Real-time distribution of targeted advertisement and sponsored content

BACKGROUND

p-0002Advertising has always been a powerful way for manufacturers or service providers to sell goods and services. In the past, advertisements were taken out in newspapers and magazines. Thereafter, advertisements were taken out on radio and then television, with the advent of those technologies. Today, the Internet has emerged as a powerful advertising medium. For example, it is commonplace to see advertisements on many websites, such as search websites or news websites.

p-0003Historically speaking, with the advent of each new medium, advertisers were able to target more and more selective audiences. For example, with radio and television, an advertiser could assume a certain audience based on the programming content and target an advertisement accordingly. Today, the Internet enables even more precise targeting. For example, advertisements can be targeted based on key words specified by a searcher via a search website or based on the content of a website.

p-0004As the number of websites and web pages have increased, so too have the number of advertisers and their number of associated ad copy for relevant target audience or demographic. As the number of online users increases, the ways in which users are exposed to information grow and change. Many display devices exist around users and may display static or billboard-type advertisements

p-0005However, there is no way to instrument the mobile and external display devices or appliances in our environments, so the potential opportunity to connect consumers to commercial information and to connect advertisers to users through third-party or independent display owners is not realized.

p-0006The advertising mediums described above have their limitations as well. For example, radio and television advertising, while good for broadcasting to large audiences, is not as targeted as Internet based advertising. Moreover, the amount of advertising time available is limited by the need to broadcast non-advertising content. On the other hand, Internet search based advertising requires active participation on the part of a user at a terminal. For example, an Internet user needs to be sitting in front of a terminal searching with key words or navigating to a web site.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

p-0007<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> illustrates an ad serving system serving advisements to ad serving devices;

p-0008<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2A</figref> illustrates several examples of ad serving devices;

p-0009<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2B</figref> depicts a sports bar with a large display that serves as an ad serving device;

p-0010<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2C</figref> depicts a scenario in which a single advertisement is distributed across several ad serving devices;

p-0011<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2D</figref> depicts a scenario in which the advertisement and/or sponsored content is distributed between ad serving devices with different capabilities;

p-0012<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> depicts several examples of trackable devices;

p-0013<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> depicts examples of proxy devices;

p-0014<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref> is a flow diagram for serving advertisement and/or sponsored content to the ad serving system;

p-0015<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> is a flow diagram for serving advertisement and/or sponsored content via a proxy device;

p-0016<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref> is a flow diagram for serving advertisement and/or sponsored content to portable ad serving devices;

p-0017<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref> is a flow diagram for enabling an owner of an ad serving device to register the ad serving device;

p-0018<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref> is a flow diagram for enabling an advertiser to place advertisements on ad serving devices; and

p-0019<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10</figref> illustrates a general computer system, which may represent any of the computing devices referenced herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS AND THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

p-0020Systems and methods of serving advertisements or sponsored content are disclosed: that match and serve ads and display devices in real-time based upon the presence information and characteristics, profiles and any rankings of users present, co-present and within the vicinity of one or more display devices, including means for registering a plurality of display devices, either separate or in coordinated display to enable advertisers to target not only times and places frequented by users but also to target the association of users and/or the activities of the users in real time and space.

p-0021<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> illustrates an ad serving system <b>100</b> serving advisements to ad serving devices. The ad serving system <b>100</b> includes a processor <b>105</b>, a tracking database <b>110</b>, a device registration database <b>115</b>, and an advertisement/sponsored content database <b>120</b>.

p-0022The processor <b>105</b> may be implemented using any conventional computer or other data processing device, such as an Intel®, AMD®, or PowerPC® based computer operating a Microsoft Windows®, Linux, or other Unix® based operating system. The processor <b>105</b> may include networking hardware that enables communicating with equipment residing outside of the ad serving system <b>100</b> via a network protocol, such as an Internet protocol. In this respect, the processor <b>105</b> may include software, such as Apache® or Microsoft Internet Information Server®, that enables communicating web pages to device owner terminals <b>125</b> and advertiser terminals <b>130</b>. The device tracking database <b>110</b>, device registration database <b>115</b>, and advertisement/sponsored content database <b>120</b> may reside within the processor <b>105</b> and may enable storing information related to the operation of the ad serving system <b>100</b>. Alternatively, the databases may reside within different processors, which may be in communication with the processor <b>105</b> via, for example, a network interface.

p-0023The device registration database <b>115</b> is utilized to store information associated with ad serving devices, trackable devices, and/or proxy devices as defined below including the economic terms associated with the display device across its range of possible ad serving capabilities. The information stored may include data that defines characteristics and capabilities of the respective devices. For example, in the case of an ad serving device, the data may define whether the ad serving device supports graphics and/or video and audio capabilities along with data that defines the dimensions and viewing environments of each, such as the size and resolution of a display on the ad serving device. Other information, such as whether the ad serving device is portable or fixed, private or publicly-viewable, personal or shared among more than one user may be stored as well. In the case of a fixed ad serving device, the location of the ad serving device may be specified, and in the case of mobile devices a range of expected locations, means of transportation and association can be built by tracking the display device over time in relation to all known users or other devices on the network.

p-0024Data for defining communication capabilities may also be stored. For example, the name of a network carrier associated with the devices and whether the devices include secondary network capabilities, such as Bluetooth®, which is a wireless protocol utilizing short-range communications technology for facilitating data transmission over short distances from fixed and/or portable devices. A unique ID associated with either or both the network carrier and the secondary network may be stored and utilized to distinguish devices from one another and/or associate the devices with a specific individual.

p-0025The information stored in the registration database <b>115</b> may also include information that enables identifying the owner of the device. For example, the name and address of the owner may be stored. The information may also include economic terms associated with the placement of advertisements or sponsored content on the ad serving device. For example, a given owner may specify a money amount associated with placing an advertisement or sponsored content on his ad serving device. Economic terms for the display device can be fixed or variable, monetary or non-monetary and subject only to the delivery and display on device or alternatively subject to further follow on action by the display device owner or the target as agreed between display device owners and advertisers including fixed Cost Per iMpression (CPM), Cost Per Click (CPC) and Cost Per Action (CPA).

p-0026The device tracking database <b>110</b> is utilized to store real-time tracking information that enables determining the location of a trackable device and, accordingly, the location of an individual carrying the trackable device. The location may be determined in several ways. In one embodiment, the trackable device includes GPS circuitry that enables communicating, for example, a latitude and longitude of the trackable device to the ad serving system <b>100</b>. In a second embodiment, the location may be determined via a carrier network associated with the trackable device. For example, the location of the trackable device may be determined by triangulation of signals communicated between the trackable device and radio communication towers operating within the carrier network. Local networks such as WiFi and Bluetooth are also capable of providing location corroboration data for users and co-present users.

p-0027In a third embodiment, the location of the trackable device is determined when it comes within the vicinity of an ad serving device of known location. This is the case for a trackable device adapted to communicate with ad serving devices via a secondary communication network, such as Bluetooth. In this case, unique identifying data from the trackable device may be communicated via the secondary network to the ad serving device, which in turn may relay the unique identifying data to the ad serving system <b>100</b>. In some cases, the identifying data is associated with a particular individual. The unique identifying data enables the ad serving system <b>100</b> to infer that the location of the trackable device is the same as the location of the ad serving device. The unique identifying data may correspond to a unique media access control (MAC) address associated with the trackable device. The MAC address is a quasi-unique identifier assigned to most networking equipment.

p-0028A timestamp may be associated with the location information. The timestamp facilitates tracking the location of the trackable device throughout the day and, therefore, the individual in possession of the trackable device. The location and timestamp information enables determining characteristics and behaviors of the individual in possession of the trackable device. This in turn enables serving targeted advertisement and/or sponsored content to the individual in possession of the trackable device. For example, knowledge that the individual frequents coffee houses may be utilized to infer that the individual is a coffee lover. In this example, the ad serving system <b>100</b> may serve a coffee advertisement to ad serving devices in the vicinity of the individual when the individual is sensed within the vicinity of those ad serving devices. At least one advantage of this approach is that it is more likely to result in a conversion or sale of the product being advertised. Timestamps may also be used to determine users relative overlap in locations with each other and to consider this association data as part of the targeting of advertisements for display on devices in real places with a known set of associated or within the vicinity users. Timestamps may also be combined with other environmental sensors, such as motion sensors to determine a user goes jogging every morning and use that data to help target advertisements to displays in their environment and/or upon their own personal or shared display devices.

p-0029The advertisement/sponsored content database <b>120</b> is utilized to store information associated with advertisements and/or sponsored content to be placed on ad serving devices including ad copy and any targeting or demographic information. The sponsored content may correspond to an exclusive audio and/or video file, such as the latest single from a popular musician. In one embodiment, the actual data that defines the advertisement and/or sponsored content may be stored. For example, data defining text, graphics, video, and audio information may be stored. In other embodiments, links to other databases with the advertisement and/or sponsored content may be provided. For example, a link to a different computer, such as a media server may be provided.

p-0030<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 2A-4</figref> describe the functionality of ad serving devices, tracking devices, and proxy devices that are utilized in conjunction with the ad serving system <b>100</b> of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>. Although described separately, the functionality for each may reside within a single device. For example, a cellular phone with graphics, GPS, Bluetooth capabilities, and a camera may be capable of performing the functions associated with the ad serving device, trackable device, sensor device and/or proxy device.

p-0031<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2A</figref> illustrates several examples of ad serving devices <b>200</b>. The examples include a stationary ad serving device <b>205</b>, and portable ad serving devices and appliance <b>210</b>. Ad serving devices <b>200</b> may include logic, code, and/or circuitry that enables conveying advertisement and/or sponsored content communicated from an ad serving system <b>225</b>, which may correspond to the ad serving system <b>100</b> of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>. For example, the ad serving devices <b>200</b> may include networking hardware and software that enables communicating the information between the ad serving system <b>225</b> and the ad serving devices <b>200</b> over a network. The network may be wired or wireless. The information may include data defining graphics and/or audio information associated with an advertisement and/or sponsored content.

p-0032The ad serving devices <b>200</b> may also include logic, code, and/or circuitry that enables sensing the presence of trackable devices <b>220</b> within the vicinity of the ad serving devices <b>200</b>. For example, the ad serving devices <b>200</b> may be adapted to communicate with a trackable device <b>220</b> via a secondary network, such as Bluetooth, when the trackable device <b>220</b> is within the vicinity of the ad serving devices <b>200</b>. In doing so, a unique ID, such as a MAC address, may be communicated from the trackable device <b>220</b> to the ad serving devices <b>200</b>. The ad serving devices <b>200</b> may then communicate the unique ID to the ad serving system <b>225</b> via the networking hardware described above. This in turn enables the ad serving system <b>225</b> to determine that the trackable device <b>220</b> is within the vicinity of the ad serving devices <b>200</b>, which in turn enables determining the location of the trackable device <b>220</b> provided that the location of the ad serving devices <b>200</b> are known.

p-0033The stationary ad serving device <b>205</b> corresponds to a display and/or audio device capable of serving graphics and/or audio based advertisement and/or sponsored content. The stationary ad serving device <b>205</b> is stationary in the sense that the device is generally kept in the same location or is mounted or affixed to a physical location or building. For example, the stationary ad serving device <b>205</b> may correspond to a display and/or audio device placed on a counter of a coffee house or in a window, an electronic billboard, a display device in a bathroom, waiting room, elevator or other public or gender-segregated space. The stationary ad serving device <b>205</b> may also correspond to a billboard on the side of the road with a dynamic display.

p-0034The portable ad serving devices <b>210</b> correspond to portable devices with graphics and/or audio capabilities for conveying advertisement and/or sponsored content. For example, the portable ad serving devices <b>210</b> may correspond to cellular telephones, PDAs, or audio boom boxes. These devices are portable in the sense that they are meant to be moved from place to place.

p-0035<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 2B-2D</figref> depict several ways in which the ad serving devices described above may be utilized to serve advertisement and/or sponsored content. <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2B</figref> depicts a sports bar <b>230</b> with a large display that serves as an ad serving device. The display may include networking hardware for communicating with an ad serving system, such as the ad serving system <b>225</b> of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> described above, and may be adapted to detect the presence of individuals within its vicinity as described above. During registration, the owner of the sports bar <b>230</b> may have indicated that the display was located in a sports bar. In this case, the ad serving system <b>225</b> may serve related advertisement and/or sponsored content to the display, such as sports related advertisements. Alternatively, the ad serving system <b>225</b> may serve ads based on the characteristics and behaviors of individuals sensed within the vicinity of the display.

p-0036<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2C</figref> depicts a scenario in which a single advertisement is distributed across several ad serving devices <b>235</b>. In this case, the ad serving devices <b>235</b> correspond to portable devices, such as cellular telephones or PDA devices. To facilitate distribution of the advertisement and/or sponsored content, instructions may be communicated from the ad serving system <b>225</b> to the owners of the ad serving devices <b>235</b> instructing them, for example, to go to a specified location at a specified time. The instructions may also direct the individuals to arrange themselves in a specified order. For example, one individual may be instructed to stand to the left of another individual. Upon receiving confirmation that the individuals are at the specified location at the specified time, the advertisement and/or sponsored content may be served. This may enable displaying an advertisement, such as the Yahoo! advertisement shown in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2C</figref>.

p-0037In addition or alternatively, the instructions may direct the individuals to position themselves in relation to a known object, location or device. The known object may be stationary or mobile. For example, three individuals with ad serving devices <b>235</b> may be instructed to position themselves around a local radio station music van located at a college campus. Once at the instructed location, sponsored content related to an upcoming concert may be served on the ad serving devices <b>235</b> carried by the individuals. In return for displaying the sponsored content, the individuals may be provided with discount coupons for the music concert.

p-0038Alternatively, the ad serving system <b>225</b> may locate ad serving devices <b>235</b> that are at a desired location at the same time via one of the techniques described above and then serve the advertisement and/or sponsored content to the located ad serving devices.

p-0039<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2D</figref> depicts a scenario in which the advertisement and/or sponsored content is distributed between ad serving devices with different capabilities <b>240</b>. Shown is an ad serving device with display capabilities <b>245</b>, and an ad serving device with audio capabilities <b>250</b>. In this case, the ad serving system <b>225</b> may serve a graphical portion of an advertisement to the ad serving device with display capabilities <b>245</b> and an audio portion of an advertisement to the ad serving device with audio capabilities <b>250</b>.

p-0040<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> depicts several examples of trackable devices <b>300</b>. As noted above, a trackable devices <b>300</b> may also include the functionality of the ad serving devices described above, and/or proxy devices described in more detail below. Trackable devices <b>300</b> include logic, code, and/or circuitry that enables determining a location of an individual in possession of the trackable device <b>300</b>. Trackable devices <b>300</b> may themselves also serve as sensors to aid in the tracking of other user's trackable devices <b>300</b>.

p-0041In one embodiment, trackable devices <b>300</b> include GPS circuitry that enables communicating, for example, a latitude and longitude corresponding to the location of the trackable devices <b>300</b>. For example, the latitude and longitude may be communicated to an ad serving system <b>320</b>, which may correspond to the ad serving system <b>100</b> of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>. The trackable devices <b>300</b> may communicate the GPS related data directly to the ad serving system <b>320</b> or the data may be routed to the ad serving system <b>320</b> via an ad serving device <b>310</b>, which may correspond to the ad serving devices <b>200</b> of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2A</figref>. For example, the GPS information may be communicated via Bluetooth to an ad serving device <b>310</b> in the vicinity of the trackable devices <b>300</b>, and then the ad serving device <b>310</b> may relay the GPS information to the ad serving system <b>320</b>.

p-0042In a second embodiment, the location may be determined via a carrier network <b>315</b> associated with the trackable devices <b>300</b>. For example, the location of the trackable devices <b>300</b> may be determined by triangulation of signals communicated between the trackable devices <b>300</b> and radio communication towers <b>305</b> operating within the carrier network <b>315</b>. The carrier network <b>315</b> may communicate the location information to the trackable devices <b>300</b>, which in turn may communicate the information to the ad serving system <b>320</b>. Alternatively, the carrier network <b>315</b> may communicate the location information directly to the ad serving system <b>320</b>.

p-0043In a third embodiment, the locations of the trackable devices <b>300</b> may be determined when they come within the vicinity of an ad serving device <b>310</b>. In this case, the trackable devices <b>300</b> communicate with the ad serving device <b>310</b> via a secondary communication network, such as Bluetooth. Unique identifying data <b>325</b> from the trackable devices <b>300</b> may be communicated via the secondary network to the ad serving device <b>310</b>, which in turn may relay the unique identifying data <b>325</b> to the ad serving system <b>320</b>. For example, a unique MAC address associated with each of the trackable devices <b>300</b> may be communicated. In some cases, the identifying data is associated with a particular individual.

p-0044A timestamp may be associated with the location information. The timestamp facilitates tracking the location of the trackable devices <b>300</b> throughout the day and, therefore, the individuals in possession of the trackable devices <b>300</b>. The location and timestamp information enables determining characteristics and behaviors of the individual in possession of the trackable devices <b>300</b>. This in turn enables serving targeted advertisement and/or sponsored content to the individuals in possession of the trackable devices <b>300</b>. For example, knowledge that an individual frequents coffee houses may be utilized to infer that the individual is a coffee lover. In this example, the ad serving system <b>320</b> may serve a coffee advertisement to the ad serving device <b>310</b> when the individual's trackable device and, therefore, the individual, is sensed within the vicinity of the ad serving device <b>310</b>. At least one advantage of this approach is that it is more likely to result in a conversion or sale of the product being advertised.

p-0045As noted above, trackable devices <b>300</b> may include unique identifying information that enables distinguishing between trackable devices <b>300</b>. For example, a cellular device utilized as a trackable device may have a unique cellular number, such as an IMEI number, which is a unique number assigned to every GSM and UMTS mobile phone. Trackable devices <b>300</b> with Bluetooth capabilities may have a unique Bluetooth MAC address. The identifying information may be communicated along with the location information of the trackable devices <b>300</b> to the ad serving system <b>320</b>, as described above. The ad serving system <b>320</b> may utilize this information to determine characteristics and behaviors of individuals in possession of the trackable devices <b>300</b>. For example, knowledge that a trackable device was in several dance clubs during a given period may be utilized by the ad serving system <b>320</b> to infer that the individual in possession of the trackable device enjoys dance clubs. Upon detecting the same trackable device near an ad serving device <b>310</b>, the ad serving system <b>320</b> may target suitable advertisement or sponsored content to the individual. For example, an advertisement for a new dance club may be displayed on ad serving devices within the vicinity of the trackable device.

p-0046In some instances, the identities and detailed behavioral information about individuals in possession of the trackable devices <b>300</b> may be known. For example, the individuals may have registered the trackable devices <b>300</b> with the ad serving system <b>320</b>. The same individuals may have registered for an online Internet account where their respective browsing preferences may have been tracked. This additional information may enable the ad serving system <b>320</b> to provide even higher quality targeting, that is, targeting of ads more likely to produce a conversion or sale.

p-0047In one embodiment, the advertisement and/or sponsored content served to an ad serving device <b>310</b> may be based on the sensed presence of individuals of known relatedness within the vicinity of an ad serving device <b>310</b>. For example, a husband and wife that carry separate trackable devices <b>300</b> may be sensed within the vicinity of the ad serving device <b>310</b>. In this case, the ad serving system <b>320</b> may serve advertisement and/or sponsored content to the ad serving device <b>310</b> based on the known relatedness of the individuals. For example, an advertisement for vacation getaways may be served to a married couple.

p-0048<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> depicts examples of proxy devices <b>400</b>. As noted above, proxy devices <b>400</b> may also include the functionality of the ad serving devices and/or tracking devices described above. Proxy devices <b>400</b> include logic, code, and/or circuitry that enables relaying advertisement and/or sponsored content <b>425</b> from a first ad serving device <b>405</b> to a second ad serving device <b>410</b> in either real-time or at a later time. For example, the proxy devices <b>400</b> may include networking hardware and/or software that enables communicating data to and from the first ad serving device <b>405</b> and second ad serving device <b>410</b> over a network. The network may correspond to a wired or wireless network, such as a cellular, Bluetooth, or WIFI network. A camera <b>415</b> and/or microphone <b>420</b> may also be provided for capturing graphics and/or audio advertisement and/or sponsored content served via the first ad serving device <b>405</b>. Hardware and/or software for recording the captured information may also be provided. For example, a memory card, such as an SD card or compact flash card, may be included for storing the captured information. Proxy devices <b>400</b> may also contain additional sensors useful to the system for gathering data about users, their activities and/or their environment including temperature or motion sensors, biometric sensors for picking up user's bio signals or other sensors used to determine whom is present and what they are currently doing with or near the proxy devices <b>400</b>.

p-0049In operation, advertisement and/or sponsored content <b>425</b> is communicated to the proxy device <b>400</b> from the first ad serving device <b>405</b>. The advertisement and/or sponsored content <b>425</b> may be communicated via the network or via a camera <b>415</b> and/or microphone <b>420</b>. For example, data that defines the advertisement and/or sponsored content <b>425</b> may be communicated to the proxy devices <b>400</b> via the network. The advertisement and/or sponsored content <b>425</b> may also be captured by a camera and/or microphone if present on the proxy devices <b>400</b>. For example, an individual in possession of a proxy device may hold the proxy device up towards the first ad serving device <b>405</b>, which may be displaying an advertisement, and then begin recording the advertisement information conveyed. Identification information for identifying the advertisement and/or sponsored content may be captured along with the advertisement and/or sponsored content <b>425</b>.

p-0050After the advertisement and/or sponsored content <b>425</b> is captured, the proxy device <b>400</b> communicates the captured information in real-time or a later time to a second ad serving device <b>410</b>. For example, the advertisement and/or sponsored content <b>425</b> may be streamed to the second ad serving device <b>410</b> or communicated at a later time through, for example, email or as an SMS message. This may also be accomplished via the networks described above. The second ad serving device <b>410</b> may then serve the advertisement and/or sponsored content communicated as described with reference to <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> above. For example, the second ad serving device <b>410</b> may display advertisement and/or sponsored content <b>425</b> to individuals in the vicinity of the second ad serving device <b>410</b> and communicate presence information <b>430</b> back to an ad serving system <b>435</b>, which may correspond to the ad serving system <b>100</b> of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>. The presence information <b>430</b> may be communicated directly to the ad serving system <b>435</b> or relayed through proxy devices <b>400</b> to the ad serving system <b>435</b>.

p-0051In one embodiment, proxy devices <b>400</b> may be adapted to transcode the data communicated from the first ad serving device <b>405</b> to a format suitable for the second ad serving device <b>410</b>. For example, proxy devices <b>400</b> may communicate data that defines the text of an advertisement to a second ad serving device <b>410</b> with only text capabilities. Alternatively, proxy devices <b>400</b> may convert the data that defines the text to speech utilizing a text to speech algorithm. The converted data may then be conveyed to a second ad serving device <b>410</b> with audio only capabilities. As another example, an image of an advertisement may be captured via the camera, converted to text via an optical character recognition algorithm (OCR), and communicated to a second ad serving device <b>410</b> that only supports simple text display, such as a ticker type of display.

p-0052<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 5-9</figref> are flow diagrams that describe several operations of the ad serving system <b>100</b> of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>. <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref> is a flow diagram for serving advertisement and/or sponsored content to the ad serving system <b>100</b>. At block <b>500</b>, information related to an ad serving device may be received. For example, a registration web page (not shown) may be provided by the ad serving system <b>100</b> and accessed by the owner of an ad serving device via an ad serving device owner terminal <b>125</b>. The web page may include fields that enable specifying the information. The information may include ad serving device capabilities, such as display, audio, and location tracking capabilities as well as the desired or offered economic terms associated with each display device and ad copy combination offered by the system. Secondary network device capabilities may also be specified, such as whether the ad serving device includes Bluetooth capabilities or the capability to produce printed copies of advertisements or coupons. For stationary ad serving devices, the location of the stationary ad serving device may be specified. For portable ad serving devices, information such as the name of a network carrier associated with the portable ad serving device may be specified including a recent or complete history of the devices movements. Information that enables conducting monetary transactions may also be specified. For example, the name and address of the owner, bank account or credit card information and economic terms associated with providing advertisements or sponsored content on the ad serving device, may be specified.

p-0053At block <b>505</b>, the information received may be stored. For example, received information may be stored in the device registration database <b>115</b>.

p-0054At block <b>510</b>, presence information corresponding to the sensed presence of individuals in the vicinity of an ad serving device may be received. For example, an ad serving device may detect a Bluetooth signal from a nearby trackable device, determine the MAC address associated with the trackable device, and communicate the unique MAC address to the ad serving system <b>100</b>. Alternatively, the presence information may be communicated directly from the trackable device to the ad serving system <b>100</b> or from a network carrier associated with the trackable device to the ad serving system <b>100</b>. For example, the trackable device may communicate GPS location data to the ad serving system <b>100</b>, or the carrier network operator may, via triangulation, communicate the location of the trackable device to the ad serving system <b>100</b>, as described with reference to <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> above. One GPS and Bluetooth-enabled user or device can provide presence information for other Bluetooth-sensed but not GPS-enabled devices since the system knows the location of the first user and the relative proximity of the other users based upon the limitations of Bluetooth.

p-0055This information, along with a timestamp, may be stored in the device tracking database <b>110</b> and utilized to determine characteristics and behaviors associated with the individual in possession of the trackable device or co-present devices or users. In some instances, the identity of the owner of the trackable device may be known and behaviors and characteristics determined through other means, such as the individual's user profile, rating, search histories, web surfing histories and offline and online shopping habits such as credit card purchases. Data on users may come from the user, the network or other third-party sources and may include analysis of actual communications among users including telephonic conversations, email, text or video conferencing.

p-0056At block <b>515</b>, characteristics and behaviors associated with the individual in possession of the trackable device may be determined and stored. For example, a unique ID such as a cellular IMEI or Bluetooth Mac address may be utilized to distinguish among trackable devices in the vicinity of an ad serving device and enable tracking the movements of the trackable device and thereby determine the behaviors and characteristics of the individual in possession of the trackable device. For example, if the trackable device is frequently located in coffee houses, then the ad serving system <b>100</b> may ascertain that the individual in possession of the trackable device enjoys coffee. This will enable more effective targeting of ads. The effectiveness can be increased further where the identity of the individual is known along with, for example, his web browsing, searching and transaction habits. For example, Internet related shopping habits of the individual may be known and, therefore, utilized to enhance advertisement and/or sponsored content targeting.

p-0057At block <b>520</b>, previously stored advertisement and/or sponsored content is matched to the ad serving device. For example, the ad serving system <b>100</b> may search through the advertisement/sponsored content database <b>120</b> for advertisements and/or sponsored content that is related to the ad serving device and/or related to individuals in the vicinity of the ad serving device. For example, via the presence information described above, the ad serving system <b>100</b> may have ascertained that a particular individual likes dance clubs. Upon detecting the same individual in the vicinity of an ad serving device, the ad serving system <b>100</b> may locate advertisements and/or sponsored content related to dance clubs.

p-0058At block <b>525</b>, the matched advertisements and/or sponsored content may be served to the ad serving device. For example, a dance club related advertisement may be served to the ad serving device. The reception of presence information, matching, and serving of the advertisements and/or sponsored content, may occur in real-time or at a later time as described above.

p-0059At block <b>530</b>, an advertiser associated with the served advertisement and/or sponsored content may be charged according to a rate that may have been specified by the economic terms described above. The rate may be based on the economic terms specified by the owner of the ad serving device during registration. In one embodiment, the rate increases as the number of sensed individuals within the vicinity of the ad serving device increases. In another embodiment, the rate increases as the quality of the targets or the targeting itself increases. For example, the quality of the targeting may increase where an advertisement is targeted based on a rich set of data supporting the known characteristics and behaviors of the individuals in the vicinity of the ad serving device, whereas the quality of the target may be increased by either the demographic or income class of the user in general or for this specific instance and advertiser based upon supporting data that the user is already interested in the product or service being advertised. The reason for this is that this approach is more likely to result in a conversion or sale of the product being advertised. For example, if the search and communication histories of a user indicate that they have been researching new cars, then they would be a higher value and thus higher quality target for a car advertisement.

p-0060<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 6</figref> is a flow diagram for serving advertisement and/or sponsored content via a proxy device. At block <b>600</b>, the proxy device may receive the advertisement and/or sponsored content from a first ad serving device. As described above, the proxy device may include networking hardware and software, and a camera and/or microphone for receiving the advertisement and/or sponsored content from the first ad serving device. Advertisement identification information may be communicated to the proxy device as well. For example, the first ad serving device may communicate advertisement identifying information associated with the advertisement and/or sponsored content including economic terms to the proxy device. The proxy device may include a memory for storing the received advertisement and/or sponsored content.

p-0061At block <b>605</b>, the proxy device may communicate the stored advertisement to a second ad serving device. At block <b>610</b>, presence information may be received at the second ad serving device. At block <b>615</b>, the presence information may be communicated to the ad serving system <b>100</b>. For example, the second ad serving device may communicate the presence information directly to the ad serving system <b>100</b> or may communicate the presence information back to the proxy device, in which case the proxy device may communicate the presence information back to the ad serving system <b>100</b>. Alternatively, the presence of individuals within the vicinity of the second ad serving device may be inferred if registered trackable devices are carried by the individuals.

p-0062<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 7</figref> is a flow diagram for serving advertisement and/or sponsored content to portable ad serving devices. In block <b>700</b>, instructions may be communicated to an individual or individuals in possession of portable ad serving devices. The portable ad serving devices may have been registered previously according to block <b>500</b> of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 5</figref> above. The instructions may come by way of an SMS message to the portable ad serving device or an email to the owner of the portable ad serving device. The instructions may, for example, instruct the holder of the portable device to go to a particular place at a particular time with a particular association of users and/or to do a particular activity.

p-0063In some instances, instructions may be sent to several portable ad serving devices. This may be done to increase the effectiveness of the advertisement and/or sponsored content or to facilitate advertisement distribution, such as the distributed advertisement scenario described with reference to <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 2C and 2D</figref> above. To facilitate advertisement distribution, instructions may be communicated from the ad serving system <b>100</b> to the owners of the portable devices instructing them to go a specified location at a specified time, alone or with others and engaged in a specific activity or not. The instructions may also direct the individuals to arrange themselves in a specified spatial order.

p-0064At block <b>705</b>, a confirmation that the instructions have been followed may be received. The confirmation may be explicit or implicit. For example, the holder of the portable device may respond to the message as confirmation. Confirmation that the portable device is at the designated place at the designated time may also come by way of the presence information, as described above, as well as the confirmation of association or activity comes from co-presence and presence information. For example, the ad serving system <b>100</b> may verify that the portable device is at the designated location at the designated time via the location information described above, may verify the co-presence of other users via their GPS-enabled devices and verify that all users are jumping up and down from motion or biometric sensors also embedded within the devices.

p-0065At block <b>710</b>, the ad serving system <b>100</b> may serve advertisements and/or sponsored content to the portable ad serving device. For example, in some instances, the same instructions may have been sent to more than one portable ad serving device. Upon receiving confirmation that all the portable ad serving devices are at the designated location, the ad serving system <b>100</b> may serve the advertisement and/or sponsored content to the several portable ad serving devices. The ad serving system <b>100</b> may distribute the advertisement and/or sponsored content across the portable ad serving devices, as shown in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2C</figref>. For example, the graphics may be distributed across the portable ad serving devices. Alternatively or in addition, an audio portion may be served to an ad serving device with audio capabilities, and the graphics may be served to an ad serving device with graphics capabilities. In some embodiments, the offer of downloadable content in response for satisfaction of the instructions by the users may be limited to only a specific number of users, types of users or other advertiser created limitation including a degraded version of the sponsored content being available for partial or late satisfaction.

p-0066<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 8</figref> is a flow diagram for enabling an owner of an ad serving device to register an ad serving device and, therefore, solicit the placement of advertisements. At block <b>800</b>, the owner of the ad serving device may communicate a request to host advertisement and/or sponsored content on an ad serving device by registering the ad serving device with the ad serving system <b>100</b>. For example, the ad serving system <b>100</b> may provide a registration request web page (not shown) with fields that enable registering the ad serving device, specifying preferences and economic terms and generally managing multiple ad displaying devices over time. Fields for specifying the type, dimensions and capabilities of the ad serving device, its location, when it can be used for serving advertisements or sponsored content and economic terms may be provided as well as fields for specifying actual or forecast data about the user traffic associated with the display device.

p-0067As said above, fields for specifying economic terms associated with the ad serving device may also be provided. The economic terms may be in monetary or non-monetary terms. A non-monetary example may correspond to free samples of products that are advertised on the ad serving device, reputation, ranking or territory “ownership” in a game or network currency, credits in mileage or reward points programs or network credit for products or services. A monetary example may correspond to a flat fee or variable rate for placing advertisement and/or sponsored content. In one embodiment, the rate may depend on the number of sensed individuals in the vicinity of the ad serving device when the advertisement is placed such that the price charged to the advertiser increases as the number of sensed individuals increases. This could be on a one-to-one scale increases and/or banded or tiered into traffic levels and agreed prices per impression for those levels. Economic terms may be resolved by actual data in real-time or upon forecasting using definable time periods and regular review of actual data upon which to regularly reforecast and thus re-evaluate the economic terms based upon available data. At block <b>805</b>, the information may be stored. For example, the ad serving system <b>100</b> may store the received information in the device registration database <b>115</b>.

p-0068<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 9</figref> is a flow diagram for enabling an advertiser to place advertisements on ad serving devices. At block <b>900</b>, an advertiser may communicate a request to place an advertisement. For example, an ad request web page (not shown) may be generated by the ad serving system <b>100</b> and communicated to an advertiser terminal <b>130</b>. Fields may be provided on the ad request web page that enable the advertiser to specify and target advertisements and/or sponsored content campaigns over time. For example, a field for uploading advertisement and/or sponsored content may be provided. The advertiser may also specify targeting information. For example, demographic and behavioral information related to a target audience may be specified. In addition, the targeting information may also enable targeting based on ad serving device location, ad serving device hours of availability, ad serving device traffic amount, and ad serving device type of traffic.

p-0069The web page may also enable specifying economic terms, such as a bid for placing an advertisement a CPM, CPC or CPA money amount, or other complex expressions of pricing based upon specific data or network conditions including the presence information provided by devices about the users present and co-present at particular display devices. Special instructions for displaying the advertisement and/or sponsored content may also be specified. These instructions may enable the advertiser to specify the time and/or place for serving the advertisement as well as conditions of co-presence of users and or topical or activity constraints on serving the advertiser wishes to specify. If a known sensor can test for the condition through the network, the advertiser can specify a specific value or value range for that condition as a condition for advertisement or sponsored content being served.

p-0070After specifying the information above, a list of candidate ad serving devices may be presented to the advertiser at block <b>905</b>. The list may include economic terms specified by an owner of each ad serving device, their dimensions, capabilities and any known data on associated user traffic numbers and quality ratings. The advertiser may select ad serving devices by accepting the economic terms specified by the owner of the ad serving device and adding them as an authorized display device for that ad copy, sponsored content or campaign.

p-0071After selection, the advertisement specified above may be served to the ad serving device at block <b>920</b>. In some instances, prior acceptance from the owner of the ad serving device may be necessary before an ad may be served. For example, the owner of a coffee house with an ad serving device in his store window may not want competitor advertisements shown on his ad serving device. In this case, at block <b>910</b>, the request to place the advertisement may be communicated to the owner of an ad serving device. At block <b>915</b>, the owner of the ad serving device may accept the ad placement. Then at block <b>920</b>, the advertisement and/or sponsored content may be served to the ad serving device.

p-0072At block <b>925</b>, presence information, as described above, may be communicated after the advertisement has been placed. The number of individuals sensed may be relevant where the economic terms specify a rate that is based on the number of individuals in the vicinity of the ad serving device. Once this is determined, the device owner is compensated according to the economic terms specified. In some cases, monetary funds may be distributed among the owner of the ad serving device, the ad serving device carrier network provider, and/or the owner of the ad serving system.

p-0073<figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10</figref> illustrates a general computer system, which may represent the processor <b>105</b> of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>, the ad serving devices <b>200</b> of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2A</figref>, the trackable devices <b>300</b> of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>, the proxy devices <b>400</b> of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref>, or any of the other computing devices referenced herein. The computer system <b>1000</b> may include a set of instructions <b>1045</b> that may be executed to cause the computer system <b>1000</b> to perform any one or more of the methods or computer based functions disclosed herein. The computer system <b>1000</b> may operate as a stand-alone device or may be connected, e.g., using a network, to other computer systems or peripheral devices.

p-0074In a networked deployment, the computer system may operate in the capacity of a server or as a client user computer in a server-client user network environment, or as a peer computer system in a peer-to-peer (or distributed) network environment. The computer system <b>1000</b> may also be implemented as or incorporated into various devices, such as a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile device, a palmtop computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a communications device, a wireless telephone, a land-line telephone, a control system, a camera, a scanner, a facsimile machine, a printer, a pager, a personal trusted device, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any other machine capable of executing a set of instructions <b>1045</b> (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. In one embodiment, the computer system <b>1000</b> may be implemented using electronic devices that provide voice, video or data communication. Further, while a single computer system <b>1000</b> may be illustrated, the term “system” shall also be taken to include any collection of systems or sub-systems that individually or jointly execute a set, or multiple sets, of instructions to perform one or more computer functions.

p-0075As illustrated in <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 10</figref>, the computer system <b>1000</b> may include a processor <b>1005</b>, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both. The processor <b>1005</b> may be a component in a variety of systems. For example, the processor <b>1005</b> may be part of a standard personal computer or a workstation. The processor <b>1005</b> may be one or more general processors, digital signal processors, application specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays, servers, networks, digital circuits, analog circuits, combinations thereof, or other now known or later developed devices for analyzing and processing data. The processor <b>1005</b> may implement a software program, such as code generated manually (i.e., programmed).

p-0076The computer system <b>1000</b> may include a memory <b>1010</b> that can communicate via a bus <b>1020</b>. For example, the device tracking database <b>110</b>, device registration database <b>115</b>, and/or advertisement/sponsored content database <b>120</b> of <figref idrefs="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> may be stored in the memory. The memory <b>1010</b> may be a main memory, a static memory, or a dynamic memory. The memory <b>1010</b> may include, but may not be limited to, computer readable storage media such as various types of volatile and non-volatile storage media including, but not limited to, random access memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable read-only memory, flash memory, magnetic tape or disk, optical media and the like. In one case, the memory <b>1010</b> may include a cache or random access memory for the processor <b>1005</b>. Alternatively or in addition, the memory <b>1010</b> may be separate from the processor <b>1005</b>, such as a cache memory of a processor, the system memory, or other memory. The memory <b>1010</b> may be an external storage device or database for storing data. Examples may include a hard drive, compact disc (“CD”), digital video disc (“DVD”), memory card, memory stick, floppy disc, universal serial bus (“USB”) memory device, or any other device operative to store data. The memory <b>1010</b> may be operable to store instructions <b>1045</b> executable by the processor <b>1005</b>. The functions, acts or tasks illustrated in the figures or described herein may be performed by the programmed processor <b>1005</b> executing the instructions <b>1045</b> stored in the memory <b>1010</b>. The functions, acts or tasks may be independent of the particular type of instruction set, storage media, processor or processing strategy and may be performed by software, hardware, integrated circuits, firm-ware, micro-code and the like, operating alone or in combination. Likewise, processing strategies may include multiprocessing, multitasking, parallel processing and the like.

p-0077The computer system <b>1000</b> may further include a display <b>1030</b>, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a flat panel display, a solid state display, a cathode ray tube (CRT), a projector, a printer or other now known or later developed display device for outputting determined information. The display <b>1030</b> may act as an interface for the user to see the functioning of the processor <b>1005</b>, or specifically as an interface with the software stored in the memory <b>1010</b> or in the drive unit <b>1015</b>.

p-0078Additionally, the computer system <b>1000</b> may include an input device <b>1025</b> configured to allow a user to interact with any of the components of system <b>1000</b>. The input device <b>1025</b> may be a number pad, a keyboard, or a cursor control device, such as a mouse, or a joystick, touch screen display, remote control or any other device operative to interact with the system <b>1000</b>.

p-0079The computer system <b>1000</b> may also include a disk or optical drive unit <b>1015</b>. The disk drive unit <b>1015</b> may include a computer-readable medium <b>1040</b> in which one or more sets of instructions <b>1045</b>, e.g. software, can be embedded. Further, the instructions <b>1045</b> may perform one or more of the methods or logic as described herein. The instructions <b>1045</b> may reside completely, or at least partially, within the memory <b>1010</b> and/or within the processor <b>1005</b> during execution by the computer system <b>1000</b>. The memory <b>1010</b> and the processor <b>1005</b> also may include computer-readable media as discussed above.

p-0080The present disclosure contemplates a computer-readable medium <b>1040</b> that includes instructions <b>1045</b> or receives and executes instructions <b>1045</b> responsive to a propagated signal; so that a device connected to a network <b>1050</b> may communicate voice, video, audio, images or any other data over the network <b>1050</b>. The instructions <b>1045</b> may be implemented with hardware, software and/or firmware, or any combination thereof. Further, the instructions <b>1045</b> may be transmitted or received over the network <b>1050</b> via a communication interface <b>1035</b>. The communication interface <b>1035</b> may be a part of the processor <b>1005</b> or may be a separate component. The communication interface <b>1035</b> may be created in software or may be a physical connection in hardware. The communication interface <b>1035</b> may be configured to connect with a network <b>1050</b>, external media, the display <b>1030</b>, or any other components in system <b>1000</b>, or combinations thereof. The connection with the network <b>1050</b> may be a physical connection, such as a wired Ethernet connection or may be established wirelessly as discussed below. Likewise, the additional connections with other components of the system <b>1000</b> may be physical connections or may be established wirelessly.

p-0081The network <b>1050</b> may include wired networks, wireless networks, or combinations thereof. The wireless network may be a cellular telephone network, an 802.11, 802.16, 802.20, or WiMax network. Further, the network <b>1050</b> may be a public network, such as the Internet, a private network, such as an intranet, or combinations thereof, and may utilize a variety of networking protocols now available or later developed including, but not limited to, TCP/IP based networking protocols.

p-0082The computer-readable medium <b>1040</b> may be a single medium, or the computer-readable medium <b>1040</b> may be a single medium or multiple media, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. The term “computer-readable medium” may also include any medium that may be capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by a processor or that may cause a computer system to perform any one or more of the methods or operations disclosed herein.

p-0083The computer-readable medium <b>1040</b> may include a solid-state memory such as a memory card or other package that houses one or more non-volatile read-only memories. The computer-readable medium <b>1040</b> also may be a random access memory or other volatile re-writable memory. Additionally, the computer-readable medium <b>1040</b> may include a magneto-optical or optical medium, such as a disk or tapes or other storage device to capture carrier wave signals such as a signal communicated over a transmission medium. A digital file attachment to an e-mail or other self-contained information archive or set of archives may be considered a distribution medium that may be a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, the disclosure may be considered to include any one or more of a computer-readable medium or a distribution medium and other equivalents and successor media, in which data or instructions may be stored.

p-0084Alternatively or in addition, dedicated hardware implementations, such as application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays and other hardware devices, may be constructed to implement one or more of the methods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatus and systems of various embodiments may broadly include a variety of electronic and computer systems. One or more embodiments described herein may implement functions using two or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and data signals that may be communicated between and through the modules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, the present system may encompass software, firmware, and hardware implementations.

p-0085Accordingly, the method and system may be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The method and system may be realized in a centralized fashion in at least one computer system or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination of hardware and software may be a general-purpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein.

p-0086The method and system may also be embedded in a computer program product, which includes all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein and which, when loaded in a computer system, is able to carry out these methods. Computer program in the present context means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different material form.

p-0087From the foregoing, it may be seen that the embodiments disclosed herein provide an approach for serving advertisement and/or sponsored content. For example, ad serving device owners may register their respective ad serving devices with the ad serving system while advertisers may upload and target advertisement and/or sponsored content to those registered ad serving devices. The ad serving system matches advertiser requests for placing the advertisement and/or sponsored content to ad serving devices that meet the advertiser's specified request. Advertisers may be charged at a rate that may be dependent on the number of individuals within the vicinity of the ad serving device at the time the advertisement and/or sponsored content is placed as well as the co-presence and activities of users. The presence of individuals may be determined via trackable devices carried by the individuals and present in their environments. The trackable device may communicate location information to the ad serving system either through environmental sensors, the ad serving device or directly via a different network, such as a carrier network. The system continually tracks the location and activity of an individual so as to determine characteristics and behaviors of the individual. This in turn enables more effective targeting of advertisement and/or sponsored content.

p-0088In one embodiment, advertisement and/or sponsored content may be distributed across several ad serving devices. To facilitate the distribution, instructions may be sent to owners of the ad serving devices instructing them where to go and when to go, whom to go with and what, if anything, they need be doing. Upon receiving confirmation that the device owners are at the specified place at the specified time, the ad serving system may serve advertisements or sponsored content to the ad serving devices. The same advertisement and/or sponsored content may be displayed on all of the devices or alternatively partitioned among the devices. For example, an audio portion of an advertisement may be communicated to an ad serving device with audio capabilities, while the graphical portion of the advertisement may be communicated to an ad serving device with graphics capabilities.

p-0089While the method and system has been described with reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the scope. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is intended that the present method and system not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed, but that the method and system include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.