Information storage and delivery over a computer network using centralized intelligence to monitor and control the information being delivered

A method for distributing a banner over a computer network to a device when the banner is referenced or linked to in a document served to the device, wherein the banner is stored in one or more servers, comprising:

• receiving a first banner request signal from a device at a first server requesting that a banner be served to the device, wherein said first banner request signal includes information intended to prevent said first banner request signal from being blocked from reaching said first server by the device despite previous caching of said specified banner in the device;
• sending a banner location signal from said first server to the device, wherein said banner location signal includes location information for a specified banner stored on a second server;
• and
• receiving a second banner request signal from the device at said second server requesting that the second server serve said specified banner to the device.

A method for enabling a web page and an associated banner to be served to a computer, wherein the web page contains a link or other reference to the banner, comprising:

• serving a web page to a computer;
• causing a banner request signal to be sent from the computer to a primary server requesting a banner be served to the computer, wherein said banner request signal includes a Uniform Resource Locator address for said primary server and wherein said banner request signal includes information intended to prevent said banner request signal from being blocked from being received by the primary server as a result of previous caching of the banner on the computer;
• determining which specified banner will be served to the computer;
• and
• sending a banner location signal from said primary server to the computer, wherein said banner location signal includes the Uniform Resource Locator address for a device on which the specific banner to be served to the computer is stored.

A method for distributing a banner over a computer network to a device when the banner is referenced or linked to in a hypertext document served to the device, wherein the banner is stored in one or more servers, comprising:

• receiving a first banner request signal from the device at a first server requesting that a banner be served to the device, wherein said first banner request signal includes information intended to prevent said first banner request signal from being blocked by the device or an intermediary server located between the device and said first server as a result of a previous storage in the device or said intermediary server of a response to said first banner request signal sent from said first server to the device;
• determining if said first server is best suited to serve said banner to the device and serving said banner to the device if said first server is best suited to serve said banner and, if said first server is not best suited to server said banner to the device, sending a banner location signal from said first server to the device, wherein said banner location signal includes location information for a specified banner stored on a second server;
• receiving a second banner location request signal from the device at said second server requesting that said second server serve said specified banner to said device if said first server is not best suited to server said banner to the device;
• and
• serving said specified banner to said device from said second server if said first server is not best suited to server said banner to the device.

A method for enabling distribution of a banner over a computer network to a device when the banner is referenced in a document served to the device, wherein the banner is stored in one or more servers connected to the computer network, and the device is connected to the computer network via an intermediary server, comprising:

• causing a first banner request signal to be transmitted from the device to a first server requesting that a banner be served to the device, wherein said first banner request signal includes information intended to make said first banner request signal not blockable by the device or the intermediary server as a result of a storage in the device or the intermediary server of said requested banner prior to the generation of said first banner signal by the device;
• sending a banner location signal from said first server to the device, wherein said banner location signal includes location information for said requested banner stored on a second server;
• and
• determining if said requested banner is stored on the device and, if said requested banner is not stored on the device, then causing a second banner request signal to be transmitted from the device to the intermediary server and determining if said requested banner is stored on the intermediary server, wherein if said requested banner is not stored on the intermediary server, causing at least a portion of said second banner request signal to be sent to said second server requesting that said second server serve said requested banner to said device.

A method for serving a banner to a client device, comprising:

• receiving at a primary server a first request for a banner, said first request containing at least a portion of an initial URL, wherein said first request includes information intended to prevent said first request from being blocked from the primary server despite previous storage of the banner on the client device;
• sending a signal from the primary server to the client device that includes at least a portion of a second URL associated with the banner's location;
• receiving at the primary server a second TCP/IP compliant request requesting that the banner be served to the client device if the banner is not stored on the client device;
• serving the banner to the client device;
• and
• counting at least one display of the banner on the client device.

A method for enabling accurate counting of displays of a banner on a client device, comprising:

• receiving a first banner request signal at a first server requesting that a banner be served to a client device, wherein said first banner request includes information intended to prevent said first banner request signal from being blocked from said first server, even though there has been previous caching or storing of said banner by the client device or an intermediary device;
• sending a banner location signal to the client device, wherein said banner location signal includes location information for a specified banner stored on a second server;
• and
• causing a determination of whether said specified banner is stored on the client device and, if said specified banner is not stored on the client device, receiving a second banner request signal from the client device at said intermediary device and causing a determination of whether said specified banner is stored on said intermediary device, wherein if said specified banner is not stored on said intermediary device, receiving a third banner request signal at said second server requesting that said second server serve said specified banner to the client device.

A method for serving a banner to a client device, comprising:

• receiving at a primary server a first request signal for a banner, said first request signal containing at least a portion of an initial URL, wherein said first request signal includes information intended to prevent said first request signal from being blocked from the primary server as a result of previous caching of the banner in the client device;
• sending a signal from the primary server to the client device that includes a second URL associated with the banner's location;
• receiving a second request signal requesting that the banner be served to the client device if the banner is not stored on the client device;
• and
• serving the banner to the client device.

A method for enabling a banner to be received at a client device, comprising:

• generating at the client device a first request signal for a banner;
• transmitting said first request signal to a server, wherein said first request signal includes information intended to prevent said first request signal from being blocked from the server as a result of previous caching of the banner on the client device;
• receiving at the client device a response signal from the server that includes a URL associated with the banner's location;
• and
• transmitting a second request signal from the client device requesting that the banner be served to the client device.