Detection of exit behavior of an internet user

• US 9,141,976 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2014
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wunderkind Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bounce Exchange Incorporated
• Inventors: Urban, Ryan Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anderson, Scott C
• Application Number:
  US14/169,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20140222502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 705/14.73
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0246 Traffic
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement

Abstract

Use action in the form of movement of a tracking device on a webpage, represented by cursor gestures on the webpage, is used to detect it a user intends to leave the webpage. Upon detection of an intent to leave the webpage, an advertisement may be displayed to a use. The advertisement may be targeted to the user and/or based on the content the user was viewing on the webpage.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of detecting activity of a user on a user device that accesses the internet and comprises a display, wherein the activity indicates the user'"'"'s intent to initiate an exit command, the method comprising:

in a system configured to host a webpage, the system comprising at least one processor and a memory,

detecting, by the at least one processor, a user accessing the webpage;

setting, by the at least one processor, a predetermined value, stored in the memory, that corresponds to a pixel or plurality of pixels on the webpage; and

,

prior to the user initiating an exit command, detecting, by the at least one processor, activity of a user that indicates the user'"'"'s intent to initiate the exit command at a position on the display relative to the predetermined value.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the activity of the user that indicates a user'"'"'s intent to initiate the exit command comprises at least one cursor gesture.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pixels defines an interface between the webpage being viewed by the user and a menu or submenu of functions, keys, or buttons of a web browser being used by a user to view the webpage.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising a step of displaying an advertisement unit on the webpage after the step of detecting the activity of the user but prior to the user initiating an exit command, wherein the advertisement unit comprises one or more advertisements.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

collecting data associated with the user or the user device, wherein the content of the one or more advertisements is at least partially based upon the data associated with the user of the user device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the data associated with the user or the user device comprises one or more of:

(i) a web browser being utilized by the user device;

(ii) an operating system of the user or user device;

(iii) whether a computer programming code has been enabled or disabled on the user device;

(iv) a network connection speed of the user device;

(v) an enabled cookie;

(vi) screen resolution settings of the user device; and

(vii) the presence of mouse gestures.

7. A computer-implemented method of providing one or a plurality of advertisements to a user of a user device that accesses the internet and that comprises a display, the method comprising:

in a system configured to host a webpage, the system comprising at least one processor and a memory,

detecting, by the at least one processor, a user accessing the webpage;

collecting, by the at least one processor, data, stored in the memory, associated with the user;

setting, by the at least one processor, a predetermined value, stored in the memory, that corresponds to a pixel or plurality of pixels on the display;

detecting, by the at least one processor, user activity on the webpage indicative of the user exiting the webpage prior to the user exiting the webpage at a position on the display relative to the predetermined value; and

displaying an advertisement unit on the webpage prior to the user exiting the webpage, the advertisement unit containing one or more advertisements based at least partially on the data associated with the user.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein detecting user activity on the webpage comprises tracking cursor motion of the user on the webpage.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the predetermined value corresponds to a pixel or set of pixels on the display that define an interface between the webpage and web browser functionality.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the data associated with the user comprises one or more of:

(i) user search criteria;

(ii) user identification information;

(iii) user preferences;

(iv) user location;

(v) browser settings;

(vi) user device characteristics;

(vii) user referral history; and

(viii) a browsing history associated with the user.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein collecting data associated with the user comprises obtaining one or more of:

(i) the user search criteria on the webpage;

(ii) login information associated with the user;

(iii) a browsing history associated with the user; and

(iv) an identifier associated with the user device.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the user activity based at least partially on tracking cursor movement of the user on the webpage and configuration of the user'"'"'s web browsing software.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the pixel or plurality of pixels define an interface between the webpage and web browser functionality and wherein the user activity on the webpage comprises a cursor movement below, above, or across the interface value.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein the cursor movement comprises cursor movement across the pixel or plurality of pixels.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

prior to displaying an advertisement unit on the webpage, allowing a time delay of a predetermined period of time to elapse; and

performing a second detection user activity on the webpage indicative of the user exiting the webpage prior to the user exiting the webpage after the time delay has elapsed.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein displaying an advertisement unit on the webpage comprises:

populating a window with the one or more advertisements;

displaying the window over at least a portion of the webpage; and

shading the webpage so that the window is brighter in contrast than the webpage.

17. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

in conjunction with detecting user indicative of the user exiting the webpage prior to the user exiting the webpage, determining a level of engagement of the user on the webpage; and

if the level of engagement of the user meets or exceeds baseline criteria associated with a baseline level of engagement, classifying the user as engaged.

18. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more advertisements comprises one or more of:

(i) a link to an advertisement webpage to view information associated with the one or more advertisements;

(ii) a text description associated with the one or more advertisements;

(iii) a clickable video associated with the one or more advertisements; and

(iv) a solicitation for a conversion.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more advertisements comprises a solicitation for providing user identification information.

20. A non-transitory computer program product encoded on a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for:

detecting a user accessing a webpage on a device comprising a display;

collecting data associated with the user;

setting a predetermined value, stored in a memory, that corresponds to a pixel or plurality of pixels on the webpage; and

,

detecting activity of a user that indicates the user intends to initiate an exit command at a position on the display relative to the predetermined value before the user initiates an exit command.

21. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 20, wherein the computer program product further comprises instructions for displaying an advertisement unit on the webpage prior to the user initiating an exit command, the advertisement unit containing one or more advertisements based at least partially on the data associated with the user.

22. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 20, wherein the data associated with the user comprises one or more of:

(i) user search criteria;

(ii) user identification information;

(iii) user preferences;

(iv) user location;

(v) browser settings;

(vi) a browsing history associated with the user;

(vii) user device characteristics;

(viii) previous visit history; and

(ix) referral history.

23. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 20, wherein collecting data associated with the user comprises obtaining one or more of:

(i) the user search criteria on the webpage;

(ii) login information associated with the user;

(iii) a browsing history associated with the user; and

(iv) an identifier associated with the user device.

24. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 20, wherein activity of a user that indicates the user intends to initiate an exit command comprises cursor movement at, below, above, or across the predetermined value.

25. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 24, wherein the cursor movement comprises a cursor movement below, above or across a pixel or set of pixels corresponding to an interface between the webpage and web browser functionality being used by a user to view the webpage.

26. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 20, wherein activity of a user that indicates the user intends to initiate an exit command is based at least partially on cursor movement of the user on the webpage and configuration of the user'"'"'s web browsing software.

27. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 20, further comprising instructions for:

prior to displaying an advertisement unit on the webpage, allowing a time delay of a predetermined period of time to elapse; and

performing a second detection of exit behavior on the webpage after the time delay has elapsed but prior to the user initiating an exit command;

wherein the advertisement unit is displayed on the webpage prior to the user exiting the webpage if user activity indicating an intent to initiate an exit command is detected after the time delay has elapsed but prior to the user initiating an exit command.

28. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 20, wherein instructions for displaying an advertisement unit on the webpage comprise instructions for:

populating a window with the one or more advertisements;

displaying the window over at least a portion of the webpage; and

shading the webpage so that the window is brighter in contrast than the webpage.

29. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 20, further

comprising instructions for:

in conjunction with detecting user activity on the webpage, determining a level of engagement of the user on the webpage; and

if the level of engagement of the user meets or exceeds baseline criteria associated with a baseline level of engagement, classifying the user as engaged.

30. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 20, wherein each of the one or more advertisements in the advertisement unit comprises one or more of:

(i) a link to an advertisement webpage to view information associated with the one or more advertisements;

(ii) a text description associated with the one or more advertisements; and

(iii) a clickable video associated with the one or more advertisements.

31. A system comprising a computer storage device that comprises the non-transitory computer program product of claim 20 and at least one processor.

32. A computer-implemented method of delivering an advertisement unit to a user of a device that accesses the internet, the method comprising:

in a system configured to host a webpage, the system comprising at least one processor and a memory,

detecting, by the at least one processor, a user accessing the webpage;

collecting, by the at least one processor, data, stored in the memory, associated with the user;

segmenting the display of the device, by the at least one processor into one or more coordinates;

detecting, by the at least one processor, user activity on the webpage indicative of the user exiting the webpage prior to the user exiting the webpage at a position on the display relative to the one or more coordinates; and

displaying an advertisement unit on the webpage prior to the user exiting the webpage.