Abstract:
Advertisers and publishers use an electronic marketplace to: (1) make payments to each other rather than through a marketplace account; and/or (2) identify types, geographic locations, fees, and other relevant characteristics as parameter/value pairs, and add or at least suggest their own parameters.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application No. 60/832,351, filed Jul. 20, 2006, which is incorporated herein by reference herein in its entirety. 
     
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The field of the invention is electronic marketplaces. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0003]    Advertising goods and services has a long history. With the advent of the Internet, many companies (e.g., Google™, Yahoo!™, and Microsoft™) generate large revenue streams by offering advertising services to entities who wish to have their message conveyed to consumers. Such companies generate revenue at the expense of advertisers, while offering only moderate payments to those that offer advertising opportunities. The bulk of the money remains in the company&#39;s coffers. 
         [0004]    A better advertising system would allow advertisers to access advertising opportunities directly from those entities (referred to as “publishers” herein) that offer the opportunities. Such a system should also allow the advertisers and publishers to directly pay each other, as opposed to paying a brokering service for advertising. By having direct access to each other, entities have several advantages:
       Elimination of the middle man between the entities   Entities that wish to advertise will extend their advertising dollar because they can target their message more appropriately   Entities that offer advertising opportunities generate more advertising revenue because they are paid directly   Strong peer-to-peer interaction between entities       
 
         [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,039,930 titled “Television advertising automated billing system” describes scheduling and billing for television advertising through a marketplace, but does not allow peers to find each other through an information system. The &#39;930 patent, and all other extrinsic materials discussed herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply. 
         [0010]    Some websites or search engines offer entities the ability to find other market relevant entities, but they do not provide marketplace infrastructure to make payments directly between the entities. For example, Google provides a search engine and allows entities to pay for advertising, but the payment is between the advertiser and Google as opposed to between the advertiser and the entity offering an advertising opportunity. The AdBrite System, see www.adbrite.com, is similar, but AdBrite still does not allow the advertisers and publishers to directly communicate with each other to negotiate deals. AdBrite always inserts itself in the middle. 
         [0011]    Still further, in all of the available advertising systems, there are no provisions that would allow peers to identify the characteristics of interest to them using parameter/value pairs in which the peer could add (directly or by suggestion) its own parameters. Peers are limited to the set of parameters chosen by the operator of the marketplace. For example, if a publisher wanted to limit advertisements on its site to those having images of people, or only to those have anime type drawings, there is no possibility of adding parameters to enforce those limitations in currently available systems. 
         [0012]    Thus, there remains a considerable need for more flexible advertising marketplaces. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0013]    The present inventive subject matter provides systems, methods, and software in which advertisers and publishers can: (1) make payments to each other rather than through a marketplace account; and/or (2) identify types, geographic locations, fees, and other relevant characteristics as parameter/value pairs, and add or at least suggest their own parameters. 
         [0014]    In one embodiment a marketplace comprises an information system having a memory storing characteristics of an advertising opportunity associated with a first entity, or, in other words, a first peer. The marketplace also comprises an interface for use by a second entity, or second peer, to access the information system. The interface provides the second entity the ability to search through the information system to find the advertising opportunity as a function of the characteristic of the opportunity. Furthermore, the marketplace comprises an account server used by the second entity to pay for access to the information system. Also the account server can be used by the first or second entity to exchange payment between each other for access to the advertising opportunity. 
         [0015]    In more specific embodiments, the marketplace also presents the interface to the first entity where the first entity can update information about themselves, advertising opportunities they offer, or to also to pay for access to the information system. The information can comprise a database located on one or more computer systems where the interface to the information system can be access by an entity or by a computer, possibly using an API. Also, the characteristic associated with the advertising opportunity stored in the information system can include actual content, metadata, or parameters associated with the opportunity provided by the first entity. 
         [0016]    In other embodiments, the inventive subject matter includes methods of generating revenue. Revenue is generated by providing an information system storing a characteristic of an advertising opportunity associated with a first entity, providing and interface to allow a second entity to access the information system, and providing an account server used by the second entity to pay for access to the information system. The second entity can use the account server to pay the first peer for advertising services the first entity renders. Furthermore, the account server also allows for charging the first entity or the second entity for use of the information system, possibly on a subscription basis or on a percentage basis. 
         [0017]    Glossary 
         [0018]    The following descriptions refer to terms used within this document. The terms are provided to ensure clarity when discussing the various aspects of the invention matter without implied limitations. 
         [0019]    The term “peer” means an entity that wishes to access the goods and services of another entity. A peer is different than a consumer or a provider of goods and services because a peer can embody both consumer and provider characteristics. In addition a peer can represent a single individual or a collection of multiple individuals. An example of a collection of individuals include for a profit company, a corporation, or a business; or a non-profit organization. A peer can also represent an automated system under the control of an entity, for example, a computer programmed to interface with embodiments of the inventive subject matter to maximize advertising return on investment. In the preferred embodiment, a peer can advertise as well as offer advertising opportunities. 
         [0020]    The teachings herein may be advantageously employed by peers that have a desire to advertise and/or have advertising opportunities available for advertising. Marketplaces aid in stretching a peer&#39;s advertising dollar while also increasing advertising revenue by allowing advertising peers to find each other quickly and exchange payment without making excessive payments to a middle man. 
         [0021]    Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, along with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals represent like components. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0022]      FIG. 1  represents an example embodiment of a marketplace for advertising. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0023]    The follow description includes one or more specific example embodiments that are presented to clarify the inventive subject matter. However, the example embodiments do not limit the scope of the subject to the specifics of the example. 
         [0024]      FIG. 1  presents an overview of an environment in which an embodiment exists. Marketplace  100  comprises several components that provide access to advertising opportunities to one or more peers as indicated by peers  110 A and  110 B. Peers  110 A or  110 B communicate with marketplace  100  through network  115  which communicatively couples the one or more peers to marketplace  100 . Preferred marketplace  100  comprises interface  120 , information system  130 , and account server  140 . Additionally, marketplace  100  can comprise advertising server  150  and service agent  160 . The components of marketplace  100  communicate with other components through communication link  125 . 
         [0025]    Peers  110 A or  110 B comprises entities that use marketplace  100  to find advertising opportunities by searching through information system  130  via interface  120 . In a preferred embodiment peer  110 A or  110 B comprise a general purpose computing system running on a general purpose operating systems, possibly Linux, Windows™, or Solaris. It is also contemplated that peer  100 A or  110 B could comprise dedicated hardware or software that interacts with marketplace  100 . A user directs the computer directly or indirectly to find relevant opportunities. Direct use includes a person searching information system  130  by sifting through records in database  133 . Indirect use includes using an automated program that sifts through the records while a user is not present. 
         [0026]    Peer  110 A communicates over network  115  to exchange information with marketplace  100 . A preferred network  115  includes the Internet; however, other networks are also contemplated including wired or wireless networks. Example wired networks include those that employ frame relay, ATM, phone lines, cable lines, Ethernet, or other media that use physical infrastructure for signal transport. Example wireless networks include 802.11. UWB, WiMAX, Bluetooth, wireless USB, or other wireless transports. 
         [0027]    Peer  110 A uses interface  120  to interact with marketplace  100 . Interface  120  can comprise a human interface or machine interface. In a preferred embodiment, interface  120  comprises a one or more web pages served to a browser located on peer  110 A; however, it is contemplated that interface  120  could also be a dedicated application located on peer  110 A. In this sense, the preferred embodiment uses a human interface that allows a human to interact with marketplace  100  directly. In an alternative embodiment, interface  120  comprises a machine interface that allows peer  110 A that is operating as a machine or device to access marketplace  100 . Example machine interfaces include Application Program Interfaces (APIs). In some embodiments, APIs include web services possibly using XML, SOAP, or WSDL. Although interface  120  is shown external to peer  110 A, one should note interface  120  can be located physically within peer  110 A, within a server within marketplace  100 , or distribute across one or more devices attached to network  115 . 
         [0028]    As peer  110 A interacts with interface  120 , interface  120  exchanges information with one or more components of marketplace  100  over communication link  125 . In some embodiments, communication link  125  includes an API between programs running on the same computer systems where the programs represent the components of marketplace  100 . In a preferred embodiment, communication link  125  could employ a network to communicate between one or more computer systems. It is also contemplated that communication link  125  could comprise network  115 . Communication link  125  could also comprise other types of connections between components including USB, various PCI busses, IrDA, 802.11, Ethernet, or other interconnects. 
         [0029]    Information system  130  comprises information about one or more advertising opportunities associated with peer  110 A or  110 B. The information can include direct or indirect information about a peer&#39;s advertising opportunity. Direct information includes characteristics of the advertising opportunity including the target market, audience, cost, allowed advertising parameters (size, shape, word count, time length, etc . . . ), or other contemplated defining characteristics. Indirect information includes metadata, user assigned tags, classified goods and services, or other information that might not be assigned by the peer offering the advertising opportunity. 
         [0030]    A peer, including peer  110 A or peer  110 B, access information system  130  to either add information about an advertising opportunity or find an advertising opportunity. In a preferred embodiment, when a peer adds an advertising opportunity, they characterize the advertising opportunity. For example, a peer could be a blogger who posts messages about fly fishing and wishes to offer advertisers access to advertising opportunities on their blog. The blogger could add the opportunities one at a time, or collectively showing how many opportunities have the same characteristics. Then the blogger characterizes the opportunities possibly by including information about the target audience; fly fishing hobbyists. A second peer, possibly a manufacturer of flies, can search information system  130  using interface  120  to find the blogger&#39;s opportunities by searching for “fly fishing” or searching using other well known techniques; possibly even using Google-like capabilities. 
         [0031]    In a preferred embodiment, information system  130  comprises database  133 . Database  133  can be implemented using any acceptable data structures including MYSQL™, Access™, Postgress™, or even web based databases including Yahoo!™, Google, MSN™, or other information stores. 
         [0032]    Marketplace  100  can also comprise account server  140 . In a preferred embodiment, account server  140  includes account  143 A for peer  110 A or account  143 B for peer  110 B. Each account is used to manage user accounts for accessing marketplace  100 , for handling payments to the marketplace, or for handling payments between peers. Examples of account servers include services like Paypal or Google Pay. It is also contemplated that account server  140  can include security capabilities to ensure confidentiality, integrity, or authentication of peer data or actions. 
         [0033]    Account service  140  allows peer  110 A to charge peer  110 B for placing an advertising message within peer  110 A&#39;s advertising opportunity. A charge includes a monetary value, usually greater than zero dollars; however, it is also contemplated that peer  110 A and  110 B could exchange other forms of payment. An example of another form of payment includes providing services. For example, peer  110 B could provide advertising opportunities to peer  110 A in exchange for access to peer  110 A&#39;s advertising opportunities. In one embodiment, marketplace  100  uses account server  140  to exchange payment between peers  110 A and  110 B substantially at the time when the advertisement is made; however, it is also contemplated that peers could exchange payments before or after a message is placed. It is also contemplated that account server  140  can also charge a percentage of the monetary exchange between peer  110 A and  110 B. The percentage, in a preferred embodiment, represents a charge for access to marketplace  110 . Preferred percentages are those that have a value that are at least the value of one of the following percentages: 1%, 2%, 5%, 10%, 25%, or 50%. 
         [0034]    Additionally, it is contemplated that marketplace  100  comprises advertisement server  150 . Advertisement server  150  represents the functionality of providing an advertisement message that corresponds to an advertising opportunity. 
         [0035]    In one embodiment, peer  110 A places information about an advertising opportunity into information system  130 . Peer  110 B finds the opportunity and pays Peer  110 A through account server  140  to place an advertisement. Peer  110 B places its advertisement into advertisement server  150 . When peer  110 A has a chance to display the advertisement, peer  110 A contacts advertisement server  150  to obtain the advertisement. In a preferred embodiment, advertisement server  150  comprises a computer server running a web server, possibly Apache. Peer  110 A could offer advertising opportunities on their blog, web page, web site, or other on-line places. Peer  110 A uses HTTP, possibly over an SSL connection, to obtain an advertisement. It is contemplated that the advertisement could include HTML, graphics, audio, video, text, or other communications media that can carry a message. 
         [0036]    Service agent  160  can also compose marketplace  100 . Service agent  160  comprises one or more application programs running on one or more computer systems to conduct miscellaneous tasks. Example tasks include charging each peer periodically using account server  140 . In one embodiment a peer subscribes to marketplace  100  services in exchange for a periodic charge. Example periodic charges include charging on at least one of the following periods: a day, a week, a month, a quarter, a year, or a multi-year period. 
         [0037]    Service agent  160 , in some embodiments, also supplies other capabilities to a peer to aid in connecting advertising messages with advertising opportunities. Example capabilities include:
       Monitoring use of a message   Alerting a peer when new advertising opportunities become available, possibly through considerations or when new opportunities are added to the information system   Logging statistics of the number of times a message has been placed or statistics on sell-through   Keeping an inventory of messages or opportunities available to peers   Generating reports, possibly in comma separated value (CSV) spreadsheets.   Other services that a peer would find useful in managing their advertising campaign       
 
         [0044]    It is contemplated that marketplace  100  has to be initialized to establish a customer base. In some embodiments, information system  100  can be initialized by crawling indexed web sites similar to Yahoo! or Google to find potential advertising opportunities. Service agent  160  can send emails to those peers that have opportunities and messages. The emails could offer the peers access to marketplace  100  and show how the peers can save money by exchanging money directly without paying a substantial portion to a third party. 
         [0045]    Additional considerations contemplated with respect to the development and deployment of marketplace  100 . The following list briefly describes the additional considerations:
       Peers are able to find each other&#39;s opportunities or messages through a search engine. In a preferred embodiment, standard search engines can be used including Google&#39;s search technology using keyword. Additionally, users can search for peers based on classification of opportunities or messages, or based on metadata including user defined tags or rankings.   Advertising opportunities or messages can be defined by characteristics. Characteristics comprises descriptions including word count, shape, time, position, length, volume, file size (bytes), or other parameters that can be used to describe a advertising opportunity or message.   Advertising can be as simple as a peer loading their message into advertisement server  150 , then setting the parameters for their campaign with respect to other peer&#39;s opportunities. Every time the message is accessed, the peer&#39;s accounts are updated. In this sense, a peer can create a program to maximize the extent of their advertising dollar. Additionally, peers offering advertising opportunities can programmatically place messages that increase their revenue. Programmatically placing messages provides for a peer to place real-time messages which can be help optimize message metrics including click-through, buy-through, or other metric.       
 
         [0049]    Although a preferred embodiment includes peers offer advertising opportunities on web sites and displaying advertising messages on the web sites, it is expressly contemplated that the inventive subject matter can be advantageously deployed in other embodiments. The following incomplete list represents possible other embodiments:
       Peers can include movie theaters that have can display commercials before a movie. Local business could load content into the marketplace and pay the movie theater directly for displaying their message.   Peers can include on-line game companies that have in-game advertising. When a person plays the game, the game access advertisements from the marketplace and displays them to the game player. The advantage is that local companies could display ads as opposed to only those large companies that can pay for product placement.       
 
         [0052]    Those skilled in the art of advertising or ecommerce will recognize the benefits of a peer to peer marketplace for advertising. It is contemplated that companies that make a large amount of revenue from advertising would prefer that a marketplace system not exist because it obviates their services. Peers would rather work directly with each other because the costs would be reduce for placing ads and the peers offering advertising opportunities would obtain a larger share of the revenue. By flatting the advertising market through a marketplace, the advertising market becomes a true free market where the peers generate the greatest benefit as opposed to the invasive brokerage houses. The marketplace makes revenue through subscription service, through charging a percentage of the transaction, advertising, or other less intrusive methods to the peers. 
         [0053]    Additionally, use of a marketplace provides peers for monitoring click fraud directly because the peer ultimately decides where messages are place or who will place messages. The marketplace can be self policing or regulating. 
         [0054]    Hardware 
         [0055]    Other aspects relate to hardware associated with the inventive subject matter. It is contemplated that one could develop hardware for storing, prototyping, manufacturing, manipulating, managing, packaging, testing, physically controlling or supporting, or for other activities associated with the physical aspects of the inventive subject matter. Therefore, the inventive subject matter includes systems, methods, or apparatus for developing, producing, manufacturing, or running the hardware. In this sense, the hardware falls within the scope of the inventive subject matter. 
         [0056]    Software 
         [0057]    In still another aspect, it is contemplated that one could write software that would configure, simulate, or manage various aspects of the inventive subject matter and their associated infrastructure. From that perspective the inventive subject matter includes methods of writing such software, recording the software on a machine readable form, licensing, selling, distributing, installing, or operating such software on suitable hardware. Moreover, the software per se is deemed to fall within the scope of the inventive subject matter. 
         [0058]    Of particular interest are electronic marketplaces in which peers could list the characteristics of interest (e.g., type of advertising, size of advertisement, time of day that an advertisement runs, keywords or other triggers for displaying the advertisement, priority over other advertisements, price for displaying, clicking through or taking some other action relative to an advertisement) as parameter/value pairs, in which new parameters could be added or at least suggested by the peers. Suggestion of new parameters for both goods and services in such as system is taught in Ser. No. 11/550,490, titled “Systems &amp; Methods For Storing And Retrieving Goods &amp; Services Information Using Parameter/Value Databases” to the current inventor. 
         [0059]    Thus, specific compositions and methods of peer-to-peer advertising have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the disclosure. Moreover, in interpreting the disclosure all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to the elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps can be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced.