Claims
- 1. A method for a pay for placement database search system, the method comprising:
storing one or more search listings associated with an advertiser, each search listing including a respective bid amount; receiving a bid cap for selected search listings; and adjusting the respective bid amounts for the selected search listings according to the bid cap.
- 2. The method of claim 1 wherein adjusting the respective bid amounts comprises:
increasing the respective bids so long as each respective bid does not exceed the bid cap.
- 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving a desired rank for the selected search listings; and adjusting the respective bid amounts for the selected search listings according to the desired rank.
- 4. The method of claim 3 further comprising:
if a tie condition makes a desired rank unavailable for a respective search listing, incrementing a bid amount for the respective search listing.
- 5. The method of claim 3 wherein adjusting the respective bid amounts comprises:
if the desired rank for a selected search listing can not be obtained because of the bid cap, increasing a bid amount for the selected search listing so the bid amount does not exceed the bid cap to position the selected search listing at a best attainable rank.
- 6. The method of claim 4 wherein adjusting the respective bid amounts further comprises:
reducing the bid amount to a minimum bid necessary to retain the best attainable rank for the selected search listing.
- 7. The method of claim 3 wherein adjusting the respective bid amounts comprises:
reducing the respective bid amounts only if the reduced bid amount exceeds a system minimum bid.
- 8. The method of claim 3 wherein adjusting respective bid amounts comprises:
if an adjusted bid amount for a selected search listing produces no bid change, leaving the bid amount unadjusted.
- 9. The method of claim 3 wherein adjusting respective bid amounts comprises:
if processing an adjusted bid amount for a selected search listing produces no rank change, leaving the bid amount unadjusted.
- 10. The method of claim 3 wherein adjusting respective bid amounts comprises:
if processing a requested rank to a higher requested rank produces a rank change to a rank below an initial rank, leaving the bid amount unadjusted.
- 11. The method of claim 3 wherein adjusting respective bid amounts further comprises:
leaving the bid amount unadjusted only if the bid amount required for the initial rank does not exceed the bid cap.
- 12. The method of claim 3 wherein adjusting respective bid amounts comprises:
if adjusting the respective bid amounts produces an adjusted rank that is below the requested rank because of a tie condition, leaving the bid amount unadjusted.
- 13. The method of claim 3 wherein adjusting respective bid amounts comprises:
if a selected search listing is a grandfathered search listing and if adjusting the respective bid amount for the grandfathered search listing produces an adjusted rank that exceeds the desired rank, leaving the bid amount unadjusted.
- 13. The method of claim 3 further comprising:
providing an error indicating if the desired rank is not within a permitted range of desired ranks.
- 14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
providing an error indicating if the desired rank is not a rank equal to rank 1, rank 2 or rank 3.
- 15. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving a desired rank for all search listings of an advertiser; and adjusting the respective bid amounts for all search listings according to the desired rank and the bid cap.
- 16. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving a desired rank for a displayed page of search listings of an advertiser; and adjusting the respective bid amounts for search listings on the displayed page according to the desired rank and the bid cap.
- 17. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
providing a confirmation of the received bid cap.
- 18. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
providing a notification after adjusting the respective bid amounts.
- 19. A database search system comprising:
a database configured to store search listings associated with one or more advertisers, each search listing including a respective bid amount; first program code to produce an advertiser access page; second program code to update one or more listings of the database in response to a desired rank and bid cap received from an advertiser using the advertiser access page.
- 21. The database search system of claim 19 wherein the first program code is configured to display a page of search listings associated with an advertiser including a first text box and a second text box for each displayed search listing, the first text box to receive data corresponding to the desired rank for a search listing and the second text box to receive data corresponding to the bid cap for the search listing.
- 22. The database search system of claim 19 wherein the first program code is further configured to display a first page fill text box and a second page fill text box, the first page text box to receive data corresponding to the desired rank for all search listings displayed on the page and the second page fill text box to receive data corresponding to the bid cap for all search listings displayed on the page.
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/922,028 entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING PLACE AND PRICE PROTECTION IN A SEARCH RESULT LIST GENERATED BY A COMPUTER NETWORK SEARCH ENGINE, filed on Aug. 3,2001 in the names Cheung, et al., which is a continuation in part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/911,674 filed Jul. 24, 2001 in the names of Darren J. Davis, et al., (attorney docket number 9623/334), which application is incorporated herein in its entirety and which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/322,677, filed May 28, 1999, in the names of Darren J. Davis, et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,361.