Determining computing device characteristics from computer network activity

• US 9,372,914 B1
• Filed: 01/14/2014
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Asuncion, Arthur, Schuler, Johannes Christian, Corrado, Gregory Sean, Sheng, Yong, Chen, Kai
• Primary Examiner(s): Burke, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vu, Thong
• Application Number:
  US14/154,904
• Time in Patent Office: 889 Days
• Field of Search: 707/738, 707/706, 707/769, 705/2, 705/14.4, 705/7.29, 709/223, 709/224, 714/47.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/285 Clustering or classification

Abstract

Systems and methods of determining computing device characteristics from computer network activity are provided. A data processing system can obtain data identifying a global cluster that indicates an interest category and can create a sub-cluster of the global cluster based on a characteristic common to content access computing devices. A weight indicating a correlation between the characteristic common to content access computing devices and the interest category can be assigned to the sub-cluster. Responsive to a communication between a first content access computing device and a content publisher computing device, the data processing system can identify a characteristic. The data processing system can associate the first content access computing device with the sub-cluster based on the characteristic of the first content access computing device and the characteristic common to the content access computing devices, and based on the weight can determine a status of the first content access computing device.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of determining computing device characteristics from computer network activity, comprising:

accessing, by one or more processors of a data processing system from a database, data identifying a global cluster, the global cluster indicating an interest category determined based on communications between a plurality of content access computing devices and a plurality of content publisher computing devices;

identifying a sub-cluster of the global cluster based on a characteristic common to content access computing devices that are associated with the interest category indicated by the global cluster;

identifying a first correlation between the characteristic and the interest category;

identifying an interest associated with a first content access computing device not associated with the global cluster, based on a communication between the first content access computing device and a first content publisher computing device via a computer network;

associating the first content access computing device with the global cluster based on the interest associated with the first content access computing device and the interest category; and

determining a status of the first content access computing device based on the association of the first content access device with the global cluster and the identified first correlation between the characteristic and the interest category, the status indicating a likelihood that the first content access device is associated with the characteristic.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the status of the first content access computing device comprises determining the status of the first content access computing device without using information affirmatively indicating that the first content access computing device has the characteristic common to content access computing devices.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the status of the first content access computing device comprises predicting that the first content access computing device has the characteristic common to content access computing devices.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a second correlation between the first content access computing device and the global cluster based on the interest category and subject matter of an information resource associated with the communication with the first content publisher computing device; and

determining the status of the first content access computing device based on the second correlation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sub-cluster is a first sub-cluster, and the characteristic common to content access computing devices is a first characteristic, said method further comprising:

identifying a second sub-cluster of the global cluster based on a second characteristic common to content access computing devices;

identifying a second correlation between the second characteristic and the interest category;

assigning a first weight to the first sub-cluster based on the first correlation and a second weight to the second sub-cluster based on the second correlation; and

associating the first content access computing device with the second sub-cluster based on the interest of the first content access computing device; and

determining the status of the first content access computing device based on the second weight assigned to the second sub-cluster.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising providing, from one or more processors of the data processing system to the first content publisher computing device or a second content publisher computing device, via the computer network, a content item for display with an information resource by the first content access computing device based on the status of the first content access computing device.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying a content item to provide for display with an information resource by the first content access computing device based on the status of the first content access computing device.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving, via the computer network, from the first content access computing device or the first content publisher computing device, an indication of the subject matter of the communication between the first content access computing device and the first content publisher computing device via the computer network.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying the characteristic common to content access computing devices as one of a country in which the content access computing devices are located, a type of the content access computing devices, and a social statistic of a population.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the status of the first content access computing device as one of a country in which the first content access computing device is located, a type of the first content access computing device, and a social statistic of a population.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a second correlation between the first content access computing device and the global cluster; and

determining the status of the first content access computing device based on the second correlation.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the interest associated with the first content access computing device comprises identifying subject matter of an information resource associated with the communication with the first content publisher computing device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the sub-cluster indicates a sub-group of the plurality of content access computing devices, and the first content access computing device is not included in the sub-group of the plurality of content access computing devices.

14. A system of determining computing device characteristics from computer network activity, comprising a data processing system having one or more processors configured to:

access, from a database, data identifying a global cluster, the global cluster indicating an interest category determined based on communications via a computer network between a plurality of content access computing devices and a plurality of content publisher computing devices;

identify a sub-cluster of the global cluster based on a characteristic common to content access computing devices that are associated with the interest category indicated by the global cluster;

identify a first correlation between the characteristic and the interest category;

identify an interest associated with a first content access computing device not associated with the global cluster, based on a communication between the first content access computing device and a first content publisher computing device via a computer network;

associate the first content access computing device with the global cluster based on the interest associated with the first content access computing device and the interest category; and

determine a status of the first content access computing device based on the association of the first content access device with the global cluster and the identified first correlation between the characteristic and the interest category, the status indicating a likelihood that the first content access device is associated with the characteristic.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine the status of the first content access computing device without using information affirmatively indicating that the first content access computing devices has the characteristic common to content access computing devices.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to identify subject matter of an information resource associated with the communication with the first content publisher computing device.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive, via the computer network, from one of the first content access computing device and the first content publisher computing device, an indication of the communication between the first content access computing device and the first content publisher computing device via the computer network.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide, to one of the first content publisher computing device and a second content publisher computing device, via the computer network, a content item for display with an information resource by the first content access computing device based on the status of the first content access computing device.

19. A computer readable storage device storing instructions that when executed by one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform operations comprising:

accessing, from a database, data identifying a global cluster, the global cluster indicating an interest category determined based on communications between a plurality of content access computing devices and a plurality of content publisher computing devices;

identifying a sub-cluster of the global cluster based on a characteristic common to content access computing devices that are associated with the interest category indicated by the global cluster;

identifying a first correlation between the characteristic and the interest category;

identifying an interest associated with a first content access computing device not associated with the global cluster, based on a communication between the first content access computing device and a first content publisher computing device via a computer network;

associating the first content access computing device with the global cluster based on the interest associated with the first content access computing device and the interest category; and

determining a status of the first content access computing device based on the association of the first content device with the global cluster and the identified first correlation between the characteristic and the interest category, the status indicating a likelihood that the first content access device is associated with the characteristic.

20. The computer readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the instructions that when executed by the one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform operations further comprising determining the status of the first content access computing device as one of a country in which the first content access computing device is located, a type of the first content access computing device, and a social statistic of a population.