(12) United States Patent
`(10) Patent N0.:
`US 6,332,127 B1
`
`Bandera et al.
`(:45) Date of Patent:
`Dec. 18, 2001
`
`U5006332127B1
`
`(54) SYSTEMS, METHODS AND COMPUTER
`PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR PROVIDING
`TIME AND LOCATION SPECIFIC
`ADVERTISING VIA THE INTERNET
`.
`_
`_
`Inventors: Daniel Quinto Bandera, Austin, TX
`(US); Mark F. Bregman, Ridgefield,
`CT (US); Aj9i 5- Gopal, Riverdale, NY
`(US); Sandeep Singhal, Raleigh, NC
`(US)
`
`(75)
`
`(73) ASSISIIW:
`
`.
`( * ) Notice:
`
`International Business Machines
`Corporation, Armonk, NY (US)
`.
`.
`.
`.
`Subject to any d1scla1mer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`
`(21) Appl. No.: 09/233,474
`.
`Jan. 28, 1999
`Filed.
`(22)
`Int. Cl.7 ...................................................... G06F 17/60
`(51)
`(52) US. Cl.
`................................................................ 705/14
`.
`(58) Field of Search .................................... 705/1, 14, 50,
`705/86' 709/218 227
`’
`’
`
`,
`(56)
`
`.
`References CIIEd
`US. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`*
`_
`....................................... Zggfii
`8313))
`9233;; * $133:
`
`......
`705/14
`11—003072 *
`1/1999 (JP)
`W0 99/60504 * 11/1999 (W0) ..................................... 705/14
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`Wireless advertising is less advanced in the US than in
`Europe and Japan, but advertisers are eager to take advan-
`tage of US miltary;s lifting of GPS technology restrictions,
`Industry Standard, May 29, 2000, by Ben Hammer.*
`Abstract, Information Service Receive}; Information Service
`Providing Device and Information Services Provision Sys-
`tem, Japanese Patent Application No. JP09231263, filed
`Sep. 5, 1997.
`.
`II
`,
`Cited by examiner
`Primary Examiner~Stephen Gravini
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Myers Bigel Sibley &
`Sajovec; A. Bruce Clay
`(57)
`ABSTRACT
`
`Systems, methods and computer program products are pro-
`v1ded for selecting an advert1s1ng object to be displayed
`I. h'
`I W b
`I
`t d b
`I
`.
`b-
`. d
`th
`e
`on
`Viit in aI
`e
`page reques e
`y a user
`ass
`geographic location of the user and/or on the time of day.
`Systems, methods and computer program products are pro-
`vided for validating an offer Within an advertising object of
`a Web page displayed Within a Web client in communication
`with a Web server. Systems, methods and computer program
`products are also provided for changing content Within an
`object displayed Within a Web page based on changes in
`geographic location of a user. In addition, systems, methods
`and computer program products are provided for rcdccming
`an electronic coupon stored Within a first computing device,
`wherein the electronic coupon is valid Within a designated
`geographic region and for a designated period of time.
`
`39 Claims, 7 Drawing Sheets
`
`20
`
`23 /
`
`24
`Ei=_eri1E
`
`
`
`a Web Server
`
`
`
`lifll \
`
`_
`Zfiggi $313132? al.
`’
`”””222/313:
`:Hégéggj
`
`5/1997 Park ‘IIIIIIIII
`342/357
`596279549
`
`..
`5/1997 Vela et al.
`395/2 1
`5:630:068
`8/1999 Dussell et al.
`I
`mug”
`5,938,721 *
`
`9/1999 DeLorme et a]
`701/2 1
`5,948,040 *
`4/2000 Tso et a1.
`.......
`709/232
`6,047,327 *
`
`6,131,067 * 10/2000 Girerd et a1.
`701/213
`6,133,853 * 10/2000 Obradovich ct al.
`340/9 5
`
`6,148,261 * 11/2000 Obradovich et a1.
`................ 701/2 8
`
`H'ITF Request
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`
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`Giobai Positioning
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`
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`Imam"
`
`25
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`
`\
`Execution Engine
` 28
`
`Dynamic
`30
`
`Web
`Page
`
`
`\ WebPage
`Content
`
`Objects
`
`
`
`
` 7
`AdvertisingObject
`2‘
`Lookiip Table
`/ '
`Remaining Wei,
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`Page Coitent
`Advenisirg
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`Time
`Obiecls
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`
`I
`
`26
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`1
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`LYFT 1025
`
`1
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Dec. 18, 2001
`
`Sheet 1 0f 7
`
`US 6,332,127 B1
`
`12
`/ 10
`
`
`
`
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`02 Dec 98 04:40:32 PM EST
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`SCIENCE & NATURE
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`2
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Dec. 18, 2001
`
`Sheet 2 0f 7
`
`US 6,332,127 B1
`
`HTTP Flequest
`
`System
`
`Global Positioning
`
`Get <URL>
`
`
`
`Mobile Client
`Location
`
`20
`
`25
`
`30
`
`”-
`
`— 5
`
`.
`LL
`Mobile
`Web Client
`
`Web
`
`Objects
`
`. Execution Engine
`
`
`Page
`
`
`Content
`
`32
`
`34
`
`
`Lookup Table
`
`27
`
`
`
`Location
`
`Advertising
`Objects
`
`FIG. 2
`
`Advertising Object
`
`Remaining Web
`Page Content
`Objects
`
`Web Server
`
`Dynamic
`
`Web Page
`
`
`
`
`3
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Dec. 18, 2001
`
`Sheet 3 0f 7
`
`US 6,332,127 B1
`
`In Response to User
`Request for a Web Page,
`Web Client Retrieves User's
`Current Location From
`
`Global Positioning System
`
`User Selects Validation
`
`Anchor Within Advertising
`Object to Validate Offer
`Within Advertising Object
`
`Object Retrieves User
`Location Information From
`
`Global Positioning System
`
`Web Client Transmits Web
`
`Page Request and User
`Location Information to
`Web Server
`
`Web Server Selects
`
`Advertising Object to Include
`in Requested Web Page
`Based on Retrieved User
`Location Information and/or
`
`Time of Day Information
`
`Generate Web Page With
`Selected Advertising
`Object
`
`Serve Generated Web
`
`Page to Web Client
`
`Information to Web Server
` Web Server Determines
`
`
`In Response to User
`Selection of Validation
`
`Anchor, Web Client
`Retrieves User's Current
`Location From Global
`
`Positioning System
`
`Object Changes Displayed
`Content in Response to a
`Change in User Location
`
`Web Client Transmits
`
`Validation Request With
`User Location Information
`
`and/or Time of Day
`
`Object Changes Displayed
`Content In Response to a
`Change in Time of Day
`
`Validity of Offer Within
`Advertising Object Based on
`User Location Information
`
`and/or Time of Day
`Information
`
`FIG. 7
`
`Web Server Communicates
`
`Validity of Offer to User
`
`FIG. 3
`
`FIG. 5
`
`4
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Dec. 18, 2001
`
`Sheet 4 0f 7
`
`US 6,332,127 B1
`
`Web Page
`
`I
`
`AdvertisingObject
`
`Validation Anchor:
`
`.
`
`Content Objects
`
`http://somewhere.com/servlet/BuyMe?199808280415
`
`Remaining Web Page
`
`FIG. 4
`
`5
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Dec. 18, 2001
`
`Sheet 5 0f 7
`
`US 6,332,127 B1
`
`Lookup Table
`
`Time
`
`.
`Evening
`
`R6653”
`
`N 0 [Th
`
`Advertising
`
`Object
`
`Content
`
`II
`Content A
`
`II
`
`Morning
`
`Virginia
`
`Content "B"
`
`System
`
`Global Positioning
`
`40
`
`Vfi
`Advertising Object
`
`Applet
`
`Remaining Web
`Page Content
`Objects
`
`26
`
`Web Page
`
`21
`
`WE
`
`Mobile
`Web Client
`
`25
`
`FIG. 6
`
`
`
`Web Server
`
`6
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Dec. 18, 2001
`
`Sheet 6 0f 7
`
`US 6,332,127 B1
`
`Mobile Web Client Receives
`
`Encrypted Coupon From
`Web Server
`
`Establish Communications
`
`Link Between Mobile Web
`
`Client and Another
`
`Computing Device
`
`
`
`Computing Device Decrypts
`Coupon to Validate
`Information Contained
`
`Within Coupon
`
`FIG. 8
`
`7
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`Dec. 18, 2001
`
`Sheet 7 0f 7
`
`US 6,332,127 B1
`
`Coupon:
`10% Discount
`
`at Store "X" Web Client
`
`FIG. 9A
`
`Coupon:
`10% Discount
`
`at Store "X"
`
`Cash Register at Store "X"
`
`FIG. QB
`
`8
`
`

`

`US 6,332,127 B1
`
`1
`
`SYSTEMS, METHODS AND COMPUTER
`PROGRAM PRODUCTS FOR PROVIDING
`TIME AND LOCATION SPECIFIC
`ADVERTISING VIA THE INTERNET
`
`FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention relates generally to advertising and,
`more particularly, to advertising over the Internet.
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`The Internet is a worldwide decentralized network of
`
`computers having the ability to communicate with each
`other. The Internet has gained broad recognition as a viable
`medium for communicating and interacting across multiple
`networks. The World-Wide Web (Web) was created in the
`early 1990’s and is comprised of server-hosting computers
`(Web servers) connected to the Internet that have hypertext
`documents or Web pages stored therewithin. Web pages are
`accessible by client programs (i.e., Web browsers) utilizing
`the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Via a Transmission
`Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) connection
`between a client-hosting device and a server-hosting device.
`While HTTP and hypertext documents are the prevalent
`forms for the Web, the Web itself refers to a wide range of
`protocols including Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol
`(HTTPS), File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and Gopher, and
`content formats including plain text, Extensible Markup
`Language (XML), as well as image formats such as Graph-
`ics Interchange Format
`(GIF) and Joint Photographic
`Experts Group (JPEG).
`Specific to the Web, a Web server is a computer program
`(housed in a computer) that serves requested Web pages and
`files. AWeb client is a requesting program associated with
`a user. AWeb browser is an exemplary Web client for use in
`requesting Web pages and files from Web servers.
`AWeb site is conventionally a collection of Web pages
`and files related to a particular subject
`that
`includes a
`beginning file called a home page. A large Web site may
`reside on a number of geographically-dispersed Web serv-
`ers. The Web site of the International Business Machines
`
`Corporation (www.ibm.com), for example, consists of thou-
`sands of W'eb pages and files spread out over various Web
`servers in locations world-wide.
`
`As is known to those skilled in this art, a Web page is
`conventionally formatted via a standard page description
`language such as Hyper'l‘ext Markup Language (HTML),
`which typically contains text, and can reference graphics,
`sound, animation, and video data. IITML provides for basic
`document formatting and allows a Web content provider to
`specify anchors or hypertext links (typically manifested as
`highlighted text) to other Web servers and files. When a user
`selects a particular hypertext link, a Web browser reads and
`interprets an address, called a Uniform Resource Locator
`(URL) associated with the link, connects the Web browser
`with a Web server at that address, and makes an HTTP
`request for the file identified in the link. The Web server then
`sends the requested file to the Web client which the Web
`browser interprets and displays to the user.
`Exemplary Web browsers include Netscape Navigator®
`(Netscape Communications Corporation, Mountain View,
`CA) and Internet Explorer® (Microsoft Corporation,
`Redmond, WA). Web browsers typically provide a graphical
`user interface for retrieving and viewing information,
`applications, and other resources hosted by Web servers.
`As the Web has evolved into a viable commercial
`medium, advertising has become an important source of
`
`10
`
`15
`
`’
`
`40
`
`45
`
`60
`
`65
`
`2
`revenue for many commercial Web sites. Web pages served
`from commercial Web sites often utilize advertising to
`promote various goods and services. FIG. 1 illustrates an
`exemplary Web page 10 containing various content objects
`11,
`including a “banner” advertising object 12. To be
`effective, Web advertising is preferably targeted to the types
`of users likely to request a particular Web page in which the
`advertising is provided.
`In addition, advertising may be
`placed within a requested Web page based upon the identity
`of a user requesting the Web page.
`the
`With the increasing mobility of today’s society,
`demand for mobile computing capabilities has also
`increased. Many workers and professionals are downsizing
`their laptop computers to smaller palm-top or hand-held
`devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs).
`In
`addition, many people now utilize computing devices, such
`as cellular telephones, within their automobiles to access the
`Internet and to perform various other computing functions.
`Hand-held computing devices including, but not limited to,
`PDAs and cellular telephones are often collectively referred
`to as “pervasive” computing devices. Many hand-held com-
`puting devices utilize the Microsoft® Windows CE and
`3Com Palm Computing® platforms.
`Accordingly, there is a need to enhance the efficacy of
`advertising to users accessing the Web via mobile Web
`clients.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`In view of the above discussion, it is an object of the
`present invention to enhance the efficacy of advertising via
`the Web.
`
`It is another object of the present invention to enhance the
`efficacy of advertising to users accessing the Web via mobile
`Web clients.
`
`According to one aspect of the present invention, these
`and other objects are provided by systems, methods and
`computer program products for selecting an advertising
`object to be displayed within a Web page requested by a user
`based on the geographic location of the user and/or on the
`time of day. A user makes a Web page request via a mobile
`Web client in communication with a Web server. The mobile
`
`Web client, in response to the user request, obtains user
`location information, for example from a Global Positioning
`System (GPS), and transmits the user request for the Web
`page to the Web server with the obtained user location
`information. The Web server selects an advertising object
`based upon the user’s location and/or the time of day the
`Web page request is received. The Web server generates the
`requested Web page with the selected advertising object
`included therein and serves the generated Web page to the
`mobile Web client. Advertising objects can include text files,
`audio files, video files, image files, hyperlinks, and the like.
`According to another aspect of the present invention,
`systems, methods and computer program products are pro-
`vided for validating an offer within a Web page advertising
`object displayed within a Web client in communication with
`a Web server. An advertising object contains a validation
`anchor that references a remotely located validation pro-
`gram. Furthermore, the validation anchor is associated with
`an indication of time. In response to user selection of the
`validation anchor for the purpose of validating the offer
`within the advertising object, the Web client retrieves user
`location information, for example from a GPS. The Web
`client then transmits the validation request to the Web server
`with the retrieved user location information and/or with time
`of day information. The W'eb server determines the validity
`
`9
`
`

`

`US 6,332,127 B1
`
`3
`of the offer based on the received user location information
`and/or the received time of day information. The Web server
`then communicates the validity of the offer to the user.
`According to another aspect of the present invention,
`systems, methods and computer program products are pro-
`vided for changing content within a W'eb page object based
`on changes in geographic location of a user. The Web page
`object is configured to monitor a user’s location via a GPS.
`In response to determining that a user has changed geo—
`graphic locations,
`the content within the object can be
`changed. In addition, content within the Web page object can
`be changed in response to changes in time of day.
`Web page objects according to this aspect of the present
`invention are preferably JAVA® applets that are configured
`to communicate directly with a GPS or other user location
`identification systems. Content changes can be obtained
`remotely from a Web server or locally from a mobile Web
`client.
`
`According to another aspect of the present invention,
`systems, methods and computer program products are pro-
`vided for redeeming an electronic coupon stored within a
`first computing device, wherein the electronic coupon is
`valid within a designated geographic region and for a
`designated period of time. A first computing device, such as
`a mobile Web client, receives an electronic coupon from a
`Web server. The electronic coupon has an identifier associ-
`ated therewith. A user takes the mobile Web client and
`establishes a communications link between the mobile Web
`
`client and a second computing device, such as a point-of-
`sale terminal at a commercial enterprise. The second com—
`puting device verifies that the mobile Web client is located
`within the designated geographic region and that the desig-
`nated period of time for redeeming the coupon has not
`expired. In addition, the second computing device verifies
`that an electronic coupon with the same identifier has not
`been previously redeemed.
`The various aspects of the present invention are advan-
`tageous because advertising effectiveness over the Internet
`can be enhanced in various ways. As the use of mobile
`computing devices increases, advertisers can more effec-
`tively target users on the basis of location and time of day.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary Web page containing
`various content objects and advertising objects.
`FIG. 2 illustrates a system within which time and
`location-specific Web advertising may be implemented,
`according to an embodiment of the present invention.
`FIG. 3 illustrates operations for selecting an advertising
`object to be displayed within a Web page requested by a user
`according to an embodiment of the present invention.
`FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary Web page that contains an
`advertising object with a validation anchor according to an
`embodiment of the present invention.
`FIG. 5 illustrates operations for validating an offer within
`an advertising object displayed within a Web page according
`to an embodiment of the present invention.
`FIG. 6 illustrates a JAVA® applet configured to change
`content based on user location, and wherein the JAVA®
`applet is configured to communicate with a GPS so as to
`determine when the user moves with the mobile Web client
`from one GPS region to another.
`FIG. 7 illustrates operations for changing content within
`an object displayed within a Web page based on changes in
`user location and time of day according to another embodi-
`ment of the present invention.
`
`10
`
`15
`
`40
`
`45
`
`60
`
`65
`
`4
`FIG. 8 illustrates operations for obtaining and using
`electronic coupons according to an embodiment of the
`present invention.
`FIG. 9A illustrates a mobile Web client receiving an
`electronic coupon from a Web server.
`FIG. 9B illustrates the mobile Web client of FIG. 9A in
`
`communication with a computing device, such as a cash
`register, to redeem an electronic coupon.
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`
`The present invention now is described more fully here-
`inafter with reference to the accompanying drawings,
`in
`which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown.
`This invention may, however, be embodied in many different
`forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodi-
`ments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are pro-
`vided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete,
`and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those
`skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements
`
`throughout.
`As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the
`present
`invention may be embodied as a method, data
`processing system, or computer program product.
`Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an
`entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software
`embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and
`hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention may
`take the form of a computer program product on a computer-
`usable storage medium having computer-usable program
`code means embodied in the medium. Any suitable com-
`puter readable medium may be utilized including hard disks,
`CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, or magnetic storage
`devices.
`
`Referring now to FIG. 2, a system 20 within which the
`present invention may be implemented is schematically
`illustrated. A mobile Web client 21 is in communication with
`a Web server 24 Via a computer network, such as the Internet
`25. Throughout the following description, it shall be under-
`stood that in certain circumstances, a Web server may be
`implemented as a process that, in fact, is co-located on a
`mobile Web client. These so-called micro-servers or embed-
`ded Web servers typically require a smaller footprint than
`traditional Web servers.
`
`The mobile Web client 21 is configured to obtain location
`information from a Global Positioning System (GPS) 22. As
`will be described in detail below, location information for
`the mobile Web client 21 (and,
`thus for a user) can be
`included within a Web page request 23 such that advertising
`objects (as well as other content objects) can be selected for
`inclusion within the Web page based on the location of the
`mobile Web client 21. It will be understood that location
`information also may be obtained based upon an identifica-
`tion of a cellular base station or a satellite beam that is in
`
`communication with the mobile Web client 21. Although
`identification of a cellular base station or satellite beam may
`not provide as precise a location as a GPS, the location may
`be sufficiently precise to allow selection of advertising
`objects according to the present invention.
`The Web server 24 is configured to dynamically generate
`a requested Web page 26 using a dynamic execution engine
`(DEE) 28 and one or more Web page content objects. The
`DEE 28 defines the selection of content objects within the
`Web page and the layout of those content objects within the
`Web page 26 when displayed within a Web client (i.e., Web
`browser). Conventionally, each element of a Web page,
`
`10
`
`10
`
`

`

`US 6,332,127 B1
`
`5
`including, but not limited to, divisions, sections, headings,
`paragraphs,
`images,
`lists,
`tables, and hyperlinks, may be
`represented by a content object. In addition, a content object
`may include audio and video files. It is understood, however,
`that a single content object may represent one or more of
`these Web page elements. Dynamic generation of Web pages
`is well understood by those skilled in the art and need not be
`described further herein.
`
`In the illustrated embodiment, content objects, such as
`advertising objects, are stored within a database 30 that is
`accessible by the DEE 28. However, it is to be understood
`that content objects can be stored in a file system, as well.
`When a user request is received for a Web page 26, the DEE
`28 generates the Web page 26 using objects stored within the
`database 30.
`
`An advertising object 32 is contained within the generated
`Web page 26, as illustrated. According to an embodiment of
`the present
`invention, a lookup table 27 is utilized to
`associate time of day and user locations with a plurality of
`respective advertising objects stored within the database 30.
`Accordingly, as will be described below, an advertising
`object can be selected for display within a requested Web
`page based on a user location and/or on the time of day.
`Exemplary advertising objects may include text files, audio
`files, video files, image files, and the like.
`Computer program code for carrying out operations of the
`present invention is preferably written in an object oriented
`programming language such as JAVA®, Smalltalk, or C++.
`However,
`the computer program code for carrying out
`operations of the present invention may also be written in
`conventional procedural programming languages, such as
`the “C” programming language, in an interpreted scripting
`language, such as Perl, or
`in a functional
`(or fourth
`generation) programming language such as Lisp, SML, or
`Forth.
`
`Aparticularly preferred programming language for imple-
`menting aspects of the present invention is JAVA®. JAVA®
`is an object-oriented programming language developed by
`Sun Microsystems, Mountain View, California. JAVA® is a
`portable and architecturally neutral language. JAVA® source
`code is compiled into a machine-independent format that
`can be run on any machine with a JAVA. runtime system
`known as the JAVA® Virtual Machine (JVM). The JVM is
`defined as a virtual machine that is implemented by emu-
`lating a processor through the use of software on a real
`machine. Accordingly machines running under diverse oper-
`ating systems, including UNIX, Windows NT, and MacIn-
`tosh having a JVM can execute the same JAVA® program.
`Web browsers including Netscape N avigator® and
`Microsoft Internet Explorer® are referred to as JAVA®-
`enabled browsers because they include a version of the
`JVM. JAVA® applets are programs written in JAVA® and
`configured to run within JAVA®-enabled browsers. Handled
`in a manner similar to the way images are handled, JAVA.
`applets are displayed as part of a HyperText MarkUp Lan-
`guage (HTML) document. When a JAVA® applet is loaded,
`it can present special effects, such as animation, graphics,
`and sound; perform real-time data updates and applications;
`and interact with a user through a mouse, keyboard and
`various interface elements such as buttons, slides and text
`fields.
`
`As is known to those skilled in this art, JAVA® source
`code is compiled into byteeode using a JAVA® compiler,
`such as the one referred to as javac. Compiled JAVA®
`programs are saved in files with the extension “class”. When
`a JAVA®-enabled Web browser recognizes that an applet
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`has been requested, a JAVA® interpreter program runs the
`JAVA® applet byteeode on the JVM.
`The program code for implementing the present invention
`may execute entirely on a Web server, or it may execute
`partly on a Web server and partly on a remote computer (i.e.,
`a user’s mobile Web client). In the latter scenario, the remote
`computer may be connected to the Web server through a
`LAN or a WAN, or the connection may be made to an
`external computer (for example, through the Internet using
`an Internet Service Provider).
`The present invention is described below with reference
`to flowchart illustrations of methods, apparatus (systems),
`and computer program products according to an embodi—
`ment of the invention. It will be understood that each block
`of the flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in
`the flowchart illustrations, can be implemented by computer
`program instructions. These computer program instructions
`may be provided to a processor of a general purpose
`computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable
`data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that
`the instructions, which execute via the processor of the
`computer or other programmable data processing apparatus,
`create means for implementing the functions specified in the
`flowchart block or blocks.
`
`These computer program instructions may also be stored
`in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer
`or other programmable data processing apparatus to function
`in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the
`computer-readable memory produce an article of manufac-
`ture including instruction means which implement the func-
`tion specified in the flowchart block or blocks.
`The computer program instructions may also be loaded
`onto a computer or other programmable data processing
`apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be per-
`formed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to
`produce a computer implemented process such that
`the
`instructions which execute on the computer or other pro-
`grammable apparatus provide steps for implementing the
`functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.
`
`Time-Based and Location-Based Advertising
`Generation
`
`Referring now to FIG. 3, operations for selecting an
`advertising object
`to be displayed within a Web page
`requested by a user according to the present invention are
`illustrated. In response to a user’s request for a Web page via
`a mobile Web client in communication with a Web server,
`the mobile Web client retrieves information about the user’s
`
`current location (Block 100). User location information may
`be obtained via a GPS (22, FIG. 2) in communication with
`the mobile Web client (21, FIG. 2). A GPS is a constellation
`of spaced-apart satellites that orbit the Earth and make it
`possible for people with ground receivers to pinpoint their
`geographic location. A GPS is well understood by those
`skilled in the art and need not be described further herein.
`
`GPS communications may be integrated with a Web
`browser of a mobile Web client. Alternatively, user requests
`made via a Web client may be intercepted by a Web client
`operating system which is configured to fetch user location
`information Via a GPS. Furthermore, it is understood that the
`present invention is not limited to the use of a GPS for
`retrieving user location information. For mobile Web clients
`accessing a Web server via a telephone system, a Web server
`may trace the calling telephone number to determine the
`local exchange within which the mobile Web client
`is
`presently located. The local exchange could then be used to
`broadly determine the current location of the user.
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`US 6,332,127 B1
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`7
`Alternatively, location information may be obtained based
`upon an identification of a cellular base station or a satellite
`beam that is in communication with the mobile Web client
`
`(21, FIG. 2). Although identification of a cellular base
`station or satellite beam may not provide as precise a
`location as a GPS, the location may be sufficiently precise to
`allow selection of advertising objects according to the
`present invention.
`The Web client then transmits the retrieved user location
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`information with the Web page request to the Web server
`(Block 102). Note that in cases described above where the
`server queries the telephone exchange or where the location
`is determined by the cellular base station, this information is
`not actually transmitted by the client within the request. The
`user location information may be conveyed to the Web
`server in an HTTP header as part of the Web page request
`(23, FIG. 2). The Web server then selects an advertising
`object (or objects) to include in the requested Web page
`based on the retrieved user location information (Block
`104). Additionally, the Web server may select an advertising '
`object(s) based on the time of day the user request was
`received, alone or in combination with the retrieved user
`location information. Preferably, a dynamic execution
`engine (28, FIG. 2) searches a lookup table (27, FIG. 2) that
`contains a plurality of advertising objects each having ’
`location and time of day information associated therewith.
`The Web server generates the requested Web page with
`the selected advertising object(s)
`included therewithin
`(Block 106). The generated Web page is then served to the
`mobile Web client (Block 108).
`As an example of this aspect of the present invention, a
`user requests a Web page from a W'eb server via a mobile
`Web client. The Web server utilizes user location informa-
`tion transmitted with the Web page request to select an
`advertisement object that presents information about some-
`thing that is physically near the user’s present location. For
`example,
`information relating to the nearest store in a
`national chain of stores can be presented within an adver-
`tising object displayed within a Web page.
`As another example of this aspect of the present
`invention, an advertisement object(s) can be selected based
`on the time of day a user request is received by a Web server.
`For example, an advertisement object related to bagels may
`be selected and displayed within a requested Web page when
`the Web page request is received between the hours of 6:00
`o’clock in the morning and 9:00 o’clock in the morning. By
`contrast, an advertisement object related to a tavern’s
`“happy hour” may be selected and displayed within the
`requested Web page when a user request is received between
`the hours of 6:00 o’clock in the evening and 8:00 o’clock in
`the evening.
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`Time-Based and Location-Based Advertising
`Response Processing
`
`According to another aspect of the present invention, an
`advertising object within a Web page may contain an offer
`that is valid only for a limited time or only within a particular
`geographic region. The advertising object may contain a
`hypertext
`link referred to as a “validation anchor” that
`references a remotely located validation program. The vali-
`dation anchor may also be associated with an indication of
`the time of day. As is known to those skilled in the art of
`HTML, a validation anchor can establish text, images, or
`other information objects as being either the target of a
`hypertext link within a document or a reference to such a
`target.
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`FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary Web page 26 that contains
`an advertising object 32 with a validation anchor 36 accord-
`ing to the present
`invention. Preferably,
`the validation
`anchor 36 is encoded to include an expiration time and/or a
`valid location for an offer contained within the advertising
`object 32. Alternatively, the validation anchor 36 may be
`encoded with an index that ca