Population segmentation

• US 8,510,658 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2010
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Priyadarshan, Eswar, Sun, Kenley, Grigorovici, Dan Marius, Chittari, Ravikiran, Vadrevu, Jayasurya, Mohammed, Irfan
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, RUAY L
• Application Number:
  US12/854,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20120042253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 715200-277, 715700-867, 700701-866, 709201-229, 705 50- 79, 345 30-111
• US Class Current: 715/733
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

Segments used to select content to be targeted to a user are recursively refined based on continuously derived user characteristics. Based on information gathered from new requests for targeted content and/or user interaction with previously delivered content the user is assigned to one or additional targeted segments. The targeted segments can be used to select content to be delivered to the user based on the user'"'"'s assignment to the targeted segments. Accordingly, each user is grouped into one or more targeted segments and based on the user'"'"'s inclusion in those segments, requests for targeted content can be served to the user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of assigning a user to one or more segments of a population comprising:

delivering invitational content to a client device associated with the user, the invitational content selected based on an association between the user and a first segment, wherein the invitational content is designed to elicit user interaction corresponding to at least one associated conversion action;

evaluating feedback descriptive of the user'"'"'s interaction with the invitational content on the client device, the feedback capturing a position along a conversion continuum tied to the at least one associated conversion action;

analyzing, via a processor, at least one characteristic within a profile associated with the user, the profile being a record of characteristics associated with the user;

assigning the user into a second segment based on the feedback and at least one user characteristic, the second segment being a grouping of users that share a degree of commonality with respect to their interaction with the invitational content targeted to the user, the degree of commonality corresponding to the position along the conversion continuum tied to the at least one associated conversion action; and

targeting additional invitational content to the user based on assignment to the second segment.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second segment is a grouping of users that share a degree of commonality amongst the same multiple behavioral characteristics.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the user is assigned to the second segment when the analysis of the at least one characteristic reveals that the user connects to a content delivery system greater than a determined number of times a week using two or more network-connection types, the network-connection types comprising a cellular network connection, a wireless network connection, and a wired network connection.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the second segment includes users with an inferred intent to convert an item and an ability to purchase the item, the user being assigned to the second segment when the analysis of the at least one characteristic reveals that the user is presented with a determined number of opportunities to convert an item and the user falls into an income category sufficient to convert the item, wherein an opportunity corresponds to an invitational content item.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the second segment includes educated users within a specified income range, the user being assigned to the second segment when the analysis of the at least one characteristic and the evaluation of the feedback reveals that the user commonly visits financial and/or technological content and the user falls into a specified income range.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second segment is a grouping of users that share a degree of commonality amongst the same characteristics including a combination of at least a behavioral characteristic and a spatial-temporal characteristic.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the second segment includes users within a predefined distance from their home with an interest in local businesses, the user being assigned to the second segment when the analysis of the at least one characteristic and the evaluation of the feedback reveals that the user is within the predefined distance from his home and has searched for a local business within a predefined period of time.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the second segment includes users that are away from the user'"'"'s home with an interest in a location away from the user'"'"'s home, the user being assigned to the second segment when the analysis of the at least one characteristic and the evaluation of the feedback reveals that the user is greater than a predefined distance from the user'"'"'s home and the user has searched for a location greater than a predefined distance from the user'"'"'s home.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the second segment includes users that are traveling, the user being assigned to the second segment when the analysis of the at least one characteristic and the evaluation of the feedback reveals that the user'"'"'s device has made a request for content from several different locations in a session of interaction with a network.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the user is assigned to the second segment when the analysis of the at least one characteristic and the evaluation of the feedback reveals that the user has interacted with a network from more than five different zip codes from a private Internet Protocol Address within the last month.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the user is assigned to the second segment when the analysis of the at least one characteristic and the evaluation of the feedback reveals that the user has searched for locations outside the user'"'"'s home zip code and the user'"'"'s searches originated from an Internet Protocol address or zip code associated with a resort.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second segment relates to a type of product or content in which the user has an inferred interest.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the user is assigned to the second segment when the analysis of the at least one characteristic and the evaluation of the feedback reveals that a majority of the content that the user views is related to sports and the user spends at least a predefined average amount of time with sport content per day.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the user is assigned to the second segment when the analysis of the at least one characteristic and the evaluation of the feedback reveals that the user has viewed at least a determined number of automobile content items within a determined period.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein the user is assigned to the second segment when the analysis of the at least one characteristic and the evaluation of the feedback reveals that the user has viewed at least a determined number of social networking content items within a determined period.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the at least one characteristic for the analysis when a confidence score that is associated with the at least one characteristic is greater than a specified threshold value.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable code stored thereon for causing a computer to perform a method of assigning a user to one or more segments of a population, the method comprising:

delivering invitational content to a client device associated with the user, the invitational content selected based on an association between the user and first segment, wherein the invitational content is designed to elicit user interaction corresponding to at least one associated conversion action;

evaluating feedback descriptive of the user'"'"'s interaction with the invitational content on the client device, the feedback capturing a position along a conversion continuum tied to the at least one associated conversion action;

analyzing at least one characteristic associated with the user;

assigning the user into a second segment based on the feedback and at least one user characteristic, the second segment being a grouping of users that share a degree of commonality with respect to the at least one characteristic and their interaction with the invitational content targeted to the user, the degree of commonality corresponding to the position along the conversion continuum tied to the at least one associated conversion action; and

targeting additional invitational content to the user based on assignment to the second segment.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the second segment is a grouping of users that share a degree of commonality amongst the same multiple behavioral characteristics.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the second segment is a grouping of users that share a degree of commonality amongst the same characteristics including at least one demographic characteristic.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the user is assigned to the second segment when the analysis of the at least one characteristic reveals that the user is within a specified age range.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the user is assigned to the second segment when the analysis of the at least one characteristic reveals that the user is within a specified age range and a specific gender.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the user is assigned to the second segment when the analysis of the at least one characteristic reveals that the user is a resident of specified geographic region.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the second segment is a grouping of users that share a degree of commonality amongst the same characteristics including a combination of at least a behavioral characteristic and a spatial-temporal characteristic.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the second segment is a grouping of users that share a degree of commonality amongst the same characteristics including a combination of at least a behavioral characteristic and a demographic characteristic.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the second segment is a grouping of users exhibiting a behavior indicating an interest in a product and a demographic indicating an ability to purchase the product.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the second segment is a grouping of users that share a degree of commonality amongst the same characteristics including a combination of at least a demographic characteristic and a spatial-temporal characteristic.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the second segment relates to a type of product or content in which the user has an inferred interest.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

selecting a user characteristic value for the analysis when a confidence score that is associated with the user characteristic value is greater than a specified threshold value.

29. A system for assigning a user to one or more segments of a population comprising:

a processor;

a first module configured to control the processor to deliver invitational content to a client device associated with the user, the invitational content selected based on an association between the user and first segment, wherein the invitational content is designed to elicit user interaction corresponding to at least one associated conversion action;

a second module configured to control the processor to evaluate feedback descriptive of the user'"'"'s interaction with the invitational content on the client device, the feedback capturing a position along a conversion continuum tied to the at least one associated conversion action;

a third module configured to control the processor to analyze at least one characteristic within a profile associated with the user, the profile being a record of characteristics associated with the user;

a fourth module configured to control the processor to assign the user into a second segment based on the feedback and at least one user characteristic, the second segment being a grouping of users that share a degree of commonality with respect to their interaction with the invitational content targeted to the user, the degree of commonality corresponding to the position along the conversion continuum tied to the at least one associated conversion action; and

a fifth module configured to control the process to target additional invitational content to the user based on assignment to the second segment.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the second segment is a grouping of users that share a degree of commonality amongst the same characteristics including at least one demographic characteristic.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the user is assigned to the second segment when the analysis of the at least one characteristic reveals that the user is within a specified age range.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the user is assigned to the second segment when the analysis of the at least one characteristic reveals that the user is within a specified age range and a specific gender.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the user is assigned to the second segment when the analysis of the at least one characteristic reveals that the user is a resident of a specified geographic region.

34. The system of claim 29, wherein the second segment is a grouping of users that share a degree of commonality amongst the same multiple behavioral characteristics.

35. The system of claim 29, wherein the second segment is a grouping of users that share a degree of commonality amongst the same characteristics including a combination of at least a behavioral characteristic and a spatial-temporal characteristic.

36. The system of claim 29, wherein the second segment relates to a type of product or content in which the user is likely interested.

37. The system of claim 29, further comprising:

a sixth module configured to control the processor to select a user characteristic value for the analysis when a confidence score that is associated with the user characteristic value is greater than a specified threshold value.