Patent Application
20090083145
Electronic advertisements such as those seen on web pages are served from one computer to another. The advertisements include images, text, audio, and/or video. Advertisements also differ in terms of user interaction and required bandwidth. Some applications only support simple advertisements such as text and still images. Other applications support more advanced media technologies using scripts or plug-ins. These advanced media technologies are referred to as rich media advertisements (RMA). Many existing systems, however, do not support more than one type of media technology. In addition, some of the advanced media technologies are unstable. Attempts to display such advertisements may result in the advertisements not being displayed, or instability or even failure of the application attempting to display the advertisements.
Embodiments of the invention enable configuration of an advertisement component to display advertisements in a particular format. The advertisement component has a plurality of advertising systems each corresponding to at least one advertisement format. In an embodiment, the invention sends one or more values to a computing device to identify one of the advertising systems for execution by the computing device. The identified advertising system receives and displays advertisements to the user in the advertising format associated with the identified advertising system.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Other features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
In an embodiment, the invention includes a configurable advertisement component 112 supporting a plurality of advertising formats such as shown in
Referring first to
At least one of the plurality of advertisement formats corresponds to rich media advertisements (RMAs). RMAs include advertisements created with media technologies that offer higher quality advertisements. For example, RMAs include, but are not limited to, advertisements with one or more of the following characteristics: created with JAVASCRIPT, use flash video, expand or exceed the intended original border of the advertisement, allow user interaction with the advertisement, include animation, and include sound. Non-RMAs include advertisements that display, for example, still images or text. In am embodiment, non-RMAs use inline frames or other basic framing technology (e.g., for use in a browser).
In operation, the processor 110 is configured to execute computer-executable instructions or components to implement aspects of the invention. For example, the processor 110 may execute one or more computer-executable components stored on one or more computer-readable media. In the example of
The format component 116 defines a plurality of advertisement formats. The advertisement component 112 displays advertisements to the user 106 using one or more of the advertising systems 114. The notification component 118 receives, by the first computing device 102, a notification from the second computing device 104 that the second computing device 104 is executing an application. For example, the user 106 selects a mail application for execution. The interface component 120 transmits, responsive to the received notification, the advertisement component 112 associated with the application from the first computing device 102 to the second computing device 104. The second computing device 104 stores the transmitted copy of the advertisement component 112. For example, the copy is cached by the second computing device 104. Caching the advertisement component 112 on the second computing device 104 improves performance. For example, there is less reliance on network communications by a cached advertisement component 113.
In an embodiment (not shown), a plurality of advertisement components 112 exist. Each advertisement component 112 is associated with one or more applications. For example, there is an advertisement component associated with a mail program, an advertisement component associated with a chat program, an advertisement component associated with a blog program, and the like. The appropriate advertisement component is selected and transmitted to the second computing device 104 responsive to the notification received from the second computing device 104. The advertisement component may be operable within the associated application, or may execute separately and be distinct from the associated application.
The interface component 120 also sends session data indicating, for example, which of the advertising systems 114 should be used to receive and display advertisements in association with the user-selected application (e.g., the mail application). In an embodiment, the session data includes a value that corresponds to one of the available advertising systems 114. For example, the value is associated with a session-based configuration variable. Various factors dictate which advertising system 114 should be used by the second computing device 104. The value is determined by a human operator based on business or marketing decisions in an embodiment. In another embodiment, the value is chosen based on the advertisement provider. The value may be determined and applied to all computing device acting as second computing devices. In another example, the value may be determined on a per user, per device, per advertisement, or per advertisement provider basis. The second computing device 104 relies on the value, and does not alter the value in an embodiment. In this manner, all devices such as the second computing device 104 that receive the value will execute the advertising system 114 identified by the value. In an embodiment, the value is session-based in that the value does not change during a session. In other embodiments, the first computing device 102 may change the value at any time.
In another embodiment, the session data includes a fail-safe value 124 and a format value 122. These values collectively identify one of the advertising systems 114 for execution by the second computing device 104. Responsive to receiving the fail-safe value 124 and the format value 122, the second computing device 104 dynamically configures the copy of the advertisement component 112 as a function of the transmitted fail-safe value 124 and the format value 122 to receive and display advertisements by the advertising system 114 identified by the fail-safe value 124 and the format value 122. As a result, the advertisements are received and subsequently displayed in the advertising format corresponding to the identified advertising system.
In an embodiment, the fail-safe value 124 overrides, or takes priority over, the format value 122 as described in greater detail with reference to
The session data may include any means or methodology for identifying one of the advertising systems 114 available in the advertisement component 112. For example, the session data may include one or more values such as Boolean values (e.g., TRUE or FALSE), integers, alphabetic characters, or the like for identifying one of the advertising systems 114. For example, if the fail-safe value 124 is TRUE, the advertisement component 112 executes on the second computing device 104 to display static images. The static images may be delivered from the first computing device 102 to the second computing device 104, or may be stored locally on the second computing device 104 (e.g., in a library, pool, or repository of available advertisements). In another example, rich media advertisements may be displayed when the fail-safe value 124 is FALSE and the format value 122 evaluates to FALSE. In this example, the advertisements are served by an advertisement provider that is remote from the second computing device 104, but in communication with software executing on the second computing device 104.
After configuration of the advertisement component 112, the second computing device 104 executes the selected or identified advertising system. Responsive to user interaction with the application (e.g., the mail program), advertisements are delivered to the selected advertising system 114 for display or rendering to the user 106. For example, by checking for new electronic mail messages or by sending an email, the user 106 creates user action data that is received by the second computing device 104. In an embodiment, the second computing device 104 communicates the user action data to the first computing device 102. In response to the received user action data, the first computing device 102 transmits, or causes to transmit, the advertisements to the user 106 (e.g., depending on the particular advertising system 114 executing on the second computing device 104). For example, the first computing device 102 sends the advertisements to the second computing device 104 for display, by the second computing device 104, to the user 106.
In another embodiment, the second computing device 104 does not transmit the user action data to the first computing device 102. Rather, the second computing device 104 uses the user action data to select an advertisement from a library of static advertisements available to the second computing device 104 for selection and rendering.
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An advertisement component is defined at 404 to have one or more advertising systems. Each of the advertising systems corresponds to at least one of the defined advertisement formats. If the server computing device receives notification of application execution at 406, the server computing device transmits the defined advertisement component to another computing device such as a client at 408. In an embodiment, the server computing device may add new advertising systems dynamically and update all client computing devices in this manner rather than sending a patch or other fix to the application executing on the client computing devices.
The server computing device also transmits session data at 410 including a value identifying a particular adverting system to be used by the client computing device. The client computing device configures the received advertisement component at 412 to execute or otherwise use the advertising system identified by the transmitted value.
When user action data is received by the client computing device at 414 (e.g., any interaction between the user and the application), the client computing device (or the advertisement component executing thereon) notifies the server computing device or an advertisement provider. In response, the server computing device or advertisement provider sends at 416 selected advertisements to the client computing device in the format corresponding to the identified advertising system.
In an embodiment (not shown), the server computing device transmits another value client computing device to select a different advertising system for the advertisement component on the client computing device to use. In response, the client computing device re-configures the advertisement component as a function of this new value to receive and display advertisements by the different advertising system. Subsequent user interactions with the application on the client computing device prompt the advertisement component to receive and display advertisements in the format corresponding to the newly selected advertising system.
Referring next to
If conf-2 evaluates to FALSE at 528, the advertisement component uses script calls provided by the advertisement servers to create inline frames at 530. The script calls trigger rich media advertisements at 532. For example, this functionality is performed by partner application programming logic calls in JAVASCRIPT.
A general purpose computing device such as a computer has one or more processors or processing units and a system memory. The computer typically has at least some form of computer readable media. Computer readable media, which include both volatile and nonvolatile media, removable and non-removable media, may be any available medium that may be accessed by computer. By way of example and not limitation, computer readable media comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. For example, computer storage media include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to store the desired information and that may be accessed by computer 130. Communication media typically embody computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and include any information delivery media. Those skilled in the art are familiar with the modulated data signal, which has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. Wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media, such as acoustic, RF, infrared, and other wireless media, are examples of communication media. Combinations of any of the above are also included within the scope of computer readable media.
The computer may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer.
Generally, the data processors of computer are programmed by means of instructions stored at different times in the various computer-readable storage media of the computer. Aspects of the invention described herein includes these computer-readable storage media when such media contain instructions or programs for implementing the operations described herein in conjunction with a microprocessor or other data processor. Further, aspects of the invention include the computer itself when programmed according to the methods and techniques described herein.
Embodiments of the invention are operational with numerous general purpose or special purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of well known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with aspects of the invention include, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, mobile telephones, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.
Embodiments of the invention may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include, but are not limited to, routines, programs, objects, components, and data structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Aspects of the invention may be implemented with any number and organization of such components or modules. For example, aspects of the invention are not limited to the specific computer-executable instructions or the specific components or modules illustrated in the figures and described herein. Other embodiments of the invention may include different computer-executable instructions or components having more or less functionality than illustrated and described herein.
The computer-executable instructions and components described and illustrated herein constitute exemplary means for configuring the copy of the advertisement component as a function of the value to use the advertising system identified by the value to receive and display the advertisements to the user. In addition, the computer-executable instructions and components described and illustrated herein constitute exemplary means for associating the value with one of the advertising systems in the advertisement component.
The order of execution or performance of the operations in embodiments of the invention illustrated and described herein is not essential, unless otherwise specified. That is, the operations may be performed in any order, unless otherwise specified, and embodiments of the invention may include additional or fewer operations than those disclosed herein. For example, it is contemplated that executing or performing a particular operation before, contemporaneously with, or after another operation is within the scope of aspects of the invention.
When introducing elements of aspects of the invention or the embodiments thereof, the articles “a,” “an,” “the,” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements.
Having described aspects of the invention in detail, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims. As various changes could be made in the above constructions, products, and methods without departing from the scope of aspects of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
