Content selection with privacy features

• US 9,049,076 B1
• Filed: 01/07/2013
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ramachandran, Vinod Kumar, Rajkumar, Nareshkumar
• Primary Examiner(s): NANO, SARGON N
• Application Number:
  US13/735,432
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/222, 709/224, 709/203, 709/217, 709/218
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0272 Period of advertisement exposure
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Systems and methods for content selection with privacy features include determining that a period of time from when the cookie was last used to visit a webpage has exceeded a threshold value. Based on the determination, the topic may be removed from an interest category profile used to select content.

Claims

1. A method of limiting the use of data associated with a cookie set within a web browser on a client device, the cookie being associated with a topic, the method comprising:

receiving, at a processor, a device identifier from an application on the client device that differs from the web browser;

associating, by the processor, the device identifier with the cookie;

analyzing, by the processor, one or more user actions performed in a social networking service accessed by the web browser to identify the topic;

including, by the processor, the topic in an interest category profile;

selecting, by the processor, content for presentation within the application using the interest category profile;

determining, by the processor, that a period of time from when the cookie was last used to visit a webpage has exceeded a threshold value;

removing, by the processor, the topic associated with the cookie from the interest category profile based on the determination that the period of time has exceeded the threshold value to create a reduced topic set; and

selecting, by the processor, content using the reduced interest category profile.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

deleting the cookie from a data storage device based on the determination that the period of time has exceeded the threshold value.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the processor, an indication that the cookie is being used by the web browser to visit a webpage; and

restoring the topic to the interest category profile based on the cookie being used to visit a webpage.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the processor, that the period of time from when the cookie was last used by the web browser to visit a webpage has exceed a second threshold value; and

deleting the cookie from a data storage device based on the determination that the period of time has exceeded the second threshold value.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing, by the processor, one or more webpages visited by the web browser to identify the topic; and

associating the topic with the interest category profile.

6. A system for limiting the use of data associated with a cookie set within a web browser on a client device, the cookie being associated with a topic, the system comprising a processor configured to:

receive a device identifier from an application on the client device that differs from the web browser;

associate the device identifier with the cookie;

analyze one or more user actions performed in a social networking service accessed by the web browser to identify the topic;

include the topic in an interest category profile;

select content for presentation within the second application using the interest category profile;

determine that a period of time from when the cookie was last used to visit a webpage has exceeded a threshold value;

remove the topic associated with the cookie from the interest category profile based on the determination that the period of time has exceeded the threshold value to create a reduced topic set; and

select content using the reduced interest category profile.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to delete the cookie from a data storage device based on the determination that the period of time has exceeded the threshold value.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive an indication that the cookie is being used by the web browser to visit a webpage; and

restore the topic to the interest category profile based on the cookie being used to visit a webpage.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine that the period of time from when the cookie was last used by the web browser to visit a webpage has exceed a second threshold value; and

delete the cookie from a data storage device based on the determination that the period of time has exceeded the second threshold value.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to:

analyze one or more webpages visited by the web browser to identify the topic; and

associating the topic with the interest category profile.

11. The system of claim 6, wherein the device identifier comprises a hashed value of a hardware-based identifier.

12. A method of limiting the use of data associated with a cookie set within a web browser on a first client device, the cookie being associated with a topic, the method comprising:

associating, by a processor, the cookie with a device identifier for a second client device based on the cookie and the device identifier being used to access an online account;

analyzing, by the processor, one or more user actions performed in a social networking service accessed by the web browser to identify the topic;

including, by the processor, the topic in an interest category profile;

selecting, by the processor, content for presentation by the second device based on the interest category profile;

determining, by the processor, that a period of time from when the cookie was last used to visit a webpage has exceeded a threshold value;

removing the topic from the interest category profile based on the determination that the period of time has exceeded the threshold value; and

selecting, by the processor, content using the reduced interest category profile.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

deleting the cookie from a data storage device based on the determination that the period of time has exceeded the threshold value.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, at the processor, an indication that the cookie is being used by the web browser to visit a webpage; and

restoring the topic to the interest category profile based on the cookie being used to visit a webpage.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining, by the processor, that the period of time from when the cookie was last used by the web browser to visit a webpage has exceed a second threshold value; and

deleting the cookie from a data storage device based on the determination that the period of time has exceeded the second threshold value.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

analyzing, by the processor, one or more webpages visited by the web browser to identify the topic; and

associating the topic with the interest category profile.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the online account is associated with at least one of a social networking service, a document storage service, or an email service.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the device identifier comprises a hashed value of a hardware-based identifier.