Probabilistic inference of demographic information of a first domain using accepted demographic information of one or more source domains and a probability that a user will visit both the source domain(s) and the first domain

• US 20080183557A1
• Filed: 01/30/2007
• Published: 07/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Law, Ching, Ranganath, Rama, Rajaram, Gokul
• Granted Patent: US 8,321,249 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90 Details of database functions independent of the retrieved data types
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0204 Market segmentation

Abstract

A demographic attribute value of a sink online document may be determined by (a) accepting a value(s) of the demographic attribute of a source online document, (b) accepting, for each of the source online documents having an accepted demographic attribute value, a probability that a user will visit or has visited the sink online document if the user visited the source online document, and (c) determining the demographic attribute value of the sink online document using the demographic attribute value of each of the source online documents and the probabilities. A demographic attribute value of the sink online document may also be determined using the above information and using the demographic attribute value of each of the source online documents and the probabilities that a user will visit or has visited the sink online document if the user visited the other online document.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for determining a demographic attribute value of a sink online document, the method comprising:

a) accepting a set of one or more values of the demographic attribute, each of the one or more demographic attribute values being associated with a source online document, wherein each of the source online documents has a value for the demographic attribute;

b) accepting, for each of the source online documents, a probability that a user will visit or has visited the sink online document if the user visited the source online document; and

c) determining the demographic attribute value of the sink online document using (i) the accepted demographic attribute value of each of the source online documents and (ii) the accepted probabilities.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the act of determining the demographic attribute value of the sink online document includes summing, over all the source online documents, a product of (i) the probability that the user will visit or has visited the sink online document if the user visited the source online document and (ii) the demographic attribute value of the source online document.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 wherein the act of determining the demographic attribute value of the sink online document includes multiplying the sum by a predetermined damping factor.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the source and sink online documents are Web pages.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the source and sink online documents are Websites.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the sink online document does not initially have a value for the demographic attribute.

7. A computer-implemented method for determining a demographic attribute value of a set of one or more sink online documents, the method comprising:

a) accepting a set of one or more values of the demographic attribute, each of the one or more demographic attribute values being associated with a source online document, wherein each of the source online documents has a value for the demographic attribute;

b) accepting, for each of the one or more sink online documents, and for each of a plurality of other sink and source online documents, a probability that a user will visit or has visited the sink online document if the user visited the other online document;

c) determining, for each of the one or more sink online documents, the demographic attribute value of the sink online document using (i) the accepted demographic attribute value of each of the source online documents and (ii) the accepted probabilities that a user will visit or has visited the sink online document if the user visited the other online document; and

d) for each of the one or more sink online documents, determining an updated demographic attribute value of the sink online document using (i) the demographic attribute value of each of the source online documents and the determined demographic attribute value of each of the other sink online documents and (ii) the accepted probabilities that a user will visit or has visited the sink online document and each of the other online documents.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 wherein act (d) is repeated at least once.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 wherein act (d) is repeated until the updated demographic attribute values don'"'"'t change from the previously determined updated demographic attribute values.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 wherein the act of determining, for each of the sink online documents, the demographic attribute value of the sink online document includes summing, over all the source online documents, a product of (i) the accepted probabilities that a user will visit or has visited the sink online document if the user visited the source online document and (ii) the demographic attribute value of the source online document.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 wherein the act of determining, for each of the sink online documents, the demographic attribute value of the sink online document includes multiplying the sum by a predetermined damping factor.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 wherein the source and sink online documents are Web pages.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 wherein the source and sink online documents are Websites.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 wherein each of the sink online documents does not initially have a value for the demographic attribute.

15. Apparatus for determining a demographic attribute value of a sink online document, the apparatus comprising:

a) means for accepting

1) a set of one or more values of the demographic attribute, each of the one or more demographic attribute values being associated with a source online document, wherein each of the source online documents has a value for the demographic attribute, and

2) for each of the source online documents having an accepted demographic attribute value, a probability that a user will visit or has visited the sink online document if the user visited the source online document; and

b) means for determining the demographic attribute value of the sink online document using (i) the accepted demographic attribute value of each of the source online documents and (ii) the accepted probabilities.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the source and sink online documents are Web pages.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the source and sink online documents are Websites.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the sink online document does not initially have a value for the demographic attribute.

19. Apparatus for determining a demographic attribute value of a set of one or more sink online documents, the apparatus comprising:

a) means for accepting

1) a set of one or more values of the demographic attribute, each of the one or more demographic attribute values being associated with a source online document, wherein each of the source online documents has a value for the demographic attribute, and

2) for each of the one or more sink online documents, and for each of a plurality of other sink and source online documents, a probability that a user will visit or has visited the sink online document if the user visited the other online document;

b) means for determining, for each of the one or more sink online documents, the demographic attribute value of the sink online document using (i) the accepted demographic attribute value of each of the source online documents and (ii) the accepted probabilities that a user will visit or has visited the sink online document if the user visited the other online document; and

c) means for determining, for each of the one or more sink online documents, an updated demographic attribute value of the sink online document using (i) the demographic attribute value of each of the source online documents and the determined demographic attribute value of each of the other sink online documents and (ii) the accepted probabilities that a user will visit or has visited the sink online document and each of the other online documents.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the source and sink online documents are Web pages.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the source and sink online documents are Websites.

22. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein each of the sink online documents does not initially have a value for the demographic attribute.

23. Apparatus for determining a demographic attribute value of a sink online document, the apparatus comprising:

a) a network-based server module for accepting demographic attributes for documents on the network to determine document visit probabilities, including;

1) a set of one or more values of the demographic attribute, each of the one or more demographic attribute values being associated with a source online document, wherein each of the source online documents has a value for the demographic attribute, and

2) for each of the source online documents having an accepted demographic attribute value, a probability that a user will visit or has visited the sink online document if the user visited the source online document; and

b) a network-based server module for determining the demographic attribute value of the sink online document using (i) the accepted demographic attribute value of each of the source online documents and (ii) the accepted visit probabilities.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the network-based server modules are part of a advertising server network.

25. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the network-based server modules are part of a distributed server network.

26. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the source and sink online documents are Web pages.

27. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the source and sink online documents are Websites.

28. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the sink online document does not initially have a value for the demographic attribute.

29. Apparatus for determining a demographic attribute value of a set of one or more sink online documents, the apparatus comprising:

a) a network-based server module for accepting demographic attributes for documents on the network to determine document visit probabilities, including

1) a set of one or more values of the demographic attribute, each of the one or more demographic attribute values being associated with a source online document, wherein each of the source online documents has a value for the demographic attribute, and

2) for each of the one or more sink online documents, and for each of a plurality of other sink and source online documents, a probability that a user will visit or has visited the sink online document if the user visited the other online document;

b) a network-based server module for determining, for each of the one or more sink online documents, the demographic attribute value of the sink online document using (i) the accepted demographic attribute value of each of the source online documents and (ii) the accepted probabilities that a user will visit or has visited the sink online document if the user visited the other online document; and

c) a network-based server module for determining, for each of the one or more sink online documents, an updated demographic attribute value of the sink online document using (i) the demographic attribute value of each of the source online documents and the determined demographic attribute value of each of the other sink online documents and (ii) the accepted probabilities that a user will visit or has visited the sink online document and each of the other online documents.

30. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the network-based server modules are part of a advertising server.

31. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the network-based server modules are part of a distributed server network.

32. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the source and sink online documents are Web pages.

33. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the source and sink online documents are Websites.

34. The apparatus of claim 29 wherein each of the sink online documents does not initially have a value for the demographic attribute.