Economic filtering system for delivery of permission based, targeted, incentivized advertising

• US 10,055,761 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2014
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lim, Stanley T., Giddings, John Galen, Giddings, Laura
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Alvin L
• Application Number:
  US14/263,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20140236711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,576 Days
• Field of Search: 705 14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0229 Multi-merchant loyalty card systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute

Abstract

A method to control advertising messages directed at a user is provided. Such control might include setting a filter to control advertisements directed at a user. Advertisements are sent to a user based on the filter settings. The user may accept the advertisements. If the user accepts the advertisements, the user is provided with a reward. In addition, a method using a quiz to determine if a user is human or an automated respondent is provided. The user is presented with a quiz. The user is advised of the acceptable manner for responding to the quiz. The user'"'"'s response to the quiz is received. A determination based on the user'"'"'s response as to whether the user is a human or an automated respondent is made.

Claims

1. A method of differentiating between online activity performed by automated computer processes and online activity performed by a human, comprising:

transmitting, by a first computer system, a prompt to a second different computer system including a presentation of one or more advertisements presented on the second different computer system and a corresponding question requesting an answer about content presented within the one or more advertisements on the second different computer system;

receiving, at the first computer system, a response to the corresponding question that is submitted by way of text input through a text box presented at the second different computer system or by way of an audible response input through a microphone of the second different computer system;

determining, by the first computer system, whether the received response includes a correct answer to the corresponding question about content presented within the one or more advertisements that are presented on the second different computer system; and

when it is determined that the received response includes the correct answer to the corresponding question about content presented within the one or more advertisements that are presented on the second different computer system, classifying a respondent to the question as a human respondent rather than an automated computer process and granting, to the second computer system, access permission to a computer-based resource responsive to the received response otherwise, classifying the respondent to the question as the automated computer process rather than the human respondent and not granting access to the computer-based resource when the response lacks the correct answer.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the one or more advertisements is a text, image, audio or video advertisement, and wherein granting access permission is conditioned on both of the received response including the correct answer and the correct answer being received within a specified amount of time of being presented the corresponding question.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the corresponding question relates to content presented in at least one of the one or more advertisement and is embedded in the at least one of the one or more advertisements, and wherein the question is provided as an audio question.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein access to the computer-based resource is access to a different advertisement.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein access to the computer-based resource is access to a video based content item.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein one of the one or more advertisements is an olfactory or taste based advertisement and wherein the question relates to what the user can smell or taste.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining an amount of time or amount of resources that will be accessible under the permission before a next prompt is transmitted including adjusting an interval for the next prompt including increasing an amount of time or resources associated with the interval from a baseline amount to an increased amount when the respective response is inferred to have been provided by the human respondent.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the increased amount is based on correctness or incorrectness of the human respondent'"'"'s responses to prior prompts.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising providing the second prompt after expiration of the interval.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer-based resource comprises a resource adapted for sending an e-mail message.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer-based resource comprises a Web site.

12. A method of differentiating between online activity performed by automated computer processes and online activity performed by a human, comprising:

transmitting a prompt to a device including a presentation of one or more advertisements presented on the device and a corresponding question requesting an answer about content presented within the one or more advertisements on the device;

receiving a response to the corresponding question that is submitted by way of text input through a text box presented at the device or by way of an audible response input through a microphone of the device;

determining, by one or more processors, whether the received response includes a correct answer to the corresponding question about content presented within the one or more advertisements that are presented on the device; and

when it is determined that the received response includes the correct answer to the corresponding question about content presented within the one or more advertisements that are presented on the device, classifying a respondent to the question as a human respondent rather than an automated computer process and granting access permission to a computer-based resource;

otherwise, classifying the respondent to the question as the automated computer process rather than the human respondent and not granting access permission to the computer-based resource when the response lacks the correct answer.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

determining a time to provide a second prompt wherein determining a time includes determining a time based on a correctness of the response and correctness or incorrectness of one or more prior responses to other prompts; and

sending the second prompt at the second time.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

determining an amount of time or amount of resources that will be accessible before a second prompt is transmitted including adjusting an interval for a next prompt including increasing an amount of time or resources associated with the interval from a baseline amount to an increased amount when the respective response is inferred to have been provided by a human respondent.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the interval is based at least in part on correctness or incorrectness of the human respondent'"'"'s responses to prior questions.

16. A system for differentiating between online activity performed by automated computer processes and online activity performed by a human, comprising:

a prompt generator for generating and transmitting a prompt to a computer system including one or more advertisements presented on the computer system and a corresponding question requesting an answer about content presented within the one or more advertisements on the computer system, and a means for a human operator of a computer system to provide a respective answer thereto; and

a response evaluating engine that receives a response to the corresponding question that is submitted by way of text input through a text box presented at the computer system or by way of an audible response input through a microphone of the computer system, determines, whether the received response includes a correct answer to the corresponding question about content presented within the one or more advertisements that are presented on the computer system; and

when it is determined that the received response includes the correct answer to the corresponding question, classifies a respondent to the question as a human respondent rather than an automated computer process and grants, to the computer system, access permission to a computer-based resource otherwise, classifies the respondent to the question as the automated computer process rather than the human respondent and does not grant access to the computer-based resource when the response lacks the correct answer.

17. A non-transitory computer program product including instructions that when executed cause one or more processors to:

transmit a prompt to a second different computer system including a presentation of one or more advertisements presented on the second different computer system and a corresponding question requesting an answer about content presented within the one or more advertisements on the second different computer system, and a means for a human operator of a computer system to provide a respective answer thereto;

receive a response to the corresponding question that is submitted by way of text input through a text box presented at the second different computer system or by way of an audible response input through a microphone of the second different computer system;

determine whether the received response includes a correct answer to the corresponding question about content presented within the one or more advertisements that are presented on the second different computer system; and

when it is determined that the received response includes the correct answer to the corresponding question about content presented within the one or more advertisements that are presented on the second different computer system, classify a respondent to the question as a human respondent rather than an automated computer process and grant, to the second computer system, the human operator access permission to a computer-based resource responsive to the received response otherwise, classifying the respondent to the question as the automated computer process rather than the human respondent and not granting the human operator access to the computer-based resource when the response lacks the correct answer.