Cookie correction system and method

• US 9,064,269 B1
• Filed: 09/27/2011
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lei, Ming, Zhang, Fan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ashraf, Waseem
• Application Number:
  US13/246,641
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709217-219, 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements

Abstract

Cookie correction methods, systems, and computer programs include receiving a first cookie from a user via a browser; receiving additional cookies from the user via the browser within a time period and setting the additional cookies as cookies of a first type that are indicative of a unique user; sampling traffic that has accessed a web site by selecting accesses that were made with cookies of the first type within the time period; scaling up the traffic to account for cookies of a second type that have accessed the web site within the time period, the cookies of the second type being indicative of non-unique users which are different than the cookies of the first type; and determining a number of users who have accessed the web site within the time period based on the scaled up traffic.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for estimating statistical data, comprising:

receiving, by a data processing system having one or more processors, a plurality of cookies including a first set of cookies and a second set of cookies, each of the first set of cookies corresponding to a query received with an associated cookie and including an initialization time stamp indicating when the cookie was created and a request time stamp corresponding to an action within a predetermined time period that generates an advertisement auction;

determining, for each of the first set of cookies, a time difference between the request time stamp and the initialization time stamp of the cookie;

selecting, from the first set of cookies, a second set of cookies, the time difference of each cookie of the second set of cookies between the request time stamp and the initialization time stamp exceeding a first predetermined length of time and below a second predetermined length of time, each of the second set of cookies corresponding to a respective unique user identifier;

determining a first number of unique user identifiers associated with the second set of cookies; and

estimating, by the data processing system, a second number of unique user identifiers that accounts for unselected cookies from the plurality of cookies by multiplying the first number of unique user identifiers with a ratio of (i) a number of cookies in the plurality of cookies or a number of cookies in the first set of cookies (ii) over a number of cookies in the second set of cookies.

2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the first predetermined length of time is at least one day.

3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein the first number of unique user identifiers represents one of potential users, shown users, budget lost users, bid lost users, quality lost users, and frequency capped users.

4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of cookies are initially created by a server and sent to a user based on a request sent by the user generating an advertisement auction.

5. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer program product which, when executed by at least one computer, causes the at least one computer to perform the steps of:

receiving a plurality of cookies including a first set of cookies and a second set of cookies, each of the first set of cookies corresponding to a query received with an associated cookie and including an initialization time stamp indicating when the cookie was created and a request time stamp corresponding to an action within a predetermined time period that generates an advertisement auction;

determining, for each of the first set of cookies, a time difference between the request time stamp and the initialization time stamp of the cookie;

selecting, from the first set of cookies, a second set of cookies, the time difference of each cookie of the second set of cookies between the request time stamp and the initialization time stamp exceeding a first predetermined length of time and below a second predetermined length of time, each of the second set of cookies corresponding to a respective unique user identifier;

determining a first number of unique user identifiers associated with the second set of cookies; and

estimating, by the data processing system, a second number of unique user identifiers that accounts for unselected cookies from the plurality of cookies by multiplying the first number of unique user identifiers with a ratio of (i) a number of cookies in the plurality of cookies or a number of cookies in the first set of cookies (ii) over a number of cookies in the second set of cookies.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 5, wherein the first predetermined length of time is at least one day.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 5, wherein the first number of unique user identifiers represents one of potential users, shown users, budget lost users, bid lost users, quality lost users, and frequency capped users.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 5, wherein one or more of the plurality of cookies are initially created by a server and sent to a user based on a request sent by the user generating an advertisement auction.

9. A computer-implemented system comprising:

a hardware processor; and

a memory comprising;

a receiving unit, executing on the hardware processor, receiving a plurality of cookies including a first set of cookies and a second set of cookies, each of the first set of cookies corresponding to a query received with an associated cookie and including an initialization time stamp indicating when the cookie was created and a request time stamp corresponding to an action within a predetermined time period that generates; and

a determining unit, executing on the hardware processor, in connection with the receiving unit;

determining, for each of the first set of cookies, a time difference between the request time stamp and the initialization time stamp of the cookie;

selecting, from the first set of cookies, a second set of cookies, the time difference of each cookie of the second set of cookies between the request time stamp and the initialization time stamp exceeding a first predetermined length of time and below a second predetermined length of time, each of the second set of cookies corresponding to a respective unique user identifier;

determining a first number of unique user identifiers associated with the second set of cookies; and

estimating a second number of unique user identifiers that accounts for unselected cookies from the plurality of cookies by multiplying the first number of unique user identifiers with a ratio of (i) a number of cookies in the plurality of cookies or a number of cookies in the first set of cookies (ii) over a number of cookies in the second set of cookies.

10. The computer-implemented system according to claim 9, wherein the first predetermined length of time is at least one day.

11. The computer-implemented system according to claim 9, wherein the first number of unique user identifiers represents one of potential users, shown users, budget lost users, bid lost users, quality lost users, and frequency capped users.

12. The computer-implemented system according to claim 9, wherein one or more of the plurality of cookies are initially created by a server and sent to a user based on a request sent by the user generating an advertisement auction.