QUASI-PROPORTIONAL ALLOCATION OF COMBINATION ITEMS FOR SERVING IN AN ONLINE AUCTION-BASED MARKETPLACE

• US 20150149275A1
• Filed: 11/25/2013
• Published: 05/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Excalibur IP, LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chandra, Rohit, Bax, Eric, Donamukkala, Raghavendra, Gupta, Abhay Kumar
• Application Number:
  US14/088,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20150149275A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.45
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided that can include value-based quasi-proportional allocation of combinations of online content items, such as online advertisements, for potential serving on Web pages. Combinations may be assembled and valued. A highest valued or otherwise qualified subset of combinations may be identified for serving. Combinations of the highest valued subset may be allocated for serving, and served, in accordance with a value-based quasi-proportional allocation scheme.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

A computer-based system, comprising one or more server computers, each of the server computers comprising a processor and a memory, for use in administering an auction-based content item marketplace operated by a marketplace provider, wherein the computer-based system is configured to;

obtain bid information including bids of each of a plurality of content providers for serving of specified content items to users on Web pages;

assemble a plurality of combinations of subsets of the specified content items, wherein each of the combinations represents an ordered set of content items for potential serving on a Web page;

determine and attribute, to each of the combinations, an offer value representing a value of the combination to the marketplace provider;

select a highest valued subset of the combinations for serving in response to combination serving opportunities; and

serve combinations of the subset in response to combination serving opportunities and in accordance with a quasi-proportional allocation scheme relative to offer values.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-based system is an online advertising system, wherein the content providers are advertisers, and wherein the content items are advertisements.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the quasi-proportional allocation scheme utilizes allocation in accordance with a specified function of the offer values.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the offer values are based at least in part on the bid information.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the content items are advertisements, and wherein the offer values are based at least in part on bids and on measures of advertisement quality.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the content items are advertisements, and wherein the offer values are based at least in part on bids and on measures of combination serving opportunity quality.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the highest valued subset of the combinations consists of a subset of the combinations that each meets or exceed a threshold offer value.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the highest valued subset of the combinations consists of a subset of the combinations that is within a highest valued specified fraction, or a specified highest valued quantity, of the plurality of combinations.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the content items are advertisements, and wherein the online system is an online advertising system, comprising;

a software-based online advertising auction marketplace engine, of the online advertising system, for receiving and storing advertiser bids;

a software-based online advertising allocation engine, of the online advertising system, for generating combinations and for allocation of combinations in accordance with the scheme; and

an online advertising serving engine, of the online advertising system, for serving combinations in accordance with the allocation.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the content items are advertisements, and wherein an offer value of a combination is determined based on an assessment of predicted performance of the combination as a whole.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein an offer value of a combination is determined based at least in part on an assessment of predicted performance of the combination as a whole, including one or more assessed, predicted or estimated effects of one or more advertisements of the combination on performance of one or more other advertisements of the combination.

12. A method, implemented using one or more server computers, each of the server computers comprising a processor and a memory, the method comprising:

receiving, and storing in memory, a plurality of advertiser bids, for serving of specified advertisements in response to serving opportunities;

determining, and storing in memory, combinations of subsets of the specified advertisements, wherein each of the combinations represents a set of advertisements for potential serving;

allocating a first set of least some of the combinations for serving in response to serving opportunities in accordance with a value-based quasi-proportional allocation scheme relative to determined values of combinations; and

causing serving of combinations of the first set, in accordance the allocation scheme.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein allocating the first set comprises determining the first set as consisting of a subset of the combinations that qualify for allocation and serving in response to serving opportunities.

14. The method of claim 12, comprising determining the values of the combinations, wherein the advertiser bids are in an auction-based online advertising marketplace, and wherein the values are relative to an administrator of the marketplace.

15. The method of claim 12, comprising tracking performance of combinations, and utilizing tracked performance information in assessing values of new combinations.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the quasi-proportional allocation scheme comprises allocation in accordance with a specified function of the values.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the quasi-proportional allocation scheme allows advertising marketplace optimization.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium or media tangibly storing computer program logic capable of being executed by a computer processor, the program logic comprising:

online advertising auction engine logic for, in an auction-based online advertising marketplace, receiving and storing advertiser bids for serving of specified advertisements on Web pages;

online advertising allocation engine logic for;

formulating, and storing in memory, combinations of subsets of the specified advertisements, wherein each of the combinations represents a full and ordered slate of advertisements for potential serving upon display of a Web page;

calculating and assigning to each of the combinations, and storing in memory, an offer value representing a performance value of the combination;

identifying, and storing in memory, a highest valued subset of the combinations for serving in response to serving opportunities; and

allocating combinations of the highest valued subset for serving in accordance with a proportional or quasi-proportional allocation scheme relative to values of combinations; and

online advertising serving engine logic for serving the combinations of the subset in accordance with the allocation scheme.

19. The computer readable storage medium or media of claim 18, wherein online advertising allocation engine logic is used to calculate performance values that are measured at least in part relative to predicted profit for the marketplace operator.

20. The computer readable storage medium or media of claim 18, wherein online advertising allocation engine logic is used to implement the allocation scheme including quasi-proportional allocation in accordance with a specified function of the performance values.