Audience server

• US 20050246736A1
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo AD Tech LLC
• Original Assignee: Advertisingcom LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilson, Joseph G., Beyda, Gil
• Granted Patent: US 9,118,812 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0244 Optimization
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0257 User requested
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/14 for monitoring programmes
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 2201/70 characterised in that receivers can be addressed
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/45 for identifying users
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/173 with two-way working, e.g. subscriber sending a programme selection signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Delivery of content such as advertisements to audience members. Profile data is collected regarding audience members to whom advertisements may be delivered, such that a given audience member has an established profile data. Upon receiving a request to serve an advertisement to an audience member, a recognition that the target of the request is the given audience member is made. Then it is determined that a particular advertisement should be served to the given audience member. The determination includes recognition of the given audience member and corresponding selection advertisements optimized for the recognized audience member. A configurable delivery decision making mode allows pre-optimized as well as delivery time factoring for determining advertisements. Performance criteria and revenue allocation based upon data provider participation are also provided.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for delivering content to an audience member over a computer network, the method comprising:

receiving profile data regarding each of a plurality of audience members, the profile data including an established profile data for a given audience member from the plurality of audience members;

receiving a request to serve an advertisement to an audience member;

recognizing the given audience member as the target of the request; and

determining a particular advertisement is to be served to the given audience member based upon recognizing the given audience member and a selection from a set of advertisements that is optimized for the given audience member, the optimized set of advertisements being based upon the established profile data for the given audience member.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the established profile data is received separately from and prior to receiving the request to serve the advertisement.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein recognizing the given audience member implements an anonymous unique identifier corresponding to the given audience member.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the particular advertisement implements a configurable delivery decision making mode.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the configurable delivery decision making mode includes a pre-optimized factoring option that prompts determining the particular advertisement depending upon the established profile data, separately from the context of the request.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the configurable delivery decision making mode includes a delivery time factoring option that supplements determining the particular advertisement with consideration of the context of the request.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the particular advertisement is also based upon performance criteria configured to benefit a publisher of content in which the advertisement is placed.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the performance criteria includes maximizing revenue to the publisher.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the particular advertisement includes selecting an advertisement with the highest available payment to the publisher.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving from a publisher a set of delivery criteria corresponding to potentially deliverable advertisements, wherein determining the particular advertisement comprises selecting an advertisement with the highest available payment to the publisher based upon a comparison of current delivery metrics to the set of delivery criteria.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

allocating revenue corresponding to delivery of the advertisement based upon participation as a data provider in the collection of information used to generate the established profile data for the given audience member.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

allocating revenue corresponding to delivery of the advertisement based upon data provider participation in the collection of information used to generate the established profile data for the given audience member, wherein a separate accounting is made for a first data provider that provides a first attribute for the given audience member in a first information collection domain, and for a second data provider that provides a second attribute for the given audience member in a second information collection domain.

13. An apparatus for delivering content to an audience member over a computer network, the apparatus comprising:

means for receiving profile data regarding each of a plurality of audience members, the profile data including an established profile data for a given audience member from the plurality of audience members;

means for receiving a request to serve an advertisement to an audience member;

means for recognizing the given audience member as the target of the request; and

means for determining a particular advertisement is to be served to the given audience member based upon recognizing the given audience member and a selection from a set of advertisements that is optimized for the given audience member, the optimized set of advertisements being based upon the established profile data for the given audience member.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the established profile data is received separately from and prior to receiving the request to serve the advertisement.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein recognizing the given audience member implements an anonymous unique identifier corresponding to the given audience member.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein determining the particular advertisement implements a configurable delivery decision making mode that includes a pre-optimized factoring option that prompts determining the particular advertisement depending upon the established profile data, separately from the context of the request.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the configurable delivery decision making mode includes a delivery time factoring option that supplements determining the particular advertisement with consideration of the context of the request.

18. An apparatus for delivering content to an audience member over a computer network, the apparatus comprising:

a profile data module, which receives profile data regarding each of a plurality of audience members, the profile data including an established profile data for a given audience member from the plurality of audience members;

an ad placement module, which receives a request to serve an advertisement to an audience member;

an audience member recognition module, which recognizes the given audience member as the target of the request; and

an ad determination module, which determines a particular advertisement is to be served to the given audience member based upon recognizing the given audience member and a selection from a set of advertisements that is optimized for the given audience member, the optimized set of advertisements being based upon the established profile data for the given audience member.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the established profile data is received separately from and prior to receiving the request to serve the advertisement.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein recognizing the given audience member implements an anonymous unique identifier corresponding to the given audience member.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein determining the particular advertisement implements a configurable delivery decision making mode, which includes a pre-optimized factoring option that prompts determining the particular advertisement depending upon the established profile data, separately from the context of the request.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the configurable delivery decision making mode includes a delivery time factoring option that supplements determining the particular advertisement with consideration of the context of the request.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a performance module, which uses performance criteria configured to benefit a publisher of content in which the advertisement is placed in assisting the determination of the particular advertisement to be served.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the performance criteria includes maximizing revenue to the publisher.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein determining the particular advertisement includes selecting an advertisement with the highest available payment to the publisher.

26. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a revenue sharing module, which allocates revenue corresponding to delivery of the advertisement based upon participation as a data provider in the collection of information used to generate the established profile data for the given audience member.

27. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising:

a revenue sharing module, which allocates revenue corresponding to delivery of the advertisement based upon data provider participation in the collection of information used to generate the established profile data for the given audience member, wherein a separate accounting is made for a first data provider that provides a first attribute for the given audience member in a first information collection domain, and for a second data provider that provides a second attribute for the given audience member in a second information collection domain.