Determining a minimum price

• US 7,707,053 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2008
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Veach, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Weisberger; Richard C
• Application Number:
  US12/053,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20080167924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 766 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/14, 705 35- 45
• US Class Current: 705/7.35
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0222 During e-commerce, i.e. online transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes

Abstract

Different minimum prices are assigned to different ad serving constraints (such as keywords, geolocations, serving times, etc.). A single auction minimum price may be determined for an auction using the minimum prices assigned to satisfied serving constraints of ads participating in the auction.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

a) receiving, with a computer system including at least one computer, a set of one or more advertisements, each of the one or more advertisements being associated with one or more serving constraints satisfying serving parameters associated with an ad serve trigger, wherein there are at least two satisfied serving constraints for the set of one or more advertisements, and wherein each of the at least two satisfied serving constraints is associated with an advertiser offer;

b) reading from a storage device of the computer system, a minimum price for each of the at least two satisfied serving constraints;

c) determining, with the computer system, a uniform arbitration-wide minimum price using the minimum prices of the at least two satisfied serving constraints; and

d) serving, with the computer system and subject to the uniform arbitration-wide minimum price, at least some of the advertisements, such that each of the advertisements served will be subject to a price no less than the uniform arbitration-wide minimum price.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the minimum price for a first of the at least two satisfied serving constraints is different from the minimum price for a second of the at least two satisfied serving constraints.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein it is determined that at least two advertisements may be served.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the satisfied serving constraints are selected from a group consisting of (A) words, (B) phrases, (C) locations, and (D) times.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the minimum prices are selected from a group consisting of (A) a minimum price per impression, (B) a minimum price per selection, and (C) a minimum price per conversion.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the act of determining a uniform arbitration-wide minimum price using the minimum prices of the at least two satisfied serving constraints determines an average of the minimum prices.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the act of determining a uniform arbitration-wide minimum price using the minimum prices of the at least two satisfied serving constraints determines a maximum of the minimum prices.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the act of determining a uniform arbitration-wide minimum price using the minimum prices of the at least two satisfied serving constraints determines a minimum of the minimum prices.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the act of determining a uniform arbitration-wide minimum price using the minimum prices of the at least two satisfied serving constraints determines a median of the minimum prices.

10. Apparatus comprising:

a) at least one input;

b) at least one processor; and

c) at least one storage device storing program instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, perform a method including

1) receiving, with the at least one input of the apparatus, a set of one or more advertisements, each of the one or more advertisements being associated with one or more serving constraints satisfying serving parameters associated with an ad serve trigger, wherein there are at least two satisfied serving constraints for the set of one or more advertisements, and wherein each of the at least two satisfied serving constraints is associated with an advertiser offer,

2) reading from the at least one storage device, a minimum price for each of the at least two satisfied serving constraints,

3) determining, with the at least one processor, a uniform arbitration-wide minimum price using the minimum prices of the at least two satisfied serving constraints,

4) serving, subject to the uniform arbitration-wide minimum price, at least some of the advertisements, such that each of the advertisements served will be subject to a price no less than the uniform arbitration-wide minimum price.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the minimum price for a first of the at least two satisfied serving constraints is different from the minimum price for a second of the at least two satisfied serving constraints.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the at least one processor determines that at least two advertisements may be served.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the satisfied serving constraints are selected from a group consisting of (A) words, (B) phrases, (C) locations, and (D) times.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the minimum prices are selected from a group consisting of (A) a minimum price per impression, (B) a minimum price per selection, and (C) a minimum price per conversion.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the act of determining a uniform arbitration-wide minimum price using the minimum prices of the at least two satisfied serving constraints determines an average of the minimum prices.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the act of determining a uniform arbitration-wide minimum price using the minimum prices of the at least two satisfied serving constraints determines a maximum of the minimum prices.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the act of determining a uniform arbitration-wide minimum price using the minimum prices of the at least two satisfied serving constraints determines a minimum of the minimum prices.

18. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the act of determining a uniform arbitration-wide minimum price using the minimum prices of the at least two satisfied serving constraints determines a median of the minimum prices.

19. Apparatus comprising:

a) at least one input;

b) at least one processor; and

c) at least one storage device storing program instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, perform a method including

1) receiving, with the at least one input of the apparatus, at least two serving constraints satisfying serving parameters associated with an ad serve trigger, of entities participating in an auction,

2) reading from the at least one storage device, at least two minimum prices associated with the at least two serving constraints,

3) providing each of the at least two minimum prices as input to an operation, to generate, using the at least one processor, an output defining the uniform auction-wide minimum price, and

4) applying using the at least one processor, the uniform auction-wide minimum price to each of the entities participating in the auction such that each of the entities participating in the auction is subject to meeting the determined uniform auction-wide minimum price.