US20050192867A1 - Independent internet client object with ad display capabilities - Google Patents

Abstract

There is disclosed a client application for enabling access to an online service that displays advertisements while the user is accessing the online service and/or the Internet or other network. The client application may receive play lists from the online service provider. The play lists may include information about advertisements to be played and the order of play. The client application may display advertisements continuously while the user is connected to and/or using the online service and/or the Internet or other network.

Description

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHTS AND TRADE DRESS
• A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is subject to copyright protection. This patent may show and/or describe matter which is or may become trade dress of the owner. The copyright and trade dress owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by any one of the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright and trade dress rights whatsoever.
RELATED APPLICATION INFORMATION
• This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/348,411 filed Jul. 07, 1999 entitled “Independent Internet Client Object With Ad Display Capabilities,” which is incorporated herein by reference.
• This application is related to application Ser. No. 09/265,512 filed March 9, 1999 entitled “Network Data Distribution Based Upon User-Specific Qualities,” which is incorporated herein by reference, and which claims priority in part from Application No. 60/077,331 filed Mar. 9, 1998 entitled “Network Data Distribution Based Upon Geographic Location, Usage Patterns, Interactive Data, Profile Data, Demographic Data and Scheduling Information.”
• This application is related to U.S. Pat. No. 6,366,298 filed Jun. 3, 1999 and issued Apr. 2, 2002 entitled “Monitoring of Individual Internet Usage,” which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field Of The Invention
• The invention relates to the display of advertisements to a user of an online service.
• 2. Description of the Related Art
• Online services today offer a variety of services to their users. Users may access news, weather, financial, sports, and entertainment services, participate in and retrieve information from online discussion groups, and send and receive email. A user of an online service typically accesses the service using specialized communication software (i.e., client application or client software) that establishes and manages a connection from the user's computer (or client) to the online service provider's host computers (or servers) and facilitates the user's interactions with the service.
• In addition to managing the connection, there is provided software to display pages or screens relating to retrieved content according to views or presentations specific to the online service. This software may be integrated with the client application. The functionality of the content and the user interface (i.e., icons, dialog boxes, menus, etc.) for interacting with the content are typically dictated by various standards.
• Interactions between the user's computer and the online service are facilitated by a variety of software protocols (i.e., communication conventions, rules and structures), including application level protocols, for managing the transfer of data across the network and to the client application on the user's computer. A protocol may be proprietary or exclusive to an online service such that only client software from the online service provider may be used to communicate with the server software. For example, an online service provider that supports electronic mail, discussion groups, chat groups, news services, etc. may define and use specific protocols for each type of service so that appropriate information is exchanged between the participants (i.e., clients and servers). Each application-specific protocol may be based on a common, underlying protocol.
• The Internet and World Wide Web (“Web”), comprised of a vast array of international computer networks, many provide online service users with considerable information resources and other content. Typically, this content is accessed using a web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, capable of understanding the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) used to create the documents found on the Web and the HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) used to navigate the Web. Email and Usenet discussion groups are typically accessed through companion software to the browser. Although web browsers typically have varying levels of functionality or sophistication, retrieved content is displayed in content pages according to views or presentations specific to the web document currently presented by the web browser. Typically, the views and presentations are different than those provided by the communication software from the online service provider because the web browser is, in fact, a separate client application displaying web documents containing presentation directives.
• When using a browser, the browser issues HTTP messages to request web pages. A requested web page is typically identified using its URL—uniform resource locator. The URL is a reference (or address) to a resource available on a TCP/IP network such as the Internet. A URL is composed of a character string, and may have a number of parts. These parts include a top level domain name, second level domain name, directory name, and file name. URLs may identify a file located on a web server. URLs may also point to other resources on the network such as database queries and command output. The determination and use of URLs is well known in the art and is not discussed further herein.
• In some portions of this disclosure, the term “resource locator” is used. The term is defined as a string or code which uniquely identifies a resource on a network. Thus, the URL is a species of resource locator.
• There are a number of types of online service providers. Online services may serve the general public or may serve a limited class of individuals. Some public OSPs utilize proprietary networks; America Online and @Home are examples. Other public OSPs use the public networks, and most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are an example. OSPs often provide Internet access. Internet access is the primary service provided by some OSPs, most notably ISPs.
• Users typically connect to an OSP using a computer with a communications device such as an analog modem, an Ethernet adapter, DSL adapter or cable modem. Such connections may be analog or digital, dial-up or constantly-connected. Subscribers typically pay a fee for their subscriptions to OSPs. These fees typically are in the form of a sign-up fee, plus online charges which are fixed (i.e., unlimited monthly access for a fixed fee) or based upon the amount of time the user is connected to the online service. The fees generally increase with bandwidth.
• Some online service providers have derived revenue by displaying advertisements for third parties (hereinafter, “advertisements”) to users. For example, when a user accesses a web page on the Web, an advertisement may be displayed to the user as part of the web page. Advertisements are also shown to users of some proprietary online services. Typically in such systems, each user accessing a certain screen or site is shown the same advertisement. Sophisticated systems have the capability to change the advertisement after a certain period of time.
• Some attempts have been made to provide advertising-supported online services, including Internet access, on a free or heavily discounted basis. Typically, these online services required the user to use a special client application for connecting to the online service. The client application typically causes an advertising window to be displayed on the user's display. This advertising window remains visible and on top of other windows throughout the entire online session. The client application receives advertisements from the online service provider, and the client application displays the advertisements in the advertising window. It is unknown to the inventors, however, whether the transmission of advertisements from the online service provider to the client application is initiated by the online service provider or the client application, how the online service determines which advertisements to send to the users, and whether such typical client applications do anything more than open the communications link with the online service and display advertisements.
• In one advertising based Internet service called Bigger.net, the client application periodically requested new advertisements from an ad server. A host computer monitored the time between such requests and terminated the connection if a preset period of time was exceeded. Bigger.net also had the ability to monitor network activity, though it is unclear how this was done.
• Other advertising-supported online services have included: CyberFreeway, which used a client application developed by HyperNet, Inc. of Tokyo, Japan; Juno Online, which provided free email; Tritium and Freewwweb.
• Advertisers find it desirable to target advertisements to relevant potential customers. For example, an advertiser of stockings would prefer to target women rather than men with its advertising. A Boston restaurant would prefer to target residents of Boston and business travelers rather than children living in San Francisco. Moreover, advertisers prefer to pay for advertising based upon the number of relevant consumers who are actually exposed to the advertisement. For typical online systems and networks, including the Web, it is often difficult for an advertiser to precisely determine whether its advertisements were actually viewed by a user and for how long, and whether the advertisement induced a response. Accordingly, there exists a need for a targeted advertisement system that also can provide information as to the characteristics of those who were exposed to each advertisement, for how long the user was exposed, and at what times.
• It is believed that the prior art advertising-supported online services did not have the ability to target advertisements. Furthermore, their client applications are believed to have been limited in capabilities.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 is a first block diagram of a network data distribution system in accordance with the invention.
• FIG. 2 is a second block diagram of a network data distribution system in accordance with the present invention.
• FIG. 3 is a representation of a display of a local device having a client window and a browser window.
• FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a method of monitoring web browsing by a user in accordance with the invention.
• FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service in accordance with the invention.
• FIG. 6 is a flow chart of a method of tracking advertisement-related events in accordance with the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
• Throughout this description, the embodiments and examples shown should be considered as exemplars, rather than limitations on the apparatus and methods of the invention.
• Description of Systems
• The system of the invention enables data, such as advertisements, to be sent to users based upon: the user's geographic location; the user's interactive data; the user's network usage data; the user's personal profile information; the scheduling requirements of the data to be sent; and the demographic requirements of the data to be sent.
• Referring now toFIG. 1, there is shown a block diagram of a network data distribution system in accordance with the invention in conjunction with a source of web pages.FIG. 1 includes alocal device100, adata access network120, anOSP server130 and aweb server150. Thelocal device100, thedata access network120 and theOSP server130 comprise the network data distribution system. Thelocal device100 is provided online service to the network data distribution system under control of theOSP server130. An online service provider controls theOSP server130.
• Thelocal device100 preferably comprises a client computer which is configured to access theOSP server130 via thelocal access network120. The client computer may be, for example, a PC running a Microsoft Windows operating system. Thelocal device100 preferably includes an output device, such asdisplay101, and an input device, such askeyboard102 and/or pointing device103 (e.g., mouse, track ball, light pen, or data glove). Thelocal device100 may also be, for example, an Internet appliance, network computer (NC), or an appropriately Internet-enabled device such as a portable digital assistant (PDA), mobile phone, refrigerator, etc. The particular type of device of thelocal device100 is not considered to be important so long as thelocal device100 can provide some measure of individual user interactivity with an online service.
• Thedata access network120 provides lower layer network support for thelocal device100 to interact with online service, including theOSP server130 and theweb server150. Thedata access network120 preferably comprises a common or private bi-directional telecommunications network (e.g., a public switched telephone network (PSTN), a cable-based telecommunication network, a LAN, a WAN, a wireless network), coupled with or overlaid by a TCP/IP network (e.g., the Internet or an intranet).
• Theweb server150 may be of the type known in the art and has the ability to serve web pages to thelocal device100, as requested in the manner known in the art. It should be appreciated that theweb server150 is representative of any source of web pages available to thelocal device100. Thus, for example, theweb server150 could be accessible from the Internet, or it could be a part of an intranet and represents any number of web servers.
• TheOSP server130 preferably is a computer system, such as a server computer. Alternatively, theOSP server130 may be considered to represent a number of physical devices which as a group provide the indicated network services. TheOSP server130 acts as a recipient of certain information transmitted by thelocal device100, as described further below. TheOSP server130 preferably also transmits certain data to thelocal device100 as described further below.
• Referring now toFIG. 2, there is shown a block diagram of a network data distribution system of an online service in accordance with the present invention. The system comprises aclient application110, thedata access network120, theOSP server130 and data stores140a-g(collectively,140). Abrowser application160 is also shown. A “browser application” is software which provides interactive utilization of hypertext objects located on a network, such as web pages on the Internet. As used herein, “browser application” also includes most email clients and ftp clients. Theclient application110 is a program operative onlocal device100, and preferably an independent application program or a DLL. Theclient application110 preferably retrieves certain network data, displays certain network data, transmits geographic location data, transmits interactive user data, transmits network usage data and transmits personal profile information as described below. Theclient application110 preferably also sets up and provides access to the online service. The data stores140 store and provide thisgeographic information data140d,network usage data140a,interactive usage data140b,personal profile information140g,data to be sent140e, schedule for transmittingdata140fand demographics for transmittingdata140c.
• Thebrowser application160, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator is preferably installed on thelocal device100. When thelocal device100 is connected to theweb server150 through thedata access network120, the user of the local device browses theweb server150 from thelocal device100 using the browser application. The browser application itself need not be stored on thelocal device100. The important aspect is that the user, from thelocal device100, can exercise control over what web pages are requested and thus displayed by thelocal device100.
• Each time a user uses thelocal device100 to connect to the online service, theclient application110 and theOSP server130 establish a session. In this session, theclient application110 transmits certain information regarding the user of thelocal device100 and his use of thelocal device100 while connected to the online service. TheOSP server130, on the other hand, uses the information from theclient application100 to determine information which should be sent to theclient application110. Preferably, the information from theclient application110 is used by theOSP server130 to select advertisements which thelocal device100 should display. Theclient application110 then causes these advertisements to be displayed on the local device'soutput device101.
• The information from theclient application110 regarding the user preferably includes geographic data and personal profile information. Geographic data indicating the user's current location preferably is sent from theclient application110 to theOSP server130, which then stores the geographic data in thedata store140d. This geographic data can be something simple, like a phone number. The user preferably provides personal profile information on a periodic basis which is stored in thedata store140gand used by theOSP server130. This information consists of (but is not limited to) things such as: age, sex, marriage status, home address and personal interests.
• The information regarding the user's use of thelocal device100 includes email usage, web usage and advertisement click-throughs. The user's interactions and feedback with theweb server150 provided through thebrowser application160 are preferably captured by theclient application110, analyzed by theOSP server130 and stored in thedata store140b. This includes the user's feedback and responses to the data delivered to thebrowser application160. The user's activities on theweb server150 provided through thebrowser application160 are preferably captured by theclient application110, analyzed by theOSP server130 and stored in thedata store140a. This includes the type of network data the user requests and accesses. This data is preferably summarized and classified into multiple demographic profiles.
• The data to be sent to users preferably has scheduling requirements that dictate when it should be sent. These scheduling requirements include (but are not limited to): frequency, maximum number of times to send to an individual, minimum number of times to send to an individual, time of day to send, and first and last days to send. The data to be sent to users can have demographic requirements that dictate to whom it should be sent. These include (but are not limited to): personal profile, interactive data, network usage information and geographic location.
• Referring now toFIG. 3, there is shown thedisplay101 having aclient window200 and abrowser window300. Theclient window200 is generated and controlled by theclient application110. The browser window is generated and controlled by thebrowser application160, here Microsoft Internet Explorer. Thebrowser window300 is familiar to those skilled in the art, so the particulars are not described further herein. Further information regarding the use of most browser applications and their technical specifications is abundantly available.
• Theclient window200 includes atitle bar230, anadvertising pane210, a number ofoperational icons205,215,220,240,250 on thetitle bar230, and a number ofbutton bar icons260,265,270,275 on abutton bar280. Thetitle bar230 preferably identifies the name of the OSP. Theadvertising pane210 is a space in which theclient application110 displays advertisements.
• Thebutton bar icons260,265,270,275 preferably provide one-click access to Web pages and/or menus that might be useful to the user. The online service provider can sell the button bar icons to third parties as an additional revenue source. Theseicons260,265,270,275 are associated with particular URLs. Theicon260 is associated with a start page. Theicon265 is associated with an online shopping mall page. Theicon270 is associated with an online technical support page from the online service provider. Theicon275 is associated with an online search engine page. By clicking on any of theseicons260,265,270,275, theclient application110 causes thebrowser application160 to load the Web page having the URL associated with the selected icon.
• Theoperational icons205,215,240,250,280 on thetitle bar230 preferably provide one-click access to operational features of theclient application110. As explained below, theclient application110 maintains records of the advertisements which have been displayed. The cycle backicon205 allows the user to review advertisements which were previously displayed by theclient application110, in the reverse order in which the advertisements were displayed. If the user has cycled back through advertisements, thecycle forward icon215 allows the user to review advertisements in the order in which the advertisements were displayed by theclient application110. Thesearch icon240 provides convenient access to online searching facilities. Theclose icon250 causes theclient window200 to close, and thus also causes the session with the online service to terminate.
• Themenu icon280 provides access to a menu of additional menu items and functions. The menu preferably provides alternative and enhanced access to the features associated with thebutton bar icons260,265,270,275 and the otheroperational icons205,215,240,250. In addition, the menu preferably provides the user with the ability to hide or show thetitle bar230 and/or thebutton bar280. The menu preferably also allows the user to access and edit his profile. The menu preferably provides the user with the option of positioning theclient window200 at any of a number of predefined positions, such as top left corner of thedisplay101, top right corner, bottom left corner, or bottom right corner.
• Thebrowser window300 includes adisplay pane310, anaddress bar320 and atitle bar330. Thedisplay pane310 is a region of thebrowser window300 wherein the browser application causes web pages received by the browser application to be displayed. Theaddress bar320 is another region of thebrowser window300 and the browser application displays URLs in theaddress bar320 corresponding to the web page currently displayed in thedisplay pane310. The user can also enter a URL into theaddress bar320, and the browser application will attempt to load the web page or other object to which the entered URL points. The primary feature of thetitle bar330 is that it displays the title of the browser application. Another feature of most browsers is that thetitle bar330 displays the title of the web page then displayed in thedisplay pane310.
• Theclient window200 is displayed on top of thebrowser window300. Preferably, theclient window200 remains visible and on top of all other windows so long as the communication channel to theOSP server130 is open. Theclient application110 preferably can control the location of theclient window200 on thedisplay101. For example, theclient application110 preferably allows the user to select one of several predefined locations for theclient window200, such as lower left corner, upper right corner, etc. Some operating systems such as Microsoft Windows permit windows to be moved to the edge of thedisplay101 so that only a small portion of the window is visible. Theclient application110 preferably can also prevent theclient window200 from being moved off of the visible area of thedisplay101. When the user attempts to hide all or a part of theclient window200, the client window preferably moves theclient window200 to a fully visible area of thedisplay101.
• Description of Methods
• Referring now toFIG. 4, there is shown a flow chart of a method of distributing data in a network in accordance with the invention. Thecomponents110,120,130,140 work together to deliver data that meets the geographic and demographic criteria.
• After the method begins (step405), the user preferably uses theclient application110 to connect to thedata access network120, and then the OSP server130 (step410). The particular manner of the connection depends on the network infrastructure underlying the connections. The important aspect of thisstep410 is that a communications channel is established between theclient application110 and theOSP server130. By “communications channel,” it is meant a logical path for data transmission. TheOSP server130 preferably acts as a gatekeeper to the online services. Only after theOSP server130 has authorized access can thelocal device100 access theweb server150 and the other resources of the online service.
• The communication channel may be of two varieties—dial-up or constant-connection. In a dial-up communication channel, the connection to the online service becomes available only after thelocal device100 creates a physical link to the online network and then a logical link to the online network. For example, thelocal device100 has a -up communication channel if thelocal device100 has a modem and connects through tone dialing to the online service using the PSTN. In a constant-connection communication channel , the connection to the online service is always available to thelocal device100, and the local device need only create a logical link to the online network. For example, thelocal device100 has a constant-connection communication channel when thelocal device100 has a cable modem and connects to the online service using a cable service.
• If this is the first time the user has connected (step415), then theOSP server130 preferably requires the user to use thelocal device100 to submit personal profile information (step420). Preferably, theOSP server130 periodically will request (step425) that theclient application110 have the user update this profile (step430).
• Each time thelocal device100 connects to theOSP server130, theOSP server130 preferably obtains data indicating the local device's current geographic location (step435). This geographic information is preferably derived from a local access phone number used by theclient application110 to connect to thedata access network120, and theclient application110 transmits its local access phone number to theOSP server130 for geographic determination purposes.
• Once connected, a number of processes are preferably started (step440). In one of these processes, whenever the user interacts with data received on theclient application110, theclient application110 sends feedback information respecting this interaction to theOSP server130. TheOSP server130 then summarizes and classifies the feedback information into demographic profiles stored in the data store140.
• In another of these processes, whenever a user uses thebrowser application160 to request or access data from theweb server150, theclient application110 sends feedback information respecting these requests and data accesses to theOSP server130. TheOSP server130 then summarizes and classifies this feedback information into the demographic profiles in the data store140.
• In another of these processes, while a user'slocal device100 is connected to theweb server150, theOSP server130 determines which targeted data needs to be sent to theclient application110 and then transmits this targeted data to theclient application110. TheOSP server130 accomplishes this by:
• • examining the scheduling requirements to determine which data needs to be sent;
  • examining the demographic requirements of the data to determine to which demographic profiles the data needs to be sent;
  • selecting the users who are currently connected that meet the demographic requirements of the data; and
  • sending the data to the selected users.
• As mentioned, one of the processes relates to the display of data, and particularly advertisements, in theclient window200. Methods of displaying advertisements to a user of an online services are described next.
• Referring now toFIG. 5, there is shown a flow chart of a method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service in accordance with the invention. This method generally involves the display of advertisements during a logon process and then also during usage of the online service.
• After the method begins (step505), the client application is activated (step510). Theclient application110 may be installed during manufacture of thelocal device100, during use of thelocal device100 at the instigation of the user, or may occur automatically as a consequence of other processes. Furthermore, theclient application110 may be activated either manually or automatically. Although at least some aspects of theclient application110 should be operable from thelocal device100, theclient application110 need not be stored on thelocal device100 and can be run from a remote location.
• Preferably, after theclient application110 is activated, theclient application110 displays theclient window200 on the display101 (step515). In the next step (step520), theclient application110 displays advertisements in thead pane210. In the case of dial-up and constant-connection communication channels, the communication channel to the online service might not yet be established or fully open at this point. Thus, theclient application110 cannot obtain the advertisements from the online service. Instead, theclient application110 obtains the advertisements locally. For example, during installation of theclient application110 one or more advertisements are installed on thelocal device100 for display outside of a session. Alternatively, the advertisements may be downloaded to the local device at the beginning of a session, during a session, or as part of the termination of a session.
• Where it is not desired to display advertisements prior to full establishment of the communication channel, then it is preferred also that thead pane210 not be displayed. In such embodiments, it might be desirable to provide a different configuration of theclient window200 than that shown inFIG. 3. For example, theclient window200 might show the status of the connection process.
• Theclient application110 preferably includes an ad display process which is responsible for displaying advertisements in thead pane210. The ad display process preferably operates in accordance with a play list. The play list comprises one or more ad objects. The ad objects are preferably data constructs which each include a resource locator of an advertisement to be displayed, a resource locator to be accessed if the user clicks on (or otherwise selects) the advertisement when displayed in thead pane210, and a number of attributes for the display of the advertisement. The display attributes may be one or more of, for example: fade, wash, sweep, fly, blinds, box, checkerboard, crawl, dissolve, peak, spiral, split, stretch, strips, swivel, wipe, zoom. These types of display attributes are well known (though not necessarily with respect to online services) and are therefore not described further herein. The ad objects preferably also specify how long the advertisement should be displayed. Other display attributes are within the scope of the invention. The play list preferably specifies an order in which the advertisements identified in the play list are to be displayed.
• Typically, advertisements in the online industry are associated with a resource locator, and more typically with a URL. As is well known, when a user uses hispointing device103 to click on an online advertisement in a browser's window such asbrowser window300, the browser application loads the resource at the associated URL. This is commonly known as “click-through.” In accordance with the invention, if during the display of an advertisement in thead pane210, the user clicks-through on the advertisement, then theclient application110 causes the resource locator associated with the advertisement to be loaded by thebrowser application160. If thebrowser application160 is not open at the time, then the browser application is first opened and then pointed to the resource locator associated with the advertisement. If the resource locator is not for a web page, theclient application110 or some other software in thelocal device100 preferably causes the appropriate application to open so that the resource locator may be opened.
• Preferably, theclient application110 displays advertisements from the time that theclient application110 is activated. To accomplish this, theclient application110 preferably is provided with a logon play list for use before the communication channel with theOSP server130 is open. Theclient application110 preferably is also provided with the advertisements referenced in the logon play list. The logon play list is preferably stored on thelocal device100 during installation of theclient application110. Subsequently, during each session with the online service, theOSP server130 provides a new logon play list and the advertisements referenced by the new logon play list to theclient application110 for use by theclient application110 during the next logon. TheOSP server130 can transmit the new logon play list in any of several ways, such as part of establishment of the communication channel to theOSP server130, during the user's session with the online service, or as part of the closing of the communication channel. The latter is preferred, since it proves the online service provider with the best targeting control.
• It should also be appreciated that, where there is a constant-connection communication link, a logon play list can be communicated from theOSP server130 to theclient application110 at any time. Similarly, in some dial-up environments, such as ISDN, a logon play list can be communicated from theOSP server130 to theclient application110 at any time using signaling channels or other off-line means.
• In the next step (step525), theclient application110 establishes a communication channel to the online service. With the communication channel established, theclient application110 can now receive a new play list from the OSP server130 (step530). This online play list can reference advertisements which are in thedata access network120. In some embodiments, it may be desirable for theOSP server130 to transmit additional or replacement play lists and/or ad objects to theclient application110.
• Theclient application110 preferably also receives from the OSP server130 a match list. The match list comprises one or more match objects. The match objects each comprise an activity identifier and an ad object. The match list guides theclient application110 to display certain advertisements notwithstanding the play list. The activity identifier preferably comprises resource locators and keywords which are used for targeting advertising to the user. The activity identifier may also be an object which altogether describes an online activity in which the user may become involved, such as email or chat.
• During the user's session with the online service, theclient application110 preferably monitors the user's interaction with thedata access network120. If the user's interaction with the network matches one of the activity identifiers in the match list, then the ad display process displays the advertisement of the ad object corresponding to the matched activity identifier. Methods for monitoring the online activities of an online user are described in the related application referenced above.
• The client application then displays advertisements in accordance with the on-line play list and the match list (step535), and this continues while the user uses the online service (step540).
• As an example of the use of the match list, if the user points hisbrowser application160 to a Web site which the online service provider has previously identified to relate to sale of automobiles, then the online service provider preferably would run an advertisement targeting a potential purchaser of an automobile. The Web site may be identified from its URL, and if the URL is an activity identifier in the match list, theclient application110 can cause the appropriate advertisement to be displayed.
• As another example, the user might go to a search engine which is known to the online service provider, and search for information about the sale of automobiles based upon the keywords “automobile sales.” Theclient application110 preferably checks if the keywords sent to these selected search engines are activity identifiers in the match list. If so, then theclient application110 preferably displays the appropriate advertisement.
• At some point, the user's online session will end. To manually close the session, the user can selecticon250 in the client window200 (FIG. 2). Theclient application110 preferably provides the user with the opportunity to confirm the closing of the session (step545). If the user cancels closure, then the method continues atstep535. If the user confirms closure, then theclient application110 closes the communication channel to the online service (step550), and the method ends (step555).
• In addition to manual closure, theclient application110 preferably can automatically close the communication channel. In the case of a dial-up connection, theclient application110 preferably can detect inaction by the user. This inaction may be with respect to thedata access network120, or more preferably, with respect to theclient application110. If the user has been inactive for a predetermined period of time, then theclient application110 preferably displays a dialog on thedisplay101 in which the user is given some period of time to request that the session be continued.
• In the case of a constant-connection communication channel, theclient application110 preferably monitors the user's activity with thelocal device100 with respect to the online service and thereby detects whether the user is interacting with the online service. Like a screen saver in reverse, theclient application110 detects some period of inactivity and causes theclient window200 to be closed. Alternatively, theclient window200 could remain on the display even when the user's session is terminated, but theclient application110 would allow other windows to be displayed on top of theclient window200. If the user desired to open a session with the online service, theclient window200 would again have to be on top of all other windows, either through automatic or manual means.
• As can be seen, this process permits browsing by the user and displaying of advertisements by theclient application100 without interfering with the user's use of the browser application.
• In addition to the display of advertisements, theclient application110 preferably records a number of types of events and transmits these records to theOSP server130. Tracked events fall into three categories: connection events, advertising events, and operational events. Referring now toFIG. 6, the event tracking capabilities of theclient application110 are described. Event tracking begins after theclient application110 is activated (step610). After an event occurs (step615), as described further below, the client application stores an event record (step620). At a time appropriate for the event record, theclient application110 transmits the event record to an interactive data server such as the OSP server130 (step630). This continues until the session is terminated (step635).
• The connection events include failed connection attempts, such as when theclient application110 attempted a dial-up session and encountered no dial tone, a busy signal, or some other error from the physical network. The connection event records allow the online service provider to better understand where the users are experiencing difficulties, and to therefore remedy problems and enhance operations without necessitating user feedback. This is important because the connection event records may provide more timely and accurate information about a user's experiences, and further allows the online service provider to diagnose problems based upon common characteristics of users who have had problems.
• The advertising events relate to the display of advertisements by theclient application110. Each time theclient application110 displays an advertisement (commonly referred to as an “impression”), theclient application110 preferably records an identifier of the advertisement. These records are used by theclient application110 to permit the user to cycle back through previously displayed advertisements, and then to cycle forward through the advertisements. Cycle-back and cycle-forward is made available to the user, for example, through the cycle-back icon205 and the cycle-forward icon215. Theclient application110 preferably also records errors encountered in attempting to fetch and display advertisements.
• In accordance with the invention, special attention is given to the user's selection of advertisements in thead pane210. To track the effectiveness of advertisements displayed in thead pane210, theclient application110 preferably tracks not only click-throughs, but also how long the client application displays an advertisement before the user clicks-through. This information, as well as records of what Web sites the user has browsed, are preferably used by the online service provider to enhance advertisement targeting criteria, to enable dynamic advertisement targeting, and to track the performance of advertisements displayed in thead pane210.
• The operational events relate to the user's use of certain features of theclient application110. The operational events thus include attribute settings such as whether the user has hidden thetitle bar230 and/or thebutton bar280, and where the user has placed theclient window200 on thedisplay101. Theclient application110 further recognizes as events eachicon205,215,240,250,260,265,270,275,280 which the user has selected (clicked-on). These operational event records allow the online service provider to better understand how the users are using the online service and to therefore enhance the quality of theclient application110 and the user's online experience.
• In general, theclient application110 transmits most types of event records in a batch form. The online service provider preferably specifies the number of events to record before transmitting the event records, and this number preferably may be adjusted during a session. However, some event records should be transmitted without delay—most notably click-throughs. Click-throughs are not batched because the fact of these events is preferably used by the OSP server for refinement of dynamic advertisement targeting.
• Closing Comments
• The foregoing is merely illustrative and not limiting, having been presented by way of example only. Although exemplary embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, or alterations to the invention as described herein may be made, none of which depart from the spirit of the present invention. All such changes, modifications and alterations should therefore be seen as within the scope of the invention.

Claims (19)

1. A method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device, the local device including an input device and an output device, the local device having a continuous communications link to a network, the user using the local device for accessing the online service and for interacting with the online service, the method comprising:

the client application becoming active and establishing a session with the online service over the continuous communications link;

the client application receiving a first play list;

the client application monitoring the user's network activity thereby detecting whether the user is accessing the network;

the client application displaying a client window on the output device of the local device, wherein the client window displays continuously so long as the user is accessing the network;

the client application causing advertisements to be displayed in an ad pane of the client window in accordance with the first play list, the first play list comprising plural ad objects, each ad object comprising a resource locator for a given advertisement and a resource locator for a click-through associated with the given advertisement, the first play list further specifying an order in which the advertisements identified in the first play list are to be displayed.

2. The method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device ofclaim 1, wherein at least one of the ad objects includes a length of time to display the given advertisement.

3. The method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device ofclaim 1, the method further comprising:

the client application receiving the first play list from an ad server after establishment of the session with the online service.

4. The method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device ofclaim 1, the method further comprising:

the client application receiving the first play list from the online service after establishment of the session with the online service.

5. The method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device ofclaim 1, the method further comprising:

the client application detecting that the user has not interacted with the network for a predefined period of time, and

the client application ceasing the display of the client window.

6. The method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device ofclaim 1, wherein the client application causes the client window to be displayed on top of any other window displayed on the output device.

7. The method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device ofclaim 6, the method further comprising:

the client application detecting that the user has not interacted with the network for a predefined period of time, and

the client application ceasing the display of the client window on top of any other window displayed on the output device.

8. The method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device ofclaim 1 wherein the ad object further includes display attributes for the given advertisement.

9. The method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device ofclaim 8 wherein the display attributes include at least one from the group comprising: fade, wash, sweep, fly, blinds, box, checkerboard, crawl, dissolve, peak, spiral, split, stretch, strips, swivel, wipe, and zoom.

10. The method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device ofclaim 1 further comprising:

the client application recording an identifier of a given advertisement displayed by the client application, and

the client application transmitting the identifier to an interactive data server on the online service.

11. A method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device, the local device including an input device and an output device, the local device having a constant-connection to the Internet, the user using the local device for accessing the online service and for interacting with the online service, the method comprising:

the client application becoming active and establishing a session with the online service;

the client application receiving a first play list;

the client application monitoring the user's activity with the online service and thereby detecting whether the user is interacting with the online service;

the client application displaying a client window on the output device of the local device, wherein the client window displays continuously while the user is interacting with the online service;

the client application causing advertisements to be displayed in an ad pane of the client window in accordance with the first play list, the first play list comprising plural ad objects, each ad object comprising a resource locator for a given advertisement, a resource locator for a click-through associated with the given advertisement, and display attributes for the given advertisement, the first play list further specifying an order in which the advertisements identified in the first play list are to be displayed.

12. The method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device ofclaim 11, wherein at least one of the ad objects includes a length of time to display the given advertisement.

13. The method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device ofclaim 11, the method further comprising:

the client application receiving the first play list from an ad server after establishment of the session with the online service.

14. The method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device ofclaim 11, the method further comprising:

the client application receiving the first play list from the online service after establishment of the session with the online service.

15. The method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device ofclaim 11, the method further comprising:

the client application detecting that the user has not interacted with the online service for a predefined period of time, and

the client application ceasing the display of advertisements in the ad pane.

16. The method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device ofclaim 11, wherein the client application causes the client window to be displayed on top of any other window displayed on the output device.

17. The method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device ofclaim 16, the method further comprising:

the client application detecting that the user has not interacted with the online service for a predefined period of time, and

the client application ceasing the display of the client window on top of any other window displayed on the output device.

18. The method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device ofclaim 11 wherein the display attributes are at least one from the group including: fade, wash, sweep, fly, blinds, box, checkerboard, crawl, dissolve, peak, spiral, split, stretch, strips, swivel, wipe, and zoom.

19. The method of displaying advertisements to a user of an online service using a client application on a local device ofclaim 11 further comprising:

the client application recording an identifier of a given advertisement displayed by the client application, and

the client application transmitting the identifier to an interactive data server on the online service.

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