Method and apparatus for providing specifically targeted advertising and preventing various forms of advertising fraud in electronic books

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing specifically targeted advertisements and preventing various forms of advertising fraud in electronic documents. In one embodiment, the method includes; receiving or having access to the contents of documents; receiving or having access to subscriber target criteria; receiving, creating, or having access to advertisements; receiving or having access to information from subscribers; receiving or having access to requests for electronic documents; determining or having access to whether subscriber target criteria for the advertisements is satisfied by the information from the subscriber requesting the electronic documents; selecting a set of advertisements for electronic documents by choosing advertisements having associated subscriber target criteria that are satisfied by the information from the subscriber requesting the electronic documents; inserting the selected advertisements for electronic documents into the electronic documents; and providing access to the electronic documents to the subscribers who requested electronic documents.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application in a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 464,154, filed Aug. 11, 2006, which claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60 / 789,193, filed Apr. 4, 2006, the contents of both of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.BACKGROUND[0002]1. Field of the Disclosure[0003]The present disclosure relates generally to providing advertising in electronic documents. More specifically, the present disclosure is related to a method and apparatus for providing targeted advertising in electronic documents and preventing advertising fraud and the unwanted or illegal dissemination of electronic books. In particular, the present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for providing specifically targeted advertising in electronic books and preventing or limiting advertising fraud and the unwanted or illegal dissemination of electronic books, which provides a variety of benefits and advantage...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]The present disclosure is directed to a method and apparatus for providing specifically targeted advertising and preventing or greatly reducing illegal or unwanted dissemination of electronic books and electronic advertising fraud, which provides numerous benefits and advantages to the advertiser, reader, publisher, author and provider of the electronic book and its contents.

[0012]In yet another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of preventing advertising fraud in advertising provided in electronic books is provided. The method includes 1) providing or giving access to one or more electronic books containing one or more electronic advertisements having the ability to display or link to additional or related information about the advertisement to a subscriber, 2) providing the ability to limit or limiting the number of times the subscriber can receive any one advertisement in one or more electronic books to a particular number and 3) providing the ability to limit or limiting the number of times any one subscriber can click on the advertisement in one or more electronic books to access the additional or related information about the advertisement.

Problems solved by technology

Unfortunately, this and other prior art methods do not allow advertisers to place their advertising in front of only those subscribers that specifically match their specific selection criteria.

As a result, advertisers waste money, resources and good will advertising to individuals they do not want to target and individuals not interested in or persuaded by their advertising.

Additionally, prior art methods of providing electronic books do not add content value to the electronic book provided, provide incentives, promotions or prizes for readers of the electronic books, encouraging them to read and consider the advertising instead of skipping over it.

Prior art methods also do not provide safeguards and protection against illegal or unwanted dissemination of the electronic book and various types of advertising fraud which can be detrimental to both advertisers and content providers.

For example, advertisers and content providers are often plagued with problems associated with click and impression fraud that lessen the value of the electronic advertising and have significant costs associated with both of them.

Prior art methods also do not allow content providers to benefit from advertising that they do not specifically select or have control over, which allows them to disassociate themselves from the advertisers and thereby remain credible and impartial in the eyes of their readers and the public at large.

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