Search engine account monitoring
US7076479B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 3, 2001 |
| Grant date | Jul 11, 2006 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 11, 2023 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S707/99936
- WIPO fieldIT methods for management
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and method of generating an ordered search list via a pay-for-performance search engine by determining various account balances to determine if a search listing is given preferential placement in a search list. If a web site advertiser's account is below a threshold, for example zero dollars, the search listing associated with the advertiser is not given preferential placement in a search list regardless of the advertiser bid amount for that search listing. Various balances may be used. Some of the balances may be closer to real-time balances and other may be more accurate, for example by removing click charges that were later determined to be non-chargeable. By using the various account balances, the pay-for-performance search engine prevents over-delivery of preferential placement and possible over-billing of the advertisers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.