute value associated with each one of the plurality of keyword phrases, in response to the first group modification request.

Abstract: A news and/or search engine system predicts events and stories based on existing events, stories, etc., extracted from a knowledge domain. These predictions can be used for a number of different purposes, including locating new content and actual event outcomes.

Abstract: Advertisements are provided to users for an extended period of time based on a categorization of those users into one or more audiences. A user is being offered credits in exchange for the display such advertisements, which can be utilized to purchase items of value. The advertisements are selected based on which audience a user belongs to and a user is categorized as a member of one or more audiences based on a user profile that is informed by information explicitly provided by the user, information generated by the user to which the user has granted permission and contextual information, such as location. An audience taxonomy is centrally maintained and provided to enable categorization without transmitting users' information off of their computing devices. Advertisers bid on advertisements, not by bidding on keywords, but rather by bidding on the duration for which advertisements are displayed to selected audiences.