The present invention is a system and method for delivering customized electronic advertisements in an interactive communication system. The customized advertisements are selected based on consumer profiles and are then integrated with offerings maintained by different content providers. The preferred interactive communication system interconnects multiple consumer computers, multiple content provider computers and multiple Internet provider computers with an advertisement provider computer. Whenever a consumer directs one of the consumer computers to access an offering existing in one of the content provider computers, an advertising request is sent to the advertisement provider computer. Upon receiving the advertising request, the advertising provider computer generates a custom advertisement based on the consumer's profile. The custom advertisement is then combined with the offering from the content provider computer and displayed to the consumer. The advertisement provider computer also credits a consumer account, a content provider account and an internet provider account each time a consumer views a custom advertisement. Furthermore, the advertisement provider computer tracks consumer responses to the customized advertisements.
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing a coding competition. In one embodiment, a method for providing a coding competition includes transmitting a coding problem to contestants, receiving computer code created by a contestant, determining a response of the computer code to test data, and evaluating the response of the computer code to the test data. In another embodiment, a method for evaluating a skill level of a contestant includes electronically communicating a coding problem to contestants, electronically receiving a software program in response to the coding problem from one of the contestants, evaluating the received software program, awarding points to the contestant based on the received software program, and determining a rating for the contestant for the competition based on the number of points awarded to the contestant.
To attract traffic flow from other web sites, such as Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and organizations that have direct access to the Internet, an Internet Content Provider (ICP) dynamically forms customized web pages for its participating web sites. Specifically, the ICP stores web page files designed for itself and its participating web sites. Upon receiving a service request from a participating web site, the ISP dynamically forms customized web pages for the participating web site by combining the page files designed for itself and the page files designed for the participating web site.
The present invention provides an interactive library system having a computer in telecommunication link with at least one user computer and computer of at least one content provider requiring payment for information access. The interactive library system provides information from the content provider to the user by the following steps: Receiving, by the library system computer, user identification and password from the user computer. Comparing, by the library system computer, the received user identification and password with authorized user identifications and corresponding passwords stored in the library system to determine whether to grant access to the interactive library system. If the comparison results in grant of access, then the interactive library system provides the following steps: Receiving, by the library system computer, input from the user computer specifying type of information desired by the user. Establishing, by the library system computer, telecommunication link with the content provider computer. Transmitting, by the library system computer, the type of information desired by the user as search request to the content provider computer. Receiving, by the library system computer, result of the search request from the content provider computer. And providing, by the library system computer, the result to the user computer.
The present invention provides an interactive library system having a computer in telecommunication link with at least one user computer and computer of at least one content provider requiring payment for information access. The interactive library system performs the following: Receiving, by the library system computer, user identification and password from the user computer. Comparing, by the library system computer, the received user identification and password with authorized user identifications and corresponding passwords stored in the library system to determine whether to grant access to the interactive library system. If the comparison results in grant of access, then the interactive library system provides one or both of the following: (1) Receiving, by the library system computer, input from the user computer specifying type of information desired by the user. Establishing, by the library system computer, telecommunication link with the content provider computer. Transmitting, by the library system computer, the type of information desired by the user as search request to the content provider computer. Receiving, by the library system computer, result of the search request from the content provider computer. And providing, by the library system computer, the result to the user computer. (2) Setting, by the library system computer, the user's privileges. If the user's privileges correspond to a first preselected level of access, then providing, by the library system computer, access to information in a Deal Room. And if the user's privileges correspond to a second preselected level of access, then providing, by the library system computer, right to modify Deal Room information and/or upload electronic files to the Deal Room.
The present invention provides an interactive library system having a computer in telecommunication link with at least one user computer and computer of at least one content provider requiring payment for information access. The interactive library system provides information from the content provider to the user by the following steps: Receiving, by the library system computer, user identification and password from the user computer. Comparing, by the library system computer, the received user identification and password with authorized user identifications and corresponding passwords stored in the library system to determine whether to grant access to the interactive library system. If the comparison results in grant of access, then the interactive library system provides the following steps: Receiving, by the library system computer, input from the user computer specifying type of information desired by the user. Establishing, by the library system computer, telecommunication link with the content provider computer. Transmitting, by the library system computer, the type of information desired by the user as search request to the content provider computer. Receiving, by the library system computer, result of the search request from the content provider computer. And providing, by the library system computer, the result to the user computer.
