Ordinal Positioning Of Content Items Based On Viewport

• US 20140095514A1
• Filed: 10/02/2012
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Filev, Momchil, Freund, Martin B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,870,344 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/748
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for adjusting ordinal positions for content item slots in response to determining that a content item slot with a highest slot ordinal position relative to the other content item slots in a resource is not within a viewport area. Adjusting the adjusting ordinal positions of either the content item slots or content items to be served in the content item slots ensures that a content item slot in the viewport displays a content item with a highest respective ordinal position in a ranking relative to other content items is rendered in the content item slot within the viewport area.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method performed by a data processing apparatus, comprising:

processing a content item request for a resource, the content item request including viewport information specifying a viewport location and viewport area within a canvas for the resource, and wherein the resource includes a plurality of content item slots that each define a location in the resource at which a content item responsive to the request is to be rendered, and each content item slot has a slot ordinal position relative to other content item slots in the resource that corresponds to respective ordinal position of a content item in a ranking for content items served in response to the request;

receiving, by a data processing apparatus, data specifying respective ordinal positions for content items in a ranking of content items determined to be responsive to the request, the respective ordinal positions causing the content item with the highest respective ordinal position in the ranking to be rendered in the content item slot with a highest ordinal position relative to the other content item slots;

determining, by the data processing apparatus and from the viewport information, that the content item slot with a highest slot ordinal position relative to the other content item slots is not within the viewport area and in response generating adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots, wherein a content item slot in the viewport corresponds to a highest adjusted ordinal position relative to the other content item slots; and

processing, by the data processing apparatus, in response to the content item request, position data defining the adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots and the content items for presentation in the content item slots.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

processing a content item request for a resource comprises receiving at a content item server the content item request, wherein the content item request has been transmitted from a user device; and

processing the position data defining the adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots and the content items for presentation in the content item slots comprises providing, from the content item server, the content items and the position data to the user device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein:

determining, from the viewport information, that the content item slot with a highest slot ordinal position relative to the other content item slots is not with the viewport comprises;

determining, for each content item slot, a respective display area and display location of the content item slot in the resource; and

determining that the content item slot with the highest slot ordinal position is not within the viewport area based on the respective display area, the respective display location, the viewport location and the viewport area.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein generating adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots in response to determining that the content item slot with a highest slot ordinal position relative to the other content item slots is not within the viewport area comprises:

determining a content item slot within the viewport area based on the respective display area of the content item slot, the respective location of the content item slot, the viewport location and the viewport area; and

adjusting the slot ordinal positions of the content item slots so that content item slot determined to be within the viewport area has a highest adjusted slot ordinal position.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein adjusting the slot ordinal positions of the content item slots so that content item slot determined to be within the viewport area has the highest adjusted slot ordinal position comprises barrel shifting the slot ordinal positions of the content item slots relative to the content item slot determined to be within the viewport area.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein adjusting the slot ordinal positions of the content item slots so that content item slot determined to be within the viewport area has the highest adjusted slot ordinal position comprises:

determining a most likely viewport shift direction for the resource, the viewport shift direction being a direction in which the viewport is adjusted on the canvas; and

adjusting the slot ordinal positions of the content item slots relative to the content item slot determined to be within the viewport area in descending order in the viewport shift direction.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein generating adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots comprises:

determining a content item slot within the viewport area based on the respective display area of the content item slot, the viewport location and the viewport area; and

adjusting the respective ordinal positions of the content items so that a content item with a highest adjusted respective ordinal position in the ranking will be rendered in the content item slot determined to be within the viewport area.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein adjusting the respective ordinal positions of the content items comprises barrel shifting the respective ordinal positions of the content item relative to the content item to be rendered in the content item slot determined to be within the viewport area.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

processing a content item request for a resource comprises generating, at a user device, the content item request and transmitting the content item request to a content item server; and

processing the position data defining the adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots and the content items for presentation in the content item slots comprises generating the position data at the user device and rendering the content items in the content items slots according to the position data.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9, wherein:

determining, from the viewport information, that the content item slot with a highest slot ordinal position relative to the other content item slots is not with the viewport comprises;

determining, for each content item slot, a respective display area and display location of the content item slot in the resource; and

determining that the content item slot with the highest slot ordinal position is not within the viewport area based on the respective display area, the respective display location, the viewport location and the viewport area.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein generating adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots in response to determining that the content item slot with a highest slot ordinal position relative to the other content item slots is not within the viewport area comprises:

determining a content item slot within the viewport area based on the respective display area of the content item slot, the respective location of the content item slot, the viewport location and the viewport area; and

adjusting the slot ordinal positions of the content item slots so that content item slot determined to be within the viewport area has a highest slot ordinal position.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein generating adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots comprises:

determining a content item slot within the viewport area based on the respective display area of the content item slot, the respective location of the content item slot, the viewport location and the viewport area; and

adjusting the respective ordinal positions of the content items so that a content item with a highest adjusted respective ordinal position in the ranking will be rendered in the content item slot determined to be within the viewport area.

13. A system comprising:

a data processing apparatus; and

a computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by the data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising;

processing a content item request for a resource, the content item request including viewport information specifying a viewport location and viewport area within a canvas for the resource, and wherein the resource includes a plurality of content item slots that each define a location in the resource at which a content item responsive to the request is to be rendered, and each content item slot has a slot ordinal position relative to other content item slots in the resource that corresponds to respective ordinal position of a content item in a ranking for content items served in response to the request;

receiving data specifying respective ordinal positions for content items in a ranking of content items determined to be responsive to the request, the respective ordinal positions causing the content item with the highest respective ordinal position in the ranking to be rendered in the content item slot with a highest ordinal position relative to the other content item slots;

determining, from the viewport information, that the content item slot with a highest slot ordinal position relative to the other content item slots is not within the viewport area and in response generating adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots, wherein a content item slot in the viewport corresponds to a highest adjusted ordinal position relative to the other content item slots; and

processing, in response to the content item request, position data defining the adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots and the content items for presentation in the content item slots.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein:

processing a content item request for a resource comprises receiving at a content item server the content item request, wherein the content item request has been transmitted from a user device; and

processing the position data defining the adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots and the content items for presentation in the content item slots comprises providing, from the content item server, the content items and the position data to the user device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein:

determining, from the viewport information, that the content item slot with a highest slot ordinal position relative to the other content item slots is not with the viewport comprises;

determining, for each content item slot, a respective display area and display location of the content item slot in the resource; and

determining that the content item slot with the highest slot ordinal position is not within the viewport area based on the respective display area, the respective display location, the viewport location and the viewport area.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein generating adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots comprises:

determining a content item slot within the viewport area based on the respective display area of the content item slot, the respective location of the content item slot, the viewport location and the viewport area; and

adjusting the slot ordinal positions of the content item slots so that content item slot determined to be within the viewport area has a highest adjusted slot ordinal position.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein generating adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots comprises:

determining a content item slot within the viewport area based on the respective display area of the content item slot, the viewport location and the viewport area; and

adjusting the respective ordinal positions of the content items so that a content item with a highest adjusted respective ordinal position in the ranking will be rendered in the content item slot determined to be within the viewport area.

18. A computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

processing a content item request for a resource, the content item request including viewport information specifying a viewport location and viewport area within a canvas for the resource, and wherein the resource includes a plurality of content item slots that each define a location in the resource at which a content item responsive to the request is to be rendered, and each content item slot has a slot ordinal position relative to other content item slots in the resource that corresponds to respective ordinal position of a content item in a ranking for content items served in response to the request;

receiving data specifying respective ordinal positions for content items in a ranking of content items determined to be responsive to the request, the respective ordinal positions causing the content item with the highest respective ordinal position in the ranking to be rendered in the content item slot with a highest ordinal position relative to the other content item slots;

determining, from the viewport information, that the content item slot with a highest slot ordinal position relative to the other content item slots is not within the viewport area and in response generating adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots, wherein a content item slot in the viewport corresponds to a highest adjusted ordinal position relative to the other content item slots; and

processing, in response to the content item request, position data defining the adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots and the content items for presentation in the content item slots.

19. The computer storage medium of claim 18, wherein:

processing a content item request for a resource comprises receiving at a content item server the content item request, wherein the content item request has been transmitted from a user device; and

processing the position data defining the adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots and the content items for presentation in the content item slots comprises providing, from the content item server, the content items and the position data to the user device.

20. The computer storage medium of claim 19, wherein:

determining, from the viewport information, that the content item slot with a highest slot ordinal position relative to the other content item slots is not with the viewport comprises;

determining, for each content item slot, a respective display area and display location of the content item slot in the resource; and

determining that the content item slot with the highest slot ordinal position is not within the viewport area based on the respective display area, the respective display location, the viewport location and the viewport area.

21. The computer storage medium of claim 20, wherein generating adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots comprises:

determining a content item slot within the viewport area based on the respective display area of the content item slot, the respective location of the content item slot, the viewport location and the viewport area; and

adjusting the slot ordinal positions of the content item slots so that content item slot determined to be within the viewport area has a highest adjusted slot ordinal position.

22. The computer storage medium of claim 20, wherein generating adjusted ordinal positions for the content item slots comprises:

determining a content item slot within the viewport area based on the respective display area of the content item slot, the viewport location and the viewport area; and

adjusting the respective ordinal positions of the content items so that a content item with a highest adjusted respective ordinal position in the ranking will be rendered in the content item slot determined to be within the viewport area.