System, Methods, and Apparatus for Interactive Advertising
The present invention relates to a system and methodology for searching and presenting merchant and advertised information to a user over a wide area network such as the Internet. The system and method actively links manufacturer and merchant information within a search query so as to enable a user to conduct more efficient searching when seeking products or services in a proximity or geographical area. This Abstract is provided for the sole purpose of complying with the Abstract requirement rules that allow a reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the disclosure contained herein. This Abstract is submitted with the explicit understanding that it will not be used to interpret or to limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.
1 . A computer implemented method, comprising:
configuring a computing device to receive a user input from a user requesting information about a product or service within a proximity;
providing a first output comprising a list of one or more merchants providing the product or service within the proximity; and
providing a second output comprising one or more brand names under which the product or service is available within the proximity;
where the first and second outputs are simultaneously displayed to the user on an instant messaging interface.
2 . The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the instant messaging interface is an interface embedded within a web browser.
3 . The computer implemented method of claim 1 , where the user can interact with either the first output or the second output and in response to the user interaction both the first output and the second output are updated.
4 . The computer implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
providing an instant messaging session, where:
the user input comprises one or more instant messages;
the first output comprises an instant message provided in response to the user input within the instant messaging session; and
providing a browser window displayed simultaneously with the instant messaging session, where the second output is included in the browser window.
5 . The computer implemented method of claim 4 , further comprising:
providing an Internet bot, where the Internet bot is configured to interact with the user to elicit the user input.
6 . The computer implemented method of claim 5 , wherein the Internet bot comprises a control on the instant messenger interface.
7 . The computer implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
formulating a search query based on the user input; searching at least one database using the search query, the database comprising information about the product or service comprising merchants providing the product or service; and
generating the first output and the second output based on the database search.
8 . The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the configuration further comprises a configuration to:
receive a second user input interacting with either the first output or the second output; and
update the first output and the second output based on the second user input.
9 . The computer implemented method of claim 8 , wherein:
the second user input comprises a selection of a brand name included in the second output;
updating the first output comprises updating the list to include one or more merchants in the proximity providing to product or service under the selected brand name; and
updating the second output comprises providing additional information about the product or service available under the selected brand name.
10 . The computer implemented method of claim 9 , wherein updating the second output to provide additional information about the product or service available under the selected brand name comprises providing a means for the user to request a list of one or more merchants in the proximity with the product or service available under the selected brand name in stock.
11 . The computer implemented method of claim 8 , wherein:
the second user input comprises a selection of a merchant included in the first output;
updating the first output comprises providing additional information about the selected merchant; and
updating the second output comprises providing a graphical display of a location of the merchant within the proximity.
12 . A system for providing a search for a product or service within a geographical proximity comprising:
an instant messenger user interface configured to:
receive a user input requesting information about a product or service within a proximity;
provide a first output comprising a list of one or more merchants providing the product or service within the proximity; and
provide a second output comprising one or more brand names under which the product or service is available within the proximity;
where the first and second outputs are simultaneously displayed to a user;
a search engine configured to:
formulate a search query based at least in part on the received user input;
search a database using the search query; and
generate the first output and the second output based on the database search;
the database comprising:
information about a plurality of merchants, comprising one or more geographic locations associated with each merchant; and
information about a plurality of brand names associated with a plurality of products and services.
13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the instant messaging interface is an interface embedded within a web browser.
14 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the user interface is further configured to:
provide an instant messaging session, where the user input comprises an instant message and the first output comprises an instant message within the instant messaging session; and
provide a browser window comprising the second output.
15 . The system of claim 12 , further comprising:
an Internet bot, wherein the Internet bot communicates with the user in the instant messaging session and provides information to the search engine.
16 . The system of claim 15 , wherein the Internet bot comprises a control on the instant messenger interface.
17 . The system of claim 12 , where:
the user interface is further configured to:
receive a second user input interacting with either the first output or the second output; and
provide an updated first output and an updated second output; and
the search engine is further configured to:
formulate a second search query based on the second user input;
search the database using the second search query; and
generate the updated first output and the updated second output based on the database search.
18 . A computer implemented method comprising:
providing an instant messaging session with an instant messaging interface;
providing an Internet bot configured to interact with a user of the instant messaging session;
configuring a computing device to receive a user input comprising an instant message directed to the Internet bot within the instant messaging session, where the user input includes a request for information about a product or a service within a proximity;
providing a first output formulated as an instant message from the Internet bot directed to the user, where the first output includes a list of one or more merchants providing the product or service within the proximity; and
providing a second output comprising one or more brand names under which the product or service is available within the proximity;
where the first and second outputs are simultaneously displayed to the user.
19 . The computer implemented method of claim 18 , wherein the instant messaging interface is an interface embedded within a web browser.
20 . The computer implemented method of claim 18 , wherein the Internet bot comprises a control on the instant messenger interface.
21 . The computer implemented method of claim 18 , where the user can interact with either the first output or the second output and in response to the user interaction both the first output and the second output are updated.