Pay-for-visit advertising based on visits to physical locations

Abstract

A method and system for providing a pay-for-visit billing model for advertisements is provided. The advertisement system provides advertisements that have associated physical visit locations. The advertisement system provides advertisements to a mobile device or fixed of a user when the user is in the vicinity of or examining locations in the vicinity of the visit location. If the user subsequently visits the visit location of the advertisement by physically going to the location, the advertisement system then bills the advertiser for the advertisement. The advertisement system bills the advertiser under the assumption that but for the advertisement, the user would not have visited the visit location.

1 - 44 . (canceled) 
     
     
         45 . A method comprising:
 accessing one or more advertisements, each of the one or more advertisements configured for display on a mobile device, each of the one or more advertisements comprising:
 an associated geographical visit location to which users are directed, and 
 an associated placement criteria that includes a user travel direction and a user travel mode; 
   receiving a search request, the search request comprising location information indicative of a current location of the mobile device;   receiving, at a subsequent time, updated location information indicative of the subsequent location of the mobile device;   determining, by a processor, a travel direction of the mobile device and a travel mode of the mobile device;   selecting at least one advertisement from the one or more advertisements, the selecting being based on the determined travel direction and the determined travel mode correlating to the user travel direction and the user travel mode of the associated placement criteria for the at least one advertisement;   providing, to the mobile device, both (1) the at least one advertisement and (2) configured for display on a map, an indication of the geographical visit location associated with the at least one advertisement.   
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein each of the one or more advertisements further comprises an associated geographical user location area for which users located therein are eligible to receive an advertisement, and wherein the search request further comprises a user-specified geographic location or area, and wherein selecting the at least one advertisement is further based on matching the user-specified geographic location or area to the associated geographical user location area for the at least one advertisement. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein selecting the at least one advertisement is further based on results of the search request. 
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the search request further comprises a future time specified by the user, wherein the at least one advertisement further comprises one or more associated times at which the at least one advertisement is effective, and wherein the selecting of the at least one advertisement is further based in part on the future time being within the one or more associated times for the at least one advertisement. 
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 45 , wherein the user-specified geographical location is specified by the user as a future location of the user that is different from a current location of the user at a time of the obtaining of the search request. 
     
     
         50 . The method of  claim 45 , further comprising:
 tracking a changing location of the mobile device over time;   determining, by the processor, and based at least in part on the tracking, that the changing location is within the associated geographical visit location of the at least one advertisement; and   in response to determining that the changing location is within the associated geographical visit location of the at least one advertisement, initiating a monetary charge to an associated advertiser for the at least one advertisement.   
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 50 , wherein the at least one advertisement further comprises an associated time-based visit window, and wherein the determination that the tracked physical location of the mobile device is within the associated geographical visit location of the at least one advertisement further includes determining that a time at which the tracked physical location of the mobile device is within the associated geographical visit location of the at least one advertisement occurs within the time-based visit window after the displaying of the at least one advertisement to the user. 
     
     
         52 . A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code instructions stored therein, the computer-executable program code instructions comprising program code instructions for:
 accessing one or more advertisements, each of the one or more advertisements configured for display on a mobile device, each of the one or more advertisements comprising:
 an associated geographical visit location to which users are directed, and 
 an associated placement criteria that includes a user travel direction and a user travel mode; 
   receiving a search request, the search request comprising location information indicative of a current location of the mobile device;   receiving, at a subsequent time, updated location information indicative of the subsequent location of the mobile device;   determining, by a processor, a travel direction of the mobile device and a travel mode of the mobile device;   selecting at least one advertisement from the one or more advertisements, the selecting being based on the determined travel direction and the determined travel mode correlating to the user travel direction and the user travel mode of the associated placement criteria for the at least one advertisement;   providing, to the mobile device, both (1) the at least one advertisement and (2) configured for display on a map, an indication of the geographical visit location associated with the at least one advertisement.   
     
     
         53 . The computer program product of  claim 52 , wherein each of the one or more advertisements further comprises an associated geographical user location area for which users located therein are eligible to receive an advertisement, and wherein the search request further comprises a user-specified geographic location or area, and wherein selecting the at least one advertisement is further based on matching the user-specified geographic location or area to the associated geographical user location area for the at least one advertisement. 
     
     
         54 . The computer program product of  claim 52 , wherein selecting the at least one advertisement is further based on results of the search request. 
     
     
         55 . The computer program product of  claim 52 , wherein the search request further comprises a future time specified by the user, wherein the at least one advertisement further comprises one or more associated times at which the at least one advertisement is effective, and wherein the selecting of the at least one advertisement is further based in part on the future time being within the one or more associated times for the at least one advertisement. 
     
     
         56 . The computer program product of  claim 52 , wherein the user-specified geographical location is specified by the user as a future location of the user that is different from a current location of the user at a time of the obtaining of the search request. 
     
     
         57 . The computer program product of  claim 52 , wherein the computer-executable program code instructions further comprise program code instructions for:
 tracking a changing location of the mobile device over time;   determining, by the processor, and based at least in part on the tracking, that the changing location is within the associated geographical visit location of the at least one advertisement; and   in response to determining that the changing location is within the associated geographical visit location of the at least one advertisement, initiating a monetary charge to an associated advertiser for the at least one advertisement.   
     
     
         58 . The computer program product of  claim 57 , wherein the at least one advertisement further comprises an associated time-based visit window, and wherein the determination that the tracked physical location of the mobile device is within the associated geographical visit location of the at least one advertisement further includes determining that a time at which the tracked physical location of the mobile device is within the associated geographical visit location of the at least one advertisement occurs within the time-based visit window after the displaying of the at least one advertisement to the user. 
     
     
         59 . An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to at least:
 access one or more advertisements, each of the one or more advertisements configured for display on a mobile device, each of the one or more advertisements comprising:
 an associated geographical visit location to which users are directed, and 
 an associated placement criteria that includes a user travel direction and a user travel mode; 
   receive a search request, the search request comprising location information indicative of a current location of the mobile device;   receive, at a subsequent time, updated location information indicative of the subsequent location of the mobile device;   determine, by a processor, a travel direction of the mobile device and a travel mode of the mobile device;   select at least one advertisement from the one or more advertisements, the selecting being based on the determined travel direction and the determined travel mode correlating to the user travel direction and the user travel mode of the associated placement criteria for the at least one advertisement;   provide, to the mobile device, both (1) the at least one advertisement and (2) configured for display on a map, an indication of the geographical visit location associated with the at least one advertisement.   
     
     
         60 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein each of the one or more advertisements further comprises an associated geographical user location area for which users located therein are eligible to receive an advertisement, and wherein the search request further comprises a user-specified geographic location or area, and wherein selecting the at least one advertisement is further based on matching the user-specified geographic location or area to the associated geographical user location area for the at least one advertisement. 
     
     
         61 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein selecting the at least one advertisement is further based on results of the search request. 
     
     
         62 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein the search request further comprises a future time specified by the user, wherein the at least one advertisement further comprises one or more associated times at which the at least one advertisement is effective, and wherein the selecting of the at least one advertisement is further based in part on the future time being within the one or more associated times for the at least one advertisement. 
     
     
         63 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein the user-specified geographical location is specified by the user as a future location of the user that is different from a current location of the user at a time of the obtaining of the search request. 
     
     
         64 . The apparatus of  claim 59 , wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to:
 track a changing location of the mobile device over time;   determine, by the processor, and based at least in part on the tracking, that the changing location is within the associated geographical visit location of the at least one advertisement; and   in response to determining that the changing location is within the associated geographical visit location of the at least one advertisement, initiate a monetary charge to an associated advertiser for the at least one advertisement.   
     
     
         65 . The apparatus of  claim 64 , wherein the at least one advertisement further comprises an associated time-based visit window, and wherein the determination that the tracked physical location of the mobile device is within the associated geographical visit location of the at least one advertisement further includes determining that a time at which the tracked physical location of the mobile device is within the associated geographical visit location of the at least one advertisement occurs within the time-based visit window after the displaying of the at least one advertisement to the user.