WO2002044982A2

WO2002044982A2 - Product showcase

Info

Publication number: WO2002044982A2
Application number: PCT/US2001/044613
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Carver; Branko J. Gerovac; James R. Kelso
Original assignee: Seachange International, Inc.
Priority date: 2000-11-28
Filing date: 2001-11-28
Publication date: 2002-06-06
Also published as: WO2002044982A8; CA2430176A1; JP2004538539A; AU2002236504A1; EP1412891A2

Abstract

A method of personalized advertising including maintaining a store of advertising and product information in a computer system, delivering a personalized advertisement in response to a request from a user and mediating interactions between the user and an advertiser associated with the personalized advertisement. Delivering includes presenting a guide representing an index of the advertind and product information to the user, presenting the user wth additional options and prompting the user to interact with the guide and additional options.

Description

Product Showcase

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to product showcase methods.

BACKGROUND

In any economy there exists consumers and producers. Producers produce products and services. Consumers consume the products and services. Producers vie for the attention of consumers so as to attract the consumers to their products and services. A method in which consumers are attracted to producers' products and services is advertising. Producers generate advertising for the general consumer and hope to attract actual and potential consumers to their products and services.

SUMMARY

In an aspect the invention features a method of product showcasing including managing a product showcase storage in a computer system maintained by a provider, maintaining a store of users in the computer system maintained by the provider, presenting a guide of product showcases contained in the product showcase storage to a user, receiving a user selection of a product showcase contained in the guide and delivering to the user the selected product showcase from the product showcase storage.

In another aspect the invention features method of product showcasing including managing a product showcase storage in a computer system maintained by a provider; ma taining a store of users in the computer system maintained by the provider, bundling product showcases contained in the product showcase storage, presenting a guide of bundled product showcases contained in the product showcase storage to a user, receiving a user selection of a bundled product showcase contained in the guide and delivering to the user the selected bundled product showcase from the product showcase storage. Managing includes receiving a product showcase from an advertiser and storing the product showcase in the product showcase storage. In another aspect the invention features a method of personalized product showcasing including managing a product showcase storage in a computer system maintained by a provider, maintaining a store of users in the computer system maintained by the provider, bundling product showcases contained in the product showcase storage, presenting a guide of bundled product showcases contained in the product showcase storage to a user, displaying a product showcase query option to the user, receiving a query from the user through the query option, matching the query to one of the product showcases contained within the product showcase storage, displaying the matched product showcase to the user, receiving a user selection of a bundled product showcase contained in the guide and delivering to the user the selected bundled product showcase from the product showcase storage.

In another aspect, the invention features a method of personalized product showcasing including managing a product showcase storage in a computer system maintained by a provider, maintaining a store of users in the computer system maintained by the provider, bundling product showcases contained in the product showcase storage, presenting a guide of bundled product showcases contained in the product showcase storage to a user, displaying a product showcase query option to the user, receiving a query from the user through the query option, matching the query to one of the product showcases contained within the product showcase storage, displaying the matched product showcase to the user, receiving the user selection of a bundled product showcase contained in the guide, delivering to the user the selected bundled product showcase from the product showcase storage and prompting the user to select an introduction to the advertiser associated with the product showcase. The introduction may include a callback, electronic mail message, postal message, and may be done through a proxy to insure privacy.

In still another aspect, the invention features a method of personalized advertising including maintaining a store of advertising and product information in a computer system, delivering a personalized advertisement in response to a request from a user and mediating interactions between the user and an advertiser associated with the personalized advertisement. Delivering includes presenting a guide representing an index of the advertising and product information to the user, presenting the user with additional options and prompting the user to interact with the guide and additional options. The additional options may include one of more of the following: request for advertiser contact, request for additional related advertising material, request for purchase, and request for settlement.

Embodiments of the invention may have one or more of the following advantages. Interactive advertising and its associated electronic commerce (e-commerce) and television commerce (t-commerce) have long been touted as the future - the rescuer - of advertising in the age of interactivity. Yet, the experiments, trials, and early deployments with interactive advertising have met with only limited success, especially when interests of all participants are taken into account. To be sure, further advances and refinements in technology are needed, but at its core the failures of interactive advertising are rooted in a failure to apply technology in the context of a robust and evolutionary business model. Indeed, just throwing new technology at the problem is proving counter productive as the uncertainty and learning curve associated with new technology undermines the very business they are conceived to enable. Targeted advertising is a contortion of the traditional mass media advertising model where advertising is generated for and delivered to groups of people and where the groups may get ever smaller and more numerous. Some even talk about targeting to the individual. The move to ever more targeted ads, however, causes a proliferation of what are otherwise mass media ads. Thus, with targeted ads, production costs quickly multiply and become a limiting factor.

Personal advertising is fundamentally different and is captured in the present invention. It shifts control of advertising towards the person consuming it (the user). System capabilities are oriented towards assisting the user in controlling and customizing their advertising experience (interaction, navigation, personalized guides, recommendations, and so forth). Thus, advertisers can move to producing a single collection of ad components (video segments, for example) that are assembled or navigated "just in time" for the user at the time of use. Production costs for the collection increase linearly with the size of the collection, but the variety of experiences available from the collection is combinatorial.

Targeted advertising can produce the opposite effect of personal advertising: the user is controlled, even manipulated, by their experience as opposed to the user controlling and customizing their experience. Product showcases give communications (e.g., interactive television) service providers a powerful new vehicle through which users can get high quality information about products that matter to them and through which advertisers can inform, entertain, and attract potential buyers of their products. The model overcomes many of the business obstacles associated with interactive advertising and its associated e-commerce or t-commerce transactions. The key advantage is in identifying a readily deployable basic transaction model that can gracefully evolve to incorporate ever more sophisticated transactions. By taking this approach users, advertisers, and service providers all benefit without the risks and vagaries associated with near term deployment of more monolithic schemes. The showcase medium is very flexible. A product showcase, in its simplest form, is envisioned as high production value audio/video in a variety of formats, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, QuickTime, Real, ASF, and so forth, delivered with rudimentary interactivity, pause, fast forward, rewind, bookmark, and so forth. As applicable standards and practices are deployed, product showcases are expected to become increasingly rich interactive mixed media experiences using a variety of interactive graphics technologies: SMIL, HTML with scripting (i.e., DHTML), JavaScript, Java and Personal Java, ATVEF, PowerTV, Shockwave, Active-X, World Wide Web Consortium's Document Object Model (DOM), WebCGM, and Scalable Vector Graphics recommendations, and so forth.

In its simplest form, a showcase is a linear program of any length (audio and or video) enhanced with interactivity by a provider. As applicable standards and practice evolve, the simple form then evolves to include mixed media and non-linear content, embedded interactive methods, and linkages to commerce transactions as well as a wide variety of on-line and off-line services: call centers, mail centers, Web sites, and such. A showcase can also be a disassembled collection of interactive content objects that is navigated by the user or assembled by the provider in a personalized fashion for each user at the time of use. These latter cases are particularly compelling as users may be interested in particular aspects of a product and not interested in others.

For users, a product showcase means better and more relevant product information delivered when they want it. A user can use a television, computer, mobile device, or any kind of terminal system to request (or otherwise seek) information about a product and get the relevant showcases delivered to them. Showcases already in the provider's possession are immediately available, but a request for information may also be used to solicit and collect showcases from a variety of potential sources and deliver matching showcases either real-time or time delayed or time-shifted. The request for information could even be made through a different system than the system used for delivering showcases. For example, a provider could host a web site allowing users to request information and watch the resulting showcases later through their television (or vice versa). Because showcases are expected to become numerous the user also benefits from provider supplied recommendations and personalized guides to showcases.

For advertisers, a showcase is a high production value interactive vehicle that delivers a strong impression as well as messages and information to people who are seeking it or have even explicitly asked for it. Unlike traditional mass media advertising where the advertising is only relevant to a small percentage of users, here the relevance with respect to the cost of delivering the showcase is magnitudes higher. Showcases also enhance traditional advertising campaigns. For example, a 30 second spot produced for a broad audience becomes a conduit to a much richer and more personalized interactive experience.

Moreover, in traditional advertising there are many barriers to converting a person watching an ad into a sales lead. With showcases these barriers are eliminated. Whether the user requests showcase materials, jumps to viewing a showcase from an associated broadcast ad, or bookmarks the showcase for later use, they automatically go from being a person to being a lead.

For providers, a showcase is a vehicle for mediating transactions between advertisers and users that doesn't require them to be intimately involved with those transactions (e.g., as a broker of transactions would). More importantly, it creates several new potential sources of revenue for the provider. Providers may charge for simply making a showcase available to its users. This is a key starting point because it is highly compatible with existing advertising business practices. This simple model then evolves as the level of mediation (the provider's added value) evolves. They may charge for reporting various kinds of information about showcase users and their usage. Notifying advertisers when a user requests an introduction (e.g., call back, mail back, and so forth) is highly valuable to the advertiser; the provider the may charge a premium for that service. When showcase use leads to a purchase, the provider may get a percent of the purchase price. The showcase model also provides advertisers and users protection from service fraud and abuse. For example, the advertiser negotiates with providers and part of that negotiation can be a disclosure of the provider's subscription requirements, credit verification procedures, and so forth. Thus depending on the provider, the characteristics of a user can be verified and applied to inquiries and purchases the users attempts to make through the showcase. More importantly, this can be done while the user remains anonymous to the advertiser. Of course, the user can be identified when they wish to be identified or in cases where abuse or criminal behavior is evident. The model provides similar protections to users because the advertiser is known and verified to the provider. While emphasis in on products and services, the model naturally applies to other topics as well. For example, an interactive video about some medical condition from which a user is suffering. The showcase model provides a means by which users can request information. The content could be treated like any other on-demand content a user pays for, and the showcase model supports this, but it offers another more compelling answer: sponsorship. So, for example, a showcase about a medical condition could be produced by a trusted medical institution or university and sponsored by a drug company, health organization, or trade association. In this scenario the various showcase transactions are a natural fit. Users can learn about the condition and its treatment options, producers get reports that further their research of the condition, sponsors get reports and user inquiries that help them reach users in need of their product. Thus, the advertiser described in this model could represent set of cooperating entities.

Further aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following. The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a basic product showcase method. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a product showcase method with broadcast cross- promotion. FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a product showcase method with user requested product information.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a product showcase method with call center connectivity.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a product showcase method with an option to purchase. FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a computer platform suitable for deployment of a product showcase method.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a product showcase method 10 includes the interaction of three components, i.e., advertiser(s) 12, a provider(s) 14, and one or more users 16. The method 10 proceeds in four phases, i.e., a placement phase 17, a use phase 18, a reporting phase 20 and a settlement phase 22. The placement phase 17 involves the advertiser 12 and provider 14 transacting to make showcases available. The user phase 18 involves users 18 discovering and using showcases available from the provider 14. The reporting phase 20 includes providers 14 reporting showcase use to advertisers 12. The settlement phase 22 includes advertiser(s) 12 and provider(s) 14 settling any outstanding reports and charges.

A product showcase presents a description of one or more products or services offer by the advertiser. The amount of detail contained in the product showcase varies depending on type of product/service, available space and time (if space and time are concerns), the detail available, the intent of the advertiser 12, and so forth.

In the method 10, the user 16 subscribes to and uses 24 provider services. The provider 14 collects 26 user and usage information. Information includes, for example, names, addresses, phone numbers, credit card numbers, demographic information, user preferences, requests for product information, history of content and services used, and so forth. The advertiser 12 and provider 14 negotiate 28 the terms and conditions related to the placement and use of one or more product showcases on the providers system. Either the advertiser 12 or provider 14 may initiate the negotiation 28. The terms and conditions may include, for example, such things as pricing model and payment schedule, when and how long a showcase is to be made available, reporting requirements, usage rights and restrictions, bundling, linkage, and so forth. Examples of bundling include bundles of multiple showcase placements, bundles of showcases with other services offered to the advertiser 12 by the provider 14 (e.g., local ad insertion), and so forth. Examples of linkage include the provider 14 negotiating for a percent of sales revenue generated by users 18 of a showcase. Placement 17 may be pre-negotiated as part of a broader agreement between the advertiser 12 and provider 14.

Subject to the agreed upon terms and conditions, the provider 14 may charge 30 the advertiser 12 for importing the showcase and making it available to users 18.

In the method 10, the advertiser 12 supplies 32 showcase content and associated data to the provider 14. The provider 14 imports the content and associated data into a provider system. Associated data may include, for example, product category(ies), intended audience, rights and restrictions, and so forth.

The user 16 interacts with the provider 14 system to invoke 34 a service through which showcases are accessible. In alternate embodiments, the service could be specific or non-specific to showcases. In response to the user 16 interaction, the provider 14 presents 36 a guide to showcases to the user 16. In an embodiment, the guide to showcases is presented along with other content. In this context the term guide is interpreted broadly as a interactive tool used to organize and present information about content, to recommend or highlight certain alternatives and options and to select content for delivery (e.g., catalogs, directories, recommendation engines, search tools, and so forth). In an embodiment, the provider 14 applies user and usage information to personalize the guide such that it is easier for the user 16 to find and select relevant showcases.

The user 16 searches the guide and selects 38 a showcase to be delivered or bookmarked. To bookmark content is to generate user information that is used to assist the user 16 in later finding content on the provider system. This information is generally used in personalized guides.

The provider 14 delivers 40 or bookmarks the user selected showcase. In some embodiments, the provider 14 may charge 42 the user 16 for using a showcase.

In an embodiment, the provider 14 reports 44 use of a showcase to the advertiser 12. In particular, a report generated at or near the time of use 18 may be useful to the advertiser 12 and foπn the basis for subsequent transactions between the advertiser 12 and user 16 with or without provider 14 mediation. The report may contain various kinds of information related to the use 18 and user 16 of the showcase. The report may identify the user 16 directly or indirectly. For example, the report may contain the public name, address, phone number, and so forth, of the user 16 or it may contain a user designation that is only meaningful to the provider 14. The latter would better protect the privacy of the user 16 as well as the position of a operator as a mediator of content and services to the user 16.

Depending on the agreed upon terms and conditions, the provider 14 may charge 46 the advertiser 12 for the reported use (e.g., charge-per-use) or charge for providing enhanced reporting, as described below.

When showcase placement expires, the provider 14 reports on the completed showcase transaction and issues 48 an invoice. In an embodiment, reports and or invoices are aggregated across multiple showcase transactions.

The report may include an aggregation of information as described above as well as other information related to showcase usage. The invoice includes any outstanding charges related to the showcase transaction. The method 10 ends when the advertiser 12 settles 50 any outstanding charges with the provider 14.

Reporting 20 may be enhanced with additional information. For example, providers 14 collect various kinds of data about the use and users of their services, including product showcases, in the product showcase method 10 described above. This information may be complied into reports that advertisers 12 receive from providers 14. Report modalities may vary in sophistication and advertisers 12 are given the option, in an embodiment, to buy into ever more advanced reports. A simple business model is illustrated in the following table:

CONTENTS

T R

U c

Table - Simple example of enhanced reporting

In this simple business model example, the reports would range from an advertiser getting a periodic report detailing the use of a showcase to an advertiser getting notified immediately that identified user, John Doe for example, just started watching the advertiser's showcase or a competitor's showcase. The user identification would be subject to service agreements between a provider 14 and a user 16 and to applicable local, state and federal laws. The former may be a standard feature of the basic product showcase method 10. The latter may be a charge-per-notice option.

While the simple business model shown above may be initially implemented as part of the showcase system, in an embodiment, formula and program based data mining techniques would be used and applied across all provider services thereby subsuming a showcase specific system. In another embodiment, the basic product showcase method 10 described with reference to FIG. 1 is extended to allow ads that promote showcases to be bundled with and linked to associated showcases. The cross-promoting ads are inserted or added to content the user uses. The cross-promoting ads may be interactive allowing the user to immediately view or bookmark the associated showcase. For example, cross-promoting ads may be video ads in broadcast content that transfer a user to a showcase, graphic banner ads in web content that transfer a user to a showcase, and so forth.

Referring to FIG. 2, a product showcase method 60 with broadcast cross-promotion includes the interaction of three components, as was described in FIG. 1, i.e., advertiser(s)

62, a provider(s) 64, and one or more users 66. The method 60 proceeds in four phases, as was described in FIG. 1, i.e., a placement phase 68, a use phase 70, a reporting phase 72 and a settlement phase 74.

In the method 60, the user 66 subscribes to and uses 76 provider services. The provider 64 collects 78 user and usage information. Information includes, for example, names, addresses, phone numbers, credit card numbers, demographic information, user preferences, requests for product information, history of content and services used, and so forth.

The advertiser 62 and provider 64 negotiate 80 the terms and conditions related to the placement and use of one or more product showcases on the provider's system, including associated cross-promoting advertising. Either the advertiser 62 or provider 64 may initiate the negotiation 80.

Subject to the agreed upon terms and conditions, the provider 64 may charge 82 the advertiser 62 for importing the showcase and making it available to users 66.

In the method 60, the advertiser 62 supplies 84 showcase content and associated data to the provider 64, including ads that promote showcases. The provider 64 imports the content and associated data, including the ads that promote showcases, into a provider system.

The user 60 selects 86 content to be delivered by the provider 64, for example, by tuning to a broadcast television program or selecting a program available on demand. The provider 64 delivers 88 the selected content with ads that cross promote a showcase. Methods of delivering ads with content include, for example, multiplexing, simulcasting, splicing, composition, and so forth. The provider 64 may apply user and usage information to decide what ads are presented to the user 66 and thereby personalize what showcases are brought to the user's attention. The user 66 utilizes an input device (e.g., television remote control) during the cross- promoting ad to trigger delivery 90 of the showcase or to bookmark the showcase for future use. The provider 64 delivers 92 or bookmarks the showcase content. In some embodiments, the provider 64 may charge 94 the user 66 for using a showcase.

In an embodiment, the provider 64 reports 96 use of a showcase to the advertiser 62. Depending on the agreed upon terms and conditions, the provider 64 may charge 98 the

J advertiser 62 for the reported use (e.g., charge-per-use) or charge for providing enhanced reporting.

When showcase placement expires, the provider 64 reports on the completed showcase transaction and issues 100 an invoice. The reporting includes information related to the combined and cumulative use of showcases and cross-promotions. For example, the information can include when users 66 use or bookmark a showcase during a cross- promoting ad, or, in another example, include when showcases are used relative to when users see the cross-promotion.

The method 60 ends when the advertiser 62 settles 102 any outstanding charges with the provider 64.

In another embodiment, the methods described in FIGs. 1 and 2 may be extended to give providers the ability to mediate between a user requesting product information and advertisers who can provide that information. The provider presents an interface to the user allowing them to express what product information they are interested in (perhaps in preparation for a purchase decision, for example). The provider responds to requests for information by presenting showcase titles related to the user's request. The provider may also notify advertisers about user requests for product information (along with demographic, product type information, and so forth) and advertisers may respond by supplying product showcases as well as other advertising content to the provider (dynamic placement). Referring to FIG. 3, a product showcase method 110 with user requested product information includes the interaction of three components, as was described in FIGs. 1 and 2, i.e., advertiser(s) 112, a provider(s) 114, and one or more users 116.

In the method 110, the advertiser 112 and provider 114 negotiate 118 placements. The provider 114 presents 120 to the user 116 a user interface allowing the user 116 to request product information. The user interface may use the same mechanism used for showcase delivery (e.g., television), or use some other mechanism such as telephone, personal computer application, web page, and so forth. The user interface allows the user 116 to express their request in one or more of a variety of ways, such as navigating and selecting from a pre-determined guide of product types, structured search expressions, natural language expressions, and so forth.

42 The user 116 requests 122 product information. Depending on the showcase agreement between the advertiser 112 and provider 114, the provider 114 may notify 124 advertisers 112 that a user 116 is requesting product information.

The advertiser 112 responds to the user request by supplying 126 the related 5 showcase, ads, and so forth, to the provider 114.

In an embodiment, the provider 114 charges 128 the advertiser 112 for this dynamic placement transaction. Given the showcase is in response to user demand - a lead versus an impression - the advertiser 112 may charge more for this kind of placement than for more generic types of placement. o The provider 114 responds 130 to the user's request for product information alerting a user that related showcases have become available. This may be done in a variety of ways such as, for example, using the cross-promotion procedures described above, by modifying the personalize guide, by modifying or enhancing services the user is actively using with text or graphics, and so forth. 5 The user 116 uses the showcases. In an embodiment, the provider 114 may report

134 showcase use to the advertiser as was described in FIGs. 1 and 2. Reporting may be enhanced to incorporate information about the use of dynamically placed showcases. The increased charge described above may also be applied when it is reported that the requesting user actually uses the showcase. 0 The method 110 ends when the advertiser 112 settles 136 any outstanding charges with the provider 114.

In another embodiment, the product showcase methods of FIGs. 1, 2 and 3 are extended to give providers the ability to mediate connectivity between the advertiser who operates a call center (or mail center) and the user. The product showcase is interactive or 5 presented within an interactive context. The user is prompted before, during, and/or after a showcase to select a callback (e.g., "press select anytime during this showcase and a product specialist will contact you shortly"). If the user requests a callback, the provider retrieves the user's phone number from a user information base and notifies the advertiser (e.g., by sending a secured email, instant message, and so forth). The provider may charge the 0 advertiser a premium for this service. The advertiser then calls the user, provides the desired information, and/or assists the user in making a purchase. The provider, depending on the

.11 negotiated terms and conditions, may also charge the advertiser some percent of the sales transaction so enabled.

Referring to FIG. 4, a product showcase method 150 with call center connectivity includes the interaction of three components, i.e., advertiser(s) 152, a provider(s) 154, and one or more users 156.

The advertiser 152 and provider 154 negotiate 158 placement of showcases along with term and conditions associated with a callback service and the sales it generates. Terms may include, for example, such things as the amount the provider 154 charges for the callback service, the percentage of any sales generated by the callback, and so forth. The advertiser 152 provides 160 showcase content to provider 154. In an embodiment, showcase content prompts the user 156 to request a callback. In another embodiment, the provider 154 also supplies prompts to be used in conjunction with advertiser supplied showcase content.

The user 156 discovers and selects a showcase. Showcase content is delivered 162 to the user 156 along with content supplied by advertiser 152 and or by the provider 154 prompting the user 156 to request a callback. The user 156 is informed about the callback (it's availability and what happens) and how to request it (e.g., press "select" on a remote control, etc.).

User 156 requests 164 a callback. The provider 154 receives this user request. The provider 154 notifies 166 the advertiser 152 that a user requested a callback and supplies the information necessary for the advertiser 152 to complete the callback. Other information may also be supplied. For example, the provider may supply the user's credit card number.

The provider 154 may charge 168 the advertiser 152 for the callback. The advertiser 152 calls 170 the user 156 to supply product information or to take an order. The callback could be made through the conventional public switched telephone network or through telephony (or video call) services provided by the provider 154.

During the callback (or at some later time) the user 156 may make a purchase 172 from the advertiser 152. Depending on the negotiated terms and conditions, the provider 154 may charge 174 the advertiser 152 a percent (or some other amount) of the sales transaction. In an embodiment, the provider 154 may report 176 showcase use to the advertiser

152, extended to include information about callbacks. The method 150 ends when the advertiser 152 settles 178 any outstanding charges with the provider 154.

In an embodiment, the method 150 is adapted to utilize a "mail back" (or other forms of introductions) in addition to or as a substitute of callback whereby the advertiser 152 mails materials or order forms to the user 156. Mail back can include regular paper mail delivery and/or electronic mail delivery.

In still another embodiment, a variant of the method 150 that better protects the privacy of the user 156 uses an indirect call center or a phone number re-mapping system. Here, the user 156 requests a callback and the provider 154 (or agent thereof) allocates a proxy phone number from a pool of available numbers and maps the user's phone number to the allocated phone number or uses some other equivalent method. The advertiser 152 is given the proxy phone number and told for how long the number is valid. Once the advertiser 152 contacts the user 156, the user 156 may choose to reveal his or her identity. Because the user 156 is known to the provider 154 (i.e., the provider 154 has verified the identity, address, and credit limit of the user 156), the advertiser 152 is also protected from abuses of the process. In another embodiment, the product showcase methods of FIGs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 are extended to give the provider the ability to mediate the purchase of products featured in a product showcase. The user may be prompted before, during, and/or after a product showcase to make a purchase. The product showcase is interactive or presented within an interactive context. If the user makes the purchase, the provider retrieves the necessary information from a user information base (address, credit card number, or provider proxy account, etc.), negotiates the purchase with the advertiser (e.g., by utilizing secure socket, secure email, instant message, and so forth), and either confirms or denies die purchase by the user. The provider, depending on the negotiated terms and conditions, may also charge the advertiser some percent of the sales transaction so enabled.

Referring to FIG. 5, a product showcase method 190 with an option to purchase includes the interaction of three components, i.e., advertiser(s) 192, a provider(s) 194, and one or more users 196.

The advertiser 192 and provider 194 negotiate 198 placement of showcases along with term and conditions associated with the purchase made during the showcase. The purchase is mediated (logically) by the provider 194, but the provider 194 does not ordinarily or necessarily get involved with the sales transaction, i.e., the provider 194 is typically a mediator and not active participate. However, the provider 194 may be an active participant in other embodiments. Terms may include, for example, such tilings as the amount the provider charges 194 for the callback service, the percentage of any sales generated by the callback, and so forth.

The advertiser 192 provides 200 showcase content to provider 194. Showcase content may prompt the user 196 to make a purchase. The provider 194 may also supply prompts to be used in conjunction with advertiser supplied showcase content.

The user 196 discovers and selects showcase. Showcase content is delivered 202 to the user 196 along with content supplied by advertiser 192 and/or by the provider 194 prompting the user 196 to make a purchase. The user 196 is informed about the purchase capability (it's availability and what to expect) and how to request it (e.g., press "select" on your remote control, etc.).

The user 196 makes a purchase request 204. The provider 194 forwards 206 the purchase request to the advertiser 192 along with information about the user 196 (presumably by prior agreement between the provider 194 and user 196) to facilitate the purchase, for example, name, mailing address, credit/debit card number, electronic check or money order, and so forth.

The advertiser 192 responds to the provider 194, granting or denying 208 the purchase request. Other kinds of responses may also be provided. ** mediation = a sequence of requests and responses may ensue**) For example, prompts for also purchasing associated products (to trigger an impulse purchase). Or, for example, the advertiser 192 may inform the user 196 that the product is no longer available, and possibly present the user 196 with some alternative. The provider 194 presents 210 the response to the user 196.

If the purchase is granted, the user 196 is charged 212 for the purchase. Depending on the negotiated terms and conditions, the provider 194 may charge 214 the advertiser 192 a percent (or some other amount) of the sales transaction.

In an embodiment, the provider 194 may report 216 showcase use to the advertiser 192, extended to include information about purchases. The method 190 ends when the advertiser 192 settles 218 any outstanding charges with the provider 194, including charges related purchases.

In another embodiment, the product showcase methods of FIGs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are generalized** to give providers the ability to mediate access to service features in the showcases. The service may be offered or hosted by the provider or access to an external service may be mediated by the provider. This embodiment is applied to, among other things, linking showcases with web pages or other online content. The web pages may be available from the provider or the provider may simply provide access to web pages available elsewhere. The web pages may also provide the mechanism for requesting a callback or purchase described elsewhere.

Referring to FIG. 6, a computer platform 250 suitable for executing a product showcase method includes a display 252, a keyboard 254, a pointing device 256 such as a mouse, and a digital computer 258. The digital computer 258 includes a memory 260, a processor 262, a mass storage device 264, and other customary components such as a memory bus and peripheral bus. The platform may further include a network connection 266.

Mass storage device 264 can store instructions 268 that form a product showcase method. The instructions 268 may be transferred to memory 260 and processor 262 in the course of operation. The instructions 268 can cause the display 252 to produce images 270 via an interface such as a graphical user interface (GUI). Of course, instructions 268 may be stored on a variety of storage devices associated with the platform and may also be stored on other systems (not shown) connected to the platform 250 via the network connection 266.

A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the above methods have been described in the context of a single advertiser, a single provider and a single user. Other embodiments include applying the methods above to multiple advertisers and multiple users. Further, multiple advertisers may cooperate in generating a single product showcase that includes options to view multiple other product showcases. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A method of product showcasing comprises: managing a product showcase storage in a computer system maintained by a provider; maintaining a store of users in the computer system maintained by the provider; presenting a guide of product showcases contained in the product showcase storage to a user; receiving a user selection of a product showcase contained in the guide; and delivering to the user the selected product showcase from the product showcase storage.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein managing comprises: receiving a product showcase from an advertiser; and storing the product showcase in the product showcase storage.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the product showcase comprises audio/video content.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the product showcase comprises HTML content.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the product showcase comprises JAVA content.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the product showcase comprises JavaScript content.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting comprises displaying the guide on a user display.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the user display is interactive.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein delivering the selected product showcase further comprises invoicing the user for delivery of the selected product showcase.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein delivering the selected product showcase further comprises reporting the delivery of the selected product showcase to an advertiser who generated the selected product showcase.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein reporting further comprises compiling additional information.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the additional information is the user's identity.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the additional information is a usage of the selected product showcase.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the additional information is related use of related product showcases in the product showcase storage.

15. The method of claim 2 wherein delivering the selected product showcase further comprises invoicing the advertiser.

16. The method of claim 2 wherein receiving is subject to a negotiated agreement between the advertiser and the provider.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the store further comprises additional user information pertaining to each of the users.

18. A method of product showcasing comprises: managing a product showcase storage in a computer system maintained by a provider; maintaining a store of users in the computer system maintained by the provider; bundling product showcases contained in the product showcase storage; presenting a guide of bundled product showcases contained in the product showcase storage to an user; receiving a user selection of a bundled product showcase contained in the guide; and delivering to the user the selected bundled product showcase from the product showcase storage.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein managing comprises : receiving a product showcase from an advertiser; and storing the product showcase in the product showcase storage.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the product showcase comprises audio/video content.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the product showcase comprises HTML content.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the product showcase comprises JAVA content.

23. The method of claim 18 wherein the product showcase comprises JavaScript content.

24. The method of claim 18 wherein presenting comprises displaying the guide on a user display.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the user display is interactive.

26. The method of claim 18 wherein bundling comprises inserting cross-promotional advertisements in the product showcases.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein selecting a cross-promotional ad causes the computer system to deliver to the user a cross-promotional product showcase associated with the cross-promotional ad contained in the product showcase storage.

28. The method of claim 18 wherein managing comprises : receiving a product showcase from an advertiser; and storing the product showcase in the product showcase storage.

29. The method of claim 18 wherein the product showcase comprises video content.

30. The method of claim 18 wherein the product showcase comprises HTML content.

31. The method of claim 18 wherein the product showcase comprises JAVA content.

32. The method of claim 18 wherein the product showcase comprises JavaScript content.

33. The method of claim 18 wherein presenting comprises displaying the guide on a user display.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the user display is interactive.

35. The method of claim 18 wherein delivering the selected product showcase further comprises invoicing the user for delivery of the selected product showcase.

36. The method of claim 18 wherein delivering the selected product showcase further comprises reporting the delivery of the selected product showcase to an advertiser who generated the selected product showcase.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein reporting further comprises compiling additional information.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein the additional information is the user's identity.

39. The method of claim 37 wherein the additional information is a usage of the selected product showcase.

40. The method of claim 37 wherein the additional information is related use of related product showcases in the product showcase storage.

41. The method of claim 19 wherein delivering the selected product showcase further comprises invoicing the advertiser.

42. The method of claim 19 wherein receiving is subject to a negotiated agreement between the advertiser and the provider.

43. The method of claim 18 wherein the store further comprises additional user information pertaining to each of the users.

44. The method of claim 18 wherein bundling comprises associating related product showcases in the storage.

45. A method of personalized product showcasing comprises: managing a product showcase storage in a computer system maintained by a provider; maintaining a store of users in the computer system maintained by the provider; bundling product showcases contained in the product showcase storage; presenting a guide of bundled product showcases contained in the product showcase storage to a user; displaying a product showcase query option to the user; receiving a query from the user through the query option; matching the query to one of the product showcases contained within the product showcase storage; displaying the matched product showcase to the user; receiving a user selection of a bundled product showcase contained in the guide; and delivering to the user the selected bundled product showcase from the product showcase storage.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein managing comprises: receiving a product showcase from an advertiser; and storing the product showcase in the product showcase storage.

47. The method of claim 46 wherein the query option is a list of all product showcases contained in the product showcase storage.

48. The method of claim 46 wherein the query option is a search engine used in conjunction with the product showcase storage.

49. A method of personalized product showcasing comprises: managing a product showcase storage in a computer system maintained by a provider; maintaining a store of users in the computer system maintained by the provider; bundling product showcases contained in the product showcase storage; presenting a guide of bundled product showcases contained in the product showcase storage to a user; displaying a product showcase query option to the user; receiving a query from the user through the query option; matching the query to one of the product showcases contained within the product showcase storage; displaying the matched product showcase to the user; receiving the user selection of a bundled product showcase contained in the guide; delivering to the user the selected bundled product showcase from the product showcase storage; and prompting the user to select an introduction to the advertiser associated with the product showcase.

50. The method of claim 49 wherein the introduction is a callback from the advertiser.

51. The method of claim 49 wherein the callback is a telephone call from the advertiser to the user.

52. The method of claim 49 wherein the callback is a telephone call from the advertiser to a proxy telephone number temporarily assigned to the user to insure privacy.

53. The method of claim 49 wherein the callback is a postal letter from the advertiser to the user.

54. The method of claim 49 wherein the callback is an electronic mail message from the advertiser to the user.

55. The method of claim 50 wherein prompting further comprises notifying the advertiser associated with the selected product showcase of the user selecting an introduction.

56. The method of claim 49 wherein the introduction is a prompt to the user to purchase a product associated with the product showcase.

57. The method of claim 55 further comprising: forwarding a user purchase request of a product associated with the product showcase to the advertiser; forwarding additional information pertaining to the user to the advertiser; processing the user purchase request and additional information in an advertiser computer system; delivering the product from the advertiser to the user; and invoicing the user.

58. The method of claim 49 wherein the introduction is service feature.

59. The method of claim 49 wherein the introduction is a settlement between the user and the advertiser.

60. A method of personalized advertising comprises: maintaining a store of advertising and product information in a computer system: delivering a personalized advertisement in response to a request from a user; and mediating interactions between the user and an advertiser associated with the personalized advertisement.

61. The method of claim 60 wherein delivering comprises: presenting a guide representing an index of the advertising and product information to the user; presenting the user with additional options; and prompting the user to interact with the guide and additional options.

62. The method of claim 61 wherein the additional options include one of more of the following: request for advertiser contact, request for additional related advertising material, request for purchase, and request for settlement.

63. The method of claim 61 further comprising notifying the advertiser of product interest.