Patent ID: 7454364

Claim:
A method for automatically regulating opportunities for presenting electronic advertisements while a visitor is in contact with a communications node, the method comprising: Upon a visitor visiting a communications node, electronically and automatically, and individually for that visitor: (a) obtaining a profile of the visitor, which profile contains data identifying various attributes believed to be associated with the visitor; (b) accessing pre-stored data derived from a plurality of pre-collected bids, the bids being for delivery of an associated advertisement to a visitor visiting the communications node, each of which plurality of bids having been collected by receiving: (i) a first offer price if a visitor to the communications node has a subset of attributes; and (ii) at least one supplemental offer price if the visitor has an individual attribute in addition to the subset of attributes; (c) identifying from the data which of the bids yields the greatest overall price for delivery of the associated electronic advertisement to the visitor visiting the communications node, the overall price for each bid being based on the total of (i) the first offer price associated with a subset of attributes that match the corresponding entries in the visitor's profile, and (ii) the at least one supplemental offer price, in each case where the individual attribute matches the correspoding entry in the visitor's profile; (d) arranging for the delivery of the electronic advertisement associated with the identified bid to the visitor; and (e) recording billing data identifying the delivered advertisement and the price for delivery of the advertisement to the visitor pursuant to the identified bid.