Repackaging demographic data with anonymous identifier

• US 9,363,238 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2012
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Remahl, David P., Turner, William Bedford
• Primary Examiner(s): Avellino, Joseph E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kunwar, Binod J
• Application Number:
  US13/488,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20130326007A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,464 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6263 during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0271 Personalized advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

Using uniquely generated identifiers in a network-based ecosystem in which a plurality of client devices request media content and software applications from online distribution system and additionally request invitational content from invitational content providers. Separating users'"'"' demographic data from a device-specific identifier in favor of uniquely generated identifiers and using the client device to enforce the substation of uniquely generated identifiers in favor of a device identifier, thereby using the client device to serve as a proxy in creating a firewall to exclude system partners from access to a device identifier.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sending, by a device to a media distribution system, a user account identifier associated with a user of the device and a device identifier associated with the device;

receiving, at the device from the media distribution system, segmented demographic data associated with the user of the device;

generating, at the device, a first random identifier and a second random identifier, wherein the first random identifier and the second random identifier are both different from the device identifier and the user account identifier, and wherein the first random identifier and the second random identifier are both associated with at least one of the user account identifier or the device identifier;

sending, by the device, the segmented demographic data along with the first random identifier to a first service provider, wherein the first random identifier associates the user with the segmented demographic data;

identifying, by the device, a privacy policy associated with the device; and

determining, by the device, whether sending the segmented demographic data associated with the user of the device to the first service provider or second service provider complies with the privacy policy associated with the device;

based on the sending the segmented demographic data associated with the user of the device to the first service provider being compliant with the privacy policy associated with the device, authorizing to send the segmented demographic data associated with the user of the device to the first service provider;

sending, by the device, the segmented demographic data along with the second random identifier to a second service provider, wherein the second random identifier associates the user with the segmented demographic data;

wherein by sending the segmented demographic data along with one of the first random identifier or the second random identifier, the device restricts access by the first and second service providers to the device identifier, and wherein the first random identifier is different than the second random identifier; and

wherein the first random identifier and the second random identifier are anonymous identifiers, and wherein the device does not disclose the user account identifier or the device identifier to the first and second service providers and wherein the user account identifier and the device identifier are not otherwise discernable by the first and second service providers from the first and second random identifiers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the segmented demographic data to the first and second service providers comprises:

associating the segmented demographic data with the first random identifier to yield a first package of segmented data and associating the segmented demographic data with the second random identifier to yield a second package of segmented data; and

sending the first package of segmented data to the first service provider and the second package of segmented data to the second service provider.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising prior to sending the segmented demographic data to the first and second service providers, generalizing the segmented demographic data by converting specific demographic values into a range of values.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first random identifier is persistently used in subsequent interactions between the device and the first service provider.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the segmented demographic data comprises anonymous demographic data such that the demographic data does not specifically identify the user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending user profile data to the media distribution system, the user profile data including past purchase information and user interests associated with the device identifier, and wherein at least a portion of the segmented demographic data is inferred from the past purchase information and the user interests associated with the device identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second random identifiers correspond to a same user account associated with the device identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first service provider is associated with a first application downloaded by the device from a server for obtaining a particular service associated with the first application, and wherein the second service provider is associated with a second application downloaded by the device, the second application being different than the first application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the first random identifier and the segmented demographic data comprises sending user preferences for invitational content.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on the sending the segmented demographic data associated with the user of the device to the first service provider being non-compliant with the privacy policy associated with the device, restricting the device to send a portion of the segmented demographic data associated with the user of the device to the first service provider.

10. A system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

sending, to a media distribution system, a user account identifier associated with a user of the system and a device identifier associated with the system;

receiving, from the media distribution system, segmented demographic data associated with the user of the system;

generating a first random identifier and a second random identifier, wherein the first random identifier and the second random identifier are both different from the device identifier and the user account identifier, and wherein the first random identifier and the second random identifier are both associated with at least one of the user account identifier or the device identifier;

identifying a privacy policy associated with the device; and

determining whether sending the segmented demographic data associated with the user of the device to the first service provider or second service provider complies with the privacy policy associated with the device;

based on the sending the segmented demographic data associated with the user of the device to the first service provider being compliant with the privacy policy associated with the device, authorizing to send the segmented demographic data associated with the user of the device to the first service provider;

sending the segmented demographic data along with the first random identifier to a first service provider, wherein the first random identifier associates the user with the segmented demographic data;

sending the segmented demographic data along with the second random identifier to a second service provider, wherein the second random identifier associates the user with the segmented demographic data;

wherein by sending the segmented demographic data along with one of the first random identifier or the second random identifier, the device restricts access by the first and second service providers to the device identifier, and wherein the first random identifier is different than the second random identifier; and

wherein the first random identifier and the second random identifier are anonymous identifiers, and wherein the device does not disclose the user account identifier or the device identifier to the first and second service providers and wherein the user account identifier and the device identifier are not otherwise discernable by the first and second service providers from the first and second random identifiers.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein sending the segmented demographic data to the first and second service providers comprises:

associating the segmented demographic data with the first random identifier to yield a first package of segmented data and associating the segmented demographic data with the second random identifier to yield a second package of segmented data; and

sending the first package of segmented data to the first service provider and the second package of segmented data to the second service provider.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising prior to sending the segmented demographic data to the first and second service providers, generalizing the segmented demographic data by converting specific demographic values into a range of values.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the first and second random identifiers correspond to a same user account associated with the device identifier.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

sending, by a device to a media distribution system, a user account identifier associated with a user of the device and a device identifier associated with the device;

receiving, at the device from the media distribution system, segmented demographic data associated with the user of the device;

generating, at the device, a first random identifier and a second random identifier, wherein the first random identifier and the second random identifier are both different from the device identifier and the user account identifier, and wherein the first random identifier and the second random identifier are both associated with at least one of the user account identifier or the device identifier;

identifying a privacy policy associated with the device; and

determining whether sending the segmented demographic data associated with the user of the device to the first service provider or second service provider complies with the privacy policy associated with the device;

based on the sending the segmented demographic data associated with the user of the device to the first service provider being compliant with the privacy policy associated with the device, authorizing to send the segmented demographic data associated with the user of the device to the first service provider;

sending, by the device, the segmented demographic data along with the first random identifier to a first service provider, wherein the first random identifier associates the user with the segmented demographic data;

sending, by the device, the segmented demographic data along with the second random identifier to a second service provider, wherein the second random identifier associates the user with the segmented demographic data;

wherein by sending the segmented demographic data along with one of the first random identifier or the second random identifier, the device restricts access by the first and second service providers to the device identifier and the user account identifier, and wherein the first random identifier is different than the second random identifier; and

wherein the first random identifier and the second random identifier are anonymous identifiers, and wherein the device does not disclose the user account identifier or the device identifier to the first and second service providers and wherein the user account identifier and the device identifier are not otherwise discernable by the first and second service providers from the first and second random identifiers.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein sending the segmented demographic data to the first and second service providers comprises:

associating the segmented demographic data with the first random identifier to yield a first package of segmented data and associating the segmented demographic data with the second random identifier to yield a second package of segmented data; and

sending the first package of segmented data to the first service provider and the second package of segmented data to the second service provider.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the first and second random identifiers correspond to a same user account associated with the device identifier, and wherein the segmented demographic data comprises anonymous demographic data such that the demographic data does not specifically identify the user associated with the same user account.