METHOD, COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR HYPER-LOCAL GEO-TARGETING

• US 20110113116A1
• Filed: 11/11/2009
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digital Envoy, Inc. (Landmark Media Enterprises LLC)
• Original Assignee: Digital Envoy, Inc. (Landmark Media Enterprises LLC)
• Inventors: Cabrera, Richard, BURDETTE, JEFF, Hebenstreit, Joseph, Friedman, Robert, Lee, Christopher Jason, Helsper, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,443,107 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/60 Types of network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

A method, computer program product and electronic device are provided for providing hyper-local geo-targeting based on validated, user-supplied geographic information, wherein the user'"'"'s anonymity may be maintained. In particular, user-supplied geographic information may be collected in association with a truncated IP address. Once collected, the user-supplied information may be validated using geographic data previously derived from one or more complete IP addresses corresponding to the received truncated IP address. The derived geographic data may have been derived using a system that maps the routing infrastructure of the Internet in order to determine where endpoints on the Internet are located. The validated, user-supplied geographic information, which may be more specific than the derived geographic data, may then be used to provide more granular and accurate geo-targeting, all the while maintaining the privacy of the individual users.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computer over a network, a truncated IP address associated with a user;

receiving, by the computer, user-supplied geographic information associated with the truncated IP address;

retrieving, by the computer from a database, geographic data derived from one or more complete IP addresses corresponding to the truncated IP address;

validating, by the computer, the user-supplied geographic information based at least in part on the derived geographic data, wherein, once validated, the user-supplied geographic information can be used to provide geo-targeted information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a complete IP address comprises four octets, and the truncated IP address comprises the first three octets of the complete IP address.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more complete IP addresses corresponding to the truncated IP address comprise one or more complete IP addresses having the same first three octets as the truncated IP address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-supplied geographic information comprises a zip code associated with the user.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

deriving geographic data from one or more complete IP addresses corresponding to the truncated IP address; and

storing the derived geographic data in the database in association with the corresponding complete IP addresses.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein deriving geographic data from one or more complete IP addresses further comprises:

identifying, for respective complete IP addresses, one or more intermediate hosts between a source host and a target host associated with the complete IP address;

determining a geographic location associated with respective intermediate hosts; and

determining a geographic location of the target host based at least in part on the geographic location of respective intermediate hosts.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein validating the user-supplied geographic information further comprises:

determining whether the user-supplied geographic information is the same or equivalent to the derived geographic data associated with at least one of the one or more complete IP addresses corresponding to the truncated IP address.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the user-supplied geographic information is the same or equivalent to the derived geographic data when the user-supplied geographic information and the derived geographic data correspond to the same or equivalent geographic location.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

identifying one or more of the complete IP addresses for which the derived geographic data is the same or equivalent to the user-supplied geographic information.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

replacing the derived geographic data stored in the database in association with the one or more identified complete IP addresses with the user-supplied geographic information.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving, from a web server, a request for geographic information associated with one of the one or more identified complete IP addresses; and

transmitting, to the web server, the user-supplied geographic information, such that the web server can provide geo-targeted information to a user associated with the complete IP address.

12. A computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, said computer-readable program code portions comprising:

a first executable portion for receiving a truncated IP address associated with a user;

a second executable portion for receiving user-supplied geographic information associated with the truncated IP address;

a third executable portion for retrieving, from a database, geographic data derived from one or more complete IP addresses corresponding to the truncated IP address;

a fourth executable portion for validating the user-supplied geographic information based at least in part on the derived geographic data, wherein, once validated, the user-supplied geographic information can be used to provide geo-targeted information.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein a complete IP address comprises four octets, and the truncated IP address comprises the first three octets of the complete IP address.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the one or more complete IP addresses corresponding to the truncated IP address comprise one or more complete IP addresses having the same first three octets as the truncated IP address.

15. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the user-supplied geographic information comprises a zip code associated with the user.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computer-readable program code portions further comprise:

a fifth executable portion for deriving geographic data from one or more complete IP addresses corresponding to the truncated IP address; and

a sixth executable portion for storing the derived geographic data in the database in association with the corresponding complete IP addresses.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the fifth executable portion is configured to:

identify, for respective complete IP addresses, one or more intermediate hosts between a source host and a target host associated with the complete IP address;

determine a geographic location associated with respective intermediate hosts; and

determine a geographic location of the target host based at least in part on the geographic location of respective intermediate hosts.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the fourth executable portion is configured to:

determine whether the user-supplied geographic information is the same or equivalent to the derived geographic data associated with at least one of the one or more complete IP addresses corresponding to the truncated IP address.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the user-supplied geographic information is the same or equivalent to the derived geographic data when the user-supplied geographic information and the derived geographic data correspond to the same or equivalent geographic location.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the computer-readable program code portions further comprise:

a fifth executable portion for identifying one or more of the complete IP addresses for which the derived geographic data is the same or equivalent to the user-supplied geographic information.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the computer-readable program code portions further comprise:

a sixth executable portion for replacing the derived geographic data stored in the database in association with the one or more identified complete IP addresses with the user-supplied geographic information.

22. An electronic device comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a truncated IP address associated with a user;

receive user-supplied geographic information associated with the truncated IP address;

retrieve, from a database, geographic data derived from one or more complete IP addresses corresponding to the truncated IP address;

validate the user-supplied geographic information based at least in part on the derived geographic data, wherein, once validated, the user-supplied geographic information can be used to provide geo-targeted information.