Rewarding mobile app installations without a software development kit in the mobile app

• US 9,348,572 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2014
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tapjoy, Inc. (Unity Software, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tapjoy, Inc. (Unity Software, Inc.)
• Inventors: Farm, Christopher Paul, Stebar, Brian, Chan, Johnny, Tan, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): BROPHY, MATTHEW J
• Application Number:
  US14/205,807
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282497A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-178
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/445 Program loading or initiating bootstrapping G06F9/4401; security arrangements for program loading or initiating G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Abstract

In an embodiment, a method comprises transmitting, from a mobile computing device to a server computer, first data identifying a selection at the mobile computing device of an app that is not associated with an identification module associated with the server computer that would allow the server computer to identify the device; receiving, at the mobile computing device from the server computer, second data identifying zero or more apps lacking the identification module that have been selected previously using the mobile computing device; determining whether a protocol handler for each of the zero or more apps lacking the identification module is in the mobile computing device; in response to determining that a particular protocol handler for one of the apps is in the mobile computing device, transmitting to the server computer a message specifying that the particular protocol handler is in the mobile computing device; communicating a reward to any of: a particular one of the apps that is associated with the particular protocol handler, or a user account associated with the mobile computing device; wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

Claims

1. A data processing method comprising:

transmitting, from a mobile computing device to a service provider server computer, first data identifying a selection at the mobile computing device of an app that is lacking a service provider identification module associated with the service provider server computer that allows the service provider server computer to identify the device;

receiving, at the mobile computing device from the service provider server computer, second data identifying zero or more apps lacking the service provider identification module that have been selected previously using the mobile computing device;

determining whether a protocol handler for each of the zero or more apps lacking the service provider identification module is in the mobile computing device;

in response to determining that a particular protocol handler for one of the apps is in the mobile computing device, transmitting to the service provider server computer, by an app that is configured with a service provider identification module associated with the server computer, a message specifying that the particular protocol handler is in the mobile computing device;

communicating a reward to any of;

a particular one of the apps that is associated with the particular protocol handler, or a user account associated with the mobile computing device;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, near a time of transmitting the first data, requesting the mobile computing device to initiate installing the app on the mobile computing device without communicating data about the installation to the service provider server computer.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving the selection of the app via an offer wall that is hosted by a second app that is configured with the service provider identification module.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the second app performs the receiving, determining, and transmitting the message.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the service provider identification module is compatible with the service provider server computer.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the service provider identification module is compatible with an advertising network that the service provider server computer hosts.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising serially communicating, to an operating system of the mobile computing device, a call to identify whether each of the zero of more apps lacking the service provider identification module and identified in the second data is on the mobile computing device.

8. The method of claim 1 further storing the first data at the service provider server computer as part of a record of potential app conversion transactions.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first data comprises a click key indicating that an-a service provider SDK-less app was selected in an offer wall.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving and advertising availability of the app via an offer wall.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the reward comprises any one or more of:

virtual goods;

virtual services;

or badges or other virtual objects.

12. A data processing method, comprising:

sending, to an advertising network server computer, first data identifying a selection at a mobile computing device of an uninstalled app that does not implement an advertising network software development kit (SDK) that would allow the advertising network server computer to identify the device;

receiving, at the mobile computing device, second data identifying zero or more apps lacking the advertising network SDK that have been selected previously using the mobile computing device;

determining a presence in the mobile computing device of a protocol handler for any of the zero or more apps;

in response to the presence of a particular protocol handler for one of the apps in the mobile computing device, transmitting a message about the presence of the particular protocol handler in the mobile computing device to the advertising network server computer by an installed app that does implement the advertising network SDK;

communicating a reward to any of;

a particular one of the apps that is associated with the particular protocol handler, or a user account associated with the mobile computing device;

wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.

13. A data processing method comprising:

during a first execution of a first app that is configured with an-service provider identification module, the first app requesting one or more advertisements from an ad server computer;

receiving, from the ad server computer, an electronic advertisement comprising a reference to a second app, wherein the second app is not configured with the service provider identification module;

displaying the electronic advertisement within the first app;

receiving input selecting the electronic advertisement;

sending to the ad server computer a message specifying that the ad was selected;

receiving and installing the second app, wherein the second app is configured with an app-specific software unit;

during a second execution of the first app, receiving from the ad server computer a list of app-specific software units that are paired with one or more click identifiers that are associated with the device, wherein each of the click identifiers indicates a previous selection of an app that is not configured with the service provider identification module;

determining whether the second app is installed by matching an identifier of the app-specific software unit of the second app to the list of app-specific software units that was received from the ad server computer;

in response to detecting that the second app is installed, sending an app ID for the second app to the ad server computer and receiving a reward.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first app and second app are configured for operation with APPLE IOS operating system software and wherein the app-specific software unit is a registered custom URL scheme.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first app and second app are configured for operation with ANDROID operating system software and wherein the app-specific software unit is an app-specific software package.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising receiving the selection of the app via an offer wall that is hosted by the first app.

17. The method of claim 13 further storing the first data at the server computer as part of a record of potential app conversion transactions.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the click identifiers comprise click keys.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the reward comprises any one or more of:

virtual goods;

virtual services;

or badges or other virtual objects.

20. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors;

a communications interface configured to couple to an ad server computer via one or more communications networks;

one or more non-transitory storage media accessible to the one or more processors and storing instructions which, when executed by one or more computing devices, cause performing;

transmitting, from a mobile computing device to a service provider server computer, first data identifying a selection at the mobile computing device of an app that is lacking a service provider identification module associated with the service provider server computer that would allow the service provider server computer to identify the device;

receiving, at the mobile computing device from the service provider server computer, second data identifying zero or more apps lacking the service provider identification module that have been selected previously using the mobile computing device;

determining whether a protocol handler for each of the zero or more apps lacking the service provider identification module is in the mobile computing device;

in response to determining that a particular protocol handler for one of the apps is in the mobile computing device, transmitting to the service provider server computer, by an app that is configured with a service provider identification module associated with the server computer, a message specifying that the particular protocol handler is in the mobile computing device;

communicating a reward to any of;

a particular one of the apps that is associated with the particular protocol handler, or a user account associated with the mobile computing device.

21. The computing device of claim 20 wherein the storage media comprise instructions which when executed cause, near a time of transmitting the first data, requesting the mobile computing device to initiate installing the app on the mobile computing device without communicating data about the installation to the service provider server computer.

22. The computing device of claim 20 wherein the storage media comprise instructions which when executed cause receiving the selection of the app via an offer wall that is hosted by a second app that is configured with the service provider identification module.

23. The computing device of claim 20 wherein the service provider identification module is compatible with an advertising network that the service provider server computer hosts.

24. The computing device of claim 20 wherein the storage media comprise instructions which when executed cause serially communicating, to an operating system of the mobile computing device, a call to identify whether each of the zero of more apps lacking the service provider identification module and identified in the second data is on the mobile computing device.

25. The computing device of claim 20 wherein the storage media comprise instructions which when executed cause storing the first data at the service provider server computer as part of a record of potential app conversion transactions.

26. The computing device of claim 20 wherein the first data comprises a click key indicating that service provider SDK-less app was selected in an offer wall.

27. The computing device of claim 20 wherein the storage media comprise instructions which when executed cause receiving and advertising availability of the app via an offer wall.