JP2007199921A - Advertising right bid management system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a system for managing bids on advertising rights associated with location-based search. <P>SOLUTION: The advertising right bid management system having a bid management server connected to advertiser terminals and user terminals via a communication network receives bid information from the advertiser terminal, including map mesh designation information, advertisements, and bid prices, the map mesh designation information designating one of a plurality of map meshes defined by dividing a target map in the form of a lattice. They are stored in association with one another. Based on all the bid prices associated with the map meshes included in a map area which the user terminal has requested to display, the advertising order of all the advertisements associated with the respective map meshes is determined, and the advertisements are sent, together with the advertising order determined. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an advertisement posting right bid management system that determines the posting order of advertisements posted on a website by bidding, and imposes an advertising fee according to the bid price, and in particular, bids related to a desired map area. It relates to the system to be realized.

  Search advertisements (listing) advertisements are becoming popular as advertisement forms transmitted from websites to users using the Internet. When an advertiser bids for a search word used on a search engine site, the advertiser's advertisement is posted in an advertisement display section on a search result display screen where a search is performed using the search word. The advertisement posting order is determined in descending order of bid price.

  Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a listing advertisement system. In Patent Literature 1, a user terminal and a master server system that stores advertisement information associated with a keyword are connected via the Internet. On condition that a keyword is input from the user terminal, the master server system transmits an advertisement corresponding to the keyword to the user terminal in a ranking displayable state. In this case, the master server system determines the ranking of advertisements according to the same keyword based on various evaluation values including the bid value of the keyword.

The advantage of search-linked advertising is that both the needs of advertisers and advertising media providers (search engine site operators, etc.) are satisfied. Advertisers can't monopolize the media, but the cost for prominent advertisements is clear, the effectiveness of advertising such as the contract rate of users visiting from links can be measured, and the costs are fixed, making it easy to make a budget There are advantages such as. In addition, as an advertising media provider, the advertiser (or agency) can accept it by entering the system, so it does not take time for sales, and if there is a need for the search word, many advertisements are automatically gathered, There are advantages such as automatically raising the price in the bidding system.
JP 2004-38370 A

  However, since conventional search-linked advertisements are intended for text data called search words, their convenience is limited.

  On the other hand, in the use of the Internet by a user terminal, particularly in the case of a mobile terminal mounted on a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone or a vehicle, a desired object linked to a position information search or a map search using a GPS function. Discovering (stores, restaurants, etc.) is becoming common. In particular, unlike a search using a search word, when a user performs a position information search, it is usually considered that there is a strong motive for actually visiting the desired object.

  However, even if a spot advertisement is displayed in the map displayed on the user terminal, the effect is not so noticeable. Even if the user actually visits a store or the like, it is difficult to determine whether or not it is due to the advertising effect unless the coupon downloaded at the user terminal is used. Also, the advertising cost per customer is unclear. Furthermore, since it is practically impossible for the advertisement medium provider to post all the spot advertisements of a large number of advertisers on the map, a selection criterion for the advertisement to be posted is necessary.

  Therefore, if the position information search and the advertisement are linked and a bid system for the advertisement posting right is combined, a very high advertising effect can be obtained for the advertiser, and at the same time, it can be beneficial for the advertisement medium provider.

  In view of the above situation, an object of the present invention is to provide a system for managing a bid for an advertisement posting right linked to a position information search.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a system having the following configuration.
(1) An advertisement posting right bid management system according to claim 1 includes a plurality of advertiser terminals and a plurality of advertiser terminals in order to manage bids for advertisement posting rights for posting advertisements along with the display of a map at a user terminal. In the advertisement posting right bid management system having a bid management server connected to a user terminal via a communication network, the bid management server includes:
Map mesh designation information for designating a desired map mesh among a plurality of map meshes defined by dividing the entire target map into a grid pattern, advertisement information to be posted together with the designated map mesh, and the designated Bid information receiving means for receiving a bid price of the map mesh from the advertiser terminal;
Bid information storage means for storing the received map mesh designation information, the advertisement information and the bid price in association with each other;
All the bid prices associated with each of the map meshes included in the map area requested to be displayed by the user terminal are referred to, and at least the map meshes included in the map area based on the bid prices Advertisement posting order determining means for determining the posting order of all the advertisements associated with each;
And an advertisement transmitting means for transmitting each of the advertisements together with the determined posting order.

(2) The advertisement posting right bid management system according to claim 2 is the map data of the map area requested to be displayed by the advertiser terminal prior to receiving the bid information from the advertiser terminal in claim 1. On the other hand, it has map area data transmission means for superimposing mesh data indicating a grid frame of one or a plurality of map meshes included in the map area and transmitting them to the advertiser terminal.

(3) The advertisement posting right bid management system according to claim 3 is characterized in that, in claim 2, one or a plurality of bid prices preceding the map mesh included in the map area requested to be displayed by the advertiser terminal. Is already related, the map area data transmitting means transmits the preceding one or more bid prices to the advertiser terminal together.

(4) The advertisement posting right bid management system according to claim 4 is transmitted from the user terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3 in response to a click on any of the advertisements posted on the user terminal. A means of receiving click information;
It further has an advertisement fee determination means for determining an advertisement fee for the clicked advertisement based on the received click information.

(5) The advertisement posting right bid management system according to claim 5 is the information according to claim 4, wherein the click information specifies the clicked advertisement and the map area displayed at the time of the click. Including
The advertisement fee determination means extracts one or a plurality of the bid prices related to the clicked advertisement for each of the map meshes included in the map area displayed at the time of the click, and at least one of them Alternatively, the advertisement fee is determined based on a plurality of bid prices.

(6) The advertisement posting right bidding management system according to claim 6 includes a map site server that holds map data of the entire target map in claim 1,
The bid management server receives, via the map site server, information specifying a map area requested to be displayed by the user terminal.

(7) The advertisement posting right bid management system according to claim 7 has a map site server that holds map data of the entire target map in claim 1,
The bid management server transmits each of the advertisements together with the determined posting order to the map site server, and the map site server displays a map requested to be displayed by the user terminal together with the determined posting order and the advertisement. The map data of the area is transmitted to the user terminal.

(8) The advertisement posting right bid management system according to claim 8 has a map site server in claim 2 that holds map data of the entire target map,
The bid management server acquires map data of a map area requested to be displayed by the advertiser terminal from the map site server.

(9) The advertisement posting right bid management system according to claim 9 is any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the advertisement is displayed on a display section different from the display section of the map area on the display screen of the user terminal. It is characterized by being posted.

(10) An advertisement posting right bidding management system according to claim 10 includes a plurality of advertiser terminals and a plurality of advertiser terminals in order to manage bids for advertisement posting rights for posting advertisements with display of a map at a user terminal. In the advertisement posting right bid management system having a bid management server connected to a user terminal via a communication network, the bid management server includes:
Map unit designation information for designating a desired map unit among individual map units obtained by dividing the entire target map into a plurality of pieces, advertisement information to be posted together with the designated map unit, and a bid price of the designated map unit Bidding information receiving means for receiving from the advertiser terminal,
Bid information storage means for storing the received map unit designation information, the advertisement information and the bid price in association with each other;
All the bid prices associated with each of the map units included in the map area requested to be displayed by the user terminal are referred to, and at least the map units included in the map area based on the bid prices. Advertisement posting order determining means for determining the posting order of all the advertisements associated with each;
And an advertisement transmitting means for transmitting each of the advertisements together with the determined posting order.
(11) The advertisement posting right bid management system according to claim 11 is the map data of the map area requested to be displayed by the advertiser terminal prior to receiving the bid information from the advertiser terminal in claim 10. On the other hand, there is provided a map area data transmitting means for superimposing unit data indicating frames of one or a plurality of map units included in the map area and transmitting the data to the advertiser terminal.
(12) The advertisement posting right bid management system according to claim 12 is the click information transmitted from the user terminal in response to a click on any of the advertisements posted on the user terminal. Means for receiving;
It further has an advertisement fee determining means for determining an advertisement fee for the clicked advertisement based on the received click information.

In the system of this invention which concerns on Claims 1-9, the whole map area which is a search object of a user terminal is previously divided | segmented into a grid | lattice form, and it defines so that each map mesh can be specified. The advertiser bids on the desired map mesh. Then, the advertisement posting order on the user terminal is determined in descending order of bid price.
Since a fair means of bidding is used to determine the advertisement ranking, the advertiser can easily realize a desire to perform a conspicuous (higher posting order) advertisement. Depending on the bid price, the advertising medium can be monopolized or oligopolized (claim 3). In particular, when an advertisement is posted on a display section different from the display section of the map area on the user terminal, the advertisement can be markedly more noticeable than the spot advertisement displayed on the map.
In addition, since the advertiser can bid in units of a rectangular map mesh divided into a grid, it is possible to easily select a bid object in an easy-to-understand manner visually. Furthermore, since only a necessary region can be selected, waste can be saved in terms of cost, and a detailed regional strategy can be dealt with (claim 2).
Furthermore, since the advertising fee is determined by the user click, the advertiser can objectively measure the advertising effect and the customer acquisition cost becomes clear (claims 4 and 5).
Even as an advertising medium provider, since the advertiser makes a bid from the terminal via the communication network and registers the advertisement, the labor of the business can be reduced. The medium can be used without waste, and the medium can be sold at a high price due to the bidding effect (claims 1 to 9).
By linking with an existing map site server, the ability to attract customers from a well-known map search site can be used. Further, the bid management server itself can operate this system without having a map database, and can be realized at low cost (claims 6 to 8).

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(1) Outline of the present system FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram schematically showing one embodiment of the advertisement posting right bid management system of the present invention.
A map mesh bid management server (hereinafter abbreviated as “bid management server”) 10 is a main server of the present system, and is implemented by introducing a program for realizing each processing function of the present system into a predetermined computer. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the bid management server 10 is connected to the existing map site server 20 through an appropriate communication network and operates in cooperation. Although not shown, the bid management server 10 includes at least a web server function for constructing a website for the advertiser terminal 30.

  Although not shown, an embodiment in which the bid management server 10 and the map site server 20 are integrated is also possible. In that case, the bid management server 10 includes a web server function for constructing a map search site for the user terminal 40, a map search engine, and a map database.

  The bid management server 10 is connected to the advertiser terminal 30 via an appropriate communication network, typically the Internet 50. Further, in the illustrated form, relay is performed by the map site server 20, but the bid management server 10 and the user terminal 40 are also indirectly connected via the Internet 50.

  The advertiser terminal 30 is typically a personal computer including a web browser and a communication device for Internet connection. The advertiser terminal 30 can display the data transmitted from the website of the bid management server 10 on the display device, can input data using the input device, and can transmit the data to the bid management server 10.

  The user terminal 40 includes a web browser and an internet connection communication device, and is, for example, a mobile terminal mounted on a vehicle or the like, a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, or a personal computer. The user terminal 40 can display the map data transmitted from the map site server 20 on the display screen, and can post the advertisement transmitted from the bid management server 10 via the map site server 20. In addition, click information regarding a click operation on the posted advertisement can be transmitted to the bid management server 10 via the map site server 20.

  The main processing functions of the bid management server 10 include a map mesh registration processing unit 11, an advertiser and advertisement registration processing unit 12, a map mesh bid processing unit 13, and a user click processing unit 14. Further, a map mesh bid management database (hereinafter abbreviated as “bid management database”) 15 for storing various data related to the present system is constructed in an appropriate storage device. The bid management database 15 includes a plurality of tables that are created, updated, deleted, etc. in cooperation with each of the processing units 11 to 14. In FIG. 1, a table group directly related to each processing unit is shown connected by a broken line. These tables are also appropriately associated with the stored data as a key.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart schematically showing a processing procedure in the present system.
Step S1: When the advertiser uses the system for the first time, the advertiser logs in to the bid management server 10 from the advertiser terminal 30 and performs registration.

Step S2: The advertiser bids for the advertisement posting right for one or a plurality of map meshes included in the map area where the advertisement is to be posted by inputting from the advertiser terminal 30. Bidding is performed on a map mesh basis, and the advertiser designates a map mesh and sets a bid price for that map mesh. At the same time, the advertisement information to be posted is also registered.

Step S3: The user makes a display request for a desired map area from the user terminal. The bid management server determines the advertisement posting rank in descending order with reference to the bid price of the map mesh included in the map area designated by the user, and transmits the data of each advertisement with the advertisement posting rank to the user terminal. . On the display screen of the user terminal, the map data of the requested map area is displayed in a predetermined display section, and at the same time, each advertisement is posted in a different display section according to the advertisement posting order. When the user clicks on the desired advertisement, the bid management server acquires the click information.

Step S4: The advertisement fee charged to the advertiser is determined based on which advertisement the user clicked and the bid price.

(2) Description of Data Table Structure in the System Prior to describing the processing flow by the system in more detail, first, main tables used in the system will be described.
3A to 3I are diagrams schematically illustrating an example of each table constituting the bid management database 15.

The left figure of FIG. 3A is the figure which showed virtually the mesh database 111 used by this system. The mesh database 111 stores lattice mesh data, and is provided for the entire target map. The vertical and horizontal lines of the mesh data are meridian and latitude lines set at predetermined intervals, respectively, and can be defined by longitude and latitude.
The entire area of the target map is, for example, the whole country of Japan, and each rectangular section obtained by dividing the entire map into a grid is divided into individual map meshes M1, M2,. . Mk. . Mn is defined so that each map mesh can be uniquely identified. Preferably, the map mesh is defined in accordance with a standard area mesh system divided into a grid pattern with a fixed meridian and parallel based on the national land numerical information (the topographic map published by the Geographical Survey Institute). For example, the size of one map mesh may be about 1 km × 1 km, or 100 m × 100 m in a large city, but is not limited to a specific size.

  The mesh data indicates a grid frame of each map mesh, corresponds to a boundary line with an adjacent map mesh, and is used as follows. For example, when the advertiser terminal designates a specific map area (within the thick frame in the left diagram in FIG. 3A) from the entire target map, as shown in the right diagram in FIG. The data is superimposed and transmitted to the advertiser terminal. The “map area” includes one or more map meshes.

  The right diagram of FIG. 3B is a mesh code table 112, in which mesh codes that uniquely identify each map mesh divided into a grid are registered. As shown in the left diagram of FIG. 3B, since each map mesh Mk is rectangular, the position can be specified by the coordinates (typically latitude and longitude) of the upper left point Lk and the lower right point Rk. The mesh code table 112 is used to associate the map area specified by the coordinates with the map mesh included therein.

  FIG. 3C is an example of the advertiser registration table 121 in which personal data of the advertiser is registered. When an advertiser first registers with the system, a unique advertiser identification code is assigned. The advertiser registration table 121 is used for authentication at the time of an inquiry request from the advertiser terminal. It is also used to specify the billing destination for advertising fees generated by using this system. The registration data can be modified and deleted as appropriate by logging in from the advertiser terminal.

  FIG. 3D is an example of the advertisement registration table 122, in which information related to advertisements posted on the user terminal is registered. When registering an advertisement, a unique advertisement identification code is assigned and associated with the advertiser of the advertisement. “Guidance URL” is a URL of a guidance destination site when a user click occurs for an advertisement. The registration data can be modified and deleted as appropriate by logging in from the advertiser terminal.

  FIG. 3E is an example of the bid management table 131 classified by advertisement. It is a table which records and manages the map mesh in which the bid by the advertiser was made for each advertisement. One or more bid mesh codes correspond to each advertisement identification code. “Advertisement budget” is the total budget of one advertisement, and the advertisement fee is deducted from this every time the user clicks. The “additional charge amount” is an amount added after setting the advertising budget.

  FIG. 3F is an example of the bid management table 132 by mesh. It is a table that records and manages the bidding status by map mesh. The data content of this table 132 is the same as the bid management table 131 classified by advertisement in FIG. 3E.

  FIG. 3G is an example of the advertisement posting order management table 141 that is dynamically generated during data transmission with the user terminal. It is a table for determining and managing the posting order of all advertisements extracted corresponding to the map area when the display request of the map area is received from the user terminal. The upper diagram of FIG. 3G schematically shows a map area requested to be displayed from the user terminal. Since the map area is always rectangular, the upper left mesh L and lower right mesh R of the map area are referred to by referring to the mesh code table shown in FIG. 3B based on the coordinates of the upper left point and the lower right point of the map area. Each mesh code can be specified. Thereby, the mesh codes of all the map meshes included in this map area can be extracted. Based on the extracted mesh code, all advertisements bid on each map mesh in this map area can be extracted with reference to the bid management table 132 by mesh shown in FIG. 3F. Further, based on the bid price of each advertisement, priority is given to the one with a higher bid price, the advertisement posting order is determined, and the result is stored in the table 141 of FIG. 3G.

FIG. 3H is an example of the advertisement-specific user click management table 142 that is dynamically generated during data transmission with the user terminal. When one of the advertisements posted on the user terminal is clicked, “click occurrence date” for each clicked advertisement, “map area specific mesh code” for specifying the map area displayed at that time, clicked A “user terminal identification code” for identifying the user terminal is recorded. The “advertisement budget” and the “additional charge amount” are the same as those in the advertisement-specific bid management table 131 shown in FIG. 3E.
“Advertising fee generation amount” is an advertising fee determined for one click. In addition, when there are two or more clicks on the same advertisement from the same user terminal within one day, it may be processed as invalid.
The “advertising budget balance” is the sum of the initial “advertising budget” and the “additional charge amount”, and “advertising charge generation amount” is deducted every time a user click occurs. The “advertisement budget balance” is also used as an advertisement posting end flag. When the “advertising budget balance” interrupts the advertising fee generated by one click, the posting of the advertisement is terminated.

  FIG. 3I is an advertisement fee management table 143 that is dynamically generated in order to aggregate and record the advertisement fee generation status for each advertiser for each appropriate aggregation period such as weekly and monthly totals. Based on this table 143, the advertiser is charged for the advertising fee, and when there is an inquiry request from the advertiser terminal, this table 143 is referred to and the corresponding data is transmitted.

(3) Details of Processing Flow by the System Hereinafter, the processing flow by the system shown in FIG. 1 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4A to 6B. In addition, the processing flow shown below is an example and is not limited to this. Moreover, in the following description, each component of this system is shown using the code | symbol in FIG. Assume that the registration of the advertiser in the advertiser registration table 121 shown in FIG. 3C has already been completed.

(3-1) Map Mesh Unit Advertisement Posting Right Bid Flow FIGS. 4A and 4B schematically show a map mesh unit advertising right bidding flow performed between the advertiser terminal 30 and the bid management server 10. It is a flowchart. As also shown in FIG. 1, it is preferable that an existing map site server 20 having a map database participates in this process. This eliminates the need for the bid management server 10 itself to have a map database.

  FIG. 4A is a processing flow until a map area including a map mesh to be bid is displayed on the advertiser terminal 30.

Step S11: The advertiser terminal 30 logs in to the website of the bid management server 10. Then, position information specifying a map area including a map mesh desired to be bid is input and transmitted to the bid management server 10. In this case, the location information is input by inputting an address, a station, a landmark, and the like, as in the case of narrowing down the map area on a normal map site.

Step S12: When the bid management server 10 receives the position information specifying the map area, the bid management server 10 transfers the position information to the map site server 20.

Step S13: The map site server 20 specifies the coordinates (latitude and longitude) of an appropriate map area based on the received position information. Further, the map data of the map area corresponding to the coordinates is transmitted to the bid management server 10. The processing of the map site server 20 is the same as the processing as a normal map search site.

Step S14: The bid management server 10 refers to the mesh database 111 in FIG. 3A based on the received coordinates of the map area, and identifies corresponding mesh data. Then, the extracted mesh data is superimposed on the map data in the map area and transmitted to the advertiser terminal 30.

Step S15: Map data of the map area with mesh data is displayed on the display screen of the advertiser terminal 30.

FIG. 4B is a processing flow of map mesh bidding by the advertiser terminal 30 and the bid management server 10.
Step S21: The advertiser terminal 30 inputs advertisement information to be posted.

Step S22: The bid management server 10 assigns an advertisement identification code to the received advertisement information and registers it in the advertisement registration table 122 shown in FIG. 3D.

Step S23: The advertiser terminal 30 designates a map mesh for which a bid is desired in the displayed map area, and sets the bid price and the like. The bid information is transmitted to the bid management server 10. Step S23 will be described in more detail later with reference to FIGS. 4B1 to 4B4.

Step S24: The bid management server 10 associates the specified map mesh, bid price, and advertisement information received from the advertiser terminal 30 with the bid management table 131 for each advertisement in FIG. Register in the mesh-specific bid management table 132.

Step S25: A map mesh bid registration completion notification is transmitted to the advertiser terminal 30.

Step S26: The registration result of the map mesh bid is displayed on the advertiser terminal 30 by receiving the registration completion notification.

(3-1-1) Map mesh bidding flow example (1)
FIG. 4B1 is a flowchart showing a specific example of a bid flow by the advertiser terminal 30 in step S23 of FIG. 4B. The left diagram in FIG. 4B1 schematically shows a map area with a mesh displayed on the advertiser terminal 30, and will be described with reference to this. In the case of FIG. 4B1, it is assumed that there is no preceding bid for the map mesh M1 desired by the advertiser. It is assumed that the minimum bid price is set at 2 yen.

Step S2301: For example, when a desired map mesh M1 in the map area displayed on the advertiser terminal 30 is clicked, it is confirmed whether the map mesh M1 is designated as a bid target. If another mesh is desired, redesignate the mesh.

Step S2302: It is confirmed whether or not to bid at a bid price higher than 2 yen which is the lowest bid price. If the minimum bid price is acceptable, the process proceeds to step S2304. When bidding at a bid price higher than the minimum bid price, a bid price (for example, 4 yen) is set in step S2303.

Step S2304: It is confirmed whether or not to set a total advertisement budget for the target advertisement. If not set, the process ends. If the advertising budget is not set, an advertising fee of 2 yen × the number of clicks will be continuously generated unless the advertiser performs the procedure for canceling the advertisement posting. When setting an advertising budget, an advertising budget (for example, 100 yen) is set in step S2305, and the process ends. When the advertising budget is set, the advertisement posting ends when the advertising fee of 2 yen × clicks interrupts the advertising budget (when the advertising budget is 100 yen, 50 times).

(3-1-2) Map mesh bidding flow example (2)
FIG. 4B2 is a flowchart showing another specific example of the bid flow by the advertiser terminal 30 in step S23 of FIG. 4B. The left diagram of FIG. 4B2 schematically shows a map area with a mesh displayed on the advertiser terminal 30, and will be described with reference to this. In the case of FIG. 4B2, it is assumed that there is no preceding bid for the map meshes M1 to M10 desired by the advertiser. It is assumed that the minimum bid price is set at 2 yen.

Step S2311: For example, when a desired map mesh M1 to M10 in the map area displayed on the advertiser terminal 30 is clicked, it is confirmed whether the map mesh M1 to M10 is designated as a bid target. If another mesh is desired, redesignate the mesh.

Step S2312: It is notified that there is no preceding bid, and then it is confirmed whether or not to bid all map meshes with the lowest bid price of 2 yen. If the lowest bid price is acceptable, the process proceeds to step S2320. If there is at least one map mesh for bidding at a bid price higher than the minimum bid price, the process proceeds to step S2313.

Step S2313: It is confirmed whether or not to set a uniform bid price for all the specified map meshes. If a uniform bid price is set, the bid price is set in step S2314 and the process proceeds to step S2320. When not setting uniformly, it progresses to step S2314.

Step S2314: It is confirmed whether there are a plurality of map meshes that set the same bid price. If there is, the process proceeds to step S2315, a plurality of map meshes (for example, M3 to M8) and bid prices (for example, 5 yen) are set, and there are a plurality of other map meshes for setting the same bid price in step S2316. It will be confirmed whether or not. If there is, the processing returns to step S2315 and is set. If there is no plurality of map meshes for setting the same bid price, the process proceeds to step S2317.

Steps S2317 to S2319: It is confirmed whether or not each map mesh for which a bid price has not yet been set is to be bid at a higher bid price than the lowest bid price. M1 is 6 yen, M2 is 4 yen, and M9 is 3 yen), and the process proceeds to step S2320.

Steps S2320 and S2321: It is confirmed whether or not to set a total advertisement budget for the targeted advertisement. This step is the same as steps S2304 and S2305 in FIG. 4B1.

(3-1-3) Map mesh bidding flow example (3)
FIG. 4B3 is a flowchart showing still another specific example of the bid flow by the advertiser terminal 30 in step S23 of FIG. 4B. 4 of the left figure of FIG. 4B3 has shown typically the map area with a mesh respectively displayed on the advertiser terminal 30 before and after a bid, and it demonstrates with reference to this. In the case of FIG. 4B3, it is assumed that there is a preceding bid (one or more) in the map mesh M1 desired by the advertiser, and the current highest bid price is 5 yen. Since the advertisement posting order is determined based on the bid price, it is necessary to set a higher bid price than other bidders in order to secure a high position.

Step S2331: It is confirmed whether the map mesh M1 is designated as a bid target. If another mesh is desired, redesignate the mesh.

Step S2332: It is notified for reference that there is a preceding bid for the specified map mesh M1 and the current highest bid price is 5 yen. Then, it is confirmed whether or not to set a bid price. If not set, it is regarded as the lowest bid price and the process proceeds to step S2334. In the case of setting, a bid price (for example, 6 yen) is set in step S2333.

Steps S2334 and S2335: It is confirmed whether or not to set a total advertisement budget for the target advertisement. This step is the same as steps S2304 and S2305 in FIG. 4B1.

(3-1-4) Map mesh bidding flow example (4)
FIG. 4B4 is a flowchart showing still another specific example of the bid flow by the advertiser terminal 30 in step S23 of FIG. 4B. The left diagram of FIG. 4B4 schematically shows a map area with a mesh displayed on the advertiser terminal 30, and will be described with reference to this. In the case of FIG. 4B4, there is a preceding bid (one or more) in at least a part (M3 and M4) of the map meshes M1 to M10 desired by the advertiser, and the current highest bid price is 9 yen and 8 yen, respectively. To do.

Step S2341: It is confirmed whether the map meshes M1 to M10 are designated as bid targets. If another mesh is desired, redesignate the mesh.

Step S2342: It is notified that some map meshes have prior bids, and then it is confirmed whether or not to bid at a uniform maximum bid price (for example, 10 yen) exceeding the current highest bid price. When bidding at a uniform maximum bid price, the process proceeds to step S2350. When not bidding at a uniform maximum bid price, the process proceeds to step S2343.

Step S2343: It is confirmed whether or not to set a uniform bid price for all the specified map meshes. If a uniform bid price is set, the bid price is set in step S2344, and the process proceeds to step S2350. When not setting uniformly, it progresses to step S2344.

Step S2344: It is confirmed whether there are a plurality of map meshes for setting the same bid price. If there is, the process proceeds to step S2345, a plurality of map meshes (for example, M3 and M4) and their bid prices (for example, 10 yen) are set, and a plurality of other map meshes for setting the same bid price are set in step S2346. It is confirmed whether there is. If there is, return to step S2345 and set. If there is no plurality of map meshes for setting the same bid price, the process proceeds to step S2347.

Steps S2347 to S2349: It is confirmed whether or not each map mesh for which a bid price has not yet been set is to be bid at a higher bid price than the lowest bid price. M1 is 6 yen, M2 is 4 yen, M9 is 3 yen), and the process proceeds to step S2350.

Steps S2350 and S2351: It is confirmed whether or not to set a total advertisement budget for the target advertisement. This step is the same as steps S2304 and S2305 in FIG. 4B1.

(3-2) User Click Processing Flow FIGS. 5A and 5B are flowcharts schematically showing a user click processing flow for an advertisement performed between the user terminal 40 and the bid management server 10. As also shown in FIG. 1, it is preferable that an existing map site server 20 having a map database is interposed between the two. Thereby, it is not necessary for the bid management server 10 itself to have a map database, and the system can be linked to a high-profile map search site that has many accesses from the user terminal.

  FIG. 5A is a processing flow until the map area requested from the user terminal 40 is displayed and the advertisement is posted according to a predetermined advertisement posting order.

Step S31: The user terminal 40 logs into the map site server 20, and makes a display request for a map area by inputting position information specifying a desired map area.

Step S32: The map site server 20 specifies appropriate coordinates (latitude and longitude) of the map area by performing processing as a normal map search engine based on the position information. Furthermore, the specified coordinates are transmitted to the input management server 10 as a linkage process with this system.

Step S33: The input management server 10 refers to the mesh code table 112 of FIG. 3B based on the coordinates specifying the map area, and extracts mesh codes of one or more meshes included in the map area.

Step S34: Based on the extracted mesh code, refer to the bid management table 132 for each mesh in FIG. 3F and extract all advertisements registered for the map mesh included in the map area.

Step S35: By comparing the bid prices of the extracted advertisements, the advertisement posting rank is determined in descending order of the price, and the result is stored in the advertisement posting rank management table 141 of FIG. 3G. When the bid price of two advertisements is the same, which one is to be prioritized is adjusted by setting an appropriate determination criterion.

Step S36: The corresponding one or more advertisement data registered in FIG. 3D are transmitted to the map site server 20 together with the determined advertisement posting ranking data. This advertisement data is preferably transmitted with an advertisement identification code attached.

Step S37: The map site server 20 transmits map data of the map area requested from the user terminal 40 by processing as a normal map search engine. At the same time, one or more advertisement data acquired from the bid management server 10 is transmitted. In transmitting the advertisement data, the advertisement data is transmitted so as to be posted on the user terminal 40 in accordance with the advertisement posting order acquired from the bid management server 10.

Step S38: Map data of the map area is displayed on the user terminal 40, and one or more advertisements are posted according to the ranking. The advertisement is posted in an advertisement display section different from the map data display section. For example, it is a section adjacent to the display section of the map data on the display screen. If all advertisements cannot be posted on one screen, advertisements with lower ranks are posted on the next screen or the next page.

  Note that steps S31 to S38 shown in FIG. 5A are newly repeated when the display state of the map area displayed on the user terminal 40 is changed. For example, another map area or a smaller (or larger) area may be displayed by scrolling or reducing or enlarging the map area displayed on the user terminal. For example, when the user terminal is equipped with a positioning system such as GPS, the map area displayed may automatically change from moment to moment as the user terminal itself moves. As described above, when the map area displayed on the user terminal 40 is changed, the number and contents of the map mesh included in the map area are usually changed. In that case, by repeating steps S31 to S38, the latest map mesh included in the new map area, the advertisement to be posted with reference to the bid status and the bid price of each map mesh, and their posting order are redetermined. Based on this, the latest advertisement is posted on the user terminal 40 according to the latest posting order. Thus, the advertisement posting status is updated as the map area is changed.

  In addition, with regard to the criteria for determining the advertisement posting order, in the typical example, the bid price is in the descending order as described above, but this is not intended to limit the determination criteria to only the bid price, and various conditions other than the bid price (for example, In addition, it may be determined in consideration of past use results of the present system.

  In addition, the posting method on the user terminal according to the advertisement posting order is typically a method in which the user terminal is sequentially arranged from the upper part to the lower part from the upper part of the screen to the lower part of the screen, but is not limited thereto. Basically, any method may be used as long as the advertisement at the top of the posting order is more noticeable. For example, there are a method in which the upper advertisement occupies a larger area, a method in which the advertisement is posted in a larger font, and a method in which a graphic decoration is applied to the upper advertisement to attract attention.

  FIG. 5B is a processing flow when a click on an advertisement posted on the user terminal 40 is performed.

Step S41: When a predetermined map area is displayed on the user terminal 40, one of the posted advertisements is clicked. This click operation is detected by the map site server 20, and processing such as opening a detailed content screen of the advertisement on the user terminal 40 or jumping to a guide URL linked to the advertisement is executed.

Step S42: The map site server 20 identifies information (advertisement identification code) that identifies the clicked advertisement on the user terminal 40, information (such as coordinates) that identifies the map area that was displayed when the click occurred, click time, user Terminal identification information and the like are transmitted to the bid management server 10.

Step S43: The bid management server 10 refers to the mesh code table 112 of FIG. 3B based on the coordinates specifying the map area displayed on the user terminal 40 at the time of clicking, and one or a plurality of items included in the map area Extract the mesh code of the mesh.

Step S44: The bid management server 10 identifies the clicked advertisement by referring to the advertisement-specific bid management table of FIG. 3E based on the acquired advertisement identification code, and further adds the mesh code extracted in step S43. Based on this, the bid price in the map mesh of the advertisement is specified. The advertisement fee for the current click is determined based on at least the specified bid price. When a plurality of bid prices are specified for the advertisement, for example, the highest bid price among them is determined as the advertisement fee. Although it is a typical example to determine the advertisement fee based on the bid price, the advertisement fee may be determined in combination with other criteria (for example, past use of the present system).

Step S45: The determined advertisement fee is recorded together with other click logs in the advertisement-specific user click management table 142 of FIG. 3H. Further, the advertisement fee management table 143 of FIG. 3I is updated based on the newly generated advertisement fee.

(3-2-1) Example of determining advertising fees (1)
FIG. 5B1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a specific example of determining an advertisement fee by a user click. The map data of the wide area map area shown above is that of the map database held by the map site server 20, and the user terminal 40 selects a map area of an arbitrary size that is a part of such a wide area map area. It can be selected and read and displayed as the three display screens shown below. The mesh and bid status (advertiser and bid price) shown superimposed on the map in the lower three display screens are shown for convenience of explanation, and are not displayed on the map on the actual user terminal 40.

  In the lower left figure, four map meshes are included, and advertiser A is bidding for 4 yen and 5 yen respectively for 2 map meshes. When the advertisement of company A is clicked in this display state, company A is charged with the highest bid price (that is, 5 yen) as the advertisement fee in the displayed map mesh.

  The lower center chart includes 16 map meshes, and advertiser A is bidding on 4 map meshes at the prices shown. When the advertisement of company A is clicked in this display state, company A is charged with the highest bid price (ie, 6 yen) in the displayed map mesh as the advertisement fee.

  In the lower right figure, nine map meshes are included, and the advertiser A is bidding on six map meshes at the prices shown. When the advertisement of company A is clicked in this display state, company A is charged with the highest bid price (that is, 5 yen) as the advertisement fee in the displayed map mesh.

(3-2-2) Example of determining advertisement posting order and advertisement fee (2)
FIG. 5B2 is a diagram schematically illustrating still another specific example of the advertisement posting order and the determination of the advertisement fee by the user click. The map data of the wide area map area shown above and the three user terminal display screens shown below are the same as in FIG. 5B1.

  The lower left figure includes 4 map meshes. Advertiser A bids 4 yen for one map mesh and Advertiser B bids 9 yen for another map mesh. . In this case, the advertisement posting order is B company for the first place and A company for the second place. When the advertisement of company B is clicked in this display state, an advertisement fee of 9 yen is charged to company B, and when the advertisement of company A is clicked, an advertisement fee of 4 yen is charged to company A.

  The lower center chart contains 16 map meshes. Company A bids 6 yen and 4 yen for 2 map meshes, and company B bids 9 yen for 1 map mesh. Company C is bidding for 8 yen for one map mesh. The advertisement posting order in such a case is also determined in descending order of the bid price for one map mesh, with the first place being B company, the second place being C company, and the third place being A company. When the advertisement of company B is clicked in this display state, an advertisement fee of 9 yen is charged to company B, and when the advertisement of company C is clicked, an advertisement fee of 8 yen is charged to company C. If the advertisement is clicked, an advertising fee of 6 yen is imposed on Company A.

  The lower right figure includes 9 map meshes, and advertisers A, B, and C bid for 6 map meshes at the prices indicated respectively. In particular, a plurality of advertisers are bidding on the upper right center and middle right map mesh. The advertisement posting order in such a case is also determined in descending order of the bid price for one map mesh, with the first place being C company, the second place being B company, and the third place being A company. When the advertisement of company C is clicked in this display state, an advertisement fee of 8 yen is imposed on company C, and when an advertisement of company B is clicked, an advertisement fee of 6 yen is imposed on company B. If the advertisement is clicked, an advertising fee of 5 yen is imposed on Company A.

  The advertisement posting order determination method and the advertisement fee determination method shown in FIGS. 5B1 and 5B2 are examples, and may be determined according to other criteria based on bid information.

(3-3) Registration / Bid Status Confirmation / Change Flow FIG. 6A is an example of a registration / bid status confirmation / change flow from the advertiser terminal 30.

Step S51: If it is desired to confirm / change the registered content of the advertisement, log in to the website of the bid management server from the advertiser terminal 30, enter the advertisement identification code of the registered advertisement, and confirm the registration status of the advertisement / A change request is transmitted to the bid management server 10.

Step S52: The bid management server 10 refers to the advertisement registration table 122 of FIG. 3D based on the advertisement identification code, extracts the requested target data, and transmits it to the advertiser terminal 30 in an appropriate format.

Step S53: Advertisement registration data is displayed on the advertiser terminal 30. The advertiser changes / deletes data as necessary on the terminal screen, and transmits the changed / deleted data to the input management server 10.

Step S54: The bid management server 10 updates the advertisement registration table 122 according to the change / delete data, and transmits the update result to the advertiser terminal.

Step S55: The advertisement registration data update result is displayed on the advertiser terminal 30.

Step S61: If you want to check / change the bid status, log in to the website of the bid management server from the advertiser terminal 30, enter the mesh code of the bid map mesh, and request to check / change the bid status Send to bid management server 10

Step S62: The bid management server 10 refers to the mesh-specific bid management table 132 of FIG. 3F based on the mesh code, extracts the requested target data, and transmits it to the advertiser terminal 30 in an appropriate format.

Step S63: The bid status data is displayed on the advertiser terminal 30. The advertiser changes / deletes data as necessary on the terminal screen, and transmits the changed / deleted data to the input management server 10.

Step S64: The bid management server 10 updates the advertisement-specific bid management table 131 and / or the mesh-specific bid management table 132 according to the change / deletion data, and transmits the update result to the advertiser terminal.

Step S65: The update result of the bid situation data is displayed on the advertiser terminal 30.

(3-4) Advertising Charge Status Inquiry Flow FIG. 6B is an example of an advertising fee status inquiry flow from the advertiser terminal 30.

Step S71: If it is desired to check the advertisement fee status, the advertiser terminal 30 logs in to the website of the bid management server, inputs the advertiser code, and transmits an advertisement fee status inquiry request to the bid management server 10.

Step S72: The bid management server 10 appropriately edits the data of the advertisement fee management table 143 of FIG. 3I and the corresponding user-by-advertisement user click management table 142 based on the advertiser code, and transmits the data to the advertiser terminal.

Step S73: Inquiry fee status inquiry result data is displayed on the advertiser terminal 30.

Steps S81 to S83: If it is desired to check the advertisement fee status, an advertisement identification code may be input instead of the advertiser code in step S71.

(4) Another Embodiment of the System FIGS. 7A and 7B are diagrams corresponding to FIGS. 3A and 3B described above for explaining an example of a modification of the system. In the preferred embodiment described above, the basic unit is a map mesh obtained by dividing the entire target map in a grid pattern, which is easy to understand visually and in terms of operation and processing. It is possible to use other than the shape. For example, in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the present system is implemented with a predetermined administrative division as one map unit (corresponding to the map mesh in the preferred embodiment described above). The unit of the administrative division may be any prefecture, municipality, or street address.

  In addition, any method that can divide the entire target map into unit areas of a size suitable for the purpose can be applied to the present system other than the administrative district. As described above, the unit area used in the present system is not limited to a rectangle, and may be an irregular shape, and the unit areas may not all have the same area.

  7A is a diagram virtually showing a unit database 1011 (corresponding to the mesh database 111 in FIG. 3A) used in this embodiment. The unit database 1011 stores unit data divided in units of predetermined administrative divisions, and is provided for the entire target map. Individual map units divided for each administrative division are designated as U1, U2. . Uk. . It is defined as Un so that each map unit can be uniquely identified. The unit data indicates the frame of each map unit and corresponds to a boundary line with an adjacent map unit. Similarly to the above-mentioned form, for example, when the advertiser terminal designates a specific map area (for example, the rectangular map area in the right diagram of FIG. 7A) from the entire target map, the map data of the map area, The unit data of the map unit included in the map area is superimposed and transmitted to the advertiser terminal. 7A is an example, and only unit data of map units that are completely included in the map area is shown.

  FIG. 7B is a unit code table 1012 (corresponding to the mesh code table 112 in FIG. 3A) in this embodiment, and registers a unit code that uniquely identifies each map unit divided for each administrative division. In the case of each administrative division, the position specifying information of each map unit can be defined by an address character string as shown in FIG. 7B. The unit code table 1012 is used for associating a map area specified by an address with a map unit included therein. When a map area is specified by information other than an address (for example, coordinates) by an advertiser terminal or the like, the unit code table 1012 may be applied after converting the specified information into an address.

  Other processing in this embodiment is the same as that in the above-described embodiment, and “map mesh” may be replaced with “map unit” and applied.

It is the schematic block diagram which showed typically one Embodiment of the advertisement posting right bid management system of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure using this system roughly. It is the figure which showed typically the mesh database used with this system. It is a figure of an example of the mesh code table used with this system. It is a figure of an example of the advertiser registration table used with this system. It is a figure of an example of the advertisement registration table used by this system. It is a figure of an example of the bid management table classified by advertisement used with this system. It is a figure of an example of the bid management table classified by mesh used with this system. It is a figure of an example of the advertisement posting order management table used by this system. It is a figure of an example of the user click management table classified by advertisement used with this system. It is a figure of an example of the advertisement fee management table used with this system. It is the flowchart which showed roughly the advertisement notice right bid flow of the map mesh unit performed between an advertiser terminal and a bid management server. It is the flowchart which showed roughly the advertisement notice right bid flow of the map mesh unit performed between an advertiser terminal and a bid management server. It is a flowchart which shows the specific example of the bid flow by the advertiser terminal in step S23 of FIG. 4B. 5 is a flowchart showing another specific example of a bid flow by an advertiser terminal in step S23 of FIG. 4B. It is a flowchart which shows the specific example of the bid flow by the advertiser terminal in step S23 of FIG. 4B. 5 is a flowchart showing another specific example of a bid flow by an advertiser terminal in step S23 of FIG. 4B. It is a processing flow until displaying the map area requested | required from the user terminal, and displaying an advertisement according to predetermined | prescribed advertisement posting order. It is a processing flow when the click with respect to the advertisement posted on the user terminal is performed. It is a figure which shows typically the specific example of the advertisement fee determination by a user click. It is a figure which shows typically another specific example of the advertisement posting order and the advertisement fee determination by the user click. It is an example of a confirmation / change flow of registration / bid status from an advertiser terminal. It is an example of an inquiry fee status inquiry flow from an advertiser terminal. It is the figure which showed typically the unit database used with another form of this system. It is a figure of an example of the unit code table used with another form of this system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Map mesh bid management server 11 Map mesh registration process part 111 Mesh database 112 Mesh code table 12 Advertiser and advertisement registration process part 121 Advertiser registration table 122 Advertisement registration table 13 Map mesh bid process part 131 Ad bid management table 132 mesh Separate bid management table 14 User click processing unit 141 Advertisement posting order management table corresponding to map area 142 User click management table by advertisement 143 Advertising fee management table 15 Map mesh bid management database 20 Map site server 21 Map data transmission unit 211 Map database 222 User Click Processing Unit 30 Advertiser Terminal 31 Web Browser 40 User Terminal 41 Web Browser 50 Internet

Claims (12)

A bid management server connected to a plurality of advertiser terminals and a plurality of user terminals via a communication network in order to manage bids for advertisement posting rights for posting advertisements along with the display of a map at the user terminal. In the advertisement posting right bid management system, the bid management server includes:
Map mesh designation information for designating a desired map mesh among a plurality of map meshes defined by dividing the entire target map into a grid pattern, advertisement information to be posted together with the designated map mesh, and the designated Bid information receiving means for receiving a bid price of the map mesh from the advertiser terminal;
Bid information storage means for storing the received map mesh designation information, the advertisement information and the bid price in association with each other;
All the bid prices associated with each of the map meshes included in the map area requested to be displayed by the user terminal are referred to, and at least the map meshes included in the map area based on the bid prices Advertisement posting order determining means for determining the posting order of all the advertisements associated with each;
An advertisement posting right bidding management system comprising advertisement transmitting means for transmitting each of the advertisements together with the determined posting order.   Prior to receiving the bid information from the advertiser terminal, mesh data indicating a grid frame of one or more map meshes included in the map area with respect to the map data of the map area requested to be displayed by the advertiser terminal The advertisement posting right bidding management system according to claim 1, further comprising map area data transmission means for superimposing and transmitting to the advertiser terminal.   When one or more preceding bid prices have already been associated with the map mesh included in the map area requested to be displayed by the advertiser terminal, the map area data transmission means is configured to send the preceding 1 3. The advertisement posting right bid management system according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of bid prices are transmitted together to the advertiser terminal. Means for receiving click information transmitted from the user terminal in response to a click on any of the advertisements posted on the user terminal;
The advertisement posting right bidding management system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an advertisement fee determination means for determining an advertisement fee for the clicked advertisement based on the received click information. . The click information includes information for specifying the clicked advertisement and information for specifying the map area displayed at the time of the click,
The advertisement fee determination means extracts one or a plurality of the bid prices related to the clicked advertisement for each of the map meshes included in the map area displayed at the time of the click, and at least one of them 5. The advertisement posting right bid management system according to claim 4, wherein the advertisement fee is determined based on a plurality of bid prices. A map site server that holds map data of the entire target map;
2. The advertisement posting right bid management system according to claim 1, wherein the bid management server receives, via the map site server, information specifying a map area requested to be displayed by the user terminal. A map site server that holds map data of the entire target map;
The bid management server transmits each of the advertisements together with the determined posting order to the map site server, and the map site server displays a map requested to be displayed by the user terminal together with the determined posting order and the advertisement. The advertisement posting right bidding management system according to claim 1, wherein map data of an area is transmitted to the user terminal. A map site server that holds map data of the entire target map;
3. The advertisement posting right bid management system according to claim 2, wherein the bid management server acquires map data of a map area requested to be displayed by the advertiser terminal from the map site server.   The advertisement posting right bid management system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the advertisement is posted in a display section different from the display section of the map area on the display screen of the user terminal. A bid management server connected to a plurality of advertiser terminals and a plurality of user terminals via a communication network in order to manage bids for advertisement posting rights for posting advertisements along with the display of a map at the user terminal. In the advertisement posting right bid management system, the bid management server includes:
Map unit designation information for designating a desired map unit among individual map units obtained by dividing the entire target map into a plurality of pieces, advertisement information to be posted together with the designated map unit, and a bid price of the designated map unit Bidding information receiving means for receiving from the advertiser terminal,
Bid information storage means for storing the received map unit designation information, the advertisement information and the bid price in association with each other;
All the bid prices associated with each of the map units included in the map area requested to be displayed by the user terminal are referred to, and at least the map units included in the map area based on the bid prices. Advertisement posting order determining means for determining the posting order of all the advertisements associated with each;
An advertisement posting right bidding management system comprising advertisement transmitting means for transmitting each of the advertisements together with the determined posting order.   Prior to receiving the bid information from the advertiser terminal, unit data indicating a frame of one or a plurality of map units included in the map area with respect to the map data of the map area requested to be displayed by the advertiser terminal. The advertisement posting right bidding management system according to claim 10, further comprising map area data transmission means for superimposing and transmitting to the advertiser terminal. Means for receiving click information transmitted from the user terminal in response to a click on any of the advertisements posted on the user terminal;
The advertisement posting right bidding management system according to claim 10, further comprising: an advertisement fee determining unit that determines an advertisement fee for the clicked advertisement based on the received click information. .

Images