Targeted television advertising based on profiles linked to multiple online devices
3 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A profile provider: (i) associates a primary online device (OD1) with a set-top box (STB); (ii) a location of OD1 at some point in time is estimated to be “near” the STB, thereby establishing a STB proxy location; (iii) one or more secondary online devices (OD2s) are observed to be located “near” the STB proxy location and are associated with the STB; and (iv) a television advertisement is selected to be directed to the STB, which selection is based at least in part on profile information linked to one of the associated OD2s. The method can be particularly advantageous in situations wherein: the STB is not connected to any computer network; the STB is not ever connected to the same local area network as OD1 or OD2; or television service (used by the STB) and online access (used by OD1 and OD2s) are provided by different service providers.
226 Citations
89 Claims
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1-13. -13. (canceled)
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14. A computer-implemented method of dealing with online activity of a user having a set-top box and a secondary online device, the method comprising:
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(a) receiving at a computer system a notification, wherein the notification;
(i) includes or references a set-top box identifier, and (ii) results from and signifies a television advertisement being presented using the set-top box that corresponds to the set-top box identifier; and(b) based on the notification, automatically with the computer system causing an action to be taken with respect to online activity through the secondary online device subsequent to presentation of the television advertisement, which secondary online device corresponds, at the time of the action, to a secondary online device identifier, (c) wherein the secondary online device identifier is associated with the set top box identifier, and that association is indicated by (i) stored electronic indicia of a proxy location of the set-top box, which proxy location is a location of a primary online device at a time when the primary online device is estimated to have been at a geographic location shared with the set-top box, and (ii) stored electronic indicia indicating that the secondary online device is estimated to have been at least transiently located at the proxy location of the set-top box. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25-55. -55. (canceled)
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56. A machine comprising a hardware computer system structured and programmed to perform a method of dealing with online activity of a user having a set-top box and a secondary online device, the method comprising:
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(a) receiving at the computer system a notification, wherein the notification; (i) includes or references a set-top box identifier, and (ii) results from and signifies a television advertisement being presented using the set-top box that corresponds to the set-top box identifier; and (b) based on the notification, automatically with the computer system causing an action to be taken with respect to online activity through the secondary online device subsequent to presentation of the television advertisement, which secondary online device corresponds, at the time of the action, to a secondary online device identifier, (c) wherein the secondary online device identifier is associated with the set top box identifier, and that association is indicated by (i) stored electronic indicia of a proxy location of the set-top box, which proxy location is a location of a primary online device at a time when the primary online device is estimated to have been at a geographic location shared with the set-top box, and (ii) stored electronic indicia indicating that the secondary online device is estimated to have been at least transiently located at the proxy location of the set-top box. - View Dependent Claims (57, 60, 62)
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58-59. -59. (canceled)
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61. (canceled)
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63-71. -71. (canceled)
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72. An article comprising a tangible medium that is not a transitory propagating signal encoding computer-readable instructions that, when applied to a computer system, instruct the computer system to perform a method of dealing with online activity of a user having a set-top box and a secondary online device, the method comprising:
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(a) receiving at the computer system a notification, wherein the notification; (i) includes or references a set-top box identifier, and (ii) results from and signifies a television advertisement being presented using the set-top box that corresponds to the set-top box identifier; and (b) based on the notification, automatically with the computer system causing an action to be taken with respect to online activity through the secondary online device subsequent to presentation of the television advertisement, which secondary online device corresponds, at the time of the action, to a secondary online device identifier, (c) wherein the secondary online device identifier is associated with the set top box identifier, and that association is indicated by (i) stored electronic indicia of a proxy location of the set-top box, which proxy location is a location of a primary online device at a time when the primary online device is estimated to have been at a geographic location shared with the set-top box, and (ii) stored electronic indicia indicating that the secondary online device is estimated to have been at least transiently located at the proxy location of the set-top box. - View Dependent Claims (73, 76)
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74-75. -75. (canceled)
- 77. (canceled)
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79-87. -87. (canceled)
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88. A method implemented using a programmed hardware computer system, the method comprising:
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(a) using the computer system, determining an association among a set of devices, which set includes (i) a plurality of first, identified online devices, wherein network traffic was routed to each of the first online devices using a first, common IP address or portion thereof during a first, selected time period, and (ii) an additional device that is not an identified online device; (b) using the computer system, determining that network traffic has been routed to a selected minimum number of multiple first online devices of the set of associated devices during a second, subsequent time period using a second, common IP address or portion thereof that is different from the first, common IP address or portion thereof; and (c) causing an advertisement to be selected for direction to the additional device, based at least in part on profile information associated with a second online device, wherein network traffic is routed to the second online device using the second, common IP address or portion thereof.
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89-114. -114. (canceled)
Specification