Privacy-preserving behavior targeting for digital coupons

• US 8,874,485 B2
• Filed: 12/16/2011
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Partridge, Kurt, Uzun, Ersin, Wang, Cong, Pathak, Manas Ashok
• Primary Examiner(s): Augustin, Evens J
• Application Number:
  US13/329,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20130159192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• Field of Search: 705/53, 705/59, 463/29, 235/492
• US Class Current: 705/52
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates

Abstract

A smart coupon-delivery system provides targeted coupons to a user using a criteria-encoded message received from a coupon server. The criteria-encoded message is generated by the coupon server from a behavior-criteria vector that indicates criteria for selecting a recipient of a digital coupon. The system then generates a user-behavior vector to indicate one or more behavior patterns of an end-user, and encodes the user-behavior vector to produce a behavior-encoded message. The system then determines whether the end-user is eligible to receive the digital coupon based on the criteria-encoded message and the behavior-encoded message. If the system determines that the end-user is eligible, the system presents the digital coupon to the end-user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device, a criteria-encoded message that encodes criteria for selecting a recipient of a digital coupon;

generating, by the computing device, a user-behavior vector that includes one or more vector entries, wherein a respective vector entry includes a numeric value that characterizes a user behavior for the end-user;

producing, by the computing device, a behavior-encoded message that encodes the end-user'"'"'s behavior pattern, wherein producing the behavior-encoded message involves using a hash function to encode the user-behavior vector;

determining, by the computing device, that the end-user is eligible to receive the digital coupon in response to detecting a match between the criteria-encoded message and the behavior-encoded message; and

providing, by the computing device, the digital coupon to the end-user in response to determining that the user is eligible.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria-encoded message is generated by encoding the behavior-criteria vector using a locality-sensitive hash function;

and

wherein encoding the user-behavior vector to produce the behavior-encoded message comprises using the locality-sensitive hash function to encode the user-behavior vector.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether the end-user is eligible to receive the digital coupon comprises comparing the behavior-encoded message to the criteria-encoded message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the criteria-encoded message is generated using a criteria-encoded key to encode a first secret, and wherein the criteria-encoded key is generated from the behavior-criteria vector;

and

wherein encoding the user-behavior vector to produce the behavior-encoded message comprises;

generating a behavior-encoded key from the user-behavior vector;

generating a second secret; and

encoding the second secret using the behavior-encoded key to produce the behavior-encoded message.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising sending the behavior-encoded message, which encodes the second secret, to a coupon server.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising receiving an encrypted digital coupon;

and

wherein determining whether the end-user is eligible to receive the digital coupon comprises;

generating a shared key using the criteria-encoded message and the second secret; and

determining whether the shared key decrypts the encrypted digital coupon.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein generating the shared key further comprises using the behavior-encoded key to decode the first secret from the criteria-encoded message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the behavior-criteria vector includes one or more numeric entries indicating a behavior criteria, and wherein each entry has a corresponding behavior-detecting function that encodes a behavior pattern of the end-user;

and

wherein generating the user-behavior vector comprises generating a numeric value for an entry of the user-behavior vector using a corresponding behavior-detecting function.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a criteria-encoded message that encodes criteria for selecting a recipient of a digital coupon;

generating a user-behavior vector that includes one or more vector entries, wherein a respective vector entry includes a numeric value that characterizes a user behavior for the end-user;

producing a behavior-encoded message that encodes the end-user'"'"'s behavior pattern, wherein producing the behavior-encoded message involves using a hash function to encode the user-behavior vector;

determining that the end-user is eligible to receive the digital coupon in response to detecting a match between the criteria-encoded message and the behavior-encoded message; and

presenting the digital coupon to the end-user in response to determining that the user is eligible.

10. The storage medium of claim 9, wherein the criteria-encoded message is generated by encoding the behavior-criteria vector using a locality-sensitive hash function;

and

wherein encoding the user-behavior vector to produce the behavior-encoded message comprises using the locality-sensitive hash function to encode the user-behavior vector.

11. The storage medium of claim 10, wherein determining whether the end-user is eligible to receive the digital coupon comprises comparing the behavior-encoded message to the criteria-encoded message.

12. The storage medium of claim 9, wherein the criteria-encoded message is generated using a criteria-encoded key to encode a first secret, and wherein the criteria-encoded key is generated from the behavior-criteria vector;

and

wherein encoding the user-behavior vector to produce the behavior-encoded message comprises;

generating a behavior-encoded key from the user-behavior vector;

generating a second secret; and

encoding the second secret using the behavior-encoded key to produce the behavior-encoded message.

13. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises sending the behavior-encoded message, which encodes the second secret, to a coupon server.

14. The storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises receiving an encrypted digital coupon;

and

wherein determining whether the end-user is eligible to receive the digital coupon comprises;

generating a shared key using the criteria-encoded message and the second secret; and

determining whether the shared key decrypts the encrypted digital coupon.

15. The storage medium of claim 14, wherein generating the shared key further comprises using the behavior-encoded key to decode the first secret from the criteria-encoded message.

16. The storage medium of claim 9, wherein the behavior-criteria vector includes one or more numeric entries indicating a behavior criteria, and wherein each entry has a corresponding behavior-detecting function that encodes a behavior pattern of the end-user;

and

wherein generating the user-behavior vector comprises generating a numeric value for an entry of the user-behavior vector using a corresponding behavior-detecting function.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor storing instructions to be executed by the processor, that when executed by the processor cause the apparatus to perform a method comprising;

receiving a criteria-encoded message that encodes criteria for selecting a recipient of a digital coupon;

generating a user-behavior vector that includes one or more vector entries, wherein a respective vector entry includes a numeric value that characterizes a user behavior for the end-user;

producing a behavior-encoded message that encodes the end-user'"'"'s behavior pattern, wherein producing the behavior-encoded message involves using a hash function to encode the user-behavior vector;

determining that the end-user is eligible to receive the digital coupon in response to detecting a match between the criteria-encoded message and the behavior-encoded message; and

presenting the digital coupon to the end-user in response to determining that the user is eligible.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the criteria-encoded message is generated by encoding the behavior-criteria vector using a locality-sensitive hash function;

and

wherein the method further comprises producing the behavior-encoded message by encoding the user-behavior vector using the locality-sensitive hash function.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein determining whether the end-user is eligible to receive the digital coupon involves comparing the behavior-encoded message to the criteria-encoded message.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the criteria-encoded message is generated using a criteria-encoded key to encode a first secret, and wherein the criteria-encoded key is generated from the behavior-criteria vector;

and

wherein encoding the user-behavior vector comprises;

generating a behavior-encoded key from the user-behavior vector;

generating a second secret; and

encoding the second secret using the behavior-encoded key to produce the behavior-encoded message.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises sending the behavior-encoded message, which encodes the second secret, to a coupon server.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises receiving an encrypted digital coupon;

and

wherein determining whether the end-user is eligible to receive the digital coupon comprises;

generating a shared key using the criteria-encoded message and the second secret; and

determining whether the shared key decrypts the encrypted digital coupon.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the method further comprises decoding the first secret from the criteria-encoded message using the behavior-encoded key.

24. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the behavior-criteria vector includes one or more numeric entries indicating a behavior criteria, and wherein each entry has a corresponding behavior-detecting function that encodes a behavior pattern of the end-user;

and

wherein generating the user-behavior vector comprises generating a numeric value for an entry of the user-behavior vector using a corresponding behavior-detecting function.