System and method for real-time bidding for Internet advertising space

Abstract

A method implemented in a computer system for determining an advertisement in response to an advertising opportunity, wherein the advertising opportunity is an opportunity to place the advertisement on a web page subsequent to a request for the web page by a browser. The computer system receives an indication of the advertising opportunity, and in response to receiving the indication, the computer system determines bids, wherein each bid is associated with an advertisement, selects one of the bids and places the advertisement associated with the selected bid on the web page.

1 . A method implemented in a computer system for determining in response to each advertising opportunity of a plurality of advertising opportunities, which advertisement of a plurality of advertisements to provide for fulfilling the each advertising opportunity, the each advertising opportunity being an opportunity to serve an advertisement to a browser in response to a request for content by the browser, the method comprising: 
 maintaining in the computer system a plurality of sets of bidding parameters, each set of bidding parameters being associated with one or more of the plurality of advertisements and an advertiser, the each set of bidding parameters being indicative of whether the associated advertiser is desirous that a bid should be submitted for providing one of the associated one or more of the plurality of advertisements for fulfilling the each advertising opportunity;    receiving in the computer system an indication of the request for content, thereby presenting the each advertising opportunity; and in response to the request for content:    determining in the computer system one or more bids, each determined bid being based on one of the sets of bidding parameters, the one of the sets of bidding parameters being met by characteristics of the advertising opportunity, wherein the each determined bid, in accordance with the one of the sets of bidding parameters, is associated with a monetary amount that an advertiser associated with the each determined bid is willing to pay if the each determined bid is selected and a specific event occurs;    selecting in the computer system a bid from among the determined bids, wherein the selection of the selected bid is based on the selected bid being determined in the computer system as having a highest beneficial value; and    identifying in the computer system an advertisement associated with the selected bid,    whereby the identified advertisement is determined by a bidding process.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein at least one set of bidding parameters includes a plurality of levels, wherein a first level includes a first criteria of advertising opportunities and is associated with a first monetary amount and a second level includes the first criteria of advertising opportunities and a second criteria of advertising opportunities and is associated with a second monetary amount.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selected bid is associated with a highest monetary amount.