System and method for improving the effectiveness of web advertising

US6892181B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Nimrod Megiddo · Palo Alto, US
• Xiaoming Zhu · Hangzhou City, CN

Key dates

• Filing date: Sep 8, 2000
• Grant date: May 10, 2005
• Expiry date: Aug 3, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q30/0277
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method for improving the effectiveness of web advertising by allowing a user to return and request a previously displayed ad that appeals to the user. Generally, the system employs an intelligent browser cache maintained within a user's terminal to keep web pages in cache and maintain information about hyperlinks contained therein. Furthermore, the system allows for the storing of ads in a bookmark memory without clicking on the ads. The bookmark memory is either permanently maintained or temporarily stored for a predetermined time period at the user's terminal to allow the user view all the stored ads at a later time. The system further includes an algorithm for computing the differences between previously visited pages stored in the intelligent browser cache and a new page in terms of their hyperlinks. Presented to the user in separate windows are all the ads from both the old and new pages to aid the user in deciding whether to click and visit a different page or to save the displayed page for later use. Finally, the system permits the user to request for ads previously displayed at a particular position by pointing his mouse to the current ad at such a location.