Traffic Estimator

• US 20080021791A1
• Filed: 10/31/2006
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LOT Network Inc.
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Clingman, Eliot, Ketchum, RUSSELL KEVIN KETCHUM, Steelberg, Ryan, Gardner, Robert, Steelberg, Chad, Beauchamp, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,099,326 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/38 Arrangements for distribution where lower stations, e.g. receivers, interact with the broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/06 Arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

Systems, methods, and a user interface are used for bidding on media plays. The user can specify criteria for play of the media play, including times, stations, and budgets. A traffic estimator uses historical data to estimate bids and auctions, and the likelihood of winning, for generating listener traffic based on the criteria.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining bids for a plurality of media plays, the method comprising:

receiving, from a user, criteria for media play placement in a media feed;

comparing said criteria to historical information related to past media placement in the media feed and to demographic information related to listeners of the media feed; and

responsive to the historical information meeting the received criterion, generating bid amounts for the plurality of media plays in the media feed.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the criteria include geographic locations of radio, time intervals, type of radio station, and desired demographics of listeners of the radio.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media plays includes media plays not previously allocated to users.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a probability density function map based on the historical information; and

determining an estimated bid for each of the media plays based on the PDF map based on the historical information.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

generating a probability density function map based on seasonal information; and

wherein determining an estimated bid includes determining an estimated bid for each of the media plays based on the probability density function map based on the seasonal information.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user comprises an advertiser.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the generating the bid comprises:

executing a reguli falsi iteration on an interval of the estimated bid;

executing a bisection iteration on the intervals of the estimated bid for a specified number of iterations if the reguli falsi iteration is not converging; and

generating a bid from the iteration on the intervals.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1 wherein the criteria include radio market areas, dayparts, type of radio stations, and listener demographics.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 8 wherein the criteria includes a maximum cost per thousand of listeners and a budget for a time interval.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9 wherein the generating the bid includes:

generating a list of radio stations based on the criteria;

generating a list of available ads for the radio stations in said time interval;

determining historical bids for dayparts of the radio stations in the list;

generating bids for selected ads of the list of available ads for each of the dayparts based on the historical bids, wherein the total bids is less than or equal to the budget for the time interval.

11. A computer program product for determining bids for a plurality of media plays, the computer program product stored on a computer readable medium and adapted to perform the operations of:

receiving, from a user, criteria for media play placement in a media feed;

comparing said criteria to historical information related to past media placement in the media feed and to demographic information related to listeners of the media feed; and

responsive to the historical information meeting the received criterion, generating bid amounts for the plurality of media plays in the media feed.