Conditional billing of advertisements based on determined user interest

• US 10,181,131 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2012
• Issued: 01/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kerns, Jamieson
• Primary Examiner(s): Munson, Patricia H
• Application Number:
  US13/431,924
• Publication Number:
  US 20180218394A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,485 Days
• Field of Search: 705 14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements

Abstract

Systems and methods for determining a billing level for an advertisement provided to a user based on monitored user interaction with the advertisement are provided. A streaming component streams a media advertisement to a device in a format that allows user interaction with the media advertisement. A monitoring component monitors duration of user interaction with the advertisement, and an analysis component determines level of billing associated with the advertisement based at least in part on the monitored duration of user interaction with the advertisement. In an aspect, the analysis component determines a cumulative playing period of the advertisement based on the monitored user interaction and determines the level of billing based in part on the cumulative playing period.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor, coupled to the memory, to;

receive, from a device, a request for a first media item;

automatically select a second media item based at least on the request for the first media item;

automatically stream the second media item to the device in a format that allows user interaction with the second media item;

determine an interaction level with the second media item at the device, wherein the interaction level is based at least on whether a player application window in which the second media item is played is obscured by another open window and to what degree;

identify an input attribute vector;

employ a classification analysis to map the input attribute vector to a confidence level that the input attribute vector corresponds to the interaction level;

based on a determination that the interaction level is above a predetermined threshold;

replace the second media item with a third media item that is associated with the second media item, and

stream the third media item to the device in response to the request for the first media item;

determine a level of billing associated with the second media item based at least in part on a cumulative duration of the user interaction with the second media item, specific portions of the second media item viewed, a type of interaction with the second media item, a frequency of interaction with the second media item, or a timing of interaction with the second media item; and

generate a bill based on the level of billing determined by the processor for the second media item, the level of billing corresponding to at least one of the determined level of user interaction or the determined engagement level.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is to determine a cumulative playing period of the second media item based on the determined user interaction level.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is to determine a duration of time when at least portions of the second media item are played, wherein portions of the second media item can be played in nonconsecutive order.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is to determine a duration of time when at least portions of the second media item are played, including a duration of time associated with replaying portions of the second media item.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is to determine fast-forwarding of the second media item.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is to determine rewinding of the second media item.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is to stream the second media item in a format that enables at least one of playing the second media item in real-time, re-playing the second media item, pausing the second media item, fast-forwarding the second media item, or rewinding the second media item.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is to store determined information indicating user interaction with the second media item.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the processor is to identify a pattern in the determined information and determine a characteristic of the second media item for which the pattern is based.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is to:

determine parameters indicative of the interaction level;

determine the interaction level based on the determined parameters.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is to:

stream the first media item to the device with the second media item; and

select for playing, one of the second media item or the first media item, based on the interaction level.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the parameters indicative of the interaction level include at least one of type of user interaction, timing of user interaction, or frequency of user interaction.

13. A method comprising:

receiving, from a device, a request for a first media item;

automatically selecting a second media item based at least on the request for the first media item;

automatically streaming, by a processing device, the second media item to the device in a format that allows user interaction with the second media item;

determining, by the processing device, an interaction level with the second media item at the device, wherein the interaction level is based at least on whether a player application window in which the second media item is played is obscured by another open window and to what degree;

identifying, by the processing device, an input attribute vector;

employ, by the processing device, a classification analysis to map the input attribute vector to a confidence level that the input attribute vector corresponds to the interaction level;

based on a determination that the interaction level is above a predetermined threshold;

replacing the second media item with a third media item that is associated with the second media item, and

streaming the third media item to the device in response to the request for the first media item;

determining a level of billing associated with the second media item based at least in part on a cumulative duration of the user interaction with the second media item, specific portions of the second media item viewed, a type of interaction with the second media item, a frequency of interaction with the second media item, or a timing of interaction with the second media item; and

generating a bill based on the level of billing determined by the processor for the second media item, the level of billing corresponding to at least one of the determined level of user interaction or the determined engagement level.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

determining a cumulative playing period of the second media item based on the determined interaction level.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining the interaction level comprises determining a duration of time at least portions of the second media item are played, wherein portions of the second media item can be played in a nonconsecutive order.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining the interaction level comprises determining a duration of time at least a portion of the second media item is played, including determining replaying of the portion.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining the interaction level comprises determining fast-forwarding of the second media item.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the determining the interaction level comprises determining rewinding of the second media item.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the streaming the second media item comprises streaming the second media item in a format that enables at least one of playing the second media item in real-time, re-playing the second media item, pausing the second media item, fast-forwarding the second media item, or rewinding the second media item.