Distributing content based on weights associated with users specified by content provider systems

• US 10,110,427 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2016
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yan, Jinghao, Linden, Lee Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Donabed, Ninos
• Application Number:
  US15/201,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20180007120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 dummy group

Abstract

A content publishing system receives content items from content provider systems for providing to users. The content publishing system further receives mapping tables from the content provider systems specifying weights for users of the content provider systems. The content publishing system provides content items to users based on the user specific weights received from the content provider systems. As a result, a content provider system can identify users that are likely to be interested in specific content items and assigns weights to these users to adjust the likelihood of the users receiving appropriate content items via the content publishing system.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a content publishing system, from each of a plurality of content provider systems, content items for presenting to users;

receiving, by the content publishing system, one or more mappings from the content provider systems, each mapping associated with a plurality of users and specifying a weight for each of the plurality of users, wherein the weight is determined by at least one of the plurality of content provider systems, wherein the mapping identifies each user using a content provider specific user id, wherein the content publisher identifies users using content publisher user ids;

responsive to a particular user accessing the content provider system via a client device, receiving by the content publishing system, a content provider specific user id for the particular user responsive to the client device receiving a tracking pixel associated with instructions for causing a request to be sent to the content publishing system;

for each user identified in the mapping by a content provider system id, identifying by the content publishing system, a content publisher user id corresponding to the content provider user id;

storing an association between a content provider specific user id for the particular user and the content publisher user id for the particular user;

providing access to content items received from content provider systems to users, comprising, repeatedly;

receiving a request from a user via a client device;

configuring a web page in response to the received request;

identifying a plurality of content items, each content item received from a content provider system;

determining one or more weights associated with the user, each weight obtained from a mapping received from the content provider system that provided an identified content item, wherein the content provider system determines the weight based on one or more user interactions performed by the user in association with the content provider system;

selecting a content item from the identified plurality of content items based on the determined one or more weights;

providing access to the content item via the configured web page; and

sending the configured web page to the user via the client device;

generating a report aggregating information over users provided access to content items from a particular content provider; and

sending the report to the particular content provider.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each of one or more content items, receiving a targeting criteria, the targeting criteria specifying attributes of target users for the content item; and

wherein identifying the plurality of content items is responsive to the user satisfying the targeting criteria for each of the plurality of content items identified.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the targeting criteria for a content item is based on demographic attributes of targeted users for the content item.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the content publishing system from each content provider system, a value of remuneration associated with content items, wherein selecting the content item from the identified plurality of content items comprises;

adjusting values of remuneration for the identified content items based on the determined one or more weights associated with the user;

comparing the adjusted values of remunerations for the identified content items; and

selecting the content item from the identified plurality of content items based on the comparison.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a mapping associates a pair comprising a user and a content item with a weight.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more user interactions comprises a search performed by the user for a particular product or service of the content provider system, the product or service associated with a content item of the content provider system.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a user interaction comprises a transaction associated with particular product or service of the content provider system, the product or service associated with a content item of the content provider system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the content publisher user id for the particular user comprises:

receiving a browser id stored on the client device from the client device, wherein the browser id is stored as a cookie on the client device by the content publishing system; and

determining, by the content publishing system, a content publisher user id corresponding to the browser id.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the report comprises a count of users receiving a particular content item from the content provider.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for each of a plurality of content provider systems, responsive to the particular user accessing the content provider system via the client device, receiving by the content publishing system, a content provider specific user id for the particular user, the content provider specific user ids provided by the content provider system;

storing, in a global mapping table, an association between a content publisher user id for the user and each of the plurality of content provider specific user ids for the user; and

wherein determining one or more weights associated with the user is based on the global mapping table.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, storing instructions for:

receiving, by a content publishing system, from each of a plurality of content provider systems, content items for presenting to users;

receiving, by the content publishing system, one or more mappings from the content provider systems, each mapping associated with a plurality of users and specifying a weight for each of the plurality of users, wherein the weight is determined by at least one of the plurality of content provider systems, wherein the mapping identifies each user using a content provider specific user id, wherein the content publisher identifies users using content publisher user ids;

responsive to a particular user accessing the content provider system via a client device, receiving by the content publishing system, a content provider specific user id for the particular user responsive to the client device receiving a tracking pixel associated with instructions for causing a request to be sent to the content publishing system;

for each user identified in the mapping by a content provider system id, identifying by the content publishing system, a content publisher user id corresponding to the content provider user id;

storing an association between a content provider specific user id for the particular user and the content publisher user id for the particular user;

providing access to content items received from content provider systems to users, comprising, repeatedly;

receiving a request from a user via a client device;

configuring a web page in response to the received request;

identifying a plurality of content items, each content item received from a content provider system;

determining one or more weights associated with the user, each weight obtained from a mapping received from the content provider system that provided an identified content item, wherein the content provider system determines the weight based on one or more user interactions performed by the user in association with the content provider system;

selecting a content item from the identified plurality of content items based on the determined one or more weights;

providing access to the content item via the configured web page; and

sending the configured web page to the user via the client device;

generating a report aggregating information over users provided access to content items from a particular content provider; and

sending the report to the particular content provider.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, further storing instructions for:

for each of one or more content items, receiving a targeting criteria, the targeting criteria specifying attributes of target users for the content item; and

wherein identifying the plurality of content items is responsive to the user satisfying the targeting criteria for each of the plurality of content items identified.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, further storing instructions for:

receiving, by the content publishing system from each content provider system, a value of remuneration associated with content items, wherein selecting the content item from the identified plurality of content items comprises;

adjusting values of remuneration for the identified content items based on the determined one or more weights associated with the user;

comparing the adjusted values of remunerations for the identified content items; and

selecting the content item from the identified plurality of content items based on the comparison.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein a mapping associates a pair comprising a user and a content item with a weight.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein a content provider system determines the weight for a user based on user interactions performed by the user with the content provider system, wherein a user interaction comprises, one of:

a search performed by the user for a particular product or service of the content provider system, the product or service associated with a content item of the content provider system, or

a transaction executed by the user, the transaction associated with particular product or service of the content provider system, the product or service associated with a content item of the content provider system.