IP Verse

Method, computer system, and stored program for causing delivery of electronic advertisements based on provided profiles

Patent No. US8244574 (titled "Method, computer system, and stored program for causing delivery of electronic advertisements based on provided profiles") on Jun 27, 2011. The application was issued on Aug 14, 2012.

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Technical Landscape

In the mid-2000s when ’574 was filed, behavioral targeting was typically implemented using domain-specific cookies that were restricted by browser security policies to the specific domain that authored them. At a time when systems commonly relied on these isolated data silos, sharing user profile information across disparate media properties required complex redirects or the use of third-party intermediaries to bridge domain boundaries. Hardware and software constraints of the era made the real-time synchronization of user interests across different advertising networks non-trivial, often resulting in inefficient monetization of ad space where the publisher lacked specific knowledge of a visitor's external browsing history.

Prosecution Position

The disclosed invention represents a meaningful technical advancement in the coordination of cross-domain profile synchronization and monetization. The architectural shift involves an automated system that identifies specific media properties interested in particular profile categories and proactively arranges for visitors to be tagged with domain-readable identifiers specific to those properties. This integration overcomes the technical constraint of domain-restricted cookies by establishing a targeted tagging mechanism that only triggers when a profile matches a pre-defined interest category of a media property. The resulting technical effect is a more efficient distribution of behavioral data, enabling the monetization of otherwise low-value ad space through a verified usage-tracking loop between profile owners and media properties.

Claims

This patent contains 24 total claims, with claims 1, 11, and 18 serving as the independent claims. The independent claims focus on a method, a computer system, and a non-transitory medium for delivering electronic advertisements by tagging visitor devices based on profile matches and subsequently checking for those tags to trigger profile-dependent ad delivery. The dependent claims serve to specify technical implementations such as URL redirection, reporting delivery information to profile owners, identifying specific profile types used, calculating payment amounts, and establishing price-based conditions for advertisement delivery.

Key Claim Terms New

Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.

Term (Source)Support for SpecificationInterpretation
Electronic-advertising-space-controlling entity
(Claim 1, Claim 11, Claim 18)		A media property can be defined as any equipment that controls an ad space viewed by a visitor, including a web site, an ad network's site, or a cable company. Ad space can be a fixed position on a page or inventory made available to an ad network when a site does not sell all its impressions.An entity, such as a publisher or ad network, that has the authority to sell and deliver advertisements within a specific digital space (e.g., website, TV program, or streaming video).
Indicia of a profile
(Claim 1, Claim 11, Claim 18)		The profile could be the observed behavior of the visitor on the media property, demographic information collected, or profile information provided by the visitor. Observed behavior can include reading specific content, searching, clicking an ad, making a phone call, or acquiring a product.Data or signals representing observed behavior, demographic information, or user-provided characteristics associated with a specific visitor.
Profile-dependent electronic advertisement
(Claim 1, Claim 11, Claim 18)		Using profiles for the delivery of targeted ads can turn low-value ad space into high-value ad space by delivering ads based on previously collected profiles rather than adjacent content. For example, a 'car insurance' ad delivered to a person who previously searched for car insurance while they are currently reading a general news page.An advertisement selected for delivery based on the visitor's previously collected profile information rather than the immediate content of the page or media being viewed.
Profile information
(Claim 1, Claim 11, Claim 18)		Profile information includes observed behavior such as reading specific content, searching for keywords, clicking ads, or acquiring products. It may also include demographic information or user-provided information. This information is used to target ads to visitors when they are found later on the same or other sites.Data representing a visitor's observed behavior (e.g., search queries, content viewed, ads clicked), demographic details, or user-provided information collected during electronic access to a media property.
Profile owner computer
(Claim 1, Claim 11, Claim 18)		The PO company identifies media properties interested in having a collected profile made available to them by recognizing a profile as one previously requested. The PO company can act as a databank representing other profile owners who provide profiles in return for royalties or payment.A computer system operated by an entity (PO company) that owns visitor profiles or acts as a databank for profile suppliers, programmed to match collected visitor behavior or demographics against specific requests from advertising entities.
Profile supplier
(Claim 1, Claim 11, Claim 18)		A publisher may be referred to as a 'profile supplier' when it transfers profile information, such as behavioral or demographic information, to a BT company. A profile supplier can also be a company that has software installed on a person's computer (like a toolbar) that monitors visits to different sites. The profile supplier provides profiles in return for royalties or payments whenever the profiles are used for targeted ad delivery.An entity or electronic apparatus that collects and transfers visitor profile information (such as behavioral or demographic data) to a profile owner company or databank.
Tag
(Claim 1, Claim 11, Claim 18)		A tag generally is a unique identifier used to mark a person electronically visiting a media property using a computer, mobile device, or TV set top box. The tag can be a cookie readable only by the domain that placed it, or a unique identifier in a central database such as an IP address or device serial number.A unique electronic identifier, such as a cookie or digital marker, used to recognize a specific device or user across different media properties for targeted ad delivery.

Patent Summary

Litigation Cases New

US Latest litigation cases involving this patent.

Case NumberFiling DateTitle
3:25-cv-05721Jul 8, 2025Tiktok Inc V. Almondnet, Inc.

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US8244574

Application Number
US13170110A
Filing Date
Jun 27, 2011
Publication Date
Aug 14, 2012
External Links
Slate, USPTO , Google Patents