Background advertising system

An advertising method for inserting a background reference to a stored advertisement into an end user communication message in a communications network, said method comprising the steps of:

• receiving an end user communication message at a first site on a communications network;
• first determining whether said end user communication message in said receiving step is in a format capable of operatively accepting a background reference;
• second determining whether said end user communication message contains a standard generalized markup language (SGML) part responsive to determining that said end user communication message is in a format capable of operatively accepting a background reference in said first determining step;
• adding an SGML part to said end user communication message responsive to determining that said end user communication message does not contain an SGML part;
• inserting into said end user communication message a background reference to a stored advertisement;
• and
• transmitting said end user communication message with said background reference to a second site on the communications network.

An advertising system for placing an advertisement pointer in a background of an end user communication message, said advertising system comprising:

• means for receiving an end user communication message;
• means for determining whether the end user communication message is in a format capable of operatively accepting an advertisement pointer:
• means for converting the end user communication message into a format capable of operatively accepting an advertisement pointer responsive to determining that the end user communication message is not in a format capable of operatively accepting an advertisement pointer:
• means for placing an advertisement pointer in a background of the end user communication message;
• and
• means for transmitting the end user communication message with said advertisement pointer.

An advertising system for placing an advertisement pointer in a background of an end user communication message, said advertising system comprising:

• means for receiving an end user communication message;
• first means for determining whether the end user communication message is in a format capable of operatively accepting an advertisement pointer;
• second means for determining whether the end user communication message already contains an advertisement pointer responsive to determining that the end user communication message is in a format capable of operatively accepting an advertisement pointer;
• means for placing an advertisement pointer in a background of the end user communication message, wherein said means for placing the advertisement pointer in the background of the end user communication message includes means for placing the advertisement pointer in the background of the end user communication message responsive to determining both that the end user communication message is in a format for operatively accepting an advertisement pointer and that the end user communication message does not contain an advertisement pointer;
• and
• means for transmitting the end user communication message with said advertisement pointer.

A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for inserting a background reference to a stored advertisement into an end user communication message, said computer program comprising:

• logic configured to receive an end user communication message from a first site;
• logic configured to insert a background reference to a stored advertisement into said end user communication message, wherein said logic configured to insert the background reference is further configured to insert said background reference responsive to said end user communication message not already including a background reference;
• and
• logic configured to transmit said end user communication message with the background reference to a second site.

A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for inserting a background reference to a stored advertisement into an end user communication message, said computer program comprising:

• logic configured to receive an end user communication message from a first site;
• logic configured to insert a background reference to a stored advertisement into said end user communication message, wherein said logic configured to insert the background reference is further configured to insert said background reference responsive to an overwrite authorization;
• and
• logic configured to transmit said end user communication message with the background reference to a second site.

A computer program embodied on a computer-readable medium for inserting a background reference to a stored advertisement into an end user communication message, said computer program comprising:

• logic configured to receive an end user communication message from a first site;
• logic configured to insert a background reference to a stored advertisement into said end user communication message;
• logic configured to determine whether said end user communication message is in a format capable of operatively accepting said background reference;
• logic configured to convert said end user communication message into a format capable of operatively accepting said background reference responsive to determining that said end user communication message is not in a format capable of operatively accepting said background reference;
• and
• logic configured to transmit said end user communication message with the background reference to a second site.