Patent ID: 7257604
Filing Date: 2007-08-14
Classification: G06F,G06Q,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A computer operated by a user and connected to a network, where the computer is programmed to be capable of carrying out the operations of: (a) monitoring input from the user operating the computer; (b) retrieving a plurality of web pages over the network at the direction of the user operating the computer, where the operation of retrieving the plurality of web pages over the network is carried out by a web browser application that is executing on the computer and is controlled by the user, and where the plurality of web pages are displayed consecutively by the web browser application in a web browser window on a display screen associated with the computer; (c) monitoring activity of the web browser application associated with the plurality of web pages, where the operation of monitoring activity of the web browser application associated with the plurality of web pages is carried out by a user activity monitoring program that automatically monitors activity of the web browser application that is executing on the computer and is controlled by the user, where the user activity monitoring program is in a separate code module that executes on the computer and that provides functionality not provided by the web browser application, and where the operation of monitoring activity of the web browser application associated with the plurality of web pages is carried out at a variety of web sites without requiring involvement or assistance from any publisher of the plurality of web pages; (d) retrieving a first web page over the network at the direction of the user operating the computer, where the first web page is accessible from a web server connected to the network and is published by a first entity, and where the operation of retrieving the first web page over the network at the direction of the user is carried out by the web browser application after the operation of retrieving the plurality of web pages over the network at the direction of the user; (e) displaying the first web page in the web browser window on the display screen associated with the computer, where the operation of displaying the first web page in the web browser window is carried out by the web browser application executing on the computer; (f) monitoring activity of the web browser application associated with the first web page, where the operation of monitoring activity of the web browser application associated with the first web page is carried out automatically by the user activity monitoring program, where the user activity monitoring program obtains user activity data associated with the first web page identifying the user as having an interest in information published by the first entity, and where the user activity monitoring program obtains the user activity data associated with the first web page without requiring involvement or assistance from the first entity that publishes the first web page; and (g) presenting to the user an advertising message relevant to the first web page, where the advertising message is independent of the first web page and is not part of the first web page, and is not embedded within or referred to by the first web page, where the advertising message is automatically selected to be presented to the user based on the user activity data associated with the first web page identifying the user as having an interest in information published by the first entity so that the advertising message might appeal to the user's interest in information published by the first entity, where the advertising message includes a competitive advertising message published by a commercial entity that is different than the first entity, and where the advertising message is presented to the user by displaying the advertising message within a new display area that appears automatically on the display screen associated with the computer after monitoring activity of the web browser application associated with the first web page browsed to by the user using the web browser application.