Patent ID: 8527346

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for scheduling advertising, comprising the steps of: estimating, by a processor, a respective fraction of delivered advertisement impressions that result in a response from a user for each of a plurality of advertising contracts, wherein each advertising contract identifies a number of responses to be obtained over a period of time comprising a plurality of time intervals; estimating, by a processor, a value per impression for each of the advertising contracts, wherein the value per impression is estimated in near-real time, and scheduling, by a processor, an advertising line under the contract having the highest value per impression at a next available advertising window, wherein a number of impressions of the advertising line to be delivered during the next available advertising window is determined by a number of desired responses yet to be obtained for the advertising contract, a real-time estimate of a fraction of the impressions of the advertising line that elicit a response from the user, and a weight assigned to each remaining time interval of the period of time within which the number of responses under the advertising contract is to be obtained, each weight being based on an estimated relative traffic pattern for each remaining time interval.