United States Patent (19)
`LeMole et al.
`
`54 METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PRESENTING
`CUSTOMIZED ADVERTISING TO A USER
`ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB
`
`75 Inventors: Suzanne L. LeMole, Murray Hill;
`Steven Howard Nurenberg,
`Manalapan, both of N.J.; Joseph
`Thomas O'Neil, Staten Island, N.Y.;
`Peter H. Stuntebeck, Little Silver, N.J.
`73 Assignee: AT&T Corporation, New York, N.Y.
`
`21 Appl. No.: 08/951,298
`22 Filed:
`Oct. 16, 1997
`(51) Int. Cl. ................................................ G06F 17/60
`52 U.S. Cl. ................................. 705/14; 705/1; 707/102;
`709/219; 379/201; 348/8
`58 Field of Search .................................... 705/1, 14, 10;
`707/102; 709/219; 379/201; 348/8; 455/4.2
`
`56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`5,661,516 8/1997 Carles ......................................... 348/8
`5,717.923
`2/1998 Dedrick ...
`... 707/102
`5,754.938 5/1998 Herz et al. ...
`... 455/4.2
`5,793.972 8/1998 Shane .......
`... 709/219
`5,848,396 12/1998 Gerace ...................................... 705/10
`5,850,433 12/1998 Rondeau ................................. 379/201
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`DR-Link, ZDNet Free Personalzed News on Internet, pp.
`1-2, Oct. 13, 1995.
`Dr-Link, Companies Eye Lucrative Niche in Targeting ADS,
`Personalizing Content in Potentially Huge Web Market.
`Interactive Daily. Nov. 8, 1996, pp. 1-3.
`
`US00600941 OA
`Patent Number:
`11
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`6,009,410
`Dec. 28, 1999
`
`Primary Examiner Allen R. MacDonald
`ASSistant Examiner M. Irshadullah
`57
`ABSTRACT
`A customized advertising repository Server is connected on
`the World Wide Web (WWW), which can be accessed by a
`registered user through his or her browser either by clicking
`on an icon, or by inputting the Specific URL address of the
`particular Server which Stores that user's advertising reposi
`tory. When the user accesses his or her customized ad
`repository through the browser, a composite advertising
`page is dynamically configured by the Customized Adver
`tising Repository (CAR) server for that particular user based
`on that user's previously provided user profile. Furthermore,
`at least a portion of that composite advertising page can be
`dynamically configured on a context dependent basis deter
`mined from the particular Web site or sites that the user has
`accessed prior to accessing the CAR. The dynamically
`configured composite page or pages of advertising provided
`to the user may contain plural Static images, Streaming
`banners, 3-D images, animation, Video and/or audio clips,
`using any of the technologies available on the Web for
`presenting textual and/or visual information. Such a com
`posite page or pages is configured from a database which
`Stores Such images, banners, animation, etc., from plural
`advertisers. The customized page is created by Selecting
`from among a Storehouse of plural different Subscribing
`advertisers and their associated banner ads, images, etc.,
`those particular images, etc. that will be elements of the
`customized page based on the user's Specific areas of
`interest as determined from the profile, and/or the context
`dependency. From Such dynamically configured composite
`page or pages, the user can then click on a particular image,
`Video window, banner, etc., to retrieve, through a hyperlink,
`further information directly from the selected advertiser's
`own Web site or mirror Web site.
`
`20 Claims, 4 Drawing Sheets
`
`
`
`102
`
`IASP
`
`120
`
`ORLANDO
`
`CHAMBER OF
`COMMERCE
`
`UNIVERSAL
`STUDIOS
`FLORIDA
`f
`19
`
`104
`
`ISP
`
`121
`
`DISNEY
`
`116
`
`DELTA
`AIRLINES
`
`10
`
`C
`
`113
`
`112
`
`DATA
`BASE
`
`DATA
`BASE
`
`N
`CAR
`SERVER
`7
`241
`a/ 'Ca
`DATA
`DATA
`BASE
`BASE
`
`HTTP
`SERVER
`
`110
`
`114
`
`115
`
`
`
`NATIONAL
`CAR
`RENTAL
`
`118
`
`100
`
`SEA WORLD
`
`117
`
`ISP
`
`105
`
`Twitter-Google Exhibit 1009
`
`

`

`US. Patent
`
`6,009,410
`
`4EE832m023:2:mE,_mg:mBEES
`:55E25:
`
`asm:Eas
`
`asE22222E2%;5m3%:
`
`2.2%m:
`
`n,F.E:m2:mm:
`I‘825%mEmagumo:
`
`
`:22..||.l=o<25:EL82:22:zma.Eamm.2:\
`
`
`
`N:Ea.
`
`e.z:E
`
`N65%
`
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Dec. 28, 1999
`
`Sheet 2 of 4
`
`6,009,410
`
`
`
`CUSTOMIZED AD REPOSITORY
`REGISTRATION FORM
`HOME ZIP CODE:
`
`NAME:
`AGE:
`
`INTERESTS:
`ART
`AUTOMOBILES
`COMPUTERS
`FASHION
`FOOD
`KIDS
`MOVIES
`TELEVISION
`TRAVEL
`SHOPPING
`THEATER
`SPORTS
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Dec. 28, 1999
`
`Sheet 3 of 4
`
`6,009,410
`
`FIG. 3
`
`USER REGISTERS FOR SERVICE BY
`SUBMITTING PROFILE OF INTERESTS
`TO HTTP/CAR SERVER
`
`USER SURFS THE WEB IN
`WORK CONTEXT
`
`USER REQUESTS PERSONAL
`ADVERTISING PAGE VIA BOOKMARK,
`URL, BUTTON ON BROWSER
`
`BROWSER FORWARDS REQUEST
`TO HTTP SERVER
`
`HTTP SERVER FORWARDS REQUEST
`TO CAR SERVER
`
`CAR SERVER CONSULTS DATABASE
`FOR THAT USER AND BASED ON
`STORED PROFILE DYNAMICALLY
`PRODUCES A PERSONAL AD PAGE
`FOR THAT USER
`
`301
`
`302
`
`303
`
`304
`
`305
`
`306
`
`WEB PAGE RETURNED TO USER
`
`
`
`307
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`USER CLICKS ON AN AD AND
`REQUESTS FULL WEB PAGE
`FROM AN ADVERTISERS SITE
`
`USER WANTS TO WIEW
`ANOTHER AD 2
`NO
`RETURN TO WORK CONTEXT
`
`
`
`
`
`BACKUP TO
`COMPOSITE PAGE
`
`308
`
`
`
`309
`
`
`
`311
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Dec. 28, 1999
`
`Sheet 4 of 4
`
`6,009,410
`
`FIC. 4
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`USER REGISTERS FOR SERVICE BY
`SUBMITTING PROFILE OF INTERESTS
`TO HTTP/CAR SERVER
`
`USER SURFS THE WEB IN
`WORK CONTEXT
`
`USER REQUESTS PERSONAL
`ADVERTISING PAGE VIA BOOKMARK,
`URL BUTTON ON BROWSER
`
`401
`
`402
`
`403
`
`BROWSER FORWARDS REQUEST TO
`HTTP SERVER TOGETHER WITH URL
`ADDRESSES OF SITES VISITED
`BY USER IN CURRENT SESSION
`
`- 404
`
`HTTP SERVER FORWARDS REQUEST
`TO CAR SERVER
`
`is
`
`CAR SERVER USING USER CONTEXT
`INFORMATION TOGETHER WITH
`INFORMATION IN USER'S PROFILE
`DYNAMICALLY PRODUCES A
`PERSONAL AD PAGE FOR THAT USER
`
`4.08
`
`WEB PAGE RETURNED TO USER
`
`USER CLICKS ON AN AD AND
`REQUESTS FULL WEB PAGE
`FROM AN ADVERTISERS SITE
`
`409
`
`
`
`
`
`411
`
`USER WANTS TO WIEW
`ANOTHER AD
`NO
`RETURN TO WORK CONTEXT
`
`406
`
`407
`
`
`
`
`
`BACKUP TO
`COMPOSITE PACE
`
`

`

`1
`METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PRESENTING
`CUSTOMIZED ADVERTISING TO A USER
`ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD
`This invention relates to the World Wide Web, and more
`particularly, to a method and System for presenting custom
`ized advertising to a user on the Web.
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`As the World Wide Websteadily becomes an increasingly
`more popular gateway for accessing Sources of information,
`entertainment, Shopping, and various interactive Services to
`millions of users around the World, information providers
`which Supply Such information, entertainment, goods and
`interactive services via HTML-formatted pages have taken
`advantage of the captured nature of the Web users who
`access its Web site by “selling” part of the “real estate' on
`its pages to advertisers who may advertise products or
`Services that may or may not be related to the content or
`nature of the Site. Currently, many of the pages provided by
`information providers contain advertising that takes various
`forms Such as banner ads across the top or bottom of a page.
`Such ads may include Scrolled information containing
`images that change with time. Disadvantageously, from an
`advertiser's perspective, Web users have a tendency to
`mentally “tune-out'. Such advertising as they read or interact
`with the information displayed on the main work area of a
`page. Furthermore, by utilizing a portion of the valuable
`“real estate' on a Web page for advertising, the remaining
`available work area on the page is reduced from its maxi
`mum full-screen capabilities. Techniques currently also exist
`for Streaming both audio and Video across the Internet. Such
`an audio component can be incorporated as part of the
`information content of a Web page as well as part of the
`accompanying advertising, thereby leading to a potential
`conflict between the audio components of each. Also, Since
`the size of the ad itself on the Web page is limited to only
`a Small portion of the entire page, the full capabilities that
`could be presented to a Web user through that ad cannot be
`fully deployed for their maximum visual impact. An
`example of the latter is holographic 3D experiences that are
`currently evolving on the Web.
`Technologies currently exist which deliver information
`and advertising to users through a Screen Saver during
`periods in which the user is not accessing the Web, or not
`using his or her terminal for other purposes. The user,
`however, may not be there to see the information when it is
`downloaded. Thus, as with a television commercial which
`more often than not is presented to an empty room or to a
`disinterested viewer, advertising on the Web as it is currently
`presented to a user are not likely to achieve the advertiser's
`desired impact.
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`In accordance with the present invention, a customized
`advertising repository Server is connected on the World
`Wide Web (WWW), which can be accessed by a registered
`user through his or her browser either by clicking on an icon,
`or by inputting the Specific URL address of the particular
`server which stores that user's advertising repository. When
`the user is interacting on the Web in a usual manner
`retrieving information for busineSS or personal reasons, he
`or she may desire a break from those browsing activities.
`Although accessing a general advertising site may not be a
`browsing activity that a user would frequently or even
`
`15
`
`25
`
`35
`
`40
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`6,009,410
`
`2
`periodically pursue, the ability to view advertising that is
`Specifically geared to that user's individual interests is more
`likely to be attractive to a user and, with proper incentives,
`an activity the user will Voluntarily pursue. Further, the user
`may in fact be Stimulated to exit his work context mode in
`which he or she is normally browsing and enter a commer
`cial context mode to view advertising for financial
`incentives, Such as being presented with Special offers and/or
`discounts that are only available to that user through Such a
`customized advertising repository Server, or through other
`incentives, as an example, which tie the accessing of the
`customized advertising repository with reduced Internet
`acceSS charges. In accordance with the invention, when the
`user accesses his or her customized ad repository through
`the browser, a composite advertising page is dynamically
`configured by the Customized Advertising Repository
`(CAR) server for that particular user based on that user's
`previously provided user profile. Furthermore, at least a
`portion of that composite advertising page can be dynami
`cally configured on a context dependent basis determined
`from the particular Web site or sites that the user has
`accessed prior to entering the commercial context mode.
`This context dependency that links the advertising presented
`to the user by the CAR to the Web site or sites previously
`accessed by the user can be based on key words associated
`with just the Site accessed immediately prior to entering the
`commercial context mode. Alternatively, the advertising can
`be linked with key words associated with a plurality of
`previously accessed sites. The dynamically configured com
`posite page or pages of advertising provided to the user may
`contain plural Static images, Streaming banners, 3-D images,
`animation, Video and/or audio clips, using any of the tech
`nologies available on the Web for presenting textual and/or
`Visual information. Such a composite page or pages is
`configured from a database which Stores Such images,
`banners, animation, etc., from plural advertisers. The cus
`tomized page is created by Selecting from among a store
`house of plural different subscribing advertisers and their
`asSociated banner ads, images, etc., those particular images,
`etc. that will be elements of the customized page based on
`the user's Specific areas of interest as determined from the
`profile, and/or the context dependency. From Such dynami
`cally configured composite page or pages, the user can then
`click on a particular image, Video window, banner, etc., to
`retrieve, through a hyperlink, further information directly
`from the selected advertiser's own Web site or mirror Web
`Site.
`Since the dynamically created advertising page or pages
`that is/are downloaded contain advertising material that is
`Specifically customized to the user's interests, and which are
`updated regularly by the customized advertising repository
`Server, the user is induced to periodically access his or her
`customized advertising repository to View the current offers
`presently being advertised and promoted, and which because
`of the customization to the individual user have a higher than
`average probability of being of interest to the user.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a telecommunications System
`in which a user is connected through his or her client
`terminal to the Internet for accessing various Web sites
`through the terminal's browser program; and through this
`browser the user also interacts with an HTTP server and a
`Customized Advertising Repository (CAR) server, the latter
`which configures an advertising page that is customized for
`the user, which page contains advertising information and
`links to other web sites in accordance with the present
`invention;
`
`

`

`6,009,410
`
`15
`
`25
`
`3
`FIG. 2 shows an exemplary profile registration form
`which is downloaded to a user's terminal, completed by the
`user, and returned to the HTTP server and CAR server for
`processing and Subsequent dynamic formulation of a com
`posite page that is customized for that user to advertise
`goods and Services that are likely to be of interest to that user
`based on the user's expressed areas of interest and demo
`graphic data of that user as provided in the profile;
`FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the steps associated with a
`non-context dependent embodiment of the present inven
`tion; and
`FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the steps associated with a context
`dependent embodiment of the present invention.
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`With reference to FIG. 1, a user at a client terminal 101
`is connected to an Internet Access Service Provider (IASP)
`102 and thence to the Internet 103. The connection of
`terminal 101 to IASP 102 and Internet 103 can be made in
`various ways as, for example, through a voice-band modem
`(not shown) over conventional POTS lines through a Local
`Exchange Carrier (LEC) (not shown). Alternatively, the
`connection to the Internet can be made over ISDN facilities,
`through a cable modem over cable television transmission
`facilities, or through other wired or wireleSS facilities.
`Illustratively, IASP 102 can be an access provider such as
`AT&T WorldNet
`on-line service.
`When the user at client terminal 101 specifies the URL
`address of a desired HTTP-formatted page supplied over the
`World Wide Web (WWW) from an Information Service
`Provider (ISP), the browser within client terminal 101 sends
`a request over the Internet 103 to the identified ISP, ISP 104
`for example, for that specific page. The requested page, as
`identified by the user-inputted URL address, is in turn
`transmitted in packetized form back over the Internet 103
`and through IASP 102 to terminal 101 for display on the
`user's client terminal 101. By Sequentially inputting a Series
`of URL addresses manually through the browser or by
`clicking the terminal's mouse on a hyperlink on one HTTP
`formatted page to a next URL address, or through a com
`40
`bination of both, the user is able to navigate through an
`essentially endleSS number of URL-addressed pages of
`information at ISP 104 and any of the other ISPs, such as
`ISPs 105 and 106, connected to the Internet. A user can thus
`literally spend hours “surfing the Net' retrieving
`information, accessing on-line Services, and engaging in
`on-line transactions. Some of the Sites may provide infor
`mation to the accessing user and may be sponsored by
`governmental agencies, educational facilities, news
`providers, etc. Others sites may be provided by various
`companies that provide information in combination with
`advertising the goods or Services that they offer for on-line
`or off-line purchase. Examples of the latter may be spon
`Sored by chambers of commerce, magazines, vacation
`destinations, etc. Even other Sites may be purely commercial
`in nature and associated with a company or an individual
`which or who is advertising its goods or Service as, for
`example, a movie company advertising its newest motion
`picture releases, or a major conglomerate Such as Disney,
`which may advertise its theme parks, its motion pictures and
`TV productions, and the associated products it also Sells
`such as video tapes other “Disney' merchandise. Often,
`Some of these siteS provide interactive games geared in
`combination with Self-advertising the provider's products
`and/or Services.
`In accordance with the present invention, as the user at
`client terminal 101 "Surfs the Net', he or she at Some time
`
`4
`decides to exit an information-Seeking work context mode to
`enter a commercial context mode to view advertising of
`products, Services, etc., Specifically directed to him or her.
`AS previously noted, an incentive may be given to the user
`by his or her Internet service provider to “visit” such an
`advertising repository. Such an incentive may be reduced
`Internet access charges, or the presentation of a special offer
`or discount for an advertised product or Service only avail
`able to "visitors' to a certain site, which offers are not
`available to the general public. Specifically, in accordance
`with the present invention, a Content Server 108, comprising
`an HTTP Server 110 and an associated CAR server 111, is
`connected to the Internet 103 and is accessed by the user at
`client terminal 101 through that client terminal's browser
`program either by inputting the URL address of the Content
`Server 108 manually, through a bookmark, or by clicking on
`a special icon presented on the user's display by a browser
`that has been modified to display such an icon. When
`Content Server 108 receives a request from the user, the
`HTTP server 110 within recognizes the user either through
`the input of an ID by the user, or through a “cookie'
`previously provided to the user's browser by server 110 in
`a previous interaction. The received request is passed by
`HTTP server 110 to CAR server 111, which accesses an
`asSociated and cooperatively connected database 112 to
`dynamically configure an advertising page Specifically for
`that user. In order to dynamically configure Such a custom
`ized advertising page for the user, database 112 Stores an
`electronic profile for each registered user. Such a profile
`indicates Subject areas of interest of each user and a user's
`demographic data from which information a plurality of
`images, banners, Video clips, Sound clips, etc. from different
`advertisers are combined by CAR server 111 into an aggre
`gated advertising page or pages with hyperlinks to the
`advertising sites of each of the combined advertisers.
`Such a profile of interests and demographic data is
`provided by the user on-line when the user registers to have
`access to the customized advertising repository Service or
`off-line through a Slow-mail registration process. When
`registering on-line for first time for the Service through
`HTTP server 110, a profile page, such as illustrated in FIG.
`2 is returned to client terminal 101. By using the mouse to
`electronically check his or her interests, Such as travel,
`Sports, etc., and by inputting demographic information Such
`one's marital State, age, number of children, their ages, etc.,
`as well as other information, that user's profile is Stored in
`user profile database 112. Using well known techniques for
`targeting advertising to audiences based on their Stated
`interests and demographic data, particular advertisers of
`products and/or Services from among those product and/or
`Service providers who Subscribe to the Service as advertisers
`are selected by CAR server 111 from an associated Sub
`Scribing advertisers database 113 to dynamically create a
`composite advertising page specifically for that individual
`user based on that user's profile Stored in user profile
`database 112. Each time the user enters the commercial
`context mode a dynamically created and customized com
`posite HTML-formatted page is then presented to him or her.
`AS an example, if a user indicates that he is married, has
`two children ages 12 and 10, is interested in travel and theme
`parks, and lives in New Jersey, a customized advertising
`page may at one time be configured comprising ads,
`banners, etc., for Disney World advertising their 25' Anni
`Versary celebration, Delta Airlines advertising Special rates
`to Internet users for trips to Orlando, Fla., Sea World,
`National Car Rental, Universal Studios, etc. On Such a
`aggregate HTML-formatted page, hyperlinks are provided
`
`35
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`

`

`6,009,410
`
`15
`
`25
`
`35
`
`40
`
`S
`to each advertiser's individual site on the Internet. Thus,
`such individual advertiser's sites, 116-121, are accessible by
`the user by clicking on the image, banner, Video clip, etc., on
`the composite page. When that same user accesses his
`customized advertising repository at a Subsequent time, the
`page presented may comprise a composite of different
`individual advertisers based on other profile and demo
`graphic information of that Same user. Thus, as another
`example, if the Same user has indicated in his or her profile
`that he or She was also interested in new computer
`technology, a composite advertising page is presented to the
`user upon a Subsequent visit to the CAR Server that com
`bines banners, images, etc., associated with a new computer
`magazine, an on-line computer hardware and/or Software
`merchant, an upcoming computer convention in the user's
`local area, etc. Furthermore, the CAR server 111 may
`produce and Store a record in database 112 associated with
`the user's profile that notes the combination of advertisers
`that were previously presented to the user. Thus, at each new
`Visit to the customized advertising repository, the user will
`be presented with a different and new set of advertisers
`and/or Special offers that was not previously presented.
`It has heretofore been assumed that the composite adver
`tising page configured by CAR Server 111 comprises Sepa
`rate advertisements for products and/or Services determined
`solely by the user's previously provided profile information
`Stored in user profile database 112. By providing informa
`tion relating to the Web sites visited by the user during the
`work context mode prior to entering the commercial context
`mode, at least Some of the composite images, video clips,
`audio clips, etc. in the dynamically configured advertising
`page presented to the user upon entering the commercial
`mode can be associated with advertisers which have a nexus
`with the user's previously visited Web site(s). Thus, by
`modifying the browser program in client terminal 101 to
`provide information relating to the SiteS previously visited
`by the user to HTTP server 110 and CAR server 111, CAR
`server 111 will retrieve from the associated Subscribing
`advertiser's database 113 the necessary images, etc., for
`dynamically formulating a composite page that may be in
`whole or in part determined by the subject matter content of
`such previously visited sites. By modifying the browser
`program in client terminal 101 to accumulate information
`relating to the user's browsing activities (i.e., the sites
`visited), such information is forwarded to HTTP server 110
`and CAR server 111 when the user makes the request to
`enter the context mode by clicking the commercial icon, or
`enters the URL address of HTTP server 110. Thus, when
`entering the commercial context, the URL addresses of the
`last N sites visited by the user are provided together with the
`request to HTTP server 110. These URL addresses are
`translated by a URL to Subject Mapping database 114 into
`a Set of keywords. A Subject to Advertisement Mapping
`database 115 is then used to determine which advertising is
`relevant for a particular subject area. When CAR server 111
`receives a request from the user's browser to view
`advertising, the URLs of the previous N sites visited are
`converted to key words by database 114, and those key
`words are then used by database 115 to determine the
`appropriate associated advertisements to be retrieved from
`advertising database 113 and configured by CAR server 111
`into a composite page that is formulated for the user.
`Alternatively, the browser program in client terminal 101
`can directly access a URL to Subject Mapping database
`located elsewhere on the Internet to determine key words
`from each Visited Site. These key words are then passed
`together with the request to HTTP server 110 and CAR
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`6
`server 111 for accessing the relevant advertising from Sub
`ject to Advertisement Mapping database 115. For either
`arrangement, once the relevant advertising is determined
`from a Subject to Advertisement Mapping database, CAR
`Server 111 determines which particular advertising images,
`banners, clips, etc., are to be associated with the user's
`previously visited Web sites, and incorporates these in the
`dynamically configured composite advertising page. Thus,
`for example, if the user has previously visited a site related
`to theater news, such as Playbill On-Line, the dynamically
`configured composite advertising page may include adver
`tisements for Specific Broadway playS or musicals. Further,
`by combining the context information of the previously
`Visited Site or Sites with the context independent profile
`information, Such as a user's interest in music, the dynami
`cally configured composite advertising page may include
`advertisements for Specific plays and musicals as well as
`advertisement by a record company promoting upcoming or
`new CD releases of music from Such musicals.
`AS described hereinabove, when the user enters the com
`mercial mode by clicking on the icon on his browser or by
`inputting the URL address of the HTTP server 110, the CAR
`server 111 then dynamically configures a composite HTTL
`formatted advertising page for that user and delivers it over
`the Internet 103 to the user's client terminal 101. As an
`alternative, Such composite advertising pages can be con
`figured before the user enters the commercial mode and,
`using “push” technology, transmitted over the Internet to
`client terminal 101 for storage within a cache to be imme
`diately ready for display to that user as Soon as he or she
`enters the commercial mode. This can be arranged for either
`the non-context dependent embodiment or the context
`dependent arrangement described above. For the latter, the
`browser program in client terminal 101 periodically sends to
`HTTP server 110 the URL addresses of the sites accessed by
`the user through the browser program. Based on Some
`sub-set of those sites and/or the user's profile, CAR server
`111 dynamically configures a composite page, and pushes it
`to the browser program where it is cached for later retrieval
`by the user when he or she enters the commercial mode. AS
`a further extension, the CAR server 111 can dynamically
`configure a plurality of different composite pages for the
`user, which are each pushed over the Internet to the user's
`client terminal where each is cached for later retrieval by the
`USC.
`FIG.3 illustrates the steps of the present invention for the
`non-context dependent embodiment described above. At
`step 301, the user registers for the service by Submitting a
`profile of his or her interests to the HTTP server. At some
`later time, at step 302, the user begins to “surf the Web” in
`a work context. During the user's Session, at Step 303, a
`request is made through the user's browser for the individu
`alized personal advertising page by entering the URL
`address of the HTTP server, manually or through a
`bookmark, or by clicking on a Special icon button on the
`browser. At step 304, the browser forwards the user's
`request to the HTTP server. At step 305, the HTTP server
`forwards the received request to the CAR server. At step
`306, the CAR server consults its associated database for the
`profile record associated with the user and, based on the
`Stored profile, dynamically produces a personalized com
`posite advertising page for the user. At Step 307, the com
`posite advertising page is returned to the user's browser. At
`Step 308, the user clicks on an ad in the composite page to
`request a full Web page from the requested advertiser's own
`Web site. At step 309, the user decides whether to view
`another ad. If yes, at step 310, the browser is backed up to
`
`

`

`6,009,410
`
`1O
`
`15
`
`25
`
`35
`
`40
`
`7
`the composite page, and the process returns to Step 308. If
`the user, at decision step 309, does not want to view another
`ad from the composite page, he or she returns to the work
`context by entering the URL address to the next site he or
`She wants to access.
`FIG. 4 illustrates the steps of the present invention for the
`context dependent embodiment described above. AS in the
`context independent embodiment of FIG. 3, the user, at step
`401, registers for the service by Submitting a profile of his
`or her interests to the HTTP server. At some later time, at
`step 402, the user begins to “surf the Web” in a work context.
`During the user's Session, at Step 403, a request is made
`through the user's browser for the individualized personal
`advertising page by entering the URL address of the HTTP
`Server, manually or through a bookmark, or by clicking on
`a special icon button on the browser. At step 404, the
`browser forwards the user's request to the HTTP server
`together with the URL addresses of sites previously visited
`by the user in the current session. At step 405, the HTTP
`server forwards the received request to the CAR server. At
`step 406, the CAR server consults its associated database for
`the profile record associated with the user and, based on the
`Stored profile, together with the context information associ
`ated with the previously visited Sites, dynamically produces
`a personalized composite advertising page for the user. At
`Step 407, the composite advertising page is returned to the
`user's browser. At step 408, the user clicks on an ad in the
`composite page to request a full Web page from the
`requested advertiser's own Web site. At decision step 409,
`the user decides whether to view another ad. If yes, at Step
`410, the browser is backed up to the composite page, and the
`process returns to step 408. If the user, at step 409, does not
`want to view another ad from the composite page, he or she
`returns to the work context by entering the URL address to
`the next site he or She wants to access.
`Although the invention has been described in conjunction
`with providing commercial advertising to the user, the
`invention can also be applied to providing to the user any
`other type of information elements when the user exits a first
`work context mode and enters a Second mode of work or
`entertainment. Thus the information elements presented that
`are dynamically composited, arranged and presented Spe
`cifically for the user when the user exits the first work mode
`may be determined based on other characteristics of the user,
`Such as the users work habits, the user's financial
`investments, the user's entertainment choices, an alternate
`work project of the user, etc., and the banners, icons, etc.,
`that make up the composite page do not necessarily have to
`relate to the advertisement of any product or Service to the
`user. Rather, the information elements which are presented
`on a composite page are dynamically configured and pre
`Sented expressly for that user based on Some predetermined
`information relating to the user and/or the Subject matter of
`those sites on the Internet that that user has previously
`visited.
`The above-described embodiments are illustrative of the
`principles of the present invention. Other embodiments
`could be devised by those skilled in the art without departing
`from the Spirit and Scope of the present invention.
`The invention claimed is:
`1. A method of presenting a page of information for
`delivery over a packetized computer network to a user's
`browser program running on a client terminal comprising:
`receiving a request for the page made from the user's
`browser program;
`identifying the user making the request;
`
`45
`
`50
`
`55
`
`60
`
`65
`
`8
`dynamically formin