System and method for associating a geographic location with an internet protocol address

• US 9,305,022 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2013
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Yahoo! Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Campbell, Bruce, Patel, Devesh, Riise, Soren
• Primary Examiner(s): Hwang, Joon H
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIN, SHERMAN L
• Application Number:
  US14/092,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20140156622A1
• Time in Patent Office: 860 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/227
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

The present application is directed to systems and methods for associating a geographic location with an IP address. Generally, an IP address from which each of a plurality of users accesses a network is recorded. A geo tag is associated with each of the plurality of users and a subset of the plurality of users is identified, the subset including users associated with a first IP address. The subset of the plurality of users is clustered into a spatial cluster including users associated with geo tags located with a defined distance of a geo tag of at least one other user of the cluster. A geographic location associated with a geographic center of the cluster is then associated with the first IP address.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for associating a geographic location with an internet protocol (“

IP”

) address, said method comprising;

obtaining, by a processor, digital request data from content of a webpage associated with a plurality of browser cookies, each of said plurality of browser cookies indicating a geographic location associated with computing devices of a plurality of corresponding users accessing said webpage through a computing device of each respective user;

associating, by said processor, a geo tag with each of said plurality of browser cookies based on said geographic location indicated by said digital request data and a browser cookie of said plurality of browser cookies;

identifying, by said processor, a subset of said plurality of browser cookies, said subset comprising browser cookies associated with said webpage and a first IP address shared by said plurality of browser cookies;

clustering, by said processor, said subset of said plurality of browser cookies into a spatial cluster comprising browser cookies associated with geo tags identifying locations located within a predefined distance of a location indicated by said digital request data and identified in a geo tag of at least one other browser cookie of said spatial cluster;

determining, by said processor, an association between a geographic location associated with a geographic center of said spatial cluster and said first IP address based on a contributing point shared by said plurality of browser cookies near a geographic center of said spatial cluster; and

storing, by said processor, in a memory said association between said geographic location associated with said geographic center of said spatial cluster and said first IP address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said digital request data comprises digital ad request data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said digital request data is further obtained from an IP address based on shared use of said IP address by said computing devices of a plurality of corresponding users.

4. The method of claim 1, and further comprising determining whether a number of said browser cookies in said subset of said plurality of browser cookies exceeds a quorum threshold.

5. The method of claim 4, and further comprising adding one or more browser cookies served to said plurality of users in response to said accessing said webpage to said subset so that said number of said browser cookies in said subset exceeds said quorum threshold.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said one or more browser cookies are associated with an IP address adjoining said first IP address.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said contributing point comprises said geographic location that is closest to the average of all of geographic locations associated with said plurality of browser cookies of said spatial cluster.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said first IP address shared by said plurality of browser cookies comprises a defined range of IP addresses shared by said plurality of browser cookies.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining said association between said geographic location associated with said geographic center of said spatial cluster and said first IP address is based on an accuracy score determined on at least one of the following levels:

a street level;

a zip code level;

a city level;

a designated market area level;

a state level;

or a country level.

10. The method of claim 1, and further comprising serving at least one digital ad to at least one of said plurality of users based on said association between said geographic location associated with said geographic center of said spatial cluster and said first IP address.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of instructions for associating a geographic location with an Internet Protocol (“

IP”

) address, said set of instructions to direct a processor to;

obtain, by said processor, digital request data from content of a webpage associated with a plurality of browser cookies, each of said plurality of browser cookies indicating a geographic location associated with computing devices of a plurality of corresponding users accessing said webpage through a computing device of each respective user;

associate, by said processor, a geo tag with each of said plurality of browser cookies based on said geographic location indicated by said digital request data and a browser cookie of said plurality of browser cookies;

identify, by said processor, a subset of said plurality of browser cookies, said subset comprising browser cookies associated with said webpage and a first IP address shared by said plurality of browser cookies;

cluster, by said processor, said subset of said plurality of browser cookies into a spatial cluster comprising browser cookies associated with geo tags identifying locations located within a predefined distance of a location indicated by said digital request data and identified in a geo tag of at least one other browser cookie of said spatial cluster;

determine, by said processor, an association between a geographic location associated with a geographic center of said spatial cluster and said first IP address based on a contributing point shared by said plurality of browser cookies near a geographic center of said spatial cluster; and

store, by said processor, in a memory said association between said geographic location associated with said geographic center of said spatial cluster and said first IP address.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, and further comprising a set of instructions to direct said processor to serve at least one digital ad to at least one of said plurality of users based on said association between said geographic location associated with said geographic center of said spatial cluster and said first IP address.

13. A system for associating a geographic location with an Internet protocol (“

IP”

) address, the system comprising;

an IP address to location module comprising a processor and a memory, said processor operative to execute instructions stored in said memory to;

obtain, by said processor, digital request data from content of a webpage associated with a plurality of browser cookies, each of said plurality of browser cookies indicating a geographic location associated with computing devices of a plurality of corresponding users accessing said webpage through a computing device of each respective user;

associate, by said processor, a geo tag with each of said plurality of browser cookies based on said geographic location indicated by said digital request data and a browser cookie of said plurality of browser cookies;

identify, by said processor, a subset of said plurality of browser cookies, said subset comprising browser cookies associated with said webpage and a first IP address shared by said plurality of browser cookies;

cluster, by said processor, said subset of said plurality of browser cookies into a spatial cluster comprising browser cookies associated with geo tags identifying locations located within a predefined distance of a location indicated by said digital request data and identified in a geo tag of at least one other browser cookie of said spatial cluster;

determine, by said processor, an association between a geographic location associated with a geographic center of said spatial cluster and said first IP address based on a contributing point shared by said plurality of browser cookies near a geographic center of said spatial cluster; and

store, by said processor, in a memory said association between said geographic location associated with said geographic center of said spatial cluster and said first IP address.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said digital request data comprises digital ad request data.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said digital request data is further obtained from an IP address based on shared use of said IP address by said computing devices of a plurality of corresponding users.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein said contributing point comprises said geographic location that is closest to the average of all of geographic locations associated with said plurality of browser cookies of said spatial cluster.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein said first IP address shared by said plurality of browser cookies comprises a defined range of IP addresses shared by said plurality of browser cookies.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein said IP address to location module further to determine said association between said geographic location associated with said geographic center of said spatial cluster and said first IP address based on an accuracy score determined on at least one of the following levels:

a street level;

a zip code level;

a city level;

a designated market area level;

a state level;

or a country level.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein said IP address to location module further to serve at least one digital ad to at least one of said plurality of users based on said association between said geographic location associated with said geographic center of said spatial cluster and said first IP address.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein said IP address to location module further to export said association between said geographic location associated with said geographic center of said spatial cluster and said first IP address to at least one of a search engine and an online advertisement service provider.