Incremental update of long-term and short-term user profile scores in a behavioral targeting system

• US 7,904,448 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2006
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Slack Technologies, Inc. (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yin, Hongfeng, Gupta, Abhinav, Lin, Long-Ji, Chung, Christina Yip, Koran, Joshua M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam; Shahid A
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAWSON, DONALD L
• Application Number:
  US11/394,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20070260624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,805 Days
• Field of Search: 707/101, 707/3, 707/721, 707/722, 705/7, 703/2
• US Class Current: 707/721
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

A behavioral targeting system determines user profiles from online activity. The system includes a plurality of models that define parameters for determining a user profile score. Event information, which comprises on-line activity of the user, is received at an entity. To generate a user profile score, a model is selected. The model comprises recency, intensity and frequency dimension parameters. The behavioral targeting system generates a user profile score for a target objective, such as brand advertising or direct response advertising. The parameters from the model are applied to generate the user profile score in a category. The behavioral targeting system has application for use in ad serving to on-line users.

Claims

1. A method for determining a user profile from online activity, said method comprising:

collecting event information up to a first period of time, wherein said event information comprises on-line activity between a user and an entity;

processing said event information so as to generate a long-term user profile score including at least one of computing an intensity dimension comprising a decay component or computing a recency dimension, wherein said long-term user profile score is used to assess user behavior based on said user'"'"'s long-term interest;

receiving, at said entity, event information subsequent to said first period of time;

processing said event information received subsequent to said first period of time so as to generate a short-term user profile score, wherein said short-term profile score is used to assess user behavior based on said user'"'"'s short-term interest;

re-calculating said long-term user profile score without re-processing said event information collected up to said first period of time by either increasing said decay component based on a time associated with said user profile score or incrementing said recency dimension based on a time associated with said user profile score; and

combining said long-term user profile score and said short-term user profile score to generate a user profile score.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein processing said event information so as to generate a long-term user profile score comprises batch processing said event information to generate said long-term user profile score.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein processing said event information to generate a short-term user profile score comprises processing said event information in real-time to generate said short-term user profile score.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said time subsequent to said first period of time comprises at least one hour.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said time subsequent to said first period of time comprises two days.

6. A computer readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to determine a user profile from online activity, said instructions for:

collecting event information up to a first period of time, wherein said event information comprises on-line activity between a user and an entity;

processing said event information so as to generate a long-term user profile score including at least one of computing an intensity dimension comprising a decay component or computing a recency dimension, wherein said long-term user profile score is used to assess user behavior based on said user'"'"'s long-term interest;

receiving, at said entity, event information subsequent to said first period of time;

processing said event information received subsequent to said first period of time so as to generate a short-term user profile score, wherein said short-term profile score is used to assess user behavior based on said user'"'"'s short-term interest;

re-calculating said long-term user profile score without re-processing said event information collected up to said first period of time by either increasing said decay component based on a time associated with said user profile score or incrementing said recency dimension based on a time associated with said user profile score; and

combining said long-term user profile score and said short-term user profile score to generate a user profile score.

7. The computer readable storage medium as set forth in claim 6, wherein processing said event information so as to generate a long-term user profile score comprises batch processing said event information to generate said long-term user profile score.

8. The computer readable storage medium as set forth in claim 6, wherein processing said event information to generate a short-term user profile score comprises processing said event information in real-time to generate said short-term user profile score.

9. The computer readable storage medium as set forth in claim 6, wherein said time subsequent to said first period of time comprises at least one hour.

10. The computer readable storage medium as set forth in claim 6, wherein said time subsequent to said first period of time comprises two days.

11. A system comprising:

at least one server for collecting a first set of event information up to a first period of time, and for receiving a second set of event information subsequent to said first period of time, wherein said event information comprises on-line activity between a user and an entity;

batch processing unit, coupled to said server, for processing said event information so as to generate a long-term user profile score including at least one of computing an intensity dimension comprising a decay component or computing a recency dimension, wherein said long-term user profile score is used to assess user behavior based on said user'"'"'s long-term interest;

real-time processing unit, coupled to said server, for processing said event information received subsequent to said first period of time so as to generate a short-term user profile score, wherein said short-term profile score is used to assess user behavior based on said user'"'"'s short-term interest; and

wherein, said server for re-calculating said long-term user profile score without re-processing said event information collected up to said first period of time by either increasing said decay component based on a time associated with said user profile score or incrementing said recency dimension based on a time associated with said user profile score, and for combining said long-term user profile score and said short-term user profile score to generate a user profile score.

12. The system as set forth in claim 11, wherein said time subsequent to said first period of time comprises at least one hour.

13. The system as set forth in claim 11, wherein said time subsequent to said first period of time comprises two days.