Amazon files patents to give consumers free e-book with printed version and include advertisements in e-books and printed books

A posting from Online Media Daily says that within the past month the U.S. Patent Office has published three patents filed by Amazon. The first patent would give customers a free e-book when they purchase the print version. The other two patents would let Amazon incorporate targeted advertising in e-books for the Kindle and paperbacks sold through on-demand printing. The on-demand patent notes that the inclusion of advertisements could be beneficial to consumers because a lower price could be offered to those who are willing to accept advertising in the printed content. This statement suggests that there may be multiple purchasing options and consumers may be able to pay more for a book that does not include advertisements. Another posting from the Gizmodo Gadget Blog features a diagram that shows that advertisement banners would appear on the top and side margins of select pages.