SYSTEM AND METHOD OF TARGETED ADVERTISEMENT

• US 20100023338A1
• Filed: 07/24/2008
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: SAVOOR, RAGHVENDRA, GEMELOS, STEVEN, PETRONELLI, ANTHONY
• Granted Patent: US 8,812,361 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/1.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Systems and methods of targeted advertisement are disclosed. In an embodiment, the method includes performing a deep packet inspection process of packet traffic within at least a portion of a communication network. The deep packet inspection process includes determining source data and destination data from the packet traffic without inspecting packet payload data. The method includes receiving aggregate demographic data of users that are associated with at least some of the packet traffic and generating an anonymous first profile of a first user based on first data acquired via the deep packet inspection process and based on the aggregate demographic data. The method also includes retrieving first user profile data from the anonymous first profile and sending the first user profile data to an advertisement system to determine a targeted advertisement based on the first user profile data. The targeted advertisement is displayed to a second user while the second user is participating in a multi-user activity with the first user.

Claims

1. A method of targeted advertisement, the method comprising:

performing a deep packet inspection process of packet traffic within at least a portion of a communication network, wherein the deep packet inspection process includes determining source data and destination data from the packet traffic without inspecting packet payload data;

receiving aggregate demographic data of users that are associated with at least some of the packet traffic;

generating an anonymous first profile of a first user based on first data acquired via the deep packet inspection process and based on the aggregate demographic data; and

retrieving first user profile data from the anonymous first profile and sending the first user profile data to an advertisement system to determine a targeted advertisement based on the first user profile data, wherein the targeted advertisement is displayed to a second user while the second user is participating in a multi-user activity with the first user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein participation of the first user in the multi-user activity is determined at least partially based on identifying a device signature from communication device data that is extracted by the deep inspection packet process, the device signature associated with the first user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the participation of the first user in the multi-user activity is further based on a time of day, a category of the multi-user activity, a selection made by the first user, or a determination of other participants in the multi-user activity.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating an anonymous second profile of the second user based on second data acquired via the deep packet inspection process and further based on the aggregate demographic data; and

retrieving second user profile data from the anonymous second profile of the second user and sending the second user profile data to the advertisement system to determine the targeted advertisement based on the first user profile data and the second user profile data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a response of the second user to the targeted advertisement by extracting packet source data from packets associated with the second user via the deep packet inspection process.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

identifying a search or a purchase made by the second user that is associated with the targeted advertisement, wherein the search or the purchase is identified using the deep packet inspection process; and

updating an advertising effectiveness metric associated with the targeted advertisement.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the advertisement system includes an advertisement broker to associate the targeted advertisement with the multi-user activity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the targeted advertisement is provided to the first user and to the second user via a graphical user interface associated with the multi-user activity.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-user activity is a multiplayer game, and wherein a participation of the first user in the multiplayer game is determined by analyzing the source data and the destination data that is extracted by the deep packet inspection process.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-user activity includes an online social networking activity and wherein a participation of the first user in the online social networking activity is determined by analyzing the source data and the destination data that is extracted by the deep packet inspection process.

11. A system comprising:

processing logic and a memory accessible to the processing logic, the memory including;

a deep packet inspection module executable by the processing logic to extract packet data including packet source data and packet destination data from packet traffic within a communication network without inspecting packet payload data;

an advertisement result module executable by the processing logic to use the packet data that is extracted by the deep packet inspection module to;

identify a targeted advertisement to be presented to a group of users participating in a multi-user activity;

associate the targeted advertisement with a first profile of a first user in the group of users and with a second profile of a second user in the group of users; and

generate tracking data that indicates activities of the first user or the second user corresponding to the targeted advertisement.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the activities of the first user of the second user corresponding to the targeted advertisement include at least one of click-through activities, search activities, purchasing activities, or click fraud activities.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the advertisement result module is executable by the processing logic to use the packet data extracted by the deep packet inspection module to identify click-through activities of the first user or the second user responsive to the targeted advertisement.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the advertisement result module is executable by the processing logic to use the packet data extracted by the deep packet inspection module to detect search activities of the first user or the second user identified as responsive to content of the targeted advertisement.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the advertisement result module is executable by the processing logic to use the packet data extracted by the deep packet inspection module to detect purchases made by the first user or the second user corresponding to content of the targeted advertisement.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the advertisement result module is executable by the processing logic to use the packet data extracted by the deep packet inspection module to detect click fraud corresponding to the targeted advertisement.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising an anonymous profile module executable by the processing logic to use the packet data extracted by the deep packet inspection module to generate the first profile based on first activity data associated with the first user and to generate the second profile based on second activity data associated with the second user, and wherein the anonymous profile module is further configured to provide profile data from the first profile and the second profile to an advertising system when the packet data extracted by the deep packet inspection module indicates that the first user and the second user are determined to be concurrently active in a multi-user activity.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the anonymous profile module is executable by the processing logic to record multiplayer gaming activity data and social networking activity data that is extracted by the deep packet inspection module.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the deep packet inspection module is implemented at a home gateway system, at a mobility system, at a core network, or at a peering network.

20. A graphical user interface comprising:

an activity display area to display graphical data associated with a multi-user activity; and

an advertisement display area to display advertisement data substantially concurrently with displaying the graphical data, wherein the advertisement data is received by multiple users of the multi-user activity based on anonymous profile data associated with a first user of the multi-user activity, the anonymous profile data including data extracted from data packets corresponding to the first user via a deep packet inspection process that retrieves non-payload packet data, and wherein the anonymous profile data further includes aggregate demographic data received from a service provider and correlated with an anonymous profile of the first user.

21. The graphical user interface of claim 20, wherein the activity display area and the advertisement display area are located within a browser window and wherein a location of the advertisement display area within the browser window is determined by a browser plug-in application.

22. The graphical user interface of claim 21, wherein the multi-user activity is a multiplayer game, and wherein the advertisement display area is positioned within the activity display area to coincide with a game play of the multiplayer game.

23. A computer-readable medium, comprising:

instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to receive anonymous player profile data corresponding to multiple players concurrently participating in a multi-user game, wherein the anonymous player profile data is extracted from network packet data via a deep packet inspection process that retrieves non-payload packet data, and wherein the anonymous player profile data is correlated with aggregate demographic data based on location and subscription information;

instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to select a targeted advertisement based on the anonymous player profile data; and

instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to send the targeted advertisement to be displayed to the multiple players participating in the multi-user game.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, further comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to select the targeted advertisement from multiple advertisements at an advertisement brokerage system.