Multi-attribute web content auctions

• US 8,112,320 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2010
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DigitalScirocco, Inc.
• Original Assignee: DigitalScirocco, Inc.
• Inventors: D'Ambrosio, Bruce D., Wellman, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Rosen, Nicholas D
• Application Number:
  US12/819,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20100324974A1
• Time in Patent Office: 599 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.45, 705/14.49, 705/14.69, 705/14.71, 705/26.3
• US Class Current: 705/26.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0255 based on user history
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0275 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/08 Auctions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management

Abstract

Embodiments may provide for multi-attribute auctioning. Bids and offers which comprise non-price attributes may be received by an auction service, such as web content bids and offers for space on webpages. The service may evaluate attributes of bids and offers in a quantitative manner, developing a value for the bid and offer that includes both price information and other non-price attributes. Valuation may be performed through the use of willingness-to-pay functions which, based on a knowledge of an agent, may determine a numerical value for that agent'"'"'s willingness to pay according to the non-price attributes. The result from evaluating this function may then be used to determine which auction bids and offers may be matched. The bid or offer can include one or more probability distributions for future performance, based on the published statistics about past performance of agents. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for matching bids to supply content for online composite content with offers for space for one or more items of online composite content in an auction, the method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, one or more bids to supply content for the online composite content and one or more offers for space for one or more items of online composite content, wherein the one or more bids and one or more offers have respective associated sets of attributes;

generating, by the computing device, respective numerically-valued evaluations of the one or more bids and one or more offers based on the respective sets of attributes;

matching, by the computing device, at least one bid and at least one offer according to the quantified evaluations; and

outputting, by the computing device, the matched offers and bids.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more items of online composite content comprise a webpage.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein generating respective quantified evaluations comprises, for a bid or offer:

generating, by the computing device, a function which quantifies a willingness to pay measure; and

evaluating, by the computing device, the function over each of the respective sets of attributes.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein generating a function comprises generating a function relative to an agent participating in the auction.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein generating respective quantified evaluations further comprises, for a respective bid or offer, combining a valuation obtained from evaluating the function for that bid or offer with an asked-for price.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein evaluating the function over each of the respective sets of attributes comprises evaluating the function over one or more non-quantitative attributes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the sets of attributes respectively comprise preference specifications.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the preference specifications respectively comprise ordered preferences.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the method further comprises identifying, by the computing device, statistics relating to past performance of an agent;

at least one bid or at least one offer comprises one or more probability distributions for future performance of an agent; and

generating, by the computing device, respective quantified evaluations comprises performing an evaluation over the one or more probability distributions.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises, by the computing device, publishing the statistics.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein generating, at the computing device, respective numerically-valued evaluations comprises evaluating a click-through conversion rate for a piece of online content.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein generating, at the computing device, respective numerically-valued evaluations comprises evaluating one or more non-price-related measurements.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein evaluating non-price-related measurements comprises evaluating visitor information.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein evaluating non-price-related measurements comprises evaluating website context.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein evaluating non-price-related measurements comprises evaluating website constraints.

16. A system for performing multi-attribute auctions, the system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

a bid acceptor configured to, in response to operation by the one or more computer processors, accept one or more bids respectively associated with one or more pieces of content to place the pieces of content onto one or more webpages, the one or more bids at least in part including non-price attributes;

a webpage offer acceptor configured to, in response to operation by the one or more computer processors, accept one or more offers of space on one or more webpages, the one or more offers at least in part including non-price attributes;

a willingness-to-pay generator configured to, in response to operation by the one or more computer processors, generate one or more functions which quantify a willingness to pay measure for evaluating the accepted bids and offers; and

a web content auction resolver configured to, in response to operation by the one or more computer processors;

evaluate the one or more willingness-to-pay functions over the accepted bids and offers;

match at least one bid and at least one offer which match at least in part according to the evaluating; and

output the matching at least one offer and at least one bid.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the non-price attribute sets comprise ordered preferences.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising a provider statistics publisher configured to, in response to operation by the one or more computer processors, publish statistics relating to past performance of one or more agents;

and

wherein the webpage offer acceptor is further configured to, in response to operation by the one or more computer processors, accept offers which comprise one or more probability distributions for future performance of the one or more agents.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the willingness-to-pay generator is configured to generate willingness-to-pay functions for individual website providers or content creators.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the web content auction resolver is further configured to add valuations obtained through evaluating the one or more willingness-to-pay functions to prices included in the bids and offers.

21. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a tangible computer-readable medium; and

a plurality of computer-executable instructions stored on the tangible computer-readable medium, wherein the computer-executable instructions, in response to execution by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform operations for matching bids to supply content for online composite content with offers for space for one or more online composite content in an auction, the operations comprising;

receiving, by a computing device, one or more bids to supply content for the online composite content and one or more offers for space for one or more items of online composite content, wherein the one or more bids and one or more offers have respective associated sets of attributes;

generating, by the computing device, respective numerically-valued evaluations of the one or more bids and one or more offers based on the respective sets of attributes;

matching, by the computing device, at least one bid and at least one offer according to the quantified evaluations; and

outputting, by the computing device, the matched offers and bids.

22. The article of claim 21, wherein the operations further comprise:

the method further comprises identifying, by the computing device, statistics relating to past performance of an agent;

at least one bid or at least one offer comprises one or more probability distributions for future performance of an agent; and

generating, by the computing device, respective quantified evaluations comprises performing an evaluation over the one or more probability distributions.