METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING MULTIPLE DEVICES BELONGING TO THE SAME GROUP

• US 20160323239A1
• Filed: 04/30/2015
• Published: 11/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yahoo AD Tech LLC
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cheng, Hao, Chandra, Rohit, Yang, Jimmy
• Granted Patent: US 9,864,999 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters

Abstract

The technologies described herein identify multiple electronic devices belonging to the same group. A computer system receives, from network accessing applications of a plurality of electronic devices, internet protocol (IP) trajectory information about the network accessing applications via a network. The IP trajectory information includes a user identifier, a list of IP addresses associated with each of the network accessing applications, and timestamps specifying times each of the network accessing applications accesses the network. The computer system identifies and removes commercial IP addresses from the list of IP addresses, analyzes IP trajectory information to retrieve a most commonly used IP address for each of the network accessing applications during a certain period, and determines that different network accessing applications belong to the same group if the most commonly used IP addresses for the different network accessing applications are the same.

Claims

1. A method for identifying multiple electronic devices belonging to a same group, the method comprising:

receiving, from network accessing applications of a plurality of electronic devices, internet protocol (IP) trajectory information about the network accessing applications via a network,

wherein the IP trajectory information includes

a user identifier,

a list of IP addresses associated with each of the network accessing applications, and

timestamps specifying times each of the network accessing applications accesses the network;

identifying commercial IP addresses among the list of IP addresses;

removing the commercial IP addresses from the list of IP addresses to produce revised IP trajectory information;

analyzing the revised IP trajectory information to retrieve a most commonly used IP address for each of the network accessing applications during a certain period; and

determining that different network accessing applications belong to the same group if the most commonly used IP addresses for the different network accessing applications are the same.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network accessing applications comprise a web browser or mobile application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user identifier comprises a browser cookie, or a unique user identifier for a mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the certain period is one month.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple electronic devices comprises portable electronic devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying commercial IP addresses among the list of IP addresses comprises analyzing various factors for the list of IP addresses including:

a number of user identifiers showing up on the IP addresses,

time of connecting activities,

repetition of connecting activities, and

metadata for the IP addresses.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the group comprises one or more family members of a same household.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving IP trajectory information comprises receiving static IP addresses as the list of IP addresses

9. A method for identifying multiple electronic devices belonging to a same group, the method comprising:

receiving, from network accessing applications of a plurality of electronic devices, internet protocol (IP) trajectory information about the network accessing applications via a network,

wherein the IP trajectory information includes

a user identifier,

a list of IP addresses associated with each of the network accessing applications, and

timestamps specifying times each of the network accessing applications accesses the network;

identifying commercial IP addresses among the list of IP addresses;

removing the commercial IP addresses from the list of IP addresses to produce revised IP trajectory information;

analyzing patterns of changes of the revised IP trajectory information for two different network accessing applications with reference to the timestamps included the revised IP trajectory information during a certain period of time; and

determining that the two different network accessing applications belong to the same group based on similarity of the patterns of changes.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining similarity of the patterns by calculating a length of time in which the IP addresses for the two different network accessing applications are the same.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining similarity of the patterns comprises calculating a length of time in which the IP addresses for the two different network accessing applications are different.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein determining that the two different network accessing applications belong to the same group comprises determining whether the length of time is more than 70% of the certain period of time.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the revised IP trajectory information include a first IP address at a first timestamp and a second IP address at a second timestamp following the first timestamp, and wherein an IP address during time between the first timestamp and the second timestamp is estimated to be either the first IP address or the second IP address.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving IP trajectory information comprises receiving dynamic IP addresses as the list of IP addresses.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein identifying commercial IP addresses among the list of IP addresses comprises analyzing various factors for the list of IP addresses including:

a number of user identifiers showing up on the IP addresses,

time of connecting activities,

repetition of connecting activities, and

metadata for the IP addresses.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein receiving IP trajectory information about the network accessing applications comprises receiving IP trajectory information about two or more accessing applications that are executed on a same electronic device.

17. A method of providing same advertisements to multiple electronic devices belonging to a same group, the method comprising:

receiving, from network accessing applications of a plurality of electronic devices, internet protocol (IP) trajectory information about the network accessing applications via a network,

wherein the IP trajectory information includes

a user identifier,

a list of IP addresses associated with each of the network accessing applications, and

timestamps specifying times each of the network accessing applications accesses the network;

identifying commercial IP addresses among the list of IP addresses;

removing the commercial IP addresses from the list of IP addresses to produce revised IP trajectory information;

analyzing the revised IP trajectory information to retrieve a most commonly used IP address for each of the network accessing applications during a certain period;

determining that different network accessing applications belong to the same group if the most commonly used IP addresses for the different network accessing applications are the same; and

providing same advertisements to the different network accessing applications belonging to the same group via the network.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the same group comprises one or more family members of a same household.

19. A method of providing same advertisements to multiple electronic devices belonging to a same group comprising:

receiving, from network accessing applications of a plurality of electronic devices, internet protocol (IP) trajectory information about the network accessing applications via a network,

wherein the IP trajectory information includes

a user identifier,

a list of IP addresses associated with each of the network accessing applications, and

timestamps specifying times each of the network accessing applications accesses the network;

identifying commercial IP addresses among the list of IP addresses;

removing the commercial IP addresses from the list of IP addresses to produce revised IP trajectory information;

analyzing patterns of changes of the revised IP trajectory information for two different network accessing applications with reference to the timestamps included the revised IP trajectory information during a certain period of time; and

determining that the two different network accessing applications belong to the same group based on similarity of the patterns of changes; and

providing same advertisements to the different network accessing applications belonging to the same group via the network.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein identifying commercial IP addresses among the list of IP addresses comprises analyzing various factors for the list of IP addresses including:

a number of user identifiers showing up on the IP addresses,

time of connecting activities,

repetition of connecting activities, and

metadata for the IP addresses.