METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TARGETING PARTICULAR INFORMATION TO SELECTED USERS OVER A BIDIRECTIONAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

摘要

Selected advertisements (28) are presented to a user (26) of a bidirectional communication system (24), such as the Internet (30) or any other two-way network, when the user accesses the network. In one illustrative embodiment, a user (26) who is registering (52) for Internet (30) service from an Internet service provider (ISP) is asked a series of questions relating to their likes and dislikes as part of the registration process. The answers are compiled to create a user profile or "mask" for that user (26). The user mask is compared with an ad "mask" for each advertisement or other piece of information stored in the ISP's memory. If the ad mask and user mask indicate a match, then the advertisement is presented to the user when the user accesses the ISP's launch (or home) page, or alternatively as the user navigates (54) through the communication system (24).