Patent ID: 7844493

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: a) receiving, by a computer system including at least one computer, a plurality of ads; b) determining, by the computer system, an ad preference value for each of the plurality of ads as a function of performance information associated with the ad and a maximum cost for a result bid associated with the ad, wherein the performance information associated with the ad is selected from a group consisting of (i) a selection rate of the ad, (ii) a conversion rate of the ad, (iii) an expected selection rate of the ad, and (iv) an expected conversion rate of the ad; c) determining, by the computer system, a cost for each of the plurality of ads, the cost being lower than the maximum cost for a result bid associated with the ad, by i) accepting a next lower ad preference value than that of the ad; ii) accepting the performance information associated with the ad; and iii) determining the cost based on the accepted performance information of the ad and the accepted next lower ad preference value such that a value provided by the function of the accepted performance information of the ad and the determined cost of the ad, is not less than the accepted next lower ad preference value.