Distributing personalized content

• US 8,982,977 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2013
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Yahoo AD Tech LLC
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bill, David
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, MAN U
• Application Number:
  US13/751,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20130138664A1
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• Field of Search: 370254-338, 370351-400, 709203-217, 707723-748
• US Class Current: 375/267
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/435 Filtering based on additional data, e.g. user or group profiles
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0633 Lists, e.g. purchase orders, compilation or processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

The invention provides a method and system for distributing personalized content to potentially large numbers of recipients. A pool is selected, from among all content available for distribution, of those content elements that will be made available for simultaneous distribution, and personalized content is selected for distribution from that pool. The content of the pool can change with new selections over time. For each individual recipient, content elements in the pool are examined to determine if they are predicted to be of sufficient interest to that recipient for distribution, and if so, those content elements are distributed. If not, successive content elements in the pool are examined, relaxing the standard for sufficient interest, until at least one content element is found and distributed to the individual recipient.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

calculating (i) a first value indicative of an interest of a first user with respect to a first digital media item and (ii) a second value indicative of an interest of the first user with respect to a second digital media item;

determining, using at least one processor, whether the first value exceeds an initial threshold level of interest associated with the first user;

computing a modified threshold level of interest for the first user, when the first value fails to exceed the initial threshold level;

determining, using the at least one processor, whether the second value exceeds the modified threshold level;

when the second value exceeds the modified threshold level, determining, using the at least one processor, whether the second digital media item satisfies an administrative rule, the administrative rule comprising at least one of a legal restriction, a marketing restriction, a financial restriction, or a technical restriction; and

generating an instruction to provide information identifying the second digital media item to the first user, when the second digital media item satisfies the administrative rule.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining information identifying a pool of digital media items of potential interest to the first user, the pool of digital media items comprising the first and second digital media items.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the pool of digital media items is associated with a media channel accessible to the first user.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

selecting at least one of the first or second digital media items from the pool using a weighted round-robin algorithm.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating comprises:

obtaining information identifying a correlation factor between the first user and at least one additional user; and

calculating at least one of the first value or the second value based on the correlation factor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing comprises computing the modified threshold level as a product of the initial threshold level and a factor having a value less than unity.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the initial threshold level based on at least one of (i) an initial threshold level of interest associated with at least one additional user, or (ii) an interest expressed by the first user in one or more previously-provided digital media items.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, when the first value exceeds the initial threshold level, whether the first digital media item satisfies an administrative rule, the administrative rule comprising at least one of a legal restriction, a marketing restriction, a financial restriction, or a technical restriction; and

generating an instruction to provide the information identifying the first digital media item to the first user, when the first digital media item satisfies the administrative rule.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the marketing restriction specifies a relationship between at least one characteristic of the second digital media item and corresponding characteristics of one or more digital media items previously presented to the first user; and

determining whether the second digital media item satisfies the administrative rule comprises determining whether the at least one characteristic of the second digital media item satisfies the specified relationship.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the legal restriction specifies a limitation on a playback of the second digital media item during a predetermined time period; and

determining whether the second digital media item satisfies the administrative rule comprises determining whether the provision of the second digital media item information to the first user satisfies the specified limitation.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a storage device that stores a set of instructions; and

at least one processor coupled to the storage device, the at least one processor being configured to execute the instructions stored in the storage device to;

calculate (i) a first value indicative of an interest of a first user with respect to a first digital media item and (ii) a second value indicative of an interest of the first user with respect to a second digital media item;

determine whether the first value exceeds an initial threshold level of interest associated with the first user;

compute a modified threshold level of interest for the first user, when the first value fails to exceed the initial threshold level;

determine whether the second value exceeds the modified threshold level;

when the second value exceeds the modified threshold level, determine whether the second digital media item satisfies an administrative rule, the administrative rule comprising at least one of a legal restriction, a marketing restriction, a financial restriction, or a technical restriction; and

generate an instruction to provide information identifying the second digital media item to the first user, when the second digital media item satisfies the administrative rule.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:

obtain information identifying a pool of digital media items of potential interest to the first user, wherein;

the pool of digital media items comprises the first and second digital media items; and

the pool of digital media items is associated with a media channel accessible to the first user.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:

select at least one of the first or second digital media items from the pool using a weighted round-robin algorithm.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:

obtain information identifying a correlation factor between the first user and at least one additional user; and

calculate at least one of the first value or the second value based on the correlation factor.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:

compute the modified threshold level as a product of the initial threshold level and a factor having a value less than unity.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:

determine the initial threshold level based on at least one of (i) an initial threshold level of interest associated with at least one additional user or (ii) interest expressed by the first user in one or more previously-provided digital media items.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to:

determine, when the first value exceeds the initial threshold level, whether the first digital media item satisfies an administrative rule, the administrative rule comprising at least one of a legal restriction, a marketing restriction, a financial restriction, or a technical restriction; and

generate an instruction to provide the information identifying the first digital media item to the first user, when the first digital media item satisfies the administrative rule.

19. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

the marketing restriction specifies a relationship between at least one characteristic of the second digital media item and corresponding characteristics of one or more digital media items previously presented to the first user; and

the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to determine whether the at least one characteristic of the second digital media item satisfies the specified relationship.

20. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein:

the legal restriction specifies a limitation on a playback of the second digital media item during a predetermined time period; and

the at least one processor is further configured to execute the instructions to determine whether the provision of the second digital media item information to the first user satisfies the specified limitation.

16. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method, comprising:

calculating (i) a first value indicative of an interest of a first user with respect to a first digital media item and (ii) a second value indicative of an interest of the first user with respect to a second digital media item;

determining whether the first value exceeds an initial threshold level of interest associated with the first user;

computing a modified threshold level of interest for the first user, when the first value fails to exceed the initial threshold level;

determining whether the second value exceeds the modified threshold level;

when the second value exceeds the modified threshold level, determining whether the second digital media item satisfies an administrative rule, the administrative rule comprising at least one of a legal restriction, a marketing restriction, a financial restriction, or a technical restriction; and

generating an instruction to provide information identifying the second digital media item to the first user, when the second digital media item satisfies the administrative rule.